Nippon Express, Globaltransol, and ACX Global Select CargoSmart's VGM Solution

SAN JOSE, CA--(Marketwired - June 16, 2016) - CargoSmart Limited, a global shipment management software solutions provider that leverages big data for greater visibility and benchmarking, today announced that its customers are preparing to submit the verified gross mass (VGM) of their cargo through CargoSmart's platform to comply with the new Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention requirements that go into effect on July 1, 2016. Nippon Express, Globaltransol, and Al Dahra ACX Global are three companies that have selected to submit the VGMs through CargoSmart's platform. In addition, thousands of shippers and freight forwarders have signed into CargoSmart's website to become familiar with the application, set up protocols, and train colleagues.

When the new regulation goes into effect in two weeks, the shipper named on the ocean bill of lading will be required to provide their carrier and terminal operator with the VGM of each packed container. Weighing services, weight accuracy tolerance levels, cutoff times, and penalties for non-compliance vary by country, terminal, and carrier, making it challenging for shippers to prepare their weighing, verification, and processes in time for the implementation date.

CargoSmart opened its EDI and online testing environments in May for shippers to prepare to submit the VGM to their ocean carriers. Nippon Express USA has connected to CargoSmart to submit the VGM by EDI and online for multiple carriers. "Each steamship line has its own procedure to receive the VGM," said Rei Goshima of Nippon Express USA's ocean cargo division. "CargoSmart has one window to submit the VGM, making it easy and simple to comply by the implementation date." CargoSmart's solution allows Nippon Express to collect the weight information from its customers and other weighing parties and to have visibility to the status of the required data before submitting the VGM to its carriers.

"After understanding the SOLAS VGM requirements, it was crucial for us to find a platform to submit our VGM information in a timely manner without going through several ocean carriers' websites," said Eric Gnakadja, president of Globaltransol, a freight forwarder with offices in New York and Nevada in the US. "We found the online setup and testing of CargoSmart's platform to be effortless." CargoSmart's monitoring tools will help Globaltransol confirm that VGMs are submitted on time for all booked containers.

Al Dahra ACX Global is a leading supplier of hay products to Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Based in the California Central Valley, the company has started to test CargoSmart's online VGM solutions and plans to use an Excel upload feature for multiple shipments. "We need a centralized, shipment management platform for us to streamline the way we collect and submit the VGM information so that we can also spend our time focusing on our core competencies," said Hong Do, director of supply chain at ACX Global.

CargoSmart offers flexible and integrated solutions for multiple submission channels, including EDI, online, mobile, and email, to help shippers comply with the new VGM requirements and to minimize changes to their existing shipment management processes. CargoSmart's cloud-based platform facilitates collaboration among shippers, freight forwarders, truckers, and terminals by allowing them to designate weighing parties and share information, especially when multiple parties are required to complete the submission. It also provides visibility to VGM deadlines and submission status through a dashboard that consolidates information submitted from multiple channels.

"We are pleased with the feedback from customers about the VGM submission process and are continuing to enhance our platform to facilitate collaboration and to support the unique requirements that countries, terminals, and carriers are implementing," said Lionel Louie, chief commercial officer of CargoSmart. "We encourage all shippers to start preparing their VGM data collection and submission processes with their supply chain parties before July."

Visit CargoSmart's VGM resources page for more information about the regulation and to try CargoSmart's VGM solutions: www.cargosmart.com/solas-vgm-resources/.

About Nippon Express

Nippon Express USA, Inc. (www.nipponexpressusa.com) was established in 1962 as a subsidiary of Nippon Express Company Ltd. and is currently operating in 54 locations in the USA, with offices in Mexico and Canada. Nippon Express, established in 1937, operates a global network that covers the five key regions of Japan, the Americas and Europe as well as East Asia and South Asia/Oceania with 387 locations in 37 countries. Drawing fully on a wide array of land, sea and air transportation modes, Nippon Express provides a one-stop business solution as a logistics consultant that connects people and companies across national and regional boundaries.

About Globaltransol

Based in New York and Nevada, Globaltransol LLC (www.globaltransol.com) is an air and ocean freight forwarding company. Its customers' complete satisfaction is their first priority. Each shipment receives individual attention from departure to the actual delivery. A widespread network of agents enables Globaltransol to provide transport services for all types of cargo, select the best routes, reduce transit times, provide competitive rates, and arrange for documentation and clearance in the most efficient manner.

About Al Dahra ACX Global

Headquartered in Bakersfield, California, Al Dahra ACX Global, Inc. is the leading North American supplier of forage, roughage, and feed products to Far East markets such as Japan, China, and South Korea as well as Middle East North Africa (MENA) markets such as UAE and Saudi Arabia. Through its commitment to process excellence, customer service, and technological innovation for three generations, Al Dahra ACX Global has become the supplier of choice for many of the world's most famous dairy brands. Visit www.acxpacific.com to learn more.

About CargoSmart

CargoSmart Limited provides global shipment management software solutions that enable shippers, consignees, logistics service providers, NVOCCs, and ocean carriers to improve planning and on-time deliveries. With a growing network of container carriers and terminals, CargoSmart leverages big data sources and a cloud-based platform to offer award-winning sailing schedules, visibility, documentation, contract management, compliance, and benchmarking solutions. Launched in 2000, CargoSmart has helped over 160,000 transportation and logistics professionals to increase delivery reliability, lower transportation costs, and streamline operations. For more information, please visit www.cargosmart.com.