The logistics industry is fully integrated into almost every other major industry. The same is true for the technology industry at this point. Thus, the logistics technology space is of paramount importance. We all know by now how important it is to keep the global supply chain running smoothly. And in short, logistics software is how the sausage gets made.
So that said, there are many logistics management software options on the market. Who’s doing it best? Whose products and services have you been using?
The software your company chose to adopt may have depended on what area of the logistics industry you serve. It may have come down to price. Maybe someone used a system elsewhere and brought it with them?
In reality, your niche in logistics will dictate what features your logistics management software will need. Hopefully, your company chose the right software company to partner with. If that’s a question on your mind, you’re in the right place.
Today we rounded up the leading names in the logistics software space. For starters, if you’re like me, you’ll look toward Gartner for trusted industry-related reviews and reporting. If you’re like me, you’ll also find Gartner’s content dry. The reviews are so unbiased, they seem to bury the lead.
We need the story up front—especially in light of the huge pivot the entire logistics industry is making. We’re talking about the overlapping trends of digitization, visibility, control towers, and even blockchain.
Speaking of trends . . .
First of all, in the logistics software space, the move toward the software as a service (SaaS) model is in full swing. The benefits of using a SaaS platform include regular updates and upgrades. I’ve seen firsthand what happens when you work with an unsupported system in the supply chain industry. You spend more time messing around with the system than winning new customers!
That leads us to another trend (you’ll miss this with an unsupported system). Supply chain visibility is on the tip of everyone’s tongue. To increase in-house visibility, companies are implementing control towers. Control towers are logistics management software; they act as a user interface for decision-makers to track and manage their entire supply chains. The hope is that control towers will simplify things, not add complexity.
On the other hand, supply chain visibility also can mean business-to-business communication and data-sharing among trade partners. Business partners handle this data transfer and communication through logistics management software. There’s no other way to do it—you need an integrated system.
But beyond those examples, there are of course the industry staples. When it comes to logistics management software, we’re talking about the tools of transportation management systems (TMS). Or warehouse management systems (WMS). And we’re talking about all their offshoots, too. Even something as simple as GPS. By the way, I call GPS the very first logistics software solution. That said, it’s worth noting that like GPS, the best logistics management software systems have continued to evolve and add features over the years.
Today, the goal is to take a clear-eyed look at a number of software providers. These are leaders in the logistics management space, according to Gartner and its magic quadrant.
I’m interested to see how these software companies are selling themselves. But I’m more interested in what their end users are saying. Call it scanning the comments section, if you will. In my experience, the end users can often clearly define what works and what doesn’t.
So at the end of the day, let’s see how these leading logistics software names are really doing. Are they adapting to the trends we mentioned?
Here’s who we’ll look at:
Let’s dive in!
Oracle is indeed a longtime player in the TMS space. An oracle is defined as “a person giving wise or authoritative decisions or opinions.”
Here is Oracle’s current elevator pitch.
“Manage all transportation activity throughout your global supply chain. Combining ease of use with industry-leading capabilities, Oracle Transportation Management enables you to run your logistics operations more efficiently, reduce freight costs, and optimize service levels.”
One review on Gartner.com called Oracle “limited” when it comes to two specific areas. The first area is how Oracle operates in dynamic, fast-moving environments. Some users have complained that the last-minute planning and booking feature has limited options that require a lot of “manual steps to make it work.”
More concerning is Oracle’s application when it comes to visibility and communication. One reviewer said Oracle’s “application has limited functionality” when it comes to carrier collaboration and communication. Thus, even though the comments are on Gartner’s website, it’s wise to take online comments with a grain of salt. And it’s worth noting that the same review said Oracle tends to have good load planning and route optimization features for ready-to-ship orders.
That being said, my key takeaway for reading the Oracle reviews is this: Flexible system automation and a solid message-chat platform (attached to loads) matters to the operations staff. To me, that’s harming visibility, and it lacks streamlining.
Let’s move on.
