Nothing comes close to the rapid scale of development in Qargo. Instead of us waiting for development, there are new feature releases coming that we need to keep up with.
Will Rodger, Service Manager, Streamline Shipping Group
With 11 operating centres across the UK and Norway and a diverse range of services spanning haulage, freight forwarding, dangerous goods, warehousing and island logistics, Streamline Shipping Group recognised the need for a transport management platform capable of supporting greater visibility, automation and future growth.
A cross-functional project team made up of operations, finance, IT and project management specialists was assembled to review existing processes, identify opportunities for automation and rebuild Streamline’s operational infrastructure from the ground up.
The result was the implementation of Qargo, a cloud-based transport management system (TMS) designed to help logistics operators manage planning, compliance, fleet visibility, integrations and customer communication.
Project summary
The challenge
Modernise a legacy transport management system and improve visibility, automation and reporting across a complex logistics network operating from 11 locations.
The solution
Implement Qargo as part of a wider digital transformation programme led by a cross-functional internal project team.
The outcome
Greater operational visibility, easier integrations, improved compliance management and increased automation across planning, reporting and customer communications.
About Streamline Shipping Group
Streamline Shipping Group started in the 1980s with a clear purpose: operating freight vessels between Scotland and Norway for the North Sea oil and gas industry. More than four decades later, the business has grown into one of Scotland’s leading freight and logistics operators, supporting customers across Scotland, the wider UK, Norway and international markets.
Today, Streamline employs nearly 250 people and operates from 11 locations across the UK and Norway. Its services range from parcel delivery and island freight to haulage, warehousing, freight forwarding, dangerous goods and major infrastructure logistics.
“We serve our locations, and that means we provide whatever that location requires,” says Will Rodger, Service Manager at Streamline Shipping Group. “That could be a parcel delivery, a kitchen sink, or all of the materials required to build a new harbour. We aim to find a solution for all logistics requirements.”
That breadth, and the operational complexity behind it, has shaped every technology decision Streamline has made.
Why Streamline needed to modernise
Streamline had been running the same core system for nearly 20 years. As the business continued to grow, the team recognised the need to modernise its operational infrastructure and move towards more connected, automated and data-led systems.
The first move was to another transport management system, but that platform later shut down. This meant Streamline had to begin the search again, this time with an even clearer view of what the business needed.
The established providers the team reviewed either relied on older software with limited functionality, or sold separate modules that did not communicate cleanly with each other. Integrations were patchy, roadmaps were vague, and the systems did not offer the level of flexibility Streamline needed for such a varied operation.
The move to Qargo became part of a much wider internal project to rebuild Streamline’s infrastructure from the ground up. Rather than being driven by one person, the project brought together a small internal team across operations, finance, IT and project management. Together, they reviewed existing processes, explored where automation could add value, and looked for a system that could support Streamline’s next phase of digitalisation and operational development.
During the evaluation process, the team was introduced to Qargo at Multimodal in Birmingham.
“It took 10 minutes speaking to Sam and looking at the Qargo system,” says Will. “That was three years ago, and it was quite an early version. Even then, it was obvious it was a tool that would allow us to grow as a business in the transport world. Since we moved over, it’s continued to prove correct.”
The challenge: managing complex logistics operations at scale
For Streamline, the core challenge was managing jobs at volume across a highly varied network.
Previous systems had strengths, but the data sitting beneath them was difficult to work with. Reports often had to be pulled manually and then crunched by transport managers who already had a full day of operational work ahead of them.
“We don’t have data analysts in the company,” explains Will. “So you’ve got transport managers and operators trying to make sense of this information. In Qargo, it all wraps up into one, and reports that would make our life better are getting built and released before we even ask for them.”
For a business handling everything from remote island deliveries to dangerous goods, general haulage, major project logistics and international freight, having useful analytics built into day-to-day operations was essential.
Streamline needed a system that could support complexity without slowing teams down.
Implementation and onboarding
Qargo gave Streamline access to a sandbox environment well ahead of go-live. This gave the team time to explore the system, build out configurations, ask questions and test real-world scenarios before any live orders moved through the platform.
