Kaleris, which is investment-backed by Accel-KKR, has announced it has added Navis to its solutions portfolio as part of a new “Execution and Visibility Platform”.

When it acquired Navis from Cargotec in July 2021 Accel-KKR clearly had a wider vision beyond the marine terminal TOS and vessel planning software markets that Navis has traditionally served as its core customer base. The new platform shines more light on how Kaleris plans to create value by leveraging Navis’ position in port, terminal and vessel software markets to deliver a better supply chain visibility tool.

Kaleris itself was created as a platform that combined products from three different acquisitions by Accel KKR. These include the PINC yard management system, two shipper TMS products (ShipperConnect and ShipXpress) acquired from Wabtec and a rail car M&R system called RailcarRx. The new Execution and Visibility Platform is a cloud-based logistics solution that adds Navis software to create “operational insights and workflows across major nodes in the supply chain and modes of transportation.”

“By creating a global platform, we can help our customers improve execution across the entire lifecycle of a shipment,” said Kirk Knauff, CEO of Kaleris. “Navis adds a vital mode to our customer ecosystem and uniquely positions our platform to unlock new value for shippers, carriers, terminals, and asset owners through significant efficiency and productivity gains. They can pass this productivity through to their customers, delivering better outcomes for everyone through a connected, visible, sustainable supply chain.”

There are plenty of visibility platforms in the market today that offer various levels of container tracking and predictive analysis for key factors such as container availability. Navis software, however, has the advantage of holding real data on container slot locations on vessels and in yards, and the operational or “execution” plans for when and in what order those containers will be unloaded, stacked and then available for the next move.

Without this data other platforms are using machine learning and artificial intelligence to try and predict when events will occur. At the same time some terminals are using machine learning and AI try and determine when a shipper will come to collect a container as they plan where to put it in the yard.

The “Execution and Visibility Platform” is based on the idea of improving processes by connecting systems to share data and achieve a better result. “Connecting execution and visibility solutions is the key to a resilient supply chain,” said Knauff. “Knowing the real-time status of shipments as they move through each node in the supply chain has a powerful downstream effect, and this insight optimises all of the operations and modes that follow.”

The new platform will achieve this by “consolidating supply chain execution software across nodes and modes”, Kaleris stated. The platform “leverages operational data directly from yard management, transportation management, maintenance and repair, port and terminal, and vessel operations to eliminate data gaps and dark spots within pivotal execution points. The platform then connects that operating data to workflows within the execution ecosystem, resulting in high-value outcomes for shippers, carriers, terminals, and asset owners, including: reduced non-performance time; increased operating visibility to shipment status and operating events; and improved planning and scheduling to enhance efficiency and utilisation.”

Kaleris notes that there are benefits right across the supply chain from real-time visibility of cargo status. Shippers can “take prompt action to reduce dwell times, demurrage and impediments” while terminals can reduce rehandling moves, container dwell time, and truck and rail turnaround times. Carriers and asset owners can “increase asset maintenance and performance, maximise revenue per trip, reduce operational costs and deliver better service to shippers”.

At this point Kaleris has not released details around the key questions of who owns the data in Navis applications and the commercial considerations under which it can be shared across the supply chain.