The Descartes Systems Group Inc Profile
The Descartes Systems Group Inc. (Descartes) operates as a global provider of cloud, device, and data content-based solutions focused on improving the productivity, performance, security and sustainability of logistics-intensive businesses.
Customers use the company’s modular, software-as-a-service solutions to route, track and help improve the safety, performance and compliance of delivery resources; plan, allocate and execute shipments; rate, audit and pay transportation invoices; access global trade data; file customs and security documents for imports and exports; and complete numerous other logistics processes by participating in a large collaborative multimodal logistics community.
The company’s solutions help transportation providers (air, ocean, rail and truck modes), logistics service providers (including third-party logistics providers, freight forwarders and customs brokers) and logistics-intensive manufacturers, retailers, distributors and mobile service providers reduce costs, improve operational performance, save time, comply with regulatory requirements and enhance the service that they deliver to their own customers.
Principal Products and Services
The company’s customers are looking for collaborative solutions that help connect their enterprise to the multiple trading partners, logistics services providers and carriers that work with them. The Logistics Technology Platform helps the company’s customers address those needs and provide a base for continuous innovation.
Logistics Technology Platform
The company’s Logistics Technology Platform digitally combines the world’s most expansive logistics network with the industry’s broadest array of logistics management applications and most comprehensive offering of global trade related intelligence. It helps get inventory, information, assets and people where they’re needed, when they’re needed.
Network
The Descartes Global Logistics Network manages the real-time flow of commercial, logistics, customs and product information. It spans more than 160 countries and connects hundreds of thousands of organizations in logistics and transportation, manufacturing, distribution, retail, government, ecommerce and business services.
Intelligence
The company’s global trade intelligence solutions offer comprehensive access to market leading data and tools to research, analyze and act on import/export movements, trade regulations and market trends; reduce the risk of transacting with denied or sanctioned parties; increase trade compliance rates; optimize sourcing, procurement, and business development strategies; and minimize duty spend.
Innovation
The company is focused on transforming new ideas and feedback from its customers and in-house domain experts into real-world innovations. New developments in the areas of the internet-of-things, machine learning, AI and analytics are enhancing the ability of its solutions to solve problems and process more information in new and complex ways.
Applications
With the GLN as the connectivity foundation, the company has been expanding its logistics application functional footprint to offer a broad array of modular, interoperable web-based and wireless logistics management solutions.
The company provides applications that help companies better manage their logistics book-to-bill process and purchase order-to-dock process, track inventory, meet regulatory requirements, optimize fleet performance, manage deliveries, and effectively communicate and collaborate with their logistics partners. These applications can be principally categorized as: Routing, Mobile & Telematics; Transportation Management; Ecommerce Shipping and Fulfillment; Customs & Regulatory Compliance; GLN Services; Broker & Forwarder Enterprise Systems, and Global Trade Intelligence Solutions.
Routing, Mobile & Telematics
Descartes’ Routing, Mobile & Telematics suite supports the closed-loop process associated with planning, tracking, measuring, delegating and optimizing the use of assets and people that are involved in the movement of goods. These solutions can improve productivity and reduce fuel, vehicle and labor costs. The suite helps address business challenges, including the following: strategic planning; daily planning; pickup/delivery reservations; dispatch and vertical specific mobile solutions; commercial fleet navigation; reporting and measuring; sales and merchandiser management; and telematics and compliance.
Strategic Planning: Descartes Sales & Territory Planner and Descartes Area Planner
For strategic planning of recurring pickups or deliveries, Descartes Sales & Territory Planner performs complex service scheduling that simultaneously considers daily, weekly and multi-week deliveries, as well as holidays and other non-working days. It also evaluates geographic distribution and sales potential for each customer to help establish optimal territories and routes. Factors considered include minimizing travel time and related costs, and balancing opportunities across members of the sales team. Additional parameters, such as stops, distance and sales volume can also be used to help determine routes and route schedules for sales, delivery or both.
For strategic planning of highly variable pickups and deliveries, Descartes Area Planner utilizes historical demand with algorithms to create models of demand density patterns. Those patterns are used to create territory and route plans. Descartes Area Planner takes into account service levels and delivery product types and is able to test the territory and route plan’s resilience to change. Descartes Area Planner typically is used to generate multiple plans to fit daily, seasonal or business cycle driven demand variability.
Daily Planning: Descartes Route Planner, Descartes Route Planner RS, Descartes Route Planner On-demand and Winroute
Descartes provides a number of daily planning solutions to address the range of customer requirements from the most complex to simple needs. Descartes Route Planner takes in new orders as they are placed, optimizes them in real-time, allocating resources to help maximize operating efficiencies, deliver priority service to the most profitable accounts and routes, and maintain overall customer service objectives. The company’s other daily planning solutions optimize orders in groups, balancing service with costs and operational constraints. The company’s daily planning solutions are designed to integrate with existing order management or transportation planning systems and can help companies reduce costs as a result of shorter routes, reduce fuel consumption and enhance fleet utilization. The company’s comprehensive offering addresses a broad range of operational environments that can vary across different industries.
