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As one of the UKs leading providers of handling, storage and distribution for the fish industry, it is not surprising that the competition is always hot on the heels of Tradimar. Operating from two temperature controlled locations in Bellshill and Aberdeen, the smooth execution of handling and distributing 150,000 tonnes of wet fish and shell fish every year, is central to its success. Consignments come in many shapes and sizes from a range of suppliers, mainly based around the abundant waters of the Scottish Highlands and Islands right up to Iceland and the Faroes, with the bulk of the throughput coming from locally farmed salmon.

In order to keep one step ahead of the competition, Tradimar has adopted a long standing relationship with its Warehouse Management System provider, Traderman. The two companies work together to deliver optimum management solutions and maximise the efficiency within Tradimar. The first phase, in the latest solution to strive towards better management, involves providing the customers with direct access to the Tradimar system.

Thanks to new developments in the Traderman software, giving it full web enablement, customers and users alike have the ability to log on remotely using the browser on their PC. Each users log on can be individually configured to display different modules and even have its own look and feel. It is tremendously important to make the customer feel at home when introducing them to a new system. Tradimar are aiming to provide the customers with an added service, where they have access to facilities to view their stock, book on and track & trace their own orders. Giving them the familiar surrounding of their own corporate identity on-screen helps to make the system feel part of their own rather than a bolted on extra.

The System
Traderman have recently devoted a lot of time to enhancing their long- standing system, giving the end users far more flexibility in terms of where and how they connect as well as the functions they can perform. The Traderman system is set apart from other web enabled logistics management systems, because they have moved away from relying on a third party infrastructure. The software is all part of the same package, instead of several different products bolted together. Traderman Managing Director, Shaun Coughlin states: The market expects software to be web enabled these days, it is our aim to exceed those expectations through the versatility, flexibility, functionality and, above all, reliability of our product.

The Benefits
The benefits of having the customers enter their own orders onto the system are; the reduction in errors as it is coming directly from the source; the increase in efficiency as the order is entered straight onto the system. The customer is able to track this order right the way through from receipt of order, to loading and delivery. The customer also has the ability to view their stock at its location in the warehouse, all from the comfort of their own PC.
" High speed logistics of a perishable product like fresh fish really relies on excellent communication, both in terms of accuracy and in real time; the development of tmWare, which allows customers to interact with our system, really ticks the boxes in this regard! says Tradimar Managing Director, Andrew Kirk.
The service doesnt stop there either. Tradimar customers have instant access to on-line pricing, speeding up the ordering process and making it even easier for the customer. Once the order has been completed, the customer can view the POD and print the image if necessary and do the same with the invoice. This gives the customer the important information they need instantly without having to request and wait for it. As the POD and invoices will be archived, the customer can have instant access to older documents if a query arises later down the line.
The end result of providing the customers with online access to the Tradimar system is a better working relationship and increased efficiency. The customer is given control to manage their ordering and document retrieval and, with instant access to crucial information, they have the knowledge they need to operate efficiently. Tradimar resources are utilised more effectively through reduction in manual data entry and document retrieval. Both parties can enjoy the enhanced efficiencies this system brings.

The Future The future of the customer access pages are set to include a news section giving to customers details of Tradimar and industry news, as well as any special offers that are currently running. The relationship with Traderman means the two companies can work together to improve the system and continue increasing the level of service offered to customers. Staying ahead of the competition is always a high priority for Tradimar and the Traderman system gives them the opportunity to focus on areas other than price alone.