Close to 150 transport business owners, managers, administrators, and specialist consultants attended the inaugural Freight2020 Australia and New Zealand user group conference in March 2017. The enthusiastic response from participants confirmed the arrival of Freight2020 VISION as a major annual transport industry technology event.

Richers Transport, headquartered in Maryborough, Queensland, sent a team of four delegates including Matthew Richers [above] to the inaugural Freight2020 VISION conference in Melbourne

“This has been a great day,” said Sydney-based Allan Thornley, managing director of Shaw’s Darwin Transport, during the lunch break at Freight2020 VISION. Shaw’s are the market-leading freight carriers operating in and out of Darwin and were long-term users of a competitive transport management system until switching to Freight2020. “It’s enlightened us to some of the greater aspects of the [Freight2020] system and taught us a few things we didn’t know.”

Matthew Richers of Richers Transport, Maryborough-headquartered eastern seaboard carriers with more than 200 employees, said, “There are four of us from the company here today and I guess the most exciting thing for us is reconfirming Freight2020 as the right fit for our business. We use Freight2020 in its entire capacity throughout our operations, repairs and maintenance workshop, accounts… It’s been good for myself and the rest of our team to look at Freight2020 Mobility, which we’re implementing in the coming months, as well as the business analytics [Freight2020 BI360 real-time business analytics dashboard], which will be really great for our financial team and director.”

Peter Evenden, managing director of Prospect Refrigerated Transport, the Sydney-based company which carries temperature-sensitive freight for some of Australia’s iconic grocery brands said, “I’m down here in Melbourne having a great time and learning lots.”

Another Sydney-based delegate was Emerson Pierce from John L Pierce Transport (“JLP”), the bulk tanker specialists with 150 trucks and more than 330 employees. “It’s been a very interesting day, learned a lot,” said Emerson. “We’ve taken away a fair bit, so really happy to be here.”

“This is a very exciting time for us”

Siobhan Clifford was one of the delegates representing Mount Noorat Freighters at Freight2020 VISION 2017

Siobhan Clifford, one of a team representing the Victorian-based bulk haulage specialists Mount Noorat Freighters at VISION said, “We’ve had a great day today at the first Freight2020 conference. We’re looking forward to using Freight2020 Mobility in the near future.”

With Freight2020 now one of the fastest-growing Progress OpenEdge-based ERP solutions in the APJ (Australia, Pacific, Japan) region, many delegates attending VISION on behalf of their respective companies were relatively new to the system. Mark Battersby of PK Logistics said, “We are just about to go live with Freight2020 so this is a very exciting time for us. It gives us lots of new opportunities to explore with compliance and safety, possibly mobility, and also our warehouse and transport is going to be integrated, which is very important for us.”

More than 130 transport and logistics companies based in Australia and New Zealand are now using Freight2020 to drive their businesses more efficiently and competitively, a good number of these being represented by delegates making the journey to attend Freight2020 VISION 2017.

Peter Evenden, Emerson Pierce, Allan Thornley, Matthew Richers, Siobhan Clifford, and Mark Battersby were interviewed at Freight2020 VISION for the 2-minute “Freight2020 VISION 2017 Delegate Reviews” video which is now available for viewing on YouTube.

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Keynote speaker at Freight2020 VISION 2017, Tim Suffield, Associate Director, ANZ, the expert transport industry analyst and commentator, presented a picture of business performance so compelling that delegates rushed to request a takeaway copy of his presentation before he left for another important engagement. How does your company compare?

Tim Suffield, Associate Director, ANZ, speaking at Freight2020 VISION 2017

The mood in the plenary conference room at Rydges Melbourne was buoyant while Tim reported on how the Australian economy remains robust in light of the slowdown in mining, and that growth in demand for trucking services would remain strong. According to Tim’s report, road transport still dominates with 52% share of the national transportation segment, worth approximately $40bn/year.

It wasn’t long before one sobering question was verbalised by Tim, and left momentarily hanging…

“So, why aren’t we making more money?”