Pickup/Delivery Reservations: Descartes Reservations
Descartes Reservations facilitates on-line scheduling of deliveries or service — either for self-service or as a decision support tool for customer service agents. It helps companies to effectively tailor service to the demands of key customers while helping to achieve internal profitability goals. Descartes Reservations also confirms that requests can be met and schedules in the appointment, making Descartes Reservations an effective capable-to-promise tool.
Descartes Execution and Mobile Solutions: Descartes Route Planner Dispatch, Descartes Route Planner OnDemand Dispatch, Descartes MobileLink, Descartes Food Perform, Descartes Distribution Perform, Descartes Transport Perform, Descartes ShipTrack, Descartes GreenMile and Descartes Localz
Descartes Execution solutions (Descartes Route Planner Dispatch and Route Planner OnDemand) manage routes in progress, tracking their performance, addressing route exceptions as they occur and capturing delivery and pickup status updates. Descartes Execution Solutions facilitate the assignment and execution of pre-planned and same-day pick-ups and deliveries. Descartes Mobile solutions (Descartes MobileLink, Descartes Food Perform, Descartes Distribution Perform, and Descartes Transport Perform) provide integrated two-way wireless communication and supports active and passive monitoring capabilities for enhanced logistics execution. By combining route planning and a free flow of information between dispatchers and the field, Descartes Mobile solutions extend the traditional route planning process and provide real-time visibility into the execution of the plan. The combination of Descartes’ Daily Planning solutions with Descartes Execution and Descartes Mobile solutions form the core of plan versus actual performance evaluation and continuous logistics improvement.
Descartes Food Perform, Distribution Perform, and Transport Perform are cloud-based mobile solutions that automate traditional paper-based processes and help streamline complex ‘last mile’ logistics processes. These solutions have been tailored to support ‘last mile’ commercial processes unique to each industry. They provide configurable, feature-rich mobile technology and advanced electronic proof of delivery operating on a hand-held device carried by drivers and other field personnel.
Descartes ShipTrack provides cloud-based mobile resource management and shipment tracking solutions to help customers automate dispatch, updates on shipment status and estimated time of arrival and eliminate paper-based delivery processes. This highly-configurable and scalable platform is particularly well-suited for the ecommerce home delivery, parcel and medical courier markets, helping these companies efficiently manage final-mile deliveries.
Descartes GreenMile is a highly scalable mobile route execution suite that has been built with unique capabilities to serve the global distribution industry. The solution incorporates machine-learning to continually improve service and travel time standards. It helps food and beverage companies to digitize final-mile delivery processes, to eliminate paper from the delivery process, increase efficiencies and improve customer satisfaction.
Descartes Localz combines real-time vehicle location tracking and mobile communications to deliver solutions that enhance the consumer delivery experience with advanced capabilities for end customers to directly schedule services and deliveries through an online portal and follow the progress of their order in real-time with customer-centric notifications. The platform also provides retailers with innovative and efficient ‘click-and-collect’ capabilities that can improve the in-store collection process.
Reporting and Measuring: Descartes Analytics
Descartes Analytics helps companies create and distribute reports within an organization or to suppliers, vendors, sub-contractors or carriers. It provides a simple, secure way to create customized delivery statistics and metrics. It can help simplify the creation and management of supply chain scorecards and, as a byproduct, can help identify best practices.
Sales and Merchandiser Management: Descartes Sales and Merchandiser Management
Descartes Sales and Merchandiser Management enables resource planning, route building and optimization, and tracking across delivery operations and mobile workforces, including sales representatives, territory managers and merchandisers. Descartes Sales and Merchandiser Management facilitates weekly activity planning, delivery status visibility for merchandisers and sales representatives, actual distance driven, in-store time calculation and work data collection, and consolidated performance reporting. Performance data can be uploaded to corporate payroll and expense reporting systems to ensure appropriate payments are being made for resource performance. Descartes Sales and Merchandiser Management helps the company’s customers improve sales and merchandising productivity, cut costs and improve customer service.
Telematics and Compliance: Descartes Telematics and Compliance, Descartes Smartanalysis, Descartes SmartLicence, and Descartes Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports
Descartes’ Telematics and Compliance solutions offer next generation mobile handheld devices that can continuously monitor performance of vehicles and drivers. Robust functionality for tracking vehicles, monitoring and scoring driving behavior and automation of driver logs and reporting on driver hours for ‘hours of service’ regulatory compliance helps increase workforce productivity and safety, prevents ‘hours of service’ violations and reduces or eliminates excess paperwork and processing times. The company’s 2018 acquisition of PinPoint GPS Solutions Inc. adds depth, breadth and domain expertise to the company’s offering by enhancing its ability to implement, collect and leverage real-time vehicle and trailer information through reseller relationships with Geotab (for telematics devices) and SkyBitz (for trailer tracking devices).
