Logistics and transportation

Four TMSs, and a different ID for every customer.

Every acquisition brings another TMS and another customer, carrier and location master. Quoting, billing and service each see a different customer, and a document can be read correctly and still land on the wrong shipment. We fix the data foundation underneath, starting with the customer, carrier and location masters.

Book a scoping call

01 / Symptoms

What it looks like.

Customer profitability that depends on which TMS you ask.
Rate and lane data that disagree across systems.
Carrier records without verified identity details.
Freight documents keyed by hand because they won't match a shipment.
OFAC screening run against duplicated customer and counterparty records.

02 / Where it breaks

Where it breaks, area by area.

Master and reference dataCustomers, carriers and locations with a different ID in every TMS the roll-up inherited.Data qualityLane, rate and accessorial data inconsistent across TMSs; carrier records without verified MC and DOT numbers, insurance or banking changes.Data governanceNobody owns the carrier master, so a changed bank account goes unchecked.Data integrationTracking events not tied to orders across systems; freight documents that won't attach to the right shipment.Data warehousing and BICustomer profitability that depends on which TMS the report reads.Data for AI and analyticsDocument automation and quoting that read correctly and still attach to the wrong record.

03 / Why now

Why this year.

Logistics is one of the most active PE roll-up sectors, so each add-on brings another master to absorb.

Mar 12, 2025

OFAC's recordkeeping period is now 10 years, in effect since March 12, 2025 (OFAC). Screening records have to resolve to the right customer and counterparty for that long.

Source: Steptoe

Carrier fraud checks only work on a carrier master with verified identity details.

04 / Where to start

M&A Data Integration SprintSee the offer Data Quality DiagnosticSee the offer AI Data Foundation AssessmentSee the offer

05 / Experience

Address and location: A global address catalog for a global shipping company, built with Informatica Address Doctor.
Customer and supplier: Steward and business user interfaces for that company's customer and supplier catalogs, integrated with SAP and Oracle BPM.

Questions

We'll consolidate onto one TMS next year.

Then the masters need to be right before the move. Consolidation copies duplicates faithfully.

Can you work with our visibility platform data?

Yes. Event data is only as good as the shipment, customer and location records it attaches to.