Forwarder Network Center (FNC)

Background
The Forwarder Network Center (FNC), an alliance of Yangjae Information Technology Company and Korea Biz-net Co., Ltd., develops freight-forwarder software for the Korean market. FNC relies on technology to provide the most advanced products and services to its freight-forwarder and 3PL customers that manage ocean freight for some of the world's most sophisticated and demanding manufacturers, including Hyundai Motor.

To maintain its position as a technology innovator, FNC relies on its relationships with alliance partners (such as INTTRA) to enhance and complement its software with value-added products and services. FNC customers that have benefited from their partnership with INTTRA include Glovis, the sole forwarder for the Hyundai / Kia Automotive Group, and Hansol CSN, managing logistics services for major manufacturers including Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics and Hanuk Paper.

FNC's freight-forwarder customers face increasing distribution costs associated with the movement of cargo by their ocean carriers. Despite the longer in-transit times for ocean moves compared to air freight, FNC's customers increasingly need to support "just in time" manufacturing cycles for all shipments – both ocean and air freight. To meet the demanding requirements of "just in time" manufacturing, FNC customers increasingly demand electronic access to precise shipment details. The shipment details needed include: time and place of delivery, container and seal numbers, precise cargo descriptions, marks and numbers, number of packages, weight and volume by cargo, and location of cargo within each container. Further, FNC's customers need to receive this shipment detail at or close to vessel departure, which is typically several weeks prior to delivery. Electronic access to these shipment details ensures proper distribution planning, coordination with local transportation providers, warehouse planning, and advanced notifications to customers.

Previously, FNC customers experienced higher costs and error rates due to re-keying these shipment details from fax copies of carrier Bills of Lading (B/Ls). Now, FNC customers avoid these extra costs and unnecessary errors by accessing the data electronically via INTTRA.

INTTRA's I-LINK BL Data Solution
By partnering with INTTRA to capture B/L data from participating carriers electronically, FNC provides added value to its customers and lowers costs. As the leading portal for the ocean-shipping industry, INTTRA offers a single electronic connection to many of the world's leading ocean carriers. This single connection supports a broad spectrum of functionality, including electronic bookings and B/L instructions, status events, vessel schedules, and B/L data. Through i-LINK BL Data Service, INTTRA captures complete shipment details electronically at the exact time the carrier issues the B/L. Because carriers generate B/L data within a day or two after vessel departure, INTTRA is able to capture and forward complete shipment details in EDI or XML format to FNC weeks before the cargo is delivered at its final destination. FNC makes this data available to its customers via the FNC software within a matter of minutes after receipt from INTTRA.

Project Details
Currently, FNC receives BL data via INTTRA for two freight-forwarder customers in Korea. Its first i-LINK BL Data project for GLOVIS required around one month of development and testing. The second i-LINK BL Data project was for Hansol CSN and took about 10 days (mainly testing with minor system changes to meet Hansol's unique needs).

Make the I-Link to improved profitability
For more information on how INTTRA's I-Link BL Data Service can help you make ocean-shipment data management easier and less costly, contact your INTTRA Sales Representative or click on "Resource Center" at www.inttra.com.

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