In Europe, Descartes’ Smartanalysis product is a leading tachograph analysis and compliance management solution. It is used by road transport operators of all sizes to meet legal obligations and comply with Europe’s complex driver working time regulations. Descartes SmartLicence is a comprehensive online tool for fleet operators in the United Kingdom for electronically managing driving licenses and verifying license details with the United Kingdom’s Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.
Descartes’ Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports (DVIR) is a configurable, cloud-based, enterprise-class solution for assuring compliance with routine driver vehicle safety checks required or recommended by the United States Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Canadian Provincial Ministries of Transportation, and the United Kingdom Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency.
Machine Learning: Descartes Foxtrot
Descartes Foxtrot’s advanced machine learning algorithms leverage millions of data points collected from vehicles in the field, helping customers reduce last-mile costs, improve customer service and learn service factors that improve route efficiency and on-time performance. This technology complements existing route planning and execution solutions.
Transportation Management
Descartes’ Transportation Management solutions provide robust, network-based, modular, end-to-end multimodal functionality that spans the entire shipment lifecycle. The company streamlines and supports its customers’ ability to turn purchase or sales order fulfillment into transport orders, manage carrier contracts, optimize and execute transportation plans, execute cross-docked and pooled shipments, connect to trading partners, control the flow of prepaid freight, track shipments and inventory, audit freight and manage supplier/carrier performance. The suite of products addresses unique requirements across truck, air, ocean and parcel modes.
Descartes Transportation Manager
Descartes Transportation Manager facilitates efficient planning and execution of shipping across air, ocean, truck and parcel modes at multiple touch-points in the distribution process. It helps logistics managers, shippers and third parties simultaneously evaluate shipment alternatives to find efficient shipping methods. It is a solution that scales from the loading dock to the enterprise, providing up-to-date rates that allow the customer to both make efficient shipment decisions and comply with carrier communications, manifesting and labeling requirements. The pick, pack and ship capability helps its customers manage small parcel shipments with postal services, a variety of small-package delivery carriers and over 150 less-than-truckload carriers.
Descartes Dock Appointment Scheduling
Descartes Dock Appointment Scheduling is a collaborative solution that enables shippers, carriers and consignees to schedule dock door appointments. It streamlines the dock appointment process by distributing the responsibility for scheduling from the warehouse to carriers and suppliers. By ensuring all supply chain partners are involved in the process and have visibility into requested, scheduled and rescheduled dock orders and appointments, this solution is designed to optimize shipping and receiving operations at a warehouse.
Descartes Yard Management
A module of Descartes Transportation Manager, Descartes Yard Management enables shipping and receiving staff, gate guards and yard jockeys to more effectively manage the movement of trailers and identify inventory in the yard. Designed to work seamlessly with Descartes Transportation Manager, Descartes Yard Management provides command and control of yards of all sizes.
Descartes Rate Builder
Descartes Rate Builder is a solution that helps carriers and non-vessel owning common carriers (NVOCCs) manage global rates, contracts and rate agreements more efficiently and meet regulatory obligations. Descartes Rate Builder enables companies to create, revise, store and distribute rates via the Internet. Once they are generated, Descartes Rate Builder stores all rates in a central database with controlled access privileges. Carriers can designate a ‘contract owner’ who can allow multiple users to contribute during the drafting of a new contract or amendment. NVOCCs can effectively manage a global rate network and help enable logistics service providers (LSPs) to create and manage both buy-side and sell-side rates digitally, enforce a standardized global pricing policy and implement a global rate request process. Descartes Rate Builder also supports the audit of ocean bills of lading.
Descartes Retail Distribution
The Descartes Retail Distribution portfolio provides visibility, reduces cost and removes bottlenecks as a retailer’s products move from a shipper’s Distribution Center (DC), consolidation point, or DC bypass facility through third-party transportation provider networks and ultimately to its stores.
Descartes Kontainers
Descartes’ Kontainers is a digital freight booking platform that facilitates a fully digitized customer experience across quoting, booking, tracking and dashboard analytics. It enables LSPs to rapidly create branded digital experiences for their end customers using advanced APIs to integrate to existing rate management and back-office systems.
Descartes Global Price Management
Descartes’ Global Price Management helps logistics service providers streamline and automate complex global shipping rate management processes. It has robust capabilities to manage global shipment routing, pricing, rating and capacity allocation. The solution integrates with other enterprise systems that need fast, accurate, and complete shipping and pricing options, including CRM, transportation management, and customer-facing online booking platforms, such as Descartes Kontainers.