Clarity was soon delivered in what Tim called a ‘deep-dive’ – the summary of results found by ANZ through detailed analysis of a sample of 30 Australian trucking companies generating combined sales over $11bn, representing approximately 27% of the industry.

For meaningful comparison, companies in the sample group were categorised by ANZ along the following lines:

General freight carriers

VERSUS

Specialist freight carriers

Companies that own trucks

VERSUS

Companies that use subcontractors

Privately-owned companies

VERSUS

Public (listed) companies

And the ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ are…

More than 100 trucking business owners, managers, and administrators from Australia and New Zealand attended Tim Suffield’s talk at Freight2020 VISION 2017

Concentrated competition is hurting revenue and returns across the industry with increasing price competition causing revenue and margin compression, according to Tim’s presentation, “The Road Once Travelled”, the title implying the changing landscape described by Tim from the lectern.

For more of the ANZ detail on how specialised freight carriers are tending to outperform general freight carriers; how general freight carriers have seen a drop in margins and returns; how in general, businesses that largely employ sub-contractors are beginning to increase market share by undercutting the market; why worrying trends will drive further separation between successful companies and stragglers; and why ANZ analysis indicates the trucking industry will be needing more than $3.5bn over the coming 5 years to meet expected demand – get your own free PDF copy of Tim’s “The Road Once Travelled” presentation by clicking the button below.

DOWNLOAD ANZ PRESENTATION FROM FREIGHT2020 VISION 2017

New Freight2020 BI360 set to revolutionise the management of business performance

“With 36 years of experience developing solutions for the road freight transport and logistics industry, our company has seen our customers through changing economic conditions, and trends which come and go,” said Grant Walmsley, general manager of CMS Transport Systems, Australian developers of the Freight2020 transport management system, at Freight2020 VISION 2017.

“What never changes is the need for managers to see the key performance indicators of the business in real-time. Where margins are tight and the profitability of assets and human resources essential to business growth and survival, our new Freight2020 BI360 business intelligence dashboard allows managers to make prudent decisions for the business based on actual information that is easy to interpret and totally up-to-date,” Grant said.

“It’s not just data from Freight2020 that we can pull into the BI360 dashboard. The system can also draw relevant data from external sources. Whatever the essential KPI information that’s needed by managers of the business, financial or operations-related, it’s all displayed in colourful, easy-to-read graphical formats with customisable styling and branding.”

For more information about Freight2020 BI360 click below to book a demonstration. Current users of Freight2020 can enquire via the HelpDesk.

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Mark Armstrong of Progress, newly appointed as the vice-president and managing director of international operations for the APJ region, in addition to EMEA, wowed delegates at the Freight2020 VISION 2017 AU/NZ user group conference in Melbourne by contextualising the impact of revolutionary developments in technology for the Australian road freight transport industry.

Mark Armstrong, Vice President and Managing Director International, (EMEA & APJ), Progress

Introduced by Rob Mullins, managing director of CMS Transport Systems, who spoke of the long-established partnership between CMS and Progress as the global giant behind Freight2020’s OpenEdge development environment, the charismatic and articulate Mark Armstrong soon filled the room with a sense of excitement as the future of everyday technology in the transport industry was revealed through Mark’s presentation.

Concepts like artificial intelligence are no longer far-fetched with technology developing at an ever-increasing rate. The explosion of user interactivity with billions of smart devices being used around the world, massive increases in computing power and the amount of data being generated, rapidly-escalating cloud adoption, digital automation, connectivity, and the dawning reality of what is now called the “Internet of Things” (IoT) – such was the mind-stretching sweep of topics that were explained and put into day-to-day business context for the owners and managers of transport and logistics businesses in Australia and New Zealand who were present at VISION.

Progress is known as a breakthrough technology company and with the recent acquisition of DataRPM, which focuses on predictive maintenance solutions for the industrial IoT, Progress has added to its technology arsenal the capability to apply “machine learning” – delivering improved prediction quality and accuracy in significantly less time.

