Florida’s Leading 3PL Streamlines Air Freight Operations with Trigent’s API Connecters for Logistics
Case Study
Florida’s Leading 3PL Streamlines Air Freight Operations with Trigent's API Connecters for Logistics
About the Client
The client is a global freight forwarding company providing intermodal and multimodal options for intercontinental freight solutions. They offer a comprehensive suite of freight services tailored to meet the diverse needs of their clients, including general cargo, perishables, chemicals, and hazardous materials. With transparent door-to-door pricing and instant online quotes, the client has established itself as a trailblazer in digital freight forwarding, being one of the first to offer instant quoting and booking as early as 2008. Headquartered in Florida, they operate across multiple regions, consistently striving to deliver on their promise of efficient and reliable air freight solutions.
Business Challenge and Needs
Given the demands of today’s dynamic air freight market, providing shippers with flexibility, speed, and choice is critical to staying competitive. The client, a third-party logistics provider, empowered shippers by offering a seamless air freight solution via a network of 15 partner airlines and scaling rapidly. This network allowed shippers to select the most suitable carrier based on delivery speed, cost, and destination while enabling airlines to manage their cargo capacity efficiently. However, fetching capacity availability, submitting quotes for intermodal transport, and scheduling and managing air freight shipments across 15 airlines, each with its own system and communication protocols, requires a significant upgrade of integrating multiple systems.
To meet this goal, the client needed a platform that could deliver:
Provide instant quotes from available airlines based on shipper requirements.
Capture full shipment data, including weight, volume, cargo type, and urgency.
Integrate seamlessly with airlines to fetch availability, book orders, and track status.
To provide this level of service, the client needed to address key operational needs:
- Streamlined communication: A standardized platform to simplify interactions between shippers and airlines, using consistent formats for requests, responses, and updates.
- Automation of critical tasks: Reducing manual effort by automating tasks like quoting, booking, and status tracking, speeding up operations, and reducing the risk of errors.
- Data consolidation: Bringing data from multiple airlines into one central hub allows the client to offer shippers comprehensive insights and enables better operational decision-making for both shippers and carriers.
Modernizing their system integrations was essential for scaling operations and solidifying their position as a global freight industry leader.
Trigent's Solution: Bridging the Gap with a Unified Platform
We conducted a comprehensive study of the client’s operations to understand the best way to manage air freight across 15 airlines. The existing integrations employed individual connectors developed using multiple tech stacks and software versions that operated as discrete units. Modernizing individual connectors and ensuring uniformity was the easy alternative.
To enhance the shipper experience, Trigent proposed an API architecture that consolidated the shipper request, triggered requests from relevant airline partners using their respective interfaces, and collated the data into a holistic response. We identified the key tasks required for each airline and mapped out the needed information.
- Quotation: Retrieving real-time pricing information and availability.
- Booking: Seamlessly processing booking requests and confirmations.
- Status: Providing up-to-date information on shipment status and tracking.
- Delete: Handling cancellations or modifications.
We knew that a one-size-fits-all approach wouldn’t work. We delved into their existing workflows and the nuances of each airline’s API structure. Our solution involved a combination of modern tech stacks carefully chosen to meet the client’s specific needs:
- Standardization through Open API: We implemented an Open API that allowed the client to communicate with each airline while accommodating the unique requirements of individual carriers. This flexible approach maintained a consistent communication framework for the client while respecting the variations in each airline’s system, eliminating the need for custom integrations without sacrificing adaptability.
- Seamless Automation with Python and .NET: Using Python and .NET frameworks, we developed a dynamic API layer that tailored the client’s requests to each airline’s specific format. This ensured smooth interactions by translating the varied responses into a consistent format for the client. The automation reduced manual effort while allowing for the flexibility needed to handle the distinct protocols of each airline, resulting in faster processing times and fewer errors.
- Efficient Deployment with Docker and AWS: We utilized Docker to containerize the API platform, allowing for easy deployment and scaling. Our choice of AWS provided the client with a secure, scalable, cost-effective infrastructure for hosting their API platform.
- Enhanced Security with AWS Secret Manager: We leveraged AWS Secret Manager to securely store sensitive information like API keys and credentials, ensuring safe access and protection of sensitive data.
This comprehensive approach addressed the client’s pain points head-on. Instead of grappling with individual airline systems, they gained a single, centralized platform that:
- Unified communications: Eliminated the need to navigate multiple systems, streamlining their workflow and reducing communication errors.
- Automated core operations: Streamlined key processes like booking and status updates, freeing valuable time and resources.
- Enabled better data management: Centralized data collection provided valuable insights for analysis and operational optimization.
Key Differentiators:
Trigent’s experience and expertise in API integration as part of Trigent AXLR8 Labs for the logistics industry were crucial to the project’s success. They were able to:
Develop and deploy a solution quickly: Leveraging Trigent’s extensive knowledge of the logistics domain and prior experience with airline API requirements, we swiftly integrated a new airline into the client’s system in just two weeks that earlier took the client 2 months to implement.
Leverage specialized knowledge: Trigent’s domain expertise in handling volume, weight, rate, and dimension calculations and handling different shipment materials within air freight APIs ensured accurate and efficient data processing.
Utilize a best-in-class technology stack: Trigent AXLR8 Labs offered a choice of technologies for their Serverless architecture, Cloud Infrastructure, and API framework requirements.
Our solution was designed to be adaptable and scalable, allowing the freight provider to incorporate new airlines into their network easily. The platform’s modular architecture ensured it could evolve alongside the client’s growing business needs.
Learn more about how we helped Richard Wright embrace digital-first solutions and enhance logistics operations.
See how another logistics leader improved customer experience with live shipment tracking.
Client Benefits
Trigent’s comprehensive solution directly addressed the client’s operational challenges, providing a unified platform that delivered measurable improvements:
- Simplified Communications: Centralizing multiple airline systems into one platform eliminated the need to navigate separate systems, reducing communication errors and cutting processing times by hours.
- Enhanced Data Management: A centralized data system enabled better tracking, analytics, and more informed decision-making, optimizing overall operations.
- Boosted Efficiency: Automating tasks with standardized APIs reduced manual intervention, cutting processing times by up to 25% and minimizing errors.
- Improved Customer Experience: Real-time shipment tracking and automated notifications allowed instant updates, quicker responses, and higher customer satisfaction.
This allowed the client to focus on their core business—delivering efficient, reliable global air freight solutions—while improving operational performance.