GT Nexus logs more than $10 Billion in Freight Spend on its Trade and Logistics Portal

JOC Staff |
Oakland, CA – January 18, 2009 -- GT Nexus reported today that the amount of ocean and air transportation spending managed on its Trade and Logistics Portal surpassed the $10 billion mark in 2009. The volume was calculated from the collective buying power of all GT Nexus customers, who share a single Web platform to manage transportation rates.

“Despite the global economic crisis, we experienced a major increase in new business for our transportation management services,” said John Urban, President of GT Nexus. “Companies need to reduce costs, and our solutions give proven return on investment. Even better, we deliver our services on-demand, which is a low-risk, low-cost alternative to traditional software. Taken altogether, you could call it a proposition that’s too good to turn down.”

GT Nexus has served as our central ocean procurement and contract management system for many years, said Neal Donaghy, Manger of Global Liner Operations at The Home Depot. Our carrier partners are very familiar with the system because they work with many other customers on the Portal. We move hundreds of thousands of TEUs each year, and this technology is a key tool for us.

Major shippers that use the GT Nexus Portal include Nestlé’, Hewlett Packard, The Home Depot, Caterpillar, Liz Claiborne, DHL, Weyerhaeuser, and Procter & Gamble. All the top international ocean carriers are also active on the platform, interacting with multiple customers.

The ever-increasing complexity of international supply chains makes it extremely challenging for large shippers to effectively procure services and manage global freight spending. Most companies still rely on Excel spreadsheets, which quickly become out of date. With the GT Nexus freight contracting capabilities, shippers can dynamically execute a better transportation plan at lower cost through ongoing online evaluation of offers, strategic allocation optimization, and freight audit.

Carriers also benefit from GT Nexus because the Portal offers them a single gateway for interacting with multiple strategic customers. Just as a shipper user can log in to see proposals and rates from all carrier partners, users at carriers can log in and get the corresponding view, showing contracts across their customers.

The GT Nexus Portal is a fully Web-based platform that blends a broad set of well-established, industry-focused applications with a global network of connected partners. As shippers begin executing against their contracts, the system is configured to capture status messages and documents, which can be used for auditing and performance measurement.

GT Nexus is also frequently integrated to other software systems inside customers’ own IT infrastructure, which, in effect, extends the reach of existing installed software beyond the four walls of an enterprise and into the global partner community. Common integrations between GT Nexus and customers’ internal systems include ERP, domestic TMS, and order management.

About GT Nexus
GT Nexus runs the world's only industry-backed, on-demand global trade and logistics portal. Today, more than 40,000 registered users, from over 15,000 organizations use a range of capabilities on the portal to optimize the global flow of goods and trade information from order point to final payment. GT Nexus connects the physical and financial supply chains. This allows buyers, sellers, banks and logistics providers to work over a common platform with a core set of information that supports multiple trade and logistics functions. Customers include Nestlé, Xerox, American Eagle Outfitters, Procter & Gamble, Weyerhaeuser and The Home Depot. For information, visit www.gtnexus.com.