Port of Valparaiso Boosts Efficiency with Supply Chain Software

ZEAL, a provider of logistical services for the Chilean port of Valparaiso, has implemented warehouse management and event management solution to manage all import and export activities as well as transportation operations at the port complex.

ZEAL has implemented Infor’s SCM Warehouse Management and Event Management as an integral part of its paperless strategy for its operations in the port to provide a unified view of fulfillment, costing and billing processes, as well as advanced warehouse management capabilities.

Since the implementation, ZEAL has been able to consistently ship products on time, more accurately and at a lower cost. These business improvements have been facilitated by an overall improvement of inventory accuracy across its multiple warehouses and enhanced order fulfillment.

ZEAL provides logistics support for more than 600,000 trucks annually. During the peak season when fruit and vegetables are harvested and exported, more than 2,000 trucks operate daily in the port. In 2008, the port of Valparaiso traded 10,899,000 tons of goods, including 946,951 containers.

Efficient and timely shipping is extremely important as fresh products are shipped worldwide from the port. Infor’s SCM software helps Zeal optimize fulfillment and distribution processes at the port, which in turn help ensure products are consistently shipped on time and in full. The solution also delivers the company greater inventory visibility, helps organize tasks, and aligns resources and labor to satisfy customer requirements.

ZEAL, which has just begun using the software, is now able to provide all logistics providers with information on the status of their cargo online, says Isabel Quintana, general manager, ZEAL. “We have also made great progress in the implementation of our paperless strategy here in the port of Valparaiso, enabling us to reduce inventory errors and streamline paper-based reporting procedures.”

The ZEAL complex in the Port of Valparaiso, Chile, was founded in 2007 to coordinate all distribution and logistics activities providing support to import and export processes, including reception, control of all vehicles loading and unloading goods. In 2008 the port of Valparaiso traded more than 10 million tons of goods, including nearly one million containers.