Embassy Freight Services and BDO add digital dimension to transport management

For almost 40 years - since 1985 - Embassy Freight Services has been offering a wide range of transport services to customers from various sectors as a freight forwarder. From its Antwerp headquarters, Managing Director Stephan De Pauw and his team direct an international group of freight forwarding offices specialising in road, sea, air and rail transport. 

"Thanks to this extensive network of our own offices and agents, we manage to properly track all shipments around the world," says Stephan. "We relieve each customer of the burden of organising and transporting goods, including the complex handling of administrative formalities - including applying for customs permits - negotiating prices and booking cargoes with shipping companies."

Hybrid model of humans and technology

Tracking hundreds of goods flows, spread all over the world, is obviously not possible without the necessary technological support. "We complement our network of logistics in the main port cities and airports with an advanced IT system," Stephan says. "This combination of people and technology gives us the opportunity to make shipments and transports even smoother and more correct. We aim for a hybrid approach to the maximum, with personal contact between our employees, forwarders, suppliers and customers supported and enhanced by innovative technology such as Robotic Process Automation (RPA), for example."

Launch of innovative project

One of the support services Embassy Freight Services offers its customers is a Track-and-Trace module to accurately track goods on their way to their final destination. Stephan explains: "With this web-based module, every customer can track their shipments in real-time and 24/7/365, where all documents - such as packing list, commercial invoice and Bills of Lading - can also be consulted. By clearly displaying estimated arrival times, we offer them additional transparency and peace of mind. Let's not forget cost savings for both parties as well. This way, the goods' follow-up route can be better planned. So there are fewer storage costs for the customer and the containers are ready for their next cargo sooner."

"This track-and-trace module is an indispensable technology for our team and customers. Yet, as an ambitious forwarder, we want to go one step further. That is why we launched a companion project together with BDO in 2021 with the realisation of a 'data management and robotic process automation' initiative. The second initiative concerned shipping data from terminal and shipping company websites. These were integrated with our customer management system. 

Our goal? To automate and speed up the collection of shipping data, eliminating repetitive tasks for our customers and ourselves, thus saving valuable time. But optimal data quality is also essential here. After all, by providing real-time updates and notifications, we can react accurately and quickly to changes in transport routes, arrival and departure times."

The elaboration of this screening tool got a big boost during the corona pandemic. "Before the pandemic outbreak, some 80 per cent of ships arrived on time," Stephan looks back. "During the corona period, it was only 25 per cent. Together with the BDO experts, we went to work, where they made a Proof of Concept based on our input. For each country in which we operate, we thus had different RPA bots built. Today, we are in a phase where we maintain these tools and adjust them where necessary. We find that this project takes our data quality, internal efficiency and customer service to the next level."

Inspiring collaboration

Stephan and his colleagues are full of praise for their cooperation with the BDO Belgium team. In fact, the original cooperation started back in 2010, focusing on advice in taxation and accountancy. "We are very satisfied with how BDO's specialists approach things," Stephan says. "When you know you are immediately sitting at the table with the right person who provides knowledgeable solutions to concrete questions, this offers you as an entrepreneur the necessary comfort and peace of mind. It allows us to focus on our core tasks. Other advantages are that BDO always actively thinks along with us - for instance when submitting a subsidy file - and is willing to share internal knowledge. By the way, their networking activities are also very useful in keeping our own knowledge of the business up to date."

Foto Stephan

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