When he saw the introduction of the LogisticDocuments.com portal, the interest of Operations Manager Robin Welsh of Halls was piqued. The European sales office of the South African avocado and mango producer in Maasdijk had seen volumes increase over the past few years and was looking for a solution to manage all shipments and associated documentation. The use of error-prone Excel sheets, overflowing mailboxes, frequent phone calls back and forth, and manually tracking containers through shipping company websites was no longer a desirable way to work.
Robin Welsh (Halls), Christian Schouten (Logistic Documents) and Eilen Cortes (Halls)
"We were exploring whether there were existing IT systems that we could connect to or whether we needed to find people to develop such a platform ourselves. When I saw the news about the launch of LogisticDocuments.com, I was immediately enthusiastic. This was exactly the system I had been looking for, made for and by people in the AGF sector. They know our business and know what we need. Moreover, it is a plug-and-play addition to our existing IT infrastructure, so there was no need for endless implementation processes. As a company, we think in long-term partnerships and this collaboration with LogisticDocuments.com is a good example of that."
In the meantime, Halls' supply chain department and administration has been working with the portal for a month and it is proving to be fully satisfactory. "As an importer, we have to deal with a lot of documentation. Before, we received it by e-mail and it was put in folders. Now it can all be found clearly in one platform. Moreover, we have full insight into the status of the containers and ships that are on their way and we receive immediate alerts if delays occur, so we can proactively inform our customers," says Halls' Operations Manager.
The system offers numerous options. For example, there is integration with our quality department for quality reporting, resulting in a tight process for handling claims. Logistics partners can also be added, so that communication with suppliers can take place within the platform in order to reduce the endless flow of e-mail. Partners have an up-to-date overview of shipments, with actual ETDs & ETAs through the integrated Track & Trace. Finally, communication with the finance department is also automated through automatic emails and involving them in the operation.
"You can tell that this solution has been designed by people who understand the fresh produce trade and that it has been handled very professionally. We immediately decided to use all the options on the platform. The system is very user-friendly and our colleagues quickly got the hang of it. Now we only use the system internally with our offices in Northern Europe, a second step is to also give our suppliers access to the platform," says Robin. He highly recommends LogisticDocuments.com to fellow importers and exporters. "There must be more companies in the sector that need a tool to manage all logistics documentation in real time. This portal promotes communication and information transfer between departments and parties in the chain!"
For more information:
Robin Welsh
Halls 
Honderdland 72
2676 LS Maasdijk
+31 (0)174 791 040
Mobile: +31 (0)6 34 06 16 75
robin@hallsbv.nl
www.hallsbv.nl
Christian Schouten / David van den Heuvel
LogisticDocuments.com 
Handelscentrum ZHZ 55
2991 LD Barendrecht
+31 (0)180 61 70 11
Mobiel: +31 (0)6 18 58 37 91 / +31 (0)6 29 70 38 65
c.schouten@logisticdocuments.com
d.vandenheuvel@logisticdocuments.com
www.logisticdocuments.com