SAP has dabbled in many types of software. Overall, SAP’s transportation management (TM) product has a 4.2 star rating on Gartner.com. But here’s SAP’s elevator pitch. Does it capture your attention?
“Manage goods efficiently across warehousing, fulfillment, and distribution with our supply chain logistics management software.”
That would catch my attention as long as I was in warehousing or fulfillment, or I ran a distribution center. That said, if we comb through SAP’s reviews on Gartner.com, I agree with the first statement. In fact, this might be the best or only pitch you need to hear for SAP’s TMS. Which is to say, “Good choice if you have other SAP tools already in action.”
On the other hand, one three-star review called SAP’s product “mature.” This same commenter made the astute suggestion that the breadth of SAP’s product suite might be a weakness. “SAP has a broad set of solutions as an ERP Vendor, but the benefits of their scale are also a drawback when it comes to agility and service.”
What about Kuebix?
First of all, I love their name. It reminds me of Rubik’s Cube. Which is to say, hopefully Kuebix’s platform is easy to solve. The first thing you read on the Kuebix website is that it’s a Trimble company. To me, that lets you know all the other software platforms you can integrate with through Kuebix.
Here’s the Kuebix elevator pitch:
“LIMITLESS OPPORTUNITY. For every delivery there is an opportunity. Kuebix Freight Intelligence matches capacity to demand so you will never miss an opportunity to save.”
If we’re going to unpack their pitch, we can say Kuebix isn’t afraid of a LITTLE all-caps hyperbole! Also, my Spidey-sense catches a hint of Spider-Man’s “with great power, comes great responsibility.” But I admit the intelligent capacity demand match has me intrigued.
When we look at their Gartner score, they have a 73% five-star rating. That’s high! Dive into the comment section on Gartner, and I like the sound of the first comment: “The system makes getting quotes and generating BOL so much easier. It also requests the pick up for me as well.”
That said, the same reviewer said they wish there was a way to add a BOL to a load document without creating a new PRO#. Integration of electronic bills of lading (eBOLs) and every other type of digitized document needs to be as streamlined as possible. Digitized documents will make those things we mentioned at the top of the article (control towers, visibility, blockchain) a reality. Whoever solves that best will win in the long run!
OK, the last company we’ll look at is Princeton TMX. Their name gives them an air of Ivy League. Perhaps with a hint of BMX bike halfpipe. But can their logistics software land all the flips? Let’s look.
Here’s Princeton’s elevator pitch:
“Enter the Next Generation of Transportation Management”
Right off the bat, I appreciate Princeton’s acknowledgement that indeed, there’s a next generation for TMS. I even appreciate the invitation to join them. Combined with the Princeton namesake, they’re invoking an exclusive Ivy Club or Skull and Bones vibe. After all, on Gartner.com, Princeton TMX received five-star ratings from 88% of its reviewers. Maybe it’s legit. Or maybe they’re believing the hype?
When we dive into the Gartner reviews for Princeton TMX (PTMX for short), we note that there are zero reviews that are less than four stars. The first review echoes Princeton’s website by saying they’ve “streamlined operational tasks including rating, tendering, and invoicing.” But the next comment is what I really like to see: “Also, after ‘going live’ the customer support team is incredible.”
I believe the biggest fear of automation is that it will make humans obsolete. People believe that some computer will take their jobs or make them do a mountain of data entry. Through that lens, there’s always a twinge of fear. But this Princeton review about the support team has a totally different flavor about it. It seems to me like PTMX gets it.
Obviously, do your own due diligence. But at this point, we know the real DD comes from trusted, disinterested third parties. As you do some window shopping for logistics software, think outside the box. Read those comments. They contain a lot of truth!
This post was written by Brian Deines. Brian believes that every day is a referendum on a brand’s relevance, and he’s excited to bring that kind of thinking to the world of modern manufacturing and logistics. He deploys a full-stack of business development, sales, and marketing tools built through years of work in the logistics, packaging, and tier-1 part supply industries serving a customer base comprised of Fortune 1000 OEMs.
Digital workflows across the supply chain.
