Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, along with shipping software and warehouse management systems (WMS), have helped streamline the supply chain for a wide range of companies in nearly every industry.
A recent Labelmaster survey of Dangerous Goods shippers revealed some uncomfortable doubts about companies’ abilities to ship hazmat compliantly:
believed their shipping technology was not forward-thinking, while 31% did not believe their companies had the right technology in place
There are literally thousands of hazmat shipping regulations to contend with, and it seems like they’re changing every day.
Some companies use software to prepare shipments but handle the DG compliance separately as a manual process.
Searching through regulatory publications for guidance on:
- Packaging
- Labels
- Marks
- Documentation
Manually maintaining classifications for products and parts that qualify as hazmat:
- Hazard class
- Packing group (packing instructions)
- Quantity limitations
Adding dedicated DG shipping software to the process can eliminate much of the manual effort and help ensure compliance with the latest regulations. But a standalone solution can introduce additional complications.
- Having to maintain two sets of data:
- Products and parts
- Documents (e.g., SDS)
- Customer addresses
- Training existing employees on a new system, and new employees on two systems
- Ensuring DG software is up to date with the latest regulatory changes
Ideally, a DG software solution should be able to integrate with your ERP, TMS or WMS system to provide the best-of-breed functionality you need in a familiar interface.
Before embarking on integrating a DG software solution with your system, it’s important to ensure your solution partner offers strong documentation and implementation expertise. This is something you want done right and done once.
Integrating best-of-breed DG software functionality can bring significant efficiencies to DG shipping operations and help ensure compliance with the latest regulations.
Contact Labelmaster Software to learn more about our robust DGIS software and API integration.