For a business as operationally diverse as Streamline, that preparation time mattered.
Streamline’s advice to other operators considering a similar move is to utilise the sandbox stage properly and keep initial testing focused: “Put together a system you think will work and test it for just one day,” says Will. “One day would be enough to map out the full journey of a job, and you can then build processes and workflows from there. That alone will set you up well.”
How Streamline uses Qargo across multiple logistics operations
With nearly 250 employees, 11 operating centres and services spanning parcels, island freight, haulage, warehousing, dangerous goods and international logistics, Streamline does not use Qargo in the way a typical haulier might.
Instead, the team has built out six or seven different planning configurations, allowing each specialist team to work in the way that best suits its own operation.
“Some people like doing it one way and it makes way more sense to them,” explains Will. “You can just change your view within the Qargo application, and that’s really useful.”
While the planning boards have been valuable, the feature with the biggest potential impact for Streamline has been tasks.
The task element is by far the most powerful for Streamline. “As we really learn how to use these features of automation, tasks that communicate with other systems, bringing data in and out of the system, we are beginning to significantly improve customer communications, that’s the part that brings everything to the next level,” says Will.
Streamline’s in-house drivers use the Qargo mobile app daily. The next step is extending that visibility further across the subcontractor network, helping bring more orders into full view within the platform.
Behind all of this is Qargo’s pace of development. After decades of working with logistics software, Streamline had not experienced that speed of progress before.
Integrations
Streamline connects Qargo with Sage for accounting and vehicle telematics packages, giving planners live visibility of the in-house fleet from within the system.
Vehicle compliance documents, including test certificates and expiry dates, now surface in planning screens. If a resource is not available or does not meet the required compliance status, the system can prevent it from being used before a job is dispatched.
Client and subcontractor integrations have also changed. Previously, the cost and complexity of integrations meant they were often avoided. Now, Streamline is actively looking at how more clients, including smaller customers, can be connected.
“The integration piece is so easy and straightforward, and the Qargo team will guide the customer’s IT team through the process,” says Will. “Whereas before, there was usually a cost attached, and the pain of setting up the integration itself, which put people off.”
The results
Improved visibility across the network
With multiple depots, teams, service areas and customer requirements, visibility is critical for Streamline. Qargo gives the business a clearer view of activity across the wider network, helping teams monitor jobs, understand performance and make better-informed decisions.
Specialist teams working their own way
Streamline has built six or seven different planning configurations within Qargo. This means each team can work in a way that suits their own operation while still remaining part of one connected platform.
Greater automation and reduced administration
By improving workflows around PODs, reporting and administration, Streamline can reinvest time into customer service, operational improvement and revenue-generating activity.
Easier integration with customers and suppliers
Qargo’s task functionality and automation capabilities are helping Streamline improve how information moves between systems, teams and customers.
Compliance built into planning
Vehicle compliance information can now be surfaced directly within planning screens, helping teams identify expired certificates or unavailable resources before a job is dispatched.
A platform ready for future growth
For Streamline, Qargo is not just a transport management system. It is part of a wider move towards connected systems, automation and smarter operational infrastructure.
Looking ahead
As Streamline continues to expand its use of automation, integrations and connected systems, Qargo remains a key part of the company’s wider digital transformation strategy. The business is continuing to explore new ways to automate workflows, improve customer communication and increase visibility across its network.
The implementation of Qargo isn’t only about the features available today, but in the connectivity and pace of development it gives the business, particularly in regards to their drone innovation projects.
“The value for us is in having better visibility across the whole Streamline network,” says Will. “With multiple locations, teams and service areas, being able to monitor activity in one place and use that information to improve how we work is hugely important.”
Streamline has recommended Qargo to other operators, and several are now going live. But the thing that stands out most is not one single feature. It is the way the system encourages the business to keep improving its own processes.
“Qargo features and workflows are so powerful that it forces us to make our own processes more efficient,” says Will. “It couldn’t be better, really.”