Top 5 Infor Nexus Alternatives and Competitors

What is Infor Nexus?

Infor Nexus is a multi-enterprise business network platform that connects shippers not only to carriers and 3PLS but also to financial members of the supply chain. It provides visibility over the flow of goods as well as information and capital. Infor Nexus gathers data from multiple sources to ensure reliability and delivers predictive alerts for opportunities and disruptions as well as prescriptive remedies for the latter. Shippers can also get demand and supply signals based on the Infor Nexus analysis of historic and real-time information. Further, Infor Nexus gives shippers real-time in-app collaborative tools to share information and manage document workflows.

Infor Nexus Features

Some of the key Infor Nexus features are End-to-end visibility; Predictive alerts; Multi-party connectivity; Collaborative execution; Freight tracking; Global control tower architecture. There most important features are the following:

Infor Nexus Management

Infor Nexus equips shippers with the tools required to manage the international supply chain. It brings together various service providers and synchronizes systems across geography and modes of transportation for multi-modal, multi-leg transportation tracking. Infor Nexus also provides multitier inventory visibility to predict demand and supply. Further, it centralizes contract and rate management.

Infor Nexus Visibility

Infor Nexus gives shippers near real-time visibility over shipment status as well as predictive visibility for delivery forecasting. Timely alerts and in-context support help shippers identify opportunities and potential disruptions so shippers can take action accordingly. The Infor Nexus Control Center provides a global view of the supply chain flow with predictive and prescriptive insights.

Infor Nexus Finance

The Infor Nexus Finance solution is designed to optimize trade finance processes. Infor procure-to-pay automation looks into document matching, invoice approvals and payments to keep transactions clean and compliant while simultaneously reducing costs.

Top 5 Alternatives to
Infor Nexus

Infor Nexus is only one of the many Transportation Managements Systems available today. If you feel it lacks certain features that you would like, take a look at these alternatives:

Alternative #1

BuyCo

BuyCo is a container shipping platform that connects large volume importers and exporters with other members of the supply chain including partners, forwarders and 95% of all carriers. It gathers information from multiple sources to make it easier for shippers to access and compare information as well as make bookings and track shipment status.

It empowers all stakeholders to request, share and store shipment-related documents centrally for smoother collaboration. This minimizes the risk of error, makes the latest version of files easy to access and increases productivity.

BuyCo also provides automation tools to help shippers make better use of their time and resources. From shipment planning and vessel scheduling to carrier booking, BuyCo automates repetitive tasks to streamline shipping operations.

BuyCo offers complete visibility over shipping operations with real-time multi-sourced container tracking. By looking at historic and current information, it predicts ETAs and ETDs that you can rely on to avoid delays altogether. Further, it offers insightful reports into various aspects of the operations and KPIs to identify opportunities for improvement and have better negotiation power. BuyCo even provides information on CO2 emissions to help organizations make socially conscious choices.

Alternative #2

Inttra

Inttra is an e-marketplace that brings shippers, logistics service providers and carriers onto a common platform. Shippers can use this platform to plan, book and track shipments. It provides a wealth of data ranging from vessel details to sailing schedules to simplify planning and shipment booking, Inttra enables shippers, booking agents, carriers, etc. to digitally share shipping instructions and other related documentation. Further, it offers an easy-to-integrate eVGM compliance solution. In terms of visibility, Inttra tracks container movement with real-time status updates and exception alerts.

Alternative #3

CargoSmart

CargoSmart is a global shipment management platform designed to bring all the members of a supply chain together. It delivers information ranging from sailing schedules to shipment status for supply chain visibility and data-driven planning. Containers can be tracked from the time they are picked up until when they reach their destination. In addition, it provides online status updates and alerts to minimize detention and demurrage charges. CargoSmart also allows stakeholders to assign and delegate tasks and streamlines document handling. Further, CargoSmart automates filing processes and the flow of shipment-related documents for international trade compliance.

Alternative #4

Tradelens

Tradelens uses blockchain technology to connect shippers to freight forwarders, carriers, ports, terminals, customs and government authorities on a secure data-sharing platform. It provides near real-time insight into shipment status with dynamic ETAs. By providing notifications and alerts for exceptions to the schedule, it helps shippers minimize detention and demurrage charges.

Tradelens also streamlines communication by digitizing bills of lading and letter of credit processes and keeping them secure and auditable yet visible to all stakeholders. It also digitizes the customs declaration process and automates information filing.

Alternative #5

FourKites

FourKites is a visibility platform that provides status updates for containers in the yard and in transit. Fourkites tracks shipments by their PO over road, rail, air and ocean routes. It predicts dynamic ETAs based on tracking logic as well as external factors such as traffic and weather. All stakeholders are kept informed of the shipment status through automated notifications. FourKites also provides comprehensive analytics in the form of reports and dashboards to identify opportunities and make prescriptive recommendations in the case of a disruption. In the case of cold-chain goods, FourKites also offers visibility over temperature.

Things to Consider when selecting your Ocean TMS

Today, being able to make on-time deliveries is as important as having a good product. Poor customer service can cost you. Hence, the importance of having a good, high quality TMS. Each Ocean TMS has varied features ranging from predictive visibility of ETAs to digital document handling and more. Here are 4 points to keep in mind when you chose an Ocean TMS for your organization:

Visibility Alone Is Not Enough, You Need Control

Visibility is the cornerstone of a good Ocean TMS. At any given point in time, you should be able to track and trace your containers. However, simply knowing where they are may not always be sufficient. If you can see that a carrier is held up at a port, you should also be able to take action on this information. You need an Ocean TMS that gives you visibility and control over the entire operation so you can quickly make changes to avoid and minimize delays.

Your Ocean TMS also needs to be able to predict realistic ETAs. This will help avoid delays altogether and ensure that you stand by the delivery dates you give your clients. For example, BuyCo looks at historic and current data to assess ETAs. It can tell you how often a particular carrier is on time as well as how often it is delayed along a certain route and by how many days.

Automation

Many day-to-day tasks that keep shippers are busy, monotonous and repetitive. There are shipment schedules to be searched for, booking requests to be made, etc. These tasks take up time and resources that could be used elsewhere. According to IBM, businesses lose $180 billion annually simply because of inefficient supply chain processes.

This can be mitigated by choosing an Ocean TMS with automation features. Automating tasks can boost productivity, save time and reduce the margin of error. For example, BuyCo automates several shipping operational tasks such as bulk document generation and shipment planning.

Collaboration

Phone and email connectivity has made information sharing easier but it is still siloed. Having communication and data spread out over different mediums makes it difficult to track. It interrupts productivity and increases the risk of working with an outdated document or losing an important document in the email clutter. It also affects data analysis. Filing a single wrong document could lead to your entire shipment being held up.

You need to work with an Ocean TMS that keeps you connected to all other supply chain members for centralized information sharing. BuyCo acts like a single digital hub for all shipping documents and allows stakeholders to request, share and track documents with automated document workflows.

Decarbonization

Decarbonization is the latest buzzword influencing organizational decisions. This refers to efforts being made by organizations to lower their carbon footprint across all operations. The effects of CO2 on pollution and global warming are already apparent and the only way to control it is by making thoughtful decisions.

The reason for focusing on decarbonization is two-fold. It builds a brand image of being socially responsible and protects shippers from the risk of higher taxes in CO2 emissions. Hence, you need to choose an Ocean TMS that provides measurable information on CO2 emissions. For example, BuyCo shows shippers the most direct route as well as vessels with the lowest CO2 emissions.