It's no secret that technology has become vital in nearly every aspect of modern logistics. What makes supply chain tech solutions even more capable is their ability to integrate with one another. Logistics tech providers can provide their customers with powerful new features and capabilities through integrations and partnerships.

When logistics solutions can function together via strategic integrations and partnerships, the shippers and freight forwarders using those solutions stand to enjoy numerous benefits. This article looks at what it means for supply chain solutions to integrate, the value gained through interoperability, and a few examples of integrations and partnerships that are already changing the logistics industry for the better.

Augmented Capability and Context: Examples of Supply Chain Tech Integrations and Partnerships

Before we discuss some specific examples of game-changing integrations and partnerships in the logistics industry, we should start by defining what these terms mean in the context of supply chain tech. Partnerships with other tech platforms enable logistics tech providers to boost the performance of their solutions. One example of this would be a logistics platform that partners with a third-party container tracking company to provide its customers with real-time container tracking capabilities.

Integrations, meanwhile, take partnerships between logistics tech providers even further.  When two logistics solutions integrate, customers utilizing both solutions can unlock augmented capability and context. For example, combining your TMS with a spot rate tracking solution might enable you to access instant market rates directly within your TMS.

Integrations such as this are made possible via API-driven solutions. APIs (application programming interfaces) serve as a bridge between separate software solutions, enabling them to communicate with one another. By building an API-first tech stack, companies can create a fully integrated system of solutions that functions together like a team rather than operating in isolated silos.

We've already mentioned a couple of general examples of partnerships and integrations in the logistics industry, but what about specific examples? Plenty of logistics tech providers are already leveraging integrations and partnerships to improve the functionality of their products. VIZION's container tracking API is one example of a logistics solution that offers plenty of powerful integrations. For instance, VIZION's integration with Searoutes enables companies to track their shipments and cargo emissions from within the same platform, enriching emissions data with deeper context and creating a single source of truth for the company to draw data from.

FreightMango is another example of a logistics platform that integrates with VIZION, enabling customers to track the real-time location of their cargo from within the Freightmango platform. Freightmango integrates with many other solutions, providing customers with new capabilities such as comparing rates across multiple vendors and document management capabilities.

These are just a few in an incredibly long list of partnerships and integrations that provide augmented capability and context to shippers and freight forwarders. By leveraging tools that make the most of these integrations and partnerships, companies can look forward to an equally long list of supply chain boosting benefits.

How Tech Partnerships and Integrations Improve Logistics and Supply Chain Decisions

The first key benefit of integrating your logistics tech stack is that it allows for a streamlined and more efficient experience. Rather than having to utilize a dozen different solutions to access the other tools, data, and functions your supply chain relies on, you can access all of these things from within a single platform, providing those solutions can communicate via APIs. This interoperability helps save time for you and your team while also helping eliminate the potential for costly errors.

An integrated logistics tech stack enables companies to make better logistics and supply chain decisions. By placing all the supply chain data  various solutions gather at your fingertips, utilizing integrated technologies allows you to see the whole picture and make data-based decisions without accessing each solution. The most reliable supply chains are often the most agile and flexible. By providing easily accessible and contextualized data, integrated solutions empower swift and strategic decision-making for a more agile and flexible supply chain.

Discover the Value of Unprecedented Interoperability with VIZION API

Adopting an API-first approach by leveraging solutions capable of integrating via APIs is one of the best ways for shippers and freight forwarders to multiply the value gained from their supply chain technology. That's why we've designed VIZION API to integrate deeply with various logistics tech solutions. Book a demo today to learn more about the many advantages of integrating a real-time container tracking API into your existing tech stack!

‍