Every freight forwarder is tasked with transforming the complex procurement of buy rates into profitable and competitive end-to-end sell rates at speed. Even the largest global forwarders, with operations and sizable teams in markets worldwide, rely on maintaining the best possible visibility of their cost components to win shipments.
In modern forwarding today, the technological setup for teams has become an important competitive asset in the market – an extensive rate procurement and management infrastructure gives agents intelligent real-time access to rates and ensures a local and central view on all of the cost components.
cargo.one is relied upon for many fully digitalised and customizable capabilities – including rate procurement, rate management, derivation and delivery of sell rates, e-booking, and customer communication. These aspects enable forwarders to exercise proper strategic control over what they are selling and how they are selling it.
On an infrastructure level, data transparency and data integrity are valuable keys to unlock stronger sell rate decisions, and ultimately competitive advantage. By leveraging real-time rates from over 75 live airline connections, as well as GSSAs, accessible through one highly scalable API suite, organisations can far better respond to the latest buying conditions and fully exercise the levers of cost control and margin management. Increasingly today, forwarders are investing in scalable infrastructure that can multiply digital gains across their global operation.
Fully customisable and AI-powered tooling delivers powerful enhancements to quoting and e-booking workflows at scale. Forwarders are seeing impressive return on investment from rate tools for teams compiling RFQs and tenders – with a boosted capability to win shipments faster, and serve customers better.
Integrating cargo.one into proprietary in-house systems or off-the-shelf TMS is established as a fast and efficient way to benefit from the best data and insights consistently across all procurement and sales functions. The continuous data quality assurance, expanding airline partnerships, and expert support that cargo.one guarantees, works to enhance every shipment quote.
Global forwarders invest in digital partnerships
This year, there has been a strong trend of freight forwarders strengthening their in-house procurement and sales by rolling out the best digital platforms. For example, Kuehne+Nagel, extended its existing host-to-host API connections and expanded its booking system, CB Air, by integrating cargo.one’s API Suite – meaning its teams worldwide can now instantly access dozens more airlines and general sales agents for e-booking.
Holger Ketz, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Network and Carrier Management, at Kuehne+Nagel, explains, “This collaboration helps us ensure that Kuehne+Nagel always has a full spectrum market view around the clock and can respond to customers with maximum speed. cargo.one offers Kuehne+Nagel a valuable package of connectivity, innovative solutions and market experience, and this will enrich our customer experience both in the short and long term.”
Another forwarder collaborating with cargo.one to digitalise its rate management and booking processes, is Rhenus Logistics. The forwarder has integrated cargo.one within its in-house developed TMS system to enable its operators worldwide to book with over 75 airlines instantly, around the clock.
cargo.one works with Rhenus teams at both a headquarters and local level to define user stories and customer value, and co-design optimal solutions. Chris Bode, Rhenus Logistics’ VP Global Air Freight, based in Bangkok, shares, “cargo.one’s rate management solutions enable us to enhance our quoting process by working faster and more accurately.”
Global forwarder Logwin is harnessing cargo.one APIs within its TMS system. The company has also deployed a cargo.one managed network which delivers instant quoting and booking between more than 100 Logwin AG branches and partners worldwide. Such a closed-loop system enables Logwin to fully leverage its network reach with speed and ease.
Ralf Hubert, Logwin AG’s COO EMEA+AMR, said, “By combining the latest generation of quoting and booking solutions, we can boost operational efficiency, working speeds, rate agility and reliability…Our managed network has enhanced Logwin’s digital workflows, eliminated fragmentation across tools, and helped branches worldwide to be strategic about what they sell to which customer.”
Such optimisation of procurement infrastructure will deliver these forwarders’ financial benefits. Optimal digital access to capacity leads to better market offerings, higher win rates and improved pricing capabilities, resulting in increased revenues. Time savings from more efficient quoting methods and better data quality will also translate into cost savings. Of course, the larger the organisational scale, the more the financial impact can be achieved.
With customised and future-proof infrastructure and solutions, freight forwarders can digitally simplify their workflows, lower operational complexity, and maximise the experience for shippers. All this ultimately positions a forwarder to compete at its best, which is true digitalisation in action.
This story was first published in the September-October 2025 issue of Payload Asia.