Example: moving beyond preventive maintenance to predictive maintenance

“CMS Transport Systems will be able to apply this technology to the growing amount of data collected by sensors so their customers can move beyond preventive maintenance to predictive maintenance. That involves using machine learning to reveal early signs of impending failure so repairs can be made before a breakdown,” said Mark during a recent interview with Stephen Withers for an article published in ITWire magazine.

“In the transport industry, that can make the difference between replacing a part before a vehicle sets out on a long trip, and a breakdown on the road, which makes on-time delivery less likely, and in some cases can result in the loss of a perishable load,” Mark told ITWire.

Strength of partnership between CMS Transport Systems and Progress

While Freight2020 VISION conference delegates were absorbing the profound implications of SciFi-type advancements which would impact their businesses sooner rather than later, Rob Mullins reflected on the strength and longevity of the partnership between CMS Transport Systems and Progress.

“I couldn’t be happier with our original decision to partner with Progress by developing Freight2020 in Progress OpenEdge. Progress invests at the leading edge of technology on a global scale, which enables CMS to empower Freight2020 users with capabilities and efficiencies that only the very largest companies could previously afford. For smaller companies, such as the typical mid-sized transport business, Progress helps us to help them equalise the playing field and contend along with their larger competitors,” Rob said.

CLICK IMAGES TO ZOOM: sample slides from the presentation at Freight2020 VISION 2017 by Mark Armstrong, Progress

FREIGHT2020 FLEET MANAGEMENT

FREIGHT2020 BI360

Progress was the principal partner in the Freight2020 VISION 2017 event

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Courtesy of Progress, the global technology partner of CMS Transport Systems, delegates arriving in Melbourne to attend the Freight2020 VISION 2017 conference were treated to pre-event welcome drinks and canapés at Rydges Melbourne, followed by a teppanyaki dinner banquet just a short stroll away in Melbourne’s Chinatown.

With scores of company delegates attending Freight2020 VISION from all corners of mainland Australia, across Bass Strait (Tasmania) and the Tasman (New Zealand), as well as some guest speakers and specialists visiting from the UK and USA, the Progress-sponsored hospitality provided a relaxed opportunity for transport industry executives to network with peers and meet some of the people behind the Freight2020 system which powers their businesses.

Grant Walmsley, general manager of CMS Transport Systems, welcomes delegates to the Freight2020 VISION 2017 pre-event welcome function sponsored by Progress

“We had our video producer flying into Melbourne directly from another assignment, in plenty of time for the conference the next day. Our intention was for one camera to capture the pre-event teppanyaki function. It turned out that some flights into Melbourne that evening were delayed due to bad weather in other regions, which meant our crew couldn’t arrive early enough for the informal activities,” said Melanie Williamson, the external manager of marketing and engagement for CMS Transport Systems responsible for the overall production and promotion of the Freight2020 VISION 2017 event. “I hadn’t brought my pro-camera along but decided to improvise with my iPhone. There were so many entertaining vignettes while the visiting delegates were unwinding from long flights or road-trips in preparation for what would be a very big day work-wise tomorrow.”

“Playing paparazzi gave me an excuse to get around the whole room and see how everyone was getting along over dinner, without being overly intrusive. It was great to see everyone enjoying themselves and finding common ground in a social setting, thanks to the generosity of Progress.”

“As a NASDAQ-listed enterprise with a predominantly global focus, Progress demonstrates its commitment to developer-partners like CMS Transport Systems in Australia and New Zealand by sending their international executives to spend time with end-users at events like Freight2020 VISION 2017. It makes it easier for Progress to disseminate important information about forthcoming developments, and it helps keep the organisation on-pulse with the needs and experiences of each industry sector in each global region,” said Mel.

