e-Cargonews Asia: INTTRA leads the slow pack of portals

May 15, 2006

By Patrick Burnson San Francisco

Hailed as a 21st Century information technology breakthrough a few years ago, multi-carrier Internet portals were supposed to transform the ocean carriage industry. The shipping community was not only promised more transparency, but more choices and better rates.

Leading the charge in this "sound and fury" era was a triumvirate comprising GT Nexus, CargoSmart and INTTRA. And while all three are still around, a clear leader has yet to signify something.

"This is a rather complex topic," said Jim Fitzgerald, president of EFI Logistics in San Francisco. "We currently use INTTRA, but keep in mind these guys all have different models."

According to Fitzgerald, INTTRA enjoys the advantage of being supported by more carriers, and does not charge him for its service. GT Nexus, he says, offers customisation, but generally requires the user to sign a contract. CargoSmart, meanwhile, is perceived to be the smallest of the three but offers a broader web service for no charge.

"In any case all the portals have moved forward at a snail's pace and have not made the dramatic impact that was envisioned five or six years ago," said Fitzgerald.

There are other nuances worth noting, say industry experts:

* GT Nexus is an e-logistics software company with a large footprint. The portal is a small part of what it provides. Its stated goal is to become a global leader in e-logistics software and services.

* INTTRA is an industry portal, not a software provider. Its job is to facilitate the interaction between its users and their carriers.

* CargoSmart is aiming to add value to the core booking and tracking facilities and to provide a more complete solution to users.

By all appearances, however, INTTRA does seem to be the most active in promoting its brand, and targeting a global market. It's also boasting a few major testimonials that differentiate its service from others.

"Topsoft engineers successfully built an EDI platform, which they linked with INTTRA's powerful hub, and is now offering a wide array of online shipping functions to Taiwan shipping professionals and their overseas agents," said Paul Jair, CEO of Taiwan-based Topsoft.

For the past year, INTTRA has helped Topsoft Systems, a shipping application software developer and service provider, boost client connections and promote visibility. According to a company spokesmen, this has been part of a government-backed effort to increase the country's global competitiveness through electronic commerce.

INTTRA's market penetration now also includes the Middle East. Qatar Petrochemical Company (Qapco), based in Doha, has recently become the first major company in the region to connect to the portal via its INTTRA Link, EDI-based platform.

Qapco, a leading polyethylene exporter in Qatar, was attracted to INTTRA's e-commerce facilities.

"Since the portal is promoted by some of the major shipping lines dealing with Qapco, we felt it would be beneficial to have a single platform," said Abdulrahman Al-Abdulla, Qapco marketing manager.

Al-Abdulla added that e-commerce is still "a burgeoning sector in the Gulf region" and expects that other companies will join Qapco in embracing electronic data flow. "We do believe e-commerce will grow in the near future and more companies will benefit from this venture," he said.

INTTRA's shipper clients include Rotterdam-based Copex; Lipton; and Michelin. Global forwarders are also in the mix, comprising DHL, Hellman and Schenker, for example. But it's company's stable of major container lines is what really distinguishes the service options. The "who's who" of liners represents more than 60 percent of the industry's overall capacity.

Along with foundation mega-members, Maersk Line and Mediterranean Shipping Company, the list includes Alianca, ANL, CMA CGM, CSAV, CSAV Norasia, DAL, Deutsche Afrika-Linien, Fesco, Hamburg SŸd, Hapag-Lloyd, "K" Line, Libra, MCC Transport Pte Ltd, MISC, Mitsui OSK Lines, NYK Line, Safmarine, Senator Lines and United Arab Shipping Company.

With further carrier consolidation taking place over the next few years, many shipping analysts are predicting more rationalised services in the IT sector too.

"Within the next decade we will see tremendous pressure to adapt economies of scale," said Ben Hackett, an economist and executive managing director of Global Insight.

INTTRA seems to be anticipating that trend as well. The world's largest e-commerce platform for ocean shipping, is leading the charge to web services and in doing so is shaping the shipping industry processes of the future.

"In order to find further efficiencies, the portal's future solutions will increasingly depend on web services technology," said Harry Sangree, INTTRA's senior vice-president of business development and corporate strategy.

"The challenge for INTTRA is to ensure we use the best technology available to adapt and respond to changing customer needs," he added. "As a solution, web services technology will provide opportunities to meet future user needs with additional functionality, while lowering the cost of e-commerce in the long term.''