Panamanian shipping line software firm Container Consultants & Systems expects to reach 33% of the world's principal shipping line companies this year, CEO Sebastián Mendoza told BNamericas.
The firm's flagship product MV-Fleet provides shipping lines what Mendoza calls a "shopping center," providing clients with information about empty container repositioning and container rentals, among other administrative data.
"We want to close the divide between the maritime industry and new technologies," he said.
To achieve this, the firm has provided a handful of cargo carriers with the technology as a pilot test. At the end of last year, Container Consultants won contracts from four of the world's 30 main shipping lines.
Having completed the software, this will be the first full year of sales and the software company expects to have 10 of the 30 installed with MV-Fleet.
According to Mendoza, there has never been a riper time. Between new regulation passed in Europe, high fuel prices, and the US recession, carriers are looking for new ways to cut costs and make container shipping more efficient.
"Every year several billion dollars are spent by shipping lines on empty container repositioning. Through web-based technologies we are looking to make boats more full, [thereby] requiring less travel and bettering the use of containers," he said.
According to Container Consultants, companies can reduce inventory costs by a third by eliminating surplus containers at already congested ports.
The firm has offices in Panama and Brazil, and plans to open an office in California in April. Also, the company is looking to launch a container database solution at year-end.
This year, Panama's science and technology ministry Senacyt presented Container Consultants with a business innovation award for its software.
The firm's flagship product MV-Fleet provides shipping lines what Mendoza calls a "shopping center," providing clients with information about empty container repositioning and container rentals, among other administrative data.
"We want to close the divide between the maritime industry and new technologies," he said.
To achieve this, the firm has provided a handful of cargo carriers with the technology as a pilot test. At the end of last year, Container Consultants won contracts from four of the world's 30 main shipping lines.
Having completed the software, this will be the first full year of sales and the software company expects to have 10 of the 30 installed with MV-Fleet.
According to Mendoza, there has never been a riper time. Between new regulation passed in Europe, high fuel prices, and the US recession, carriers are looking for new ways to cut costs and make container shipping more efficient.
"Every year several billion dollars are spent by shipping lines on empty container repositioning. Through web-based technologies we are looking to make boats more full, [thereby] requiring less travel and bettering the use of containers," he said.
According to Container Consultants, companies can reduce inventory costs by a third by eliminating surplus containers at already congested ports.
The firm has offices in Panama and Brazil, and plans to open an office in California in April. Also, the company is looking to launch a container database solution at year-end.
This year, Panama's science and technology ministry Senacyt presented Container Consultants with a business innovation award for its software.