Descartes MacroPoint
Descartes MacroPoint is a multimodal freight visibility platform for shippers, brokers and 3PLs to get real-time visibility and predictive analytics for in-transit freight. The company’s industry-leading visibility network is connected to over 100,000 carriers and millions of assets and drivers through integrations with on-board electronic logging devices, GPS telematics devices, carrier transportation management systems (TMS) and GPS-enabled smartphone applications.
Descartes MacroPoint for Capacity Matching
Descartes MacroPoint for Capacity Matching provides freight brokers with greater visibility to the transportation capacity available within their network of carriers and cooperating brokers. By accessing previously unused freight capacity using advanced visualization and analytical capabilities, freight brokers can cover more loads, build stronger carrier relationships and reduce costs.
Descartes Aljex
The Descartes Aljex solution provides back-office transportation management for freight brokers and transportation providers. These solutions help customers automate business processes and create electronic documents critical for executing transportation moves. In addition, customers can manage the lifecycle of a shipment from order creation through execution, including real-time tracking with connectivity to the Descartes MacroPoint network.
Descartes BestTransport
Descartes BestTransport is a cloud-based TMS tailored for flatbed-intensive manufacturers and distributors. It provides capabilities that address requirements from contract rate management through to load building, shipment execution and freight payment for flatbed transportation moves.
Ecommerce Shipping and Fulfillment
Descartes’ Ecommerce Shipping and Fulfillment. Solutions help customers seamlessly integrate and connect to ecommerce marketplaces, shopping carts, and other systems; digitally transform warehouse operations through intelligent, mobile-based solutions; and leverage parcel shipment optimization and execution to reduce costs and improve service.
Descartes OzLink
Descartes OzLink is a platform for integrating and extending enterprise resource planning (ERP), accounting, ecommerce, and WMS systems to streamline order management, inventory control, and shipping. The solution functions as a complement to core business systems where gaps exist in the flow of data and/or system automation. Descartes OzLink’s standard integration modules and business process extensions can help seamlessly move data between systems and automate tasks to eliminate labor-intensive clerical work, error-prone data entry, lead time delays, and compromised customer service. The solution can flexibly connect systems that run in the cloud, operate on premise or within a hosted environment to address an extensive range of ecommerce, warehousing, and shipping processes.
Descartes pixi eCommerce Fulfillment/ Warehouse Management
Descartes pixi eCommerce Fulfillment/Warehouse Management helps customers automate ecommerce processes originating from online orders. Integrated with hundreds of ecommerce sites in Europe, the solution enables small-to-medium sized businesses and large retailers looking to enhance their online presence to support the growing consumer demand for omnichannel deliveries. The solution collects order information from ecommerce websites, translates it into a scanner-driven pick and pack process within the warehouse, initiates the shipment to the customer, and synchronizes all of this information with the customer’s financial system for invoicing and shipment tracking.
Descartes Peoplevox
Descartes Peoplevox is a cloud-based warehouse management and ecommerce fulfillment solution that helps online retailers connect to webshop front ends, translate order information into a mobile-driven pick and pack process, and then feed parcel delivery systems for shipment execution. With sales and implementation services that can be provided completely remotely, it’s rapid to deploy.
Descartes ShipRush
Descartes ShipRush helps customers ship efficiently and cost-effectively by integrating with front-end commerce systems and parcel shipping providers for seamless package labelling, rating, tracking and postage processing. With integrations to over 70 business systems, including leading ERP, ecommerce and supply chain platforms, the ShipRush platform helps customers to streamline their supply chain and reduce transportation costs. Using the solution, companies can automatically import orders; compare carrier rates in real-time to get the best options every time; print shipping labels for FedEx, UPS, USPS, and other major U.S. and global carriers; and track shipments through to final delivery.
Descartes XPS Ship
Descartes XPS Ship is a cloud-based multi-carrier parcel shipping solutions for small-, medium- and large-sized ecommerce shippers. It helps customers streamline their ecommerce supply chain and reduce transportation costs by automatically importing orders, comparing carrier rates, printing shipping labels for all major carriers, and tracking through final delivery. The XPS platform is integrated to leading ecommerce marketplaces, enterprise resource planning (ERP) providers and supply chain platforms.
Customs and Regulatory Compliance
The company’s Customs and Regulatory Compliance solutions help companies meet regulatory requirements for international shipments and the necessary customs declarations and security initiatives. The company offers different methods to transmit shipment information directly to customs authorities or to the carriers who may be compiling data for security filing, which helps to ensure the smooth delivery of cargo as it moves through ports and airports, and ultimately to the end customer.
