Dive Brief:
- A.P. Moller - Maersk's 3PL Damco will add digital freight forwarding to its toolkit April 10 when it brings Twill to market for the China to U.K. trade lane, American Shipper reported Wednesday.
- Twill's platform provides shippers with instant quotes, one-stop document management, shipment visibility at various milestones (think UPS packages arriving at sorting facilities), and alerts when exceptions arise.
- The company is designed to help Damco compete with a new generation of digital freight forwarders and expand its customer base to smaller shippers who were previously overlooked, per the report.
Dive Insight:
As new Chairman of the Board of Directors Jim Hagemann Snabe prepares to man the helm at A.P. Moller-Maersk, the company is setting sail in the direction of increased digitization.
Initially there was the partnership with Alibaba, wherein users of its one-touch booking website could reserve cargo space on Maersk ships. At the time, CEO Soren Skou announced plans to transform Maersk into a full-supply chain service provider as well as remain a top cargo transport line.
Damco is a key part of this initiative, and now with Twill the company is making it clear it will not fall behind to digital natives. As the need for transparency and calls for visibility increase, many forwarders have adopted digital solutions — to mixed success.
Regardless, the innovation will also provide Maersk with an expanded customer base as it seeks new revenue channels. The company is seemingly betting on small shippers as a strong opportunity for growth. With a 2016 loss of $1.9 billion lingering and its main oil and container shipping businesses struggling, any new growth is a net positive.
