Cargo3000 - Freight Forwarding Software by Centillion

QUOTATIONS

The system is designed to allow quotations to be prepared quickly and easily, with a minimum amount of data entry.

Quotations can be prepared for freight forwarding transactions including; air, ocean and road, export and import shipments.

Access to all of the above rate tables from within quotations is provided to assist in the preparation of quotations.

Each quotation can contain both air and ocean quotes. Charges can be quoted for specific origin and destination pairs, and also quoted for multiple origin and destination pairs, all within the same quotation. Dimensions can also be included in quotations.

Multiple charges including: minimum charges, flat charges, charges per such as air rates by multiple weight break points, etc., may be quoted in any currency. Optionally, charges per piece, etc., can also be entered for garments.

Any number of comment lines can be entered at any point in the quotation.

Quotations for road shipments include FTL and LTL formats.

Quotations are stored in the system and easily accessed both directly and during shipment processing for reference and tracing purposes.

Quotations can be used to automatically rate (invoice) shipments.

Quotations for Canadian and US brokerage transactions including auto-rating are also available.

SHIPMENT INFORMATION ONLY ENTERED ONCE

A principal throughout the overall design of Cargo3000 is that information is only entered into the system once. This is achieved through the extensive use of master files and tables to record information that is continuously used, and the ability to update master files and tables from within transactions. In addition, default values such as Notify: 'Same as Consignee', etc., are loaded automatically and can be changed as required.

From the time of a quotation through the life cycle of a shipment, until it is invoiced and entered into the sales history and accounting sub-systems, all variables for a shipment are only entered once.

In this way, an absolute minimum of information is recorded for each transaction, errors reduced, and productivity maximised.

ENTER INFORMATION AS IT BECOMES AVAILABLE

New transactions may be created at any time and only completed as the information becomes available. While the system will not allow invalid codes to be used, data fields may be left blank and completed as required.

SHIPMENT DETAILS

All related shipment details such as shipper, consignee, notify, agent, prepaid or collect, terms, airline or shipping line, from, to, ports and airports, flight(s), vessel and voyage number, dates, MAWB number, booking number, etc., are entered as available.

Similarly, shipment or cargo details including weight, volume, description, etc., are entered as available. A volume calculator is available to enter dimensions in any measure (inches, centimetres, etc.), and convert them to kilograms, pounds or cubic feet.

Freight charges and other charges including buying rates or amounts are entered as available.

Selling and buying rates or amounts can be either prepaid or collect, and entered in multiple currencies. The system will automatically convert charge units as required. I.e. If a cargo weight is in pounds and a rate per kilogram is entered, the system will automatically convert the rate from kilograms to pounds.

Similarly, if a rate is quoted in pounds and the shipment details are in kilograms, the system will automatically convert the units of measure from pounds to kilograms, to correctly rate the shipment.

Margins are calculated as the charge details are entered and displayed on the screen.

Quotations and all rate tables can be accessed directly from within the shipment details.

COPY TRANSACTIONS

The copy transaction option allows a similar transaction to be copied and set-up as a new transaction within seconds. The new transaction can then be modified as required.

Quotations, commercial invoices, air, ocean and road shipments can all be copied.

TEMPLATES

In addition to the Copy option, templates provide the capability to enter any number of standard or frequently used shipment details and instantly locate the required template to create shipments.

Quotations, commercial invoices, air and ocean export and road shipments can all be copied.

IMPORT SHIPMENTS

Two sets of screens are used to process import shipments and deconsolidations.

The first is designed to enter transactions form the cargo manifests as received from agents very efficiently and rapidly, and provide tracking / tracing capability.

The second allows further shipment details to be entered when the documents become available.

Consolidated shipments may be deconsolidated, or shipments may be entered one at a time.

If an applicable quotation is available, (customer, shipping mode, origin, destination, terms, commodity, etc.), the shipment can be automatically rated from the quotation.

Ocean import processing includes a HB/L tracking feature to record and track HB/L numbers that have not been received.

EXPORT SHIPMENTS

Shipment and consolidation details are entered quickly and easily, as information is available.