Descartes Global Cargo Security
For carriers, freight forwarders, NVOCCs and shippers, Descartes Global Cargo Security Suite offers solutions which help customers comply with electronic manifest filing initiatives across a broad number of countries that have adopted various advance security filing requirements spanning different modes of transportation. To accommodate customers’ varying technical capabilities, the company offers options that range from user-friendly web portals that permit manual entry of cargo manifest information through to tightly integrated system-to-system electronic data interchange (EDI) connections. Descartes’ offerings in this area include the Descartes Importer Security Filing, Descartes ACI eManifest, Descartes Advance Electronic Information (AEI), Descartes ACAS Solution and others.
Descartes Export Compliance
Descartes Export Compliance suite offers denied party screening, license validation and audit for all international trading partners. Screening parties for acceptability for receipt of product and the proper use of export licenses is essential to support compliance with the U.S. and EU requirements for export.
Descartes Border Compliance
Descartes Border Compliance provides customs compliance services to assist transportation providers and LSPs with imports and/or exports to Canada, the U.S., India and the Netherlands. Through the company’s Viatrade Service, the Global Logistics Network (GLN) offers an enhanced range of services to help carriers and logistics service providers (LSPs) negotiate increasingly complex document exchange requirements brought about by international security initiatives and tightened borders. In addition, Descartes Border Compliance services enable customs brokers to receive electronic manifests and invoices from transportation carriers so that the manifest can be mapped to the Canadian and the U.S. customs release systems.
Descartes Ocean Tariff Compliance
Descartes Ocean Tariff Compliance helps ocean carriers comply with the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission requirements, and also helps manage the rate information for cargo that moves according to the terms of a privately-negotiated service contract or NVOCC Service Arrangement rather than the public rates of a tariff.
Descartes Electronic In-Bond
Specifically designed for transportation carriers, Descartes Electronic In-Bond helps transmit the necessary advance electronic cargo information to CBP regarding inbound shipments prior to their arrival in the U.S. Using approved EDI protocols for the transmission of advance cargo information, the company helps carriers complete the requirements for filing, and receive in-bond movement authorization within minutes instead of hours or even days.
Descartes Customs Warehouse Management
Descartes Customs Warehouse Management solution can play an integral role in simplifying procedures associated with customs warehousing, while taking advantage of the maximum available benefits. This on-demand solution is specifically designed to allow users to manage goods stored under the customs warehouse procedure, by storing information on imported goods and accounts, tracking all movement and activity, and enabling more accurate and timely electronic declaration processing. Customs warehousing is used by many organizations as a means to suspend/defer import duties and/or value-added tax on goods entering the European Union. It is an effective and efficient means of enabling importers to choose an optimum time to clear goods and pay duties or re-export them outside of the European Union.
Descartes Global Customs & Transport
Descartes’ Global Customs & Transport (GCT) suite provides its customers with European-centric customs declaration, security filing, transportation management and freight forwarding technology solutions on both a cloud-based basis and a deployed model. The GCT platform supports fiscal customs filings in 18 countries and security filings in all 28 EU member states.
Descartes Pentant
Descartes Pentant is a Community System Provider (CSP) in the United Kingdom providing manufacturers, retailers, distributors and logistics service provider customers with a reliable and secure connection to both CDS (the United Kingdom’s central system for customs declarations) and the European Union’s ICS to streamline declaration, cargo security and clearance processes. Pentant also helps customers meet the U.K. Revenue & Customs requirements for imports and exports to be managed through a fully approved inventory control system for the ports of Dover, Portland, Poole, Plymouth, Teignmouth, Bideford, Scrabster, as well as London City and Warton airports.
Descartes e-customs
Descartes e-customs is a modular, cloud-based solution offering that helps manufacturers, retailers, distributors and logistics service providers to cost-effectively comply with the U.K. and fiscal security filing requirements. It is designed to reduce complexity, increase automation, and facilitate the end-to-end customs declaration process. Importers and exporters can leverage default and client-specific standing data, declaration templates, historical filings, on-screen tips and system validations to increase speed and accuracy in the filing process.
Global Logistics Network Services
GLN services simplify cargo and freight management by providing electronic services to the cargo industry and to companies who engage in international and domestic transportation activities. GLN provides a secure and reliable transaction exchange plus connectivity services that include trading partner on-boarding programs, data standards and protocol conversion, transportation-specific document compliance, audit and error checking, and archiving. The company offers several document management, connectivity and community services, including:
Descartes CargoAssist
Freight forwarders use Descartes CargoAssist to improve freight booking, send electronic waybills and ensure that consignments are handled quickly and efficiently at freight terminals around the world. The company provides freight forwarders with access that connects them with their customers and logistics partners.
Descartes e-Pouch
As part of the Descartes air cargo solution suite, Descartes e-Pouch integrates with applications for bookings, shipment monitoring, quality performance reporting and customs filing to provide a central repository that enhances electronic document exchange connections between back-office system and trading partners. Descartes e-Pouch provides users with the functionality to facilitate the sharing of information with approved parties, automate routine interactions, help flag problems at an early stage and provide a repository for retrieval of completed deliveries.
