Ocean visibility provider project44 offers Flex solution for small shippers

Tools used by large enterprise customers now affordable to small businesses

Grace Sharkey

2 years ago

Global supply chain visibility provider project44 announced Thursday it is releasing a new ocean container tracking tool intended for shippers and logistics service providers with small-scale needs.

The new solution, Ocean Visibility Flex, is a simplified version of the Chicago-based technology company’s ocean visibility management tool offered to its largest ocean shippers, giving users the ability to track departure, arrival times and current statuses of containers.

“For years we have built and perfected our ocean visibility products,” Adam Compain, senior vice president and global head of product marketing at project44, told FreightWaves. “We are looking to solve the same shipment visibility problems with our Flex product. The difference, however, is that many small- and medium-volume shippers haven’t been able to get their hands on the high quality data that Fortune 500 companies can afford simply because their volume doesn’t qualify to budget for those products.”

Compain explained that now these small shippers have Flex, which will allow them to track the first 50 containers for free and every one after for just $8 a piece. That rate is offered for up to 2,500 containers a year with no integrations or contracts required.

According to project44 founder and CEO Jett McCandless, this offering is a way for the company’s innovative products used by some of the largest shippers today, including Walmart, Bridgestone, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, to now help small businesses compete with larger competitors.

“I’m passionate about helping small businesses stay competitive,” said McCandless. “Whether a company is big or small, they all need to provide visibility to their customers. … If a company can’t provide delivery dates, process inventory efficiency and delivery on time, then the customers will go somewhere else.”

McCandless also noted that the improvement of technology within a small business often stimulates its employees.

“Employees want to learn valuable skills on the job,” he said. They don’t want to call carriers to track and trace.”

Compain acknowledged that sentiment, pointing out that small shippers who have been using the beta product of Flex “appreciate the user interface, having all their containers on one screen instead of searching multiple websites and using spreadsheets to keep track.”

The product is now out of beta testing and available for small shippers using ocean carriers MSC, Maersk, CMA-CGM, COSCO, Hapag-Lloyd, ONE, Evergreen, HMM, Yang Ming, ZIM and more.