Joe Genovese [left] and Mike Marriage [centre] of Progress met delegates including Jolene du Plessis from Australian Bay Lobster Producers at the Freight2020 VISION 2017 pre-event welcome function sponsored by Progress [Anita Latarche of Cahill Transport in background]

Joe Rozenberg [left], Mike Marriage [centre], and Joe Genovese [right] of Progress at the Freight2020 VISION 2017 pre-event dinner with Allan Thornley from Shaw’s Darwin Transport [far left]

John Bryant, CFO of Australian Bay Lobster Producers, showed safe hands in one of the teppanyaki challenges with Grant Walmsley of CMS Transport Systems [standing], Jim Morgan of Morgan Transport Insurance [centre], and Neville Aganoff, Freight2020 implementation consultant [right]

Freight2020 VISION 2017 was a “pinnacle” event for Rob Mullins, managing director and founder of CMS Transport Systems, who was able to enjoy spending time with users of Freight2020 in the relaxed pre-event setting at Rydges Melbourne [pictured with Angela Catford, John L Pierce Transport]

The large dining room of Ginza Teppanyaki in Melbourne’s famed Chinatown was totally filled with delegates enjoying the hospitality of Progress in preparation for the Freight2020 VISION 2017 conference the next day

Delegates attending the Progress-sponsored Freight2020 VISION 2017 pre-event teppanyaki banquet were either dodging the momentary flashes of flame or whipping out phones to take home colourful memories of a very enjoyable business networking function provided by Progress

While many delegates at the Progress-sponsored teppanyaki dinner were able to catch the flying pieces of omelette and rice-filled bowls with few casualties and occasional demonstrations of brilliant coordination, Emerson Pierce of John L Pierce Transport was simply unlucky to land his bowlful of rice on his lap – but it was all in good fun (and a replacement bowl of rice was swiftly provided)

Progress was the principal partner in the Freight2020 VISION 2017 event

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Each and every day in Australia and New Zealand there are hundreds of transport industry professionals using Freight2020 to manage operations, fleet, warehousing, HR, financials, and compliance, while many thousands of truck drivers and freight customers are interacting with live system data through the Freight2020 Driver Mobility app and Online Customer Portal respectively.

With feedback from business managers and everyday users contributing towards Freight2020 development, and the roadmap for Freight2020 development continually evolving, the VISION conference will focus on the alignment between user experience, business imperatives, regulatory requirements, and technological advancement.

Unveiling new user interface for Freight2020

Andrew Power, Software Development Manager, CMS Transport Systems

Throughout 2016 the CMS Transport Systems development team has been working on the creation of a new user interface (“UI”) for Freight2020. The digital transformation project is led by CMS’ Software Development Manager, Andrew Power.

“I’m a Mac user at work by preference, so the flat design style of iOS really appeals to me,” Andrew said. “We are incorporating both material design and flat design philosophies with our approach to the new Freight2020 UI. It’s exciting to start unveiling it progressively.”

At Freight2020 VISION, Andrew Power will be presenting what’s new, and previewing what’s next in Freight2020 system development. The entire CMS software development team will be available on the day to field technical questions from IT managers, consultants, and administrators.

Optimising all aspects of transport and logistics business management

The Freight2020 national implementation team includes CPAs and other highly-qualified specialists with immense experience in optimising business processes for transport and logistics businesses of all kinds and sizes. Many of CMS Transport Systems’ implementation and help-desk experts will be accessible to users at Freight2020 VISION.

Neil Foley, Operations Manager, CMS Transport Systems

Workshop sessions will concentrate on various aspects of the business from operations management to payroll and financial accounting, warehouse management, human resources management, subcontractor management, workshop and fleet maintenance management, heavy vehicle and driver compliance management, mobility and fatigue management system integration, and customer service. Expert tips will benefit all users of Freight2020 from ‘beginner’ to ‘advanced’.

“A forum like Freight2020 VISION is a great way for experts and users to share knowledge,” said Neil Foley, Operations Manager of CMS Transport Systems. “Our department’s mission is to see everyone in the Freight2020 user community getting the most out of their Freight2020 systems, and running their businesses as efficiently and profitably as possible.”

