José Lino Dos Anjos Junior says:
One of the greatest challenges in cargo logistics around the world is the lack of process automation. Many actions are carried out by e-mail, which makes it difficult and delays the release and transport of cargo.

Recently, eProfessionalTI was invited by Maersk, one of the largest cargo handling companies in the world, to implement a system to promote the integration of empty container terminals, carriers, and shipowners (Grupo Maersk). Previously, Maersk faced a series of bottlenecks in the process of releasing empty containers, which resulted in difficulties in the operation and customer service.

eProfessionalTI was selected to develop a project that would act as a bridge among Maersk's systems, carriers and empty container terminals. It is a highly complex project in the identification of processes, implementation of business rules and integrations between softwares. Therefore, the eProfessionalTI platform acts as a scheduling system integrated into the booking system of the Maersk Group. When an exporter contracts the transport of their products, they need to access the shipowner's portal book and reserve the use of empty containers to store and transport their cargo to a scheduled port and ship.

From the moment of defining the date of shipment, the system informs the scale of the ships in that particular period. As soon as the shipment is defined, the process of integrating the agents involved begins.

With the customer's booking, the carrier will be able to access the web portal and then schedule the empty container to be picked up at the empty container terminal. The carrier is called upon to remove the container and, based on this schedule, the exporter has a certain amount of time to load the container, provide all documentation with the agencies involved and send it to the port. Previously, when the process was not integrated and automated, at least two days were spent just documenting these processes. Today this is done in real-time, after the exporter closes with Maersk, generating a booking; the carrier receives the information on the same day and accesses the web portal for the empty container removal process.

Today, with everything computerized and integrated, the carrier receives an electronic document containing the authorization to remove the empty container. This document includes the following information: document/ticket number as a bar code, booking number, container type, exporter, ship, voyage, temperature, cargo classification and also the driver's document, the license plate of the vehicle that you must report to the terminal designated by the web portal for the appropriate removal of the empty container.

The system already has the container designated for transport, and it is only necessary to couple it to the bodywork and release it for loading to the exporter's plant.

These same data are also available to the exporter when receiving the truck for loading and equally at the port when placing the container on the ship.

After a year of implementation, the integration between platforms, the reliability and trustworthiness of the information, the reduction of time in scheduling the request and the safety of the cargo terminals when removing the container, made this project a successful case.

The success was so vast that they have already implemented the web portal in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Costa Rica and are working towards implementation in 2022 in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.

*José Lino Dos Anjos Junior is the Equipment Supervisor at the Maersk Group, the leader responsible for the project together with the eProfessionalTI team.

About eProfessionalTI
The company aims to always be the best alternative in process control and automation. Our search is in the continuity of the implemented solutions, minimizing risks and costs for the client. The professionals at eProfessionalTI have been developing systems related to foreign trade logistics for over 19 years, they have been fully aware of the needs of port terminals, container depots and bonded areas. For more information, visit www.eprofessionalti.com via Instagram @eprofessionalti or LinkedIn eProfessionalTI