DDS Logistics’ new TMS and international trade products

French TMS (Transport Management System) leader DDS Logistics expands its range of software products for shippers, carriers and forwarders with new modules and features. The publisher has made user-friendliness and optimization priorities.

PRESENTAtion OF DDS Sourcing (INTERNATIONAL PURCHASES)

AND ITS MODULES

• A fully-fledged sourcing solution

Initially a part of the DDS Shipper TMS, the Sourcing module has grown to become a “fully-fledged” package: DDS Sourcing. This solution retains its primary purpose: to identify the best sources of supplies in terms of value, flow and logistic costs control. In other words, to determine which source of supplies offers the best cost of goods sold and delivered (customs and logistics costs included).

• New e-Show-room module

DDS Logistics has developed a new module around this function:
e-Show-room. This allows a global trading group to create an online catalog of “sourced” products (with references, suppliers, countries, pictures) which regional purchasers – or point of sales, depending on company structure – can use to place their purchase orders.

This system has many advantages: the international trading group can amalgamate supply orders by country and better negotiate purchase prices by booking the quantities to order upstream and in bulk. Logistics-wise, centralizing purchases translates into better organization, grouped flows and as a result, savings.

• Referential and LC Management now available online

Another novelty in the DDS Sourcing offer is the migration of the Referential and LC Management modules to the dot.net technology. These modules which deal respectively with calculating the cost of goods sold by reference and payment by letter of credit are now available online on a secured web portal for faster and easier access.

DDS Shipper (TMS OFFER FOR SHIPPERS):

CO₂ CALCULATION NOW STANDARD AND IMPROVED MAPPING

• CO₂ module now included with all DDS Shipper offers

The “CO₂ emission management” module which was optional since last year now comes free with the TMS for shippers DDS Shipper. This is aimed at raising awareness on the impact of transport on the environment but also anticipating possible environmental regulations.

The “CO₂ emission management” module calculates the amount of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from a multimodal transport chain. It can also simulate and propose the transport scheme that is the most suitable environmentally and economically on the basis of the transport methods that pollute the least and are the most effective with regard to cost, lead time and quality of service. “The goal is to give those who use our solution the option to choose transport methods and service providers based on the environmental criterion and to assess statistically the environmental impact of transport operations” Jérôme Bour explains. “Making the module a standard feature might encourage shippers to favor the environmentally-friendlier transport schemes such as combined rail-road or maritime transport”.

• Integration of PTV Loxane mapping

DDS Logistics has struck a partnership with software publisher and geographic data service provider PTV Loxane (maps, route planning, geocoding…). Some of the features that the publisher has developed for transport and supply chain professionals are now part of the DDS Shipper offer. These features include the possibility to plan the delivery of consolidations according to the recipients’ geographic locations as well as mileage calculation. For full traceability everything can be visualized on a map.

DDS Freight (SOFTWARE FOR FORWARDERS):

NEW CRM MODULE AND INTTRA INTERFACE

• New CRM (Customer Relationship Management) module

DDS Logistics expands the modular suite of its DDS Freight software with a comprehensive CRM module intended for forwarders and carriers. Based on the products of Narval Logistic Software (taken over by DDS Logistics at the end of 2009), it can plug into any TMS. With this high-performance module, commercial action can be fine-tuned to business indicators and market identification is made simpler.

Among its other features are: management of customer events (visits, call for tenders, customer’s incoming and outgoing calls…), simplified and automated quotation entry, traceability and historization of quotation creations/modifications, advanced purchase management (purchases and sales rates according to fixed rates, bands and so on).

• Optimize maritime shipments with INTTRA

DDS Freight is now interfaced with INTTRA, an e-commerce platform with the major sea companies*. It enables shippers, transport forwarders, third party logistics providers, brokers, importers and web portals to manage the booking and tracking of goods all over the world for several operators using one seamless process. They can now communicate with about twenty sea companies.

Among its strong points are its reliability and the amount of time and money that it saves. For various reasons, it is now the forwarder himself/herself who enters the information related to his/her shipment; while he/she used to receive B/Ls by express mail, he/she now edits them in-house which means that the forwarder relies less on express mail and cuts costs in the process.

*CMA-CGM, DAL, Hamburg Sud, Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk Sealand, MSC, P&O Nedlloyd, United Arab Shipping Company, MOL, Safmarine, ANL…

DDS Truck: DDS Logistics’ FIRST TMS OFFER

FOR ROAD TRANSPORT COMPANIES

Building on Narval Logistic Software’s products, DDS Logistics has developed its first TMS solution for road transport companies. A complement to current software and modules, DDS TRUCKS provides a tool for processing files from the order through to invoicing. Its many features include:

• Chartering of containers
• Chartering by loads
• Management of driver schedules and sub-contractors
• Tariffing
• Management of invoicing and advance charges
• Shipment tracking
• Edition of trucking and transport orders
• Edition of charter orders
• High performance statistics module

An all-round solution with all the features that carriers of containers and loads need.