Beyond Freight2020 with advanced service offerings and integrations

Also presenting focus sessions at Freight2020 VISION will be senior technical support personnel from Progress, the global company behind OpenEdge, Freight2020’s development environment, and several Australian technology partners offering integrated products and services such as advanced driver fatigue management and geo-tracking systems integrated with Freight2020.

Grant Walmsley, General Manager, CMS Transport Systems

“Technology will continue to drive the road freight transport industry in Australia,” said Grant Walmsley, general manager of CMS Transport Systems. “Larger companies are generally using the full suite of Freight2020 solutions with advanced integrations. Smaller companies are finding Freight2020 more accessible with SaaS and BYOD helping to even-out the playing field. Compliance and safety are overriding concerns for the entire industry, so it’s important to understand how our technology partners are continually working on new ways of managing these vital issues.”

Freight2020 user case studies from Australia and New Zealand

CMS Transport Systems has a long history of development in direct response to the needs and ideas of user organisations. For example, the development of the mobile app for Freight2020 Driver Mobility was a world-first breakthrough inspired by Victorian freight carriers, Asixa. The recent launch of Freight2020 MDBA came about through the need to assist larger customers with data protection.

“The Freight2020 VISION conference is not just an opportunity for CMS to showcase what’s in store for users going forward. Some of our customers will be presenting their own case studies involving deployment of Freight2020 systems in Australia, and also in New Zealand. It’s an opportunity for everyone to learn through the demonstration and sharing of current industry best-practices by some of the most successful companies in the business,” Grant said.

Road transport industry analysis presented by special guest speaker

Tim Suffield, Associate Director, ANZ – Client Insights & Solutions

Tim is an Associate Director within ANZ’s Client Insights and Solutions Team and has authored and presented numerous Road Transport related analytical reports.

Tim’s responsibilities include financial analysis across industry segments to evaluate and examine trends and provide commercial insights and funding solutions to clients. In addition to peer and industry analysis, Tim supports new to bank relationships through corporate finance analysis.

Prior to working at ANZ, Tim spent over five years with KPMG’s Corporate Finance and Debt Advisory team where he assisted many corporates to raise and re-structure debt. Tim has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Monash University, and a Bachelor of Engineering (1st Class Honours) also from Monash.

You can read recent articles quoting Tim as published in the online magazines ATN FullyLoaded and OwnerDriver.

Invitations to Freight2020 VISION in Melbourne 2017

Introducing VISION – the Freight2020 user group conference to be held in Melbourne, Australia

CMS’ customer contacts and regular newsletter subscribers will automatically receive an invitation to Freight2020 VISION via email, with reminders leading up to the conference date. Early-bird discount accommodation will be available for interstate and overseas participants.

If you’re not on any CMS mailing list and would like to receive an invitation to Freight2020 VISION, you can register here (the subscription box in the right-hand column of this page) or email info@transportsystems.com.au.

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Any transport company using a sophisticated ERP system like Freight2020 is essentially ‘data-driven’. When an organisation is highly dependent on data, MDBA can provide reassurance to the organisation and its customers through effective data maintenance, data-loss disaster prevention, and data recovery capabilities.

SRT Logistics, the super-efficient FMCG carriers based in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

Data can become lost or corrupted for many different reasons – some of the more common reasons including a building fire, hardware failure, or cyber attack. The potential for disaster cannot be avoided completely but with MDBA, the organisation’s data is safeguarded. Recovery of business systems is more rapidly achievable. Any impact on customer service and continuity of operations is minimised. For a relatively small monthly subscription, MDBA can ultimately protect the company’s reputation and revenue from the consequences of data-loss disaster.

Major freight carrier impacted by ‘black swan’ event

Freight2020 MDBA was developed following a request from the very successful Tasmania-based FMCG carrier, SRT Logistics. What happened to prompt this request from SRT to CMS serves to demonstrate how even the most well-managed and efficient businesses can become threatened at any moment in time by a serious, unpredictable (‘black swan’) event.