Descartes WebDocs
Freight forwarders use Descartes webDocs web forms to help improve air freight booking processes, send electronic waybills and distribute freight messages with the required information directly to the air carriers. Descartes webDocs gives forwarders access to electronic web forms that enables quick and easy creation of the various documents and electronic messages that are dictated by the industry, such as the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) e-freight requirements. The solution also provides forwarders with the ability to easily create messaging documents, such as master airway bill, house airway bill and labels and transmit these documents electronically to the air carrier.
Descartes Data Integrity Services
Descartes Data Integrity Services continuously monitors messages and their delivery to trading partners to identify and report errors. Once an error is identified, the company contacts trading partners and coordinates the correction of inaccuracies and re-submission of corrected data. The service also provides periodic summary reports by trading partner, message type and error type.
Descartes Cargo iQ
Descartes Cargo iQ allows customers to monitor shipments at a master air waybill level from airport to airport, assisting customers in complying with IATA Cargo 2000 certification process. Information provided by the system includes quality report compilation, shipment status, exception alerts, route map creation, and departure time reporting. This information enables better decision-making for fulfilling customer expectations and ensures standardized processes for improved service levels.
Descartes Carrier Portal
Descartes Carrier Portal is a cost-effective and efficient solution designed to help carriers without EDI capabilities, shippers, and freight payment agencies (FPAs) realize all the benefits of EDI capabilities without the complexity of in-house solutions. The solution is a web-based information service that facilitates the collaboration and automation of load tendering and freight payment between highway carriers and shippers (or FPAs representing them). The carrier portal bridges the gap between EDI-enabled back-office systems of shippers and FPAs and less automated carriers.
Descartes Supplier Portal
Descartes Supplier Portal enables suppliers without EDI capabilities to electronically communicate and collaborate with EDI enabled carriers, logistics service providers and shippers by providing capabilities to schedule pick-ups, automate tendering, and track the status of shipments.
Descartes GLN eArchiving
Descartes GLN eArchiving enables customers to store and archive electronic documents in an ‘electronic safe’. This electronic safe is accessible from the GLN via which relevant documents can be forwarded to customer’s data warehouse to comply with standards and document retention policies.
Descartes Port Community Services
Descartes Port Community Services assist in improving cargo clearance and management operations for local port communities and their trading partners by connecting and streamlining information exchange between ocean carriers, inland carriers, forwarders, shippers, terminal operators, and port and customs authorities.
Descartes Global Data Catalog Connect
Descartes’ Global Data Catalog Connect provides retail/supplier collaboration, product catalog management and electronic business-to-business messaging. It is a web-based application that helps in the upload, management and exchange of data. It offers the ability to integrate with industry standard data pools like GS1DAS for automation of electronic product catalogue functionality.
Descartes B2B Integration
Descartes B2B Integration solution provides cloud-based supply chain connectivity capabilities to a wide range of systems and platforms using most any protocol or method. The company’s advanced solutions automate supply chain processes, enhance collaboration and add visibility among global trading partners. Users can benefit from cost-effective transaction management, automated purchase to pay capabilities, connectivity to multiple ERP systems and more.
Descartes STEPCom
Descartes STEPcom connects business-to-business trading partners to enable the collaboration and exchange of electronic data, automation of supply chain processes and management of a wide array of complex, mission-critical documents used in procure-to-pay and order-to-cash processes.
Descartes Velocity Mail
Descartes Velocity Mail is an air mail and parcel management and tracking solution that leverages mobile devices to automate the entire air mail process from route generation to accounting reconciliation with real-time tracking and delivery visibility.
Descartes COREInsight
Descartes COREInsight is a suite of supply chain applications that provides transportation management and tracking capabilities for air cargo shipments and assets.
COREInsight Postal manages the process of mail and postal product movement for domestic and international air mail. It provides airlines with operational visibility of mail moving in their network, as well as financial forecasting and performance insights.
COREInsight ULD solution provides real-time tracking of unit load devices (ULD), a specialized container used for air cargo, as well as the freight contained in each ULD. The solution helps carriers better match capacity with ULD inventory, reduce ULD fleet losses, and reduce costs associated with misplaced equipment or the requirement to lease additional ULDs.
Broker & Forwarder Enterprise Systems
Descartes’ Broker & Forwarder Enterprise Systems are designed to help brokers and forwarders more efficiently run complex international operations. The company’s on-demand solutions enable large and small organizations to take advantage of robust capabilities for bookings, security filings and customs entries, shipment and financial management. They automate the collection of shared data and multi-party shipment processes, as well as help brokers and forwarders extend the command of operations with their logistics partners to help meet their delivery performance objectives.
