DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF TRANSPORT OPERATIONS FOR A MULTINATIONAL CHEMICAL LOGISTICS GROUP

With chemical distribution and transportation operations spanning northern and southern Vietnam, our customer needs to coordinate both its own fleet and external transport partners. However, there was no dedicated system to manage transportation from planning through execution. Dispatch, vehicle tracking, carrier communication and freight settlement were distributed across multiple tools. Smartlog Transportation Management (STM) was introduced to centralize transportation data and workflows on a unified platform, creating a stronger foundation for efficient operations and future growth.

ABOUT OUR CUSTOMER

Our customer is a multinational group specializing in industrial chemical distribution and logistics services, serving major manufacturing businesses across different industries.

Its network manages approximately 741–1,018 transportation trips per month across northern and southern Vietnam. Transportation capacity combines external partners with an owned fleet of around 25 trucks and tractors.

Managing these different transport resources requires a unified approach to planning, vehicle management and carrier coordination.

OPERATING CONTEXT

The business uses Epicor and Bravo for enterprise management, together with Vietmap GPS for vehicle location tracking.

Transportation processes, however, remained fragmented. Planning was not managed through a centralized transport platform, while carrier coordination relied mainly on email and phone calls. Delivery progress was monitored through DNO documents and handwritten driver trip sheets.

Freight settlement and additional transport costs also required manual processing, while there was no centralized reporting environment for monitoring fleet and transport performance.

KEY CHALLENGES

Fragmented transport coordination

Information was distributed across enterprise systems, GPS, email, phone calls and manual documents, requiring operations teams to work across multiple disconnected channels.

Vehicle tracking was not enough

GPS provided vehicle locations but did not address the broader requirements of transportation planning, dispatch and operational management.

Limited foundation for performance management

Without centralized reporting and operational data, evaluating fleet utilization, carrier performance and transport efficiency remained difficult.

SMARTLOG’S APPROACH

Smartlog implemented STM as the central transportation management platform, helping the business move from fragmented tools toward a more unified operating model.

Centralizing transport planning and dispatch

STM provides a foundation for managing transport plans, trips and dispatch activities within a single system, reducing reliance on email and phone calls for operational coordination.

Managing owned fleet and external carriers

Different transport resources can be managed within a common framework, giving the business a clearer view of vehicle availability and transport capacity across the network.

Building a foundation for performance management

Instead of relying on GPS solely for vehicle tracking, STM creates structured transportation data that can support trip, fleet, carrier and operational performance management.

RESULTS

The project establishes a centralized transportation management system for operations across northern and southern Vietnam.

Information previously distributed across ERP, GPS, email, phone calls and manual documents can be managed through a more unified operating model, reducing fragmentation in daily transportation coordination.

The business also gains a stronger foundation for managing its own fleet, coordinating external carriers and developing data-driven transport performance management.

BUSINESS VALUE

For a multinational chemical logistics group combining owned and outsourced transport resources, centralized data is essential for maintaining operational control as the network expands.

Smartlog TMS standardizes transportation coordination, centralizes operational data and reduces reliance on disconnected tools. This provides a more scalable management foundation while improving control over fleets, carriers and delivery operations.