Standard export shipments can be completed using only three screens.

The Header screen contains all the top portion of a MAWB OR B/L plus container positioning information, etc.

The Cargo details screen contains container and seal numbers, marks and numbers, weight, cube, volume calculations and cargo description.

The additional information screen is used to enter additional information and instructions required for specific documents such as Pre-Alerts, Transport Instructions, B13A details, Insurance Certificate, Hazardous Goods Declaration, US Shippers Export Declaration(s), etc.

In addition, the copy shipment option allows new shipments to be created from existing shipments in seconds. For shippers who frequently ship the same items, a new shipment can be created immediately. Alternately, templates can be created and copied as required.

Users may assign their own file numbers to shipments or the system can assign the file numbers automatically. Cargo3000 will optionally ensure user assigned file numbers are unique.

Air Export shipments may be single line single rated, single line double rated, or double line double rated.

A second header screen to enter MAWB details is not required for single shipments.

If an appropriate quotation is available, the shipment can be automatically rated.

The system supports the use of both Airline and generic Airway Bills. If generic Airway Bills are used, the system can generate and maintain blocks of Airway Bill numbers by airline. Cargo 3000 will optionally ensure each MAWB number is unique.

A Booking Sheet module in Ocean Export provides the ability to record multiple shipments for a shipper, confirm the vessel and voyage details, and then generate the shipments.

CONSOLIDATIONS

Shipment and consolidation transactions may be created at any time, as required. Shipments may be dynamically included or excluded from consolidations at any time. There is no need to open a shipment in a consolidation.

When a shipment is included in a consolidation, the consolidations total fields are automatically updated with the values of the shipment. Similarly, if a shipment is removed from a consolidation, the consolidations total values are again updated to reflect the total of the remaining shipments in the consolidation.

In addition, if a shipment is included in a consolidation and the shipments values are entered or changed (i.e. number of pieces, weight, cubic feet or meters, etc.), the consolidations total values are again updated dynamically to reflect the new totals.

Similarly, if a consolidations values are entered or changed, (i.e. airline, shipping line, flight, vessel, voyage, MAWB No., booking no. date, etc., all applicable transactions are updated dynamically to provide up-to-date information at all times.

CHARGES

Any number of charges can be entered for a quotation or a shipment.

The system will automatically convert charges per pound or kilogram. A quotation or rate may be in pounds and the shipment or cargo details entered in kilograms. The system will automatically convert the rate from pounds to kilograms or the reverse.

Charges can be in any currency, and prepaid or collect as required. Exchange rates for both buying and selling different currencies can be updated as often as required. (I.e. daily, weekly, hourly, etc.)

Both selling and buying rates and amounts can be entered as required. Margins in the designated 'home' currency, which is defined by the user, are calculated and displayed on the screen immediately.

INVOICING & ACCOUNTS PAYABLE

Invoices for a shipment are calculated as required using the charges entered above, and can be for the account of a third party or the shipper, overseas agent, airline, etc., for prepaid, collect or mixed shipments as necessary.

Separate invoices can be produced for each currency in a shipment, or one invoice for all currencies. Customers can be billed in the currency of their choice (i.e. Canadian dollars, American dollars, Euro, etc.) or mixed currencies.

Additional invoices and credit notes can be produced as required.

Invoices and debit and credit notes may be viewed directly on the screen, and printed or reprinted as often as required.

Invoice and Accounts Payable registers are prepared identifying all revenues and expenses for input to the accounting subsystem via automatic export and import or manually.

RATE TABLES

The system maintains air and ocean rate tables by airline or shipping line, origin, destination, break points (weight, volume, etc.) and currency. Effective or expiry dates and comments can also be recorded.

Rates tables can be accessed while processing quotations and shipments by; origin, destination and airline or shipping line. The system displays all rates on file for the specified origin and destination.

Air rate tables and TACT rates include; carrier, origin and destination, weight category, currency, units (Kgs, Lbs), etc.

Ocean rate tables include; shipping line, port of loading and port of discharge, commodity class, container size and type, currency and weight category for B/Bulk shipments, etc.