How We Created a Collaborative Hub for Transport Companies

In the fast-evolving world of transport logistics, seamless collaboration and efficiency are paramount. This case study looks at the challenges we met and the approach we took in building a container-collaboration platform with and for HAKKA. In 2017, HAKKA acquired the collaboration platform Eurotranscon, and Inuits was tasked with a full rebuild, plus ongoing development and maintenance.

Crafting a scalable solution

Rebuilding and extending the Eurotranscon platform to meet the demands of the container logistics sector brought real challenges. The primary technical challenge was creating a scalable, adaptable infrastructure that could absorb the volatility of the transport market. The existing platform needed extensive upgrades to add modern features while keeping stability and performance. That meant redesigning the architecture and ensuring seamless integration with HAKKA's diverse ecosystem of external applications and on-site equipment. From a business angle, aligning the platform with HAKKA's strategic goals required understanding their intricate operational workflows and the dynamic nature of market demand. The solution had to swiftly accommodate change and surface real-time, actionable insight for business decisions. Balancing these technical and business requirements was central to delivering a robust, future-proof platform.

Flexible, responsive platform development

We started by forming a multifunctional team that can adapt quickly to changing requirements. Our team works closely with HAKKA and has a thorough understanding of their business needs. We translate those business requirements into functional IT solutions, keeping context in view at every stage, from analysis and architecture to development, design, and QA. Throughout the process we build for the future: scalable, adaptable systems. That lets HAKKA's logistics experts focus on their business while keeping the flexibility to request platform adjustments as the market shifts.

Achieved solutions

HAKKA Marketplace

The HAKKA Marketplace is a web application built with an Angular front-end and a Symfony back-end. It was the core of the previous Eurotranscon platform and has been fully redesigned and improved. Container transporters can exchange container rides among themselves through an offer-and-demand system. An additional feature, an AI matching algorithm for automatic ride suggestions, was added. The algorithm streamlines collaboration by suggesting matching demands and offers. Over the years, additional features and services were developed to support HAKKA's strategy and direction. For seamless integration with external applications, we created custom APIs.

HAKKA Terminal Module

The HAKKA Terminal Module is one of the recently developed features. Inland container terminals, hubs, and yards can offer services such as storage, fumigation, or container weighing to the wider HAKKA community. The application integrates a payment platform called cinvio and physical on-site equipment such as gates and weigh bridges. Additional on-site technologies, including a registration application and a 'Stacker app', improve the on-site flows. The registration application is a separate web app that truck drivers use to announce their arrival via a QR code. That announcement triggers a notification to our Stacker driver app, so the terminal worker knows exactly what to do with the container.

Key takeaways

The partnership between HAKKA and Inuits shows the power of combining logistics expertise with strong IT capabilities. Together, we rebuilt the Eurotranscon platform into a robust, scalable HAKKA platform. New features like the matching algorithm and the HAKKA Terminal Module kept HAKKA's business offering relevant in a fast-moving market. The close collaboration let our teams deeply understand HAKKA's business needs, so our IT solutions fit. The development and integration of services and physical equipment alike show the flexibility this partnership delivers.

Working with Inuits is seamless, thanks to their robust IT knowledge combined with analysts and project managers who bring logistics expertise.

— Bert Vandaele, Managing Partner, Hakka