MGN Logistics: BI-Powered Freight Solutions for SCM

Matthew Telesca, President & CEO

Organizations are rapidly inclining towards efficient Transport Management Systems to reduce unpredictability and exorbitant losses in the process as a consequence. MGN Logistics, a Pennsylvania-based company, takes a step further than providing software for its clients in efficiently managing the complex process of inbound and outbound freight. The company allows an enterprise to work in close collaboration with the shipper and leverage BI and analytics to monitor every spectrum of the decision-making process of its logistics operations. MGN Logistics therefore not only provides a robust cloud-based freight management solution for the customer’s entire global supply chain, it also takes a crucial part in assisting the client to manage its day-to-day operations.

At Dispatch level

MGN Logistics offers comprehensive services in sectors ranging from small parcels, LTL, truckload, intermodal, rail, ocean, to air and international freight. The company’s robust software solution processes order requests and automates the carrier scheduling procedure with optimized freight rates, initiating the primary step of the supply chain process. The software schedules drivers and manages docks for cargo pickup, monitors the driver logs for errors or protocol violations on a daily basis and determines the environment along the cargo journey. Thus, by having a close collaboration with the shipper and driver along with above information, freight management companies are able to manage their freight transport efficiently.

Tracking and Tracing

MGN Logistics’ software uses proprietary technologies to automate the tracking process and organize all the shipment status under one convenient portal that can be easily accessed by the vendors from mobile.

The solution tracks real-time carrier status and extends a customized search tool that assists the customer in finding its specific shipment by Purchase Order Number, Customer name and PRO number among others. The company leverages on data analysis and integrates business intelligence tools to simplify this complex process. With an intuitive reporting dashboard, clients get real-time information on all their shipments, freight conditions and freight data visualization, expenditure status and additional charges optimization, fuel rates, traffic analysis and congestions. The software essentially digitizes the entire transport management process, improving the visibility of the entire fleet, and helps reducing heavy overhead costs when it comes to freight management. For instance, it enables a vendor to optimize loads according to a carrier’s requirements, plan the shortest route, minimize any out of route miles, and find the cheapest gas stations, while transporting the cargo on time.

The Delivery process

The penultimate step of logistics management is the delivery of freight and managing the inventory at point of storage. MGN Logistics manages the process of audit payments in multiple currencies and generates freight invoices, ensuring that proper payments are done as per pre-negotiated freight rates and discounts are given if applicable. The freight management software tracks the cargo delivery with proper delivery proofs and supporting documents, also determining the freight status at the point of delivery- its expected weight, proper working conditions of products. In the case of discrepancies, the MGN team provides a summary of the resolution and streamlines the return process if needed. The company also provides a weekly detailed report of all shipments and freight expenditure allocations of the client’s enterprise.

Extending advanced freight solutions to clients at reasonable price points distinguish MGN Logistics from its competitors. The organization has focused on innovative solutions with extensive expertise in the industry of over two decades in providing a robust management style of freight that allows proactive decision-making. One such creative solution that the company strongly focuses on is a subscription-based web application- MarketMaker Pricing, an advanced aggregator of truckload metadata. This data is compiled and analyzed with sophisticated algorithms providing historical market highs, lows, averages and MarketMaker’s proprietary spot market rate.

Extending advanced freight solutions to clients at reasonable price points distinguish MGN Logistics from its competitors

The rate is calculated based on real-time spot market truck availability, along with dozens of other big data influencers, such as traffic, weather and road condition type metrics. The application would further compile billions of freight dollars from various industry sources, revolutionizing the process of spot-market rate determination for the truckload industry.

A manufacturing enterprise was experiencing increasingly challenging LTL negotiations each year with inconsistent rate increases by carriers. MGN Logistics’ studies revealed time lags in loading carriers onto docks and dock congestion as the primary reasons. They designed a dock management suite for the shipper that would track pallet movement on the dock, allocates staging locations, and monitor the time of carrier loading along with drivers’ arrivals. The result was a monumental reduction in load times that enabled carriers to step back from increasing rates unpredictably.

A two-fold growth plan accompanies the future road for MGN Logistics. Building on existing relationships with customers, the company looks to grow organically by expanding its consumer base. The other approach lies in managing strategic acquisitions that would assist in technology development, and also, include a fresh thrust of new customers. Since the last six years, the company has doubled revenue every two years, and now has offices in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Florida, Illinois and internationally in the Dominican Republic. “Our success has been to consistently push the envelope of customer’s expectations while overperforming to produce the best,” concludes Matthew Telesca, CEO, and President of MGN Logistics.

- Priyajith Ghosh
July 03, 2017