GEODIS: Sense of Security in Tive’s Real-Time Tracking

GEODIS Finds Real "Sense of Security" in Tive’s Real-Time Tracking Solution

From its humble beginnings as a rail freight company in France more than a century ago to its No. 7 ranking among global transportation and logistics companies today, GEODIS’ commitment to continuous innovation has been a driving force in being a growth partner to each client. With proven expertise in supply chain optimization, contract logistics, freight forwarding, and more, GEODIS provides fully integrated and customized logistics solutions to more than a thousand customers worldwide. Key partnerships, such as the one with leading supply chain visibility provider Tive, play a vital role in GEODIS’ success.

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In 2020, when the COVID pandemic was tightening its relentless grip on the world’s supply chains, GEODIS sought a partner that could provide end-to-end visibility and real-time updates for its multimodal shipments of high-tech servers. Choosing Tive turned out to be a game-changing decision, one that provides GEODIS and its customers with unparalleled visibility into any shipment throughout its global footprint that encompasses 168 countries and helped save a million-dollar shipment along the way.

The Situation

There’s no denying that the pandemic has led to higher customer expectations. As such, end-to-end visibility and real-time updates are no longer luxuries–they’re table stakes for global logistics service providers like GEODIS. Here’s why:

• Customers expect the "Amazon" delivery experience: They want to know the location and condition of their shipment(s) at all times. Unlike its other partners, who tended to have manual next-day processes for uploading track-and-trace updates, GEODIS needed a partner to deliver actionable data and alerts in real time.‍
• Stakeholders don't like surprises: GEODIS ships a lot of high-value servers that are sensitive to shock vibration, excessive humidity, temperature changes, and, in some cases, light exposure. Concealed damage—that is, damage not outwardly noticeable but is discovered upon opening the package—is an ever-present risk that requires real-time in-transit monitoring of each shipment’s condition. Customers want to know how their shipment(s) might have been damaged in transit.‍
• Poor responsiveness: A lack of visibility had left GEODIS unable to respond to issues immediately and, in some cases, resulted in lost shipments altogether.

The Solution

GEODIS narrowed its list to three finalists and ultimately chose Tive for several reasons:

• Its trackers are compact, feature a one-button interface that makes them easy to use, and have long battery life
• The trackers stay attached to shipments until their destination—providing shipment data directly to customers at every step
• Tive’s cloud platform sends custom notifications when issues arise
• The Tive team is very responsive to GEODIS’ issues and questions

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Tive trackers are installed to server shipments at three manufacturing sites worldwide. Once attached and activated with the press of a button, the trackers begin monitoring these multimodal shipments that primarily involve domestic ground and air freight modes. Custom API integrations connect with the GEODIS platform for real-time visibility and updates regarding location, temperature, humidity, shock vibrations, tilt orientation, and more. The tracker stays with the shipment until final delivery. The Tive solution means that GEODIS can monitor its shipments worldwide, knowing precisely what’s happening and when. If there’s a handling concern with server shipments, Tive’s solution means GEODIS can react immediately.

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“I can monitor shipments all around the world
and know exactly what happens and when it
happens. That sense of security helps me sleep
at night.”

G. Rollo Begley [GRB]
GEODIS Global Operations Manager

The Results

GEODIS has seen a significant ROI since using Tive trackers across most of its shipments, specifically when it comes to saving servers. For example, a shipment of six server racks from Hungary failed to arrive in Chicago as planned. There was no need to panic—real-time data recorded by Tive trackers immediately showed the servers were safe and sound in the Amsterdam airport. Two days later, the shipment arrived in Chicago, saving the $1 million shipment and preventing the loss of the customer.

In addition to finding missing shipments, the Tive solution helps GEODIS in the following ways:

• Easily spot abnormalities in a warehouse or in transit—such as when a forklift or driver drops a package
• Be proactive to mitigate potential disruptions—such as ordering a replacement shipment or dispatching an inspector to assess the damage
• Provide exceptional customer experiences—because informed customers who can access the latest shipment updates are more likely to become GEODIS brand ambassadors
• Always know shipment status—and respond with confidence anytime issues arise
• Improved communication—because end-to-end visibility into shipments enhances operational efficiency and collaboration with stakeholders, which means no more chasing down drivers via phone or email for updates, or waiting hours or even days for a response
• Greater access to insights and granular data—ensuring that all stakeholders know each shipment’s location and condition
  

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“What’s great about Tive is that it really locks
customers in with us. We have access to all the
data we need, giving us complete visibility over
shipments in real time.”

G. Rollo Begley [GRB]
GEODIS Global Operations Manager

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