OTM Integration with Ocean Carriers

[miks]

Hello all,

Has anyone out in the forum had experience in setting up OTM to integrate with the major Ocean carriers? My focus is on Ocean Export only.

I'm looking to initially obtain status information. My questions are, which carriers will integrate with OTM? How timely is the data? How clean is the data? What are the specific events most carriers will provide?

Any insight, or shared experiences, (or nightmares) would be greatly appreciated.

- Mike

[rvhaaster]

Re: OTM Integration with Ocean Carriers

Hi Mike,

I do have experience in integrating OTM with Ocean carriers via the portals INTTRA and GTNEXUS. The list of carriers linked to the portals can be found on the portals' websites.
Part of our integration is receiving status messages from the carriers. For both portals we receive them as EDIFACT IFTSTA messages.
In general it's working ok and the six messages that you should get from all carriers are:
- Gate Out Empty
- Gate In Full
- Vessel Loaded
- Vessel Unloaded
- Gate Out Full
- Gate Out Empty
Timing of the messages is something else. So far we have seen that we only received Gate Out Empty after vessel had sailed. In this case it was due to a restriction in carrier systems which prevented sending GOMT before booking had reached a certain status. So I wouldn't count on receiving status updates real time and in the correct order.

Rob van Haaster

MavenWire Europe

[miks]

Re: OTM Integration with Ocean Carriers

Thanks for the insight Rob,

A few questions for you. Is the timeliness of the data an operational problem, or an electronic communication problem. In other words, if I went to look up a shipment manually on the carriers web site, would I see the shipment there?

The second question, typically tracking is done by container. How have you related the status information you receive back to an actual shipment in OTM?

Thanks in advance for your responses.

- Mike

[rvhaaster]

Re: OTM Integration with Ocean Carriers

Hi Mike,

The timeless of data may both be operational or electronic. It's depending on the port infrastructure whether statuses are processed straight away or not. The electronic reasons we've seen were that carrier systems were not able to pass on the events although they were avaialbe.
But you can track on carrier websites as long as you know booking nr or container nr; we haven't seen any problems there.

You're right, all the status messages are container based and they contain the container number, booking number and, if available, bl number. We've chosen for an approach where shipments in otm are updated with container id by means of shipment event entered via GUI, at time when actual loaded quantities are confirmed. Then incoming status messages are linked to the shipment by using an integration saved query based on container nr. When no shipment is found, the status message is staged and processed later when a shipment with that container number is available.

Hope this explains,

Rob

[krishna.kk]

Re: OTM Integration with Ocean Carriers

ROb,

Can you explain in detail how do you link the container number with the shipment do you use reference Quailifer .

When a shipment is built in OTM in the second tab of the shipment(Equipment) there is a feild called Shipment equipment does this feild contains the Container number .

Rgds
kishore

[rvhaaster]

Re: OTM Integration with Ocean Carriers

Hi Kishore,

We're entering container number during Dispatch advice (shipment event) against a shipment refnum. Agent workflow is then updating the s-equipment with the container nr, which will appear in shipment on equipment tab / eqmtn nr.
You can use shipment actuals screen as well to update shipment with equipment.


Rob

[i2p0]

Re: OTM Integration with Ocean Carriers

hi,
i would like to integrate GTNEXUS traking with OTM for my company, can someone describe me the process?

you create the shipment into OTM and then you link the container number to the shipment_ID and Gtnexus send back the event traking? it is correct?

in order to connect the two portals can you describe the milstones for the projects the most critical points and the impact for the system?

thanks a lot for your help

Filippo

[miks]

Re: OTM Integration with Ocean Carriers

Greetings!

At some point, you will need to establish connectivity to GTNexus, whether it be via EDI or XML interface. There can be several next steps. Perhaps you want to do the booking electronically. You'll need to send the booking request, then receive the confirmation. After this, you will need to send shipping instructions. This is where you will send them your OTM shipment Id as a reference number. Again, this is done electronically. They will send you status messages by container, along with your reference number.
The "hitch" in all of this, is portals such as GTNexus, require you to use "standard" codes, typically ISO codes. If you use home grown identifiers, you will need to map your codes to theirs. Not an easy task. When they send you back a response, you will also need to map their codes back to yours. The key is to use standard codes in the first place. Not to many folks have the insight to do this from the get go. Once things are up and running, things go smoothly. However, don't kid yourself into thinking this is going to be an trivial task.

Hope this helps.

[i2p0]

Re: OTM Integration with Ocean Carriers

thanks Miks.
i'm trying to figure out a possible scenario for manage the Ocean flows.

I wolud like to plan a multi modal shipment into OTM with 3 steps:
1. road from source to port
2. ocean port to port
3. road form port to destination.

When the ocean shipment ID is generated it is sent via EDI or XML to GT nexus and automatically create the booking into GT nexus.

Gtnexus assign a container code to the shipment transmitted and send back a transmission to OTM adding the container code into a referenc number.

The events updated into GT nexus are automatically updated into OTM.

Do you think that is possible to have a similar solution?

as regards the integration we already have carrier connected via EDI, do you think is better link the system by EDI or XML? what is the more stable solution?

last doubt: GT Nexus contains the tariff for the ocean shipment. is possible link the financial module into GT nexus with the rates into OTM, so when the carriers will update the rates we will have it directly into OTM...

thanks a lot for your help
Filippo

[miks]

Re: OTM Integration with Ocean Carriers

You have the general idea. You can use an OTM Job to tie together the inland move and the ocean move. You are correct, the events will be based on container. As far as what is better, EDI or XML, EDI is expensive but reliable. XML is "free" so to speak. There are now packages out there that make EDI look archaic, and they transmit XML in a highly reliable fashion, and the packages are far less expensive,
easier to use, and you don't pay VAN charges. You can transmit everything reliably using XML. That is the direction to go.
As far as rates, you should maintain rates in spreadsheets, then automatically upload them to OTM. I recommend you do that. If a tarrif is updated, you update it one place in your spreadsheet. Then all of your other rate info will be in tact.

End of $0.02

[i2p0]

Re: OTM Integration with Ocean Carriers

the problem is that the rate is uploaded into gtnexus by a 3pl.. This is why I would like to have automatic connection also for the rates. So we don't need to update manually them into our Otm...