Leigh Cripps, manager of finance and IT at SRT Logistics, spoke about the incident at the launch of Freight2020 MDBA during Progress Exchange Asia Pacific 2016.

“The data-related horror story I can share with you today, as a case study, began very simply,” said Leigh. “One of our staff received a legitimate-looking email advising that our company was being investigated by the Australian Taxation Office. The email instructed the reader to click a link. Once the link was clicked, it was too late for anyone to have second thoughts about the legitimacy of the email. A cryptovirus attack had been unleashed.”

Leigh Cripps, Manager Finance & IT, SRT Logistics, at the Progress Exchange Asia Pacific conference, Hilton Sydney, 13 July 2016

“The effects were immediate and devastating. All of our business systems, including our transport management system, Freight2020, were compromised. We didn’t know where trucks were located, what drivers were doing, the status of consignments… the situation was potentially disastrous for a logistics-based organisation like SRT and in turn, our valued freight customers,” Leigh said.

“The system downtime was extremely inconvenient and stressful for everyone concerned. Emergency assistance from data recovery specialists wasn’t something we’d budgeted for either,” said Leigh. “Once we’d finally regained control of our systems, and everything returned to running smoothly, we were determined to protect SRT from the risk of anything like this ever happening again.”

Freight2020 MDBA offering formulated with Progress

Grant Walmsley, general manager of CMS Transport Systems, Australian developers of the Freight2020 transport management system, explained to the Australian OpenEdge developer community how the new Freight2020 MDBA service offering was formulated in consultation with Progress.

“When SRT was looking for a fail-safe data-loss prevention strategy, I recalled how Progress, the global company behind Freight2020’s development environment, OpenEdge, had been able to rescue another Aussie freight company from near-disaster just a year or so prior to the cryptovirus incident at SRT.”

“On this occasion, in late 2014, the other transport company suffered a major on-premise infrastructure failure which rendered their data inaccessible. As a 24/7 business, they needed urgent data-recovery assistance, but it was after-hours on a Friday night in Australia. Because of our close relationship with Progress, and the Australia to USA time difference, we were able to connect our stricken Freight2020 customer with Mike Furgal, principal lead software engineer at Progress in Boston, Massachusetts. Mike was able to rescue our customer’s operations in Australia overnight, during his working day.”

Mike Furgal, Principal Lead Software Engineer at Progress, Boston, USA, was in Sydney to speak about Freight2020 MDBA at Progress Exchange

“With SRT’s needs in mind, and our previous experience with this other customer being helped so successfully by Mike Furgal, we entered into collaborative discussions with Joe Genovese, Progress consulting manager for the Asia Pacific region. Our discussions led to the idea of an MDBA option for Freight2020 users, with the world’s best technical services provided by Progress,” Grant said.

“The scale and reach of Progress, and efficient packaging of services by CMS to suit Freight2020 users, would make Freight2020 MDBA not just extremely effective but also very affordable.”

SRT Logistics first to sign-on for Freight2020 MDBA

SRT Logistics recently became the first Australian transport company to sign-on for Freight2020 MDBA with CMS, representing a world-first for Progress as a white-label MDBA service offering through a developer partner.

Freight2020 MDBA is now available to users of the Freight2020 transport management system throughout Australia and New Zealand.

CMS and SRT become newsmakers at Progress Exchange Asia Pacific

Colleen Reidy, Client Success Marketing, Progress

Freight2020 MBDA was launched on Day 2 of Progress Exchange during a group presentation led by Grant Walmsley of CMS Transport Systems with special guest, Leigh Cripps of SRT Logistics, and Joe Genovese and Mike Furgal representing Progress. Attendance at this year’s Progress Exchange event was strong, and the atmosphere vibrant with new technology unveiled by Progress to reflect the theme, ‘Empowering Digital Transformation’.

“By attending Progress Exchange as a guest of CMS, and participating as a speaker, I got a very real sense of SRT’s day-to-day operations being backed by some of the world’s most responsive and capable technology experts through CMS,” Leigh Cripps said. “It’s hard to put a value on peace-of-mind for people managing a data-driven, 24/7 business like SRT Logistics. For us, and our customers, the value of data dependability is priceless. The surprisingly low cost of ongoing MDBA is definitely worth every cent.”

