and 3PL-carrier relationships, the Peachtree City,
Ga.-based company said.
However, Slaton draws a distinction between transactional APIs, which are effective at simple tasks like collecting a price estimate for a single shipment from a carrier’s
website, and analytical APIs, which can handle complex
jobs such as pricing 100,000 shipments over five different
carriers. That is why companies have used the EDI standard for decades and continue to do so, Slaton said.
“EDI is used by large carriers and 3PLs because it is
integrated into ERP (enterprise resource planning) and
TMS systems,” Slaton said. “Processes in the B2B (busi-
ness-to-business) sphere are very slow to evolve, and in the
supply chain, they are even slower; they will be there for
some time.”
Over the years, industry users have standardized about a
hundred EDI sets for supply chain applications—generating
such calculations as the bill of lading, merchandise returns,
shipment status, pickup manifest, inspection reports, and
motor carrier load tender—but most API interfaces cover
only five or six variables.
“There’s going to be a long term of coexistence between
EDI and API,” Slaton said. “Any time you launch some-
thing like this, it’s really a relationship play; what’s really
important is your infrastructure.”
SMC3 will follow that strategy when it releases its next
product in the third quarter of 2016, launching an industry
platform capable of integrating the content of its own APIs
with other providers’ APIs. The combination will allow
users to orchestrate a series of supply chain events as a uni-
fied package, including, for example, a rate quote, points of
service routing, shipment booking, and proof of delivery.
ACCURATE DATA REQUIRES A WIDE NETWORK
While Project 44 and SMC3 might disagree on the means of
sharing shipping data, they both agree that a rating system
is only as powerful as its network.
Project 44 is also driving its growth by integrating its API
with a rising number of TMS providers. The company is
reaching out both to 3PLs with proprietary TMS platforms
and to major providers such as Oracle Corp., SAP SE, and
JDA Software Group Inc., McCandless said.
As the network of participating transportation providers
expands, the value of embellishing a TMS with an API will
grow accordingly, he said.
“APIs are only as good as the trucking companies they are
connected to,” McCandless said. “It’s already significantly
better than EDI, but we’ve only been in the industry for two
years, so we are nowhere near our potential yet.”
—Ben Ames
go figure …
17.3%
The 2015 decline in the Dow Jones Transportation
Average (DJT), the steepest decline of any of the
major U.S. equity averages.
SOURCE: DJT
alliances
Third-party logistics service provider Kane Is Able Inc.
and Materne North America, the maker of GoGo squeeZ
applesauce, have signed a long-term agreement for
logistics support. Kane will operate a 221,000-square-
foot dedicated logistics operation in Bolingbrook, Ill.,
which will serve as Materne’s North American distri-
bution center. … Mercury Marine, a marine engine
manufacturer, is using Amber Road’s Foreign-Trade
Zone (FTZ) software to manage operations at its new
DC in St. Louis. In addition, Axalta Coating Systems has
chosen Amber Road’s Export On-Demand solution to
streamline and automate its compliance processes. …
Labelmaster has entered into an agreement with the
International Air Transport Association (IATA) to dis-
tribute IATA regulatory publications. … Master riggers
employed by stevedoring company Portus used specialty
lift and lashing gear to move three multimillion-dollar
helicopters and 10 ambulances through the Jacksonville
Port Authority’s (Jaxport)
heavy lift and project cargo
berth at Blount Island Marine
Terminal. … Saudi Arabian
food producer Almarai has
commissioned Swisslog to
automate the distribution logistics operations at its
facility in Al Kharj. … Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift
America Inc. (MCFA) has appointed Eaheart Industrial
Service Inc. to represent its three brands (Cat lift trucks,
Mitsubishi forklift trucks, and Jungheinrich warehouse
products) in over 100 counties and cities in the state of
Virginia. … Clark Material Handling has named Modern
Group Ltd. an authorized distributor of Clark products
in the metropolitan Philadelphia and York, Pa., areas.
… Continental/Midland has purchased three Crown
Equipment TSP Series forklifts to help pick and fill orders
faster within its narrow-aisle operation.
JACKSONVILLE PORT AUTHORITY
