# Transportation & Logistics
#SOFTWARE MODERNIZATION, #CLOUD SOLUTIONS, #BACKEND, #FRONTEND, #REAL TIME SOLUTION, #LEGACY SYSTEM MODERNIZATION
SUMMARY:
Upgrading a legacy software utilized by a freight forwarder with global client base. Enhancing the web-based transportation management system's capabilities, followed by ongoing maintenance to ensure its optimal performance.
CLIENT
A global transportation management solution provider with a vast portfolio of shipping services
North America | 50+ employees
For over 20 years, this freight forwarding solution provider has been connecting shippers globally with the most dependable last mile logistics providers. They provide land, air, and sea shipping options for individuals and businesses, as well as freight insurance and tracking solutions through an online transportation management platform.
REQUEST BACKGROUND
Several TMS software development vendors face a common issue: Subpar code quality and slow development speed.
The client needed to upgrade their transportation management system (TMS). This meant modernizing their platform, developing new features, and providing ongoing maintenance. They contacted us because their previous vendors failed to deliver the expected quality within the agreed-upon timeframe.
Despite the advantages of outsourcing transport management system development, the client's first vendor could not provide high-quality code. Bugs frequently emerged, hindering development progress and communication. The situation did not improve when the project was handed over to another transport management solution development team, as they encountered the same issues.
Eventually, our company, a software development provider with a wealth of experience in fleet tracking and shipping management software solutions, was chosen to take on the project.
CHALLENGE
A thorough audit of the freight forwarder's transport management software system revealed several critical issues stemming from poor software development practices by previous vendors.
- The lack of consideration for the overall architectural logic when implementing new features resulted in an unstable freight forwarding software system.
- The failure to enable the OPCache library while writing PHP code led to capacity exhaustion when adding an additional carrier to the freight transportation management system. This resulted in a very high response time in the production environment and frequent 504 Gateway Timeout Errors.
- Data desynchronization occurred due to the use of two databases and two backend services. While this is generally considered a software development best practice, as demonstrated by Netflix, the previous vendors placed too much business logic into the Node.js-based backend, leading to desynchronization. The presence of enormous volumes of data, exceeding 10 billion records, further exacerbated the situation.
Additionally, the freight management solution contained a significant amount of legacy code that required refactoring.
GOALS
- The primary goal was to optimize the freight forwarder's software for speed and reliability. This involved rectifying issues rooted in inadequate development practices and modernizing outdated components of the system.
- Subsequently, the freight shipping software was enhanced with additional functionalities, transforming it into a comprehensive transport management solution.
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SOLUTION
Transforming a buggy freight management software system with limited scalability into a fast, stable solution enriched with new TMS features in just three months:
PHP, Node.js, React.js, ElasticSearch
3 months
1-3 specialists
- We collaborated with the client to define the business aspects of our transportation management platform development process. We established a unified communication protocol between our teams, determined the extent of the client's involvement, and outlined the code deployment procedure.
- Building upon the reliability of our freight forwarding management system, we introduced enhancements such as dynamic rights-restricted income calculation and reporting.
- We seamlessly integrated the client's freight transportation management system with a zip code database (replacing the expensive Google API) and incorporated solutions for cargo insurance, supply chain management, A/B testing, and customer analysis. Furthermore, we migrated the client's TMS platform from external hosting to AWS, enhancing its security and performance.
- As part of code modernization, we successfully migrated from MS SQL to MySQL, eliminating a legacy component that hindered the implementation of new features.
- We updated PHP to the latest version and implemented the OPCache library, granting our freight management system increased stability. This allowed us to add a new carrier without impacting the solution's performance.
- To address a data desync issue, we reindexed the ElasticSearch database and developed a dedicated service to maintain data consistency. This service can be initiated manually or automatically.
OUTCOME
A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF SHIPPERS HAVE EMBRACED THE CLIENT'S FREIGHT LOGISTICS SOFTWARE, LEADING TO SUBSTANTIAL COST SAVINGS AND A REMARKABLE SURGE IN THEIR RANKS
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- Migrating from the Google API to the in-house database with zipcodes has resulted in monthly savings of over $5K for the client.
- By moving the client's transportation management software system to AWS hosting, they can save around $10K annually.
- Integrating Google Analytics for user behavior analysis and A/B testing has enabled customer-centric product development.
- Code optimization has enhanced the stability and speed of the freight software solution.
- Reindexing the ElasticSearch database has improved data access speed.
- The client's customer base has grown significantly due to enhancements implemented by our team, with over 1 billion shippers now benefiting from the transportation management system.
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