Descartes ITMR4 Canadian Customs Brokerage Suite
Descartes ITMR4 Canadian Customs Brokerage Suite is an on-demand, enterprise level software solution that handles functions that a customs broker, freight forwarder or self-filing importer typically uses to manage its operations. Those operations include documentation filing, accounting, financial reports, imaging, e-billing and web tools for tracking and tracing, reporting and data entry related to Canadian customs declarations.
Descartes EDItrade Customs Link
Descartes EDItrade Customs Link allows custom brokers and self-filing importers to collect data and prepare it for the U.S. customs ACE entries, including cargo release, remote location filing and post-entry compliance and supportive modules and the range of PGA documentation and data requirements to streamline the customs process and create accurate declarations.
Descartes European Brokerage and Declaration
Descartes European Brokerage & Declaration helps simplify the complexities of customs clearance in the European market. Descartes’ solution is Authorized Economic Operator compliant. It has a variety of modules to handle export management, import management, creation of the Single Administrative Document for normal or simplified procedures, incoming and outgoing transit declarations, connectivity to the New Computerized Transit System and facilitates compliance with different member state customs authorities’ requirements.
Descartes OneView Forwarder Enterprise & Customs House Brokerage Solution
Descartes OneView Forwarder Enterprise & Customs House Brokerage Solution allows freight forwarders, NVOCCs and third-party logistics service providers to effectively coordinate air, truck and ocean import/export shipments. It supports end-to-end planning and execution of international shipments, including leveraging system data to prepare and submit customs entries and cargo security filings to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Descartes NetCHB
Descartes’ NetCHB platform enables customs brokers to connect to the U.S. CBP Automated Broker Interface (ABI) to electronically execute both fiscal customs declarations and cargo security filings. The solution is particularly strong for managing the U.S. CBP Section 321 Type 86 filings for low-value ecommerce shipments.
Descartes ForwarderLogic
Descartes ForwarderLogic is a cloud-based solution that provides comprehensive back-office functionality and real-time information exchange for LSPs handling all modes (air, ocean and land), inland/international import and export shipments from purchase orders all the way through to final delivery.
Descartes Foreign Trade Zone Management
The Descartes Foreign Trade Zone Management solution unifies import, export, logistics, compliance and financial processes, including filing with regulatory agencies (e.g. CBP), Harmonized Tariff Schedule classifications, export licensing, denied party screening, comprehensive product catalog, tracking, event management and international document repository. To further reduce data redundancy, the solution incorporates information-sharing capabilities with import, export, customs house brokers and freight forwarding components. Electronic connectivity to regulatory agencies enables seamless electronic customs document filing and clearance. The Descartes Foreign Trade Zone Management solution can be used with existing warehouse management solutions or one provided by Descartes.
Descartes Shipment Portal
Descartes Shipment Portal is a web-based portal that helps forwarders and shippers collaborate for shipment creation and status tracking throughout the shipment’s lifecycle. Powered by the Descartes GLN with extensive existing EDI connectivity, the solution aggregates information from these parties and enables forwarders and their customers to build dashboard views of their transportation portfolio for up-to-the minute information on a wide range of data points. The solution also features purchase order management tools that support extensive collaboration between shippers, suppliers and transportation providers, and centralizes transportation request processes so forwarders can offer their customers a single point for up-to-date information on their global shipments.
Descartes SupplyVision
Descartes Supply Vision helps LSPs digitize their operations and manage the lifecycle of shipments with modular capabilities that coordinate shipments, from quoting, routing and booking through to final delivery.
Global Trade Intelligence Solutions & Services
Descartes’ global trade intelligence solutions help customers research and make informed supply chain decisions; monitor and evaluate potential growth opportunities, logistics partners, and competitors; classify goods appropriately to ensure compliance while minimizing duties and tariffs; and reduce the risk of transacting business with denied parties while establishing an audit trail of reasonable care practices. Global trade content from Descartes can also be used on a service basis, to directly populate ERP and global trade management systems to enhance automation and compliance processes.
Descartes Customs Info
Descartes Customs Info helps customers research and make better classification decisions while providing a record of the process to support classification determinations. This robust global trade content offering provides various levels of access to millions of reference documents, including cross-referenced and searchable duty rates, customs rulings, regulations, the World Customs Organization (WCO) Explanatory Notes, WCO Opinions, Commodity Export Codes, Other Government Agency information, Customs Directives, Export Control Classification Number locators and more.
Descartes Datamyne
With a comprehensive database of accurate, up-to-date import-export information, Descartes Datamyne delivers actionable intelligence for market research, sales insight, supply chain management, enhanced security and competitive strategy. The Descartes Datamyne solution includes one of the largest searchable resources of trade activity. Manufacturers, shippers, wholesalers, transport and logistics service providers, management consultants, legal practitioners, industry analysts and others use this data and the analysis tools to evaluate growth strategies, explore new markets, benchmark performance, monitor commodity volumes and values, simplify trade data research, discover buyer-seller relationships and refine sourcing strategies.