Tucked away in a breakout room at Progress Exchange was a video production studio set up and managed by Colleen Reidy, the Boston-based client success marketing manager for Progress. Colleen interviewed Leigh Cripps, Grant Walmsley, Mike Furgal and Joe Genovese for the global roll-out of Progress white-label MDBA services following the world-first launch in Australia by CMS. When released, the video will be featured on the Progress website and promoted throughout the Freight2020 user group in Australia and New Zealand.

Ask about 24/7 MDBA for Freight2020

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CMS Transport Systems, the Australian-based developer of the Freight2020 transport management system, has won the ‘Fastest-Growing Partner’ award for the APJ (Asia/Pacific/Japan) region, as announced at the Progress 2015 Global Partner Awards held in February 2016, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

Progress recognised CMS for its ‘excellence in adopting OpenEdge (by Progress) as its core development platform for the Freight2020 management system’.

Freight2020 is the market-leading transport software solution in Australia, having set the pace for competitors with advanced features such as full integration, online customer portal, driver mobility using a free-to-download iOS/Android-compatible app, item-level tracking via DIY bar-coded labels, and system-wide management of OHS/WHS/heavy-vehicle compliance.

Craig Law, managing director of Progress Software ANZ (left), with Rob Mullins, managing director of CMS Transport Systems (centre, holding the award), and Grant Walmsley, general manager of CMS (right).

“The decision we made to develop Freight2020 in the Progress OpenEdge environment is partly what has given the Freight2020 system its great strengths,” said Rob Mullins, founder and managing director of CMS Transport Systems, and the original architect of Freight2020.

Progress OpenEdge provides Freight2020 users with a database that is very fast, extremely robust, and infinitely scalable. Freight2020 was also one of the first transport management systems in the world to be made available either as a cloud-based, SaaS solution, or on-premise installation.

“With OpenEdge we can rapidly develop and implement new features and enhancements, and make updates whenever needed to reflect any changes in Australian legislation and compliance requirements for OHS/WHS, superannuation, levies, taxation, etc,” Rob said.

While both 2014 and 2015 were record years of growth for CMS Transport Systems with Freight2020, 2016 is already set to exceed all previous years. Many of the largest and most successful organisations in the Australian road freight transport industry in Australia and New Zealand are now using the fully-integrated Freight2020 transport management system.

The “Year over Year Growth APJ 2015” award presented to CMS Transport Systems, Australia, by the global technology company Progress Software.

“Freight2020 combines one of the world’s most advanced technological environments, OpenEdge by Progress Software, with the responsiveness and dependability of localised system development, implementation, training and support by CMS,” said Grant Walmsley, general manager of CMS Transport Systems.

“The Australian road freight transport industry is an extremely demanding market for technology solutions due to its extreme business complexity,” Grant said. “Freight2020 streamlines all aspects of operations, maintenance, compliance, administration, and customer service for trucking companies of all sizes, in all freight markets.”

Read the ATN Fully Loaded article on CMS Transport Systems being awarded ‘Fastest-Growing Partner’ by Progress Software 25.02.2016. Click thumbnail to view.

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In recognition of contribution to the transport industry

The VTA conferred its high-profile WFD Chalmers Award of the year to Secon chief operating officer and director, Terry Considine. He was recognised for his services and contribution to the local transport industry. The WFD Chalmers Award is given by the VTA to recognise an individual’s contribution to the transport industry over a long period. It is given in memory of Daryl Chalmers, who was in the association’s executive council for over 40 years and was a life member for over 30 years.

In a presentation speech, VTA executive director Philip Lovel AM praised Considine for his “fantastic support and goodwill to the association.” “There are many other examples of Terry’s involvement in VTA issues. Without his common sense support we would not have achieved anywhere near the solutions we have today,” he said.

