Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/409540
COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | NOVEMBER 2014 31 technology A t TMW Systems' annual TransForum user conference and exhibition in late September, David Wangler, the company's chief executive officer, compared the chal- lenges of running a fast-growing software company to expanding a truckload carrier. In today's world, a carrier needs transportation management software and onboard computers to grow beyond 50 trucks. Once it exceeds 100 trucks, its people need distinct roles and additional technologies to weed out inefficiencies. To surpass the 1,000-truck mark, it would need business analysts to develop and execute strat- egies yielded by the mounting volume of data. At this point, the fleet is managing so much information and activity that its "organizational momentum becomes both an ally and a foe to further growth," Wangler said. "The momentum that is driving revenue production also makes it hard to respond quickly to new and different market opportunities." All along the growth curve, the organization finds that keeping in touch with its most valuable assets – its drivers – becomes more diffi- cult even as it grows in importance. "In any business, as you grow, you will have to realign resources and invest in new ones to enable you to adapt and respond to market demands," Wangler said. "This is exactly what we are doing at TMW Systems today." The main announcement was not the latest version of software but about the company itself; company executives call the new iteration TMW 3.0. "We've taken a keen focus on improving the support experience," said Rod Strata, executive vice president of operations, who joined TMW last year. "We want to make it better." TMW 3.0's mission also is to improve the user experience and interoperability of the company's software products. As part of the project, it created a new product management group to align the delivery of its software more closely with the developing business needs of its customers. TMW is taking a more prescriptive approach to meeting its customers' needs rather than asking "How do you want to do it?" Strata said. Customers are asking for TMW to take the lead because of its collective experience in transportation technology, he said. New products TMW Systems also made several new product announcements at TransForum. Companies that use TMWSuite, TMW's enterprise TMS platform, have a new user interface option called TMW Op- erations. In the past, users had to toggle between different TMW applications to enter orders and move freight. By comparison, TMW Operations is written in the modern Microsoft .NET framework and offers a cleaner, more customiz- able display. File maintenance, the dispatch planning grid and the order entry applications no longer are separate; all three have been combined into one screen with a tabular layout. Full-service transportation Another major announcement was a new partnership between TMW Systems and 3G-TM. The two recently began working together to meet growing demand from both asset and nonasset companies to offer comprehensive logistics services. TMW offers multiple TMS platforms for asset-based carriers and brokers. With the complementary 3G-TMS platform, TMW's carrier and brokerage customers can take on more freight from their own shipper customers and prospects. The platform is designed to optimize the service and cost parameters of shipments. It can deliver shipment visibility to the custom- er no matter what truck powers the load – company-owned or third party. MAKING THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS WORK FOR YOUR FLEET BY AARON HUFF technology AARON HUFF is Senior Editor of Commercial Carrier Journal. E-mail ahuff@ccjmagazine.com or call 385-225-9472. TOO MUCH TOO SOON: Organiza- tional momentum becomes both an ally and a foe to further growth. TMW 3.0: TMW Systems says it is taking a keen focus on improving the support experience. TAKING THE LEAD: TMW wants to provide a more prescriptive approach to meeting its customers' needs. A new framework for growth TMW Systems focuses on customer support David Wangler, TMW Systems chief executive officer, addresses attendees of TransForum, held Sept. 21-24 at the Gaylord Opryland hotel and convention center in Nashville.