Descartes MK Denied Party Screening
Descartes MK Denied Party Screening provides easy-to-use options to quickly and efficiently screen customers, suppliers and trading partners against a comprehensive database of international restricted and denied party lists. Customers can tailor screening processes to fit their unique risk parameters and flag potential compliance issues for resolution.
Descartes Visual Compliance
Descartes Visual Compliance offers more robust solutions for restricted and denied party screening, classification, automation, and export license management. These intuitive solutions to enhance compliance and mitigate risk include capabilities for integrated screening, visually-driven compliance workflow management, and robust export control and documentation.
Consulting, Implementation and Training Services
The company’s consulting team provide a variety of professional services to customers. These services include project management and consulting services to assist in configuration, implementation and deployment of its solutions. The company offers a variety of site-specific technical and consulting services to assist in all phases of the implementation process. It also provides assistance in integrating its products with the customer's existing software. In addition, the company offers training services that provide customers with a formalized program to ensure that applications are implemented and utilized in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
Customer Service and Support and Maintenance
The company provides worldwide support to its customers through its central support system. The company’s customer support program is conducted via telephone, online customer portal and/or email and with its extended support options can be available 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-per-week.
Customer Base
The company’s customers are globally diverse, located in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and the Asia Pacific regions. Its customers range from small- and medium-sized enterprises to established ‘blue-chip’ leaders across a variety of industry verticals. The company has a large customer base of transportation carriers, third-party logistics providers, freight forwarders, NVOCCs and customs brokers. Other customers include government customs and census agencies, manufacturers, retailers, consumer products suppliers, wholesale distributors, and companies in industries, such as healthcare, recycling/waste management, pharmaceuticals and oil and gas.
Outsourcing Contracts
The company delivers some of its GLN services over its proprietary networks, which are hosted by commercial public cloud and co-location providers, such as, Microsoft, Amazon, Equinix, InterXion and Lumen.
Sales and Marketing
The company’s sales force is expected to sell across its solutions, targeting specific industry verticals and geographies. At present, the company sells most of its products and services through a direct sales team that is focused primarily on the North American and EMEA markets. The company has a limited direct sales presence in Asia Pacific with resources in Australia, China, Hong Kong and Japan. As of January 31, 2023, the company employed a total of 272 individuals in sales and marketing roles and had active relationships with approximately 76 distributors and resellers.
Acquisitions
On April 20, 2023, the company acquired Localz Pty Ltd. (and its affiliates), a technology platform to help engage with customers on the day they’re having goods or services delivered.
On February 14, 2023, the company acquired Windigo Logistics, Inc. doing business as GroundCloud (GroundCloud), a cloud-based provider of final-mile carrier solutions and road safety compliance tools.
On January 5, 2023, the company acquired Trans-Soft, LLC operating as Supply Vision (Supply Vision), a provider of shipment management solutions for North American logistics services providers.
On June 6, 2022, the company acquired XPS Technologies, LLC (XPS), a leading provider of ecommerce multi-carrier parcel shipping solutions.
On April 21, 2022, the company acquired Foxtrot Systems Inc., a leading provider of machine learning-based mobile route execution solutions.
Research and Development
In 2023, the company incurred research and development expenses of approximately $70.4 million.
Competition
The company competes, directly or indirectly, with the following: application software vendors, including supply chain planning and execution software vendors, that may broaden their product offerings by internally developing, or by acquiring or partnering with, independent developers of supply chain network solutions, particularly on the execution (rather than planning) side, such as Manhattan Associates, Blue Yonder, Solera, Verizon and Ortec; ERP software vendors who may expand their offerings into supply chain network service offerings, some of whom may from time to time jointly market its products as a complement to their own systems, such as SAP AG, Oracle and Infor Global Solutions; internal development efforts by corporate information technology departments; middleware software and service vendors that provide integration software, such as Software AG and SPS Commerce; telematics solution providers, such as Verizon, Solera and Trimble Navigation; other value-added messaging and visibility networks, such as those offered by Kleinschmidt, OpenText GXS, CHAMP Cargosystems, FourKites and Project 44; other cargo booking portals, such as Cargo Portal Services operated by Unisys Corporation and E2Open; other customs compliance and forwarder back-office solution providers, such as E2Open and WiseTech; other customs and security declaration providers, often specialized in particular domestic markets, such as AEB GmbH and MIC Datenverabeitung GmbH; other trade data providers who may either bundle their data with a global trade management system, such as E2Open, provide trade intelligence platforms such as IHS Markets and S&P Global or sell trade data content on a standalone basis, such as Thomson Reuters; and eCommerce shipping and fulfillment providers, such as ShipStation, Stamps.com, ShipHawk, Finale and RF Smart.
History
The Descartes Systems Group Inc. was founded in 1981. The company was incorporated in 1981.