Considine has been a member and active participant in the VTA general freight committee for more than a decade. He has served as chairman of the VTA container group since 2008—the year it was decided that the container group should meet in its own right as a sub-committee of the general freight committee.

He was involved with talks to decongest the Port of Melbourne of empty containers in late 2009 and early 2010, during the height of the global financial crisis. The working group discussions resulted in the implementation of the container chain information visibility and exchange system, among other changes. He represented the association during the discussions on the current port of Melbourne capacity development project, ensuring the needs of the group are heard by all stakeholders.

Pride in family-owned business

Brother and Secon director of transport operations, Brendon Considine, said the family-owned business is very proud of Terry’s achievement. “Having witnessed first-hand over many years the time and effort Terry has put into assisting the VTA to improve our industry, I couldn’t think of a more worthy recipient,” he said.

Secon is involved with warehousing, transport, AQIS and Customs. A customer of CMS Transport Systems since 2008, Secon has been enjoying many years of increased efficiency and competitiveness using Freight2020, CMS’ fully integrated transport management software for streamlining Australian road freight and intermodal transport businesses.

Congratulations to Terry and Secon from everyone at CMS Transport Systems!

Addendum Monday 24th February 2014

Tribute to Terry Considine by CMS Transport Systems

News of the unexpected passing of Terry Considine, late CEO of Secon Logistics, was sadly received by many in the Australian transport industry via an email announcement distributed by the Victorian Transport Association last Friday.

Grant Walmsley, general manager of CMS Transport Systems, providers of integrated transport management solutions to Secon Logistics, paid tribute to Terry Considine earlier today.

“Terry Considine was a major contributor to the Australian transport industry as a whole. He was a driving force in its continual development and improvement, particularly in Victoria, and an outstanding role model for all transport industry professionals,” Grant said. “Few have made equal mark, nor given so much to the industry and its people as Terry Considine. Last November, when Terry received the WFD Chalmers Award from the VTA, it could go only part of the way towards honouring Terry’s professional lifetime of demonstrated commitment, generosity, integrity, diplomacy, fellowship, commercial vision, and leadership.”

“It is very difficult to accept that Terry Considine is no longer with us. All who have had the privilege of knowing Terry personally would be shocked and saddened.” Grant said. “Speaking on behalf of everyone at CMS, we send our deepest condolences to the Considine family and everyone at Secon Logistics.”

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This year’s conference gathered over 1,000 Progress Software partner developers and customers, as well as Progress Software executives and product experts. It was the perfect venue for CMS, a top-tier Progress Software partner developer, to unveil its latest app for meeting a highly specific need with strong connection to road transport. CMS general manager, Grant Walmsley, announced that CMS could well be among the first in the world to come up with a commercial application for Progress Software’s new PaaS technology.

“CMS’ latest custom-built app again underscores our capability to innovate by tapping on our technical strengths developed through the years, and help grow the client’s business,” Grant pointed out. “We remain in the forefront when it comes to developing cloud-based solutions hinged on the flexibility and power of Progress Rollbase.”

The showcasing of CMS’ new Progress Rollbase app was one of the major surprises at the event and the buzz was immediately picked up by the technology press and online media.A Lifehacker weblog post emphasised how CMS was able to get the Rollbase-powered app completed within a tight deadline. The article quoted Grant as saying: “We saw a new business opportunity if we could develop an app for this (grain storage) market. The key driver behind the whole application was it had to be deployed by November for harvest time.”

To meet the tight deadline, CMS partnered with Rollbase Philippines to develop the new product. Click here to view the full article.

Grant explained that this new app would streamline the frontline processing of grain handling for growers, transporters, storage facilities and marketers. A rapid take-up within the industry is expected once the fully-commercialised version is ready to enter the market.

The ground-breaking CMS presence at Progress Exchange served to remind the international developer world about CMS’ commitment to innovation and responsiveness to help achieve client business objectives.”CMS will continue building on its strengths to break new ground in developing custom business apps to meet the changing demands of the market,” Grant said.

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