Logistics Firm Liberates Staff With Data Automation

Freight Logistics Solutions (FLS) needed help to modernise its data warehousing capabilities to run more effecient operations and gain a competitive advantage. The aim for the cargo transport provider was to improve their digital position and scale their business.

Approach

We consolidated data into a centralised reporting database to eliminate manual work and provide more timely insights into the business and its customers. Collaborating closely with the management and technical team to deliver a build a scalable and cost-effective data warehousing and data integration process. Utilising a mix of scheduled and real-time data feeds to provide an up-to-the-minute view of the business performance.

Objectives

Consolidate data from multiple sources into one centralised reporting system
Deliver a cost-effective solution in terms of maintenance and scalability for the business
Train staff so that key digital capabilities are developed and sustained within the firm
Support data warehousing competencies in order to help leverage a distinct competitive advantage in the market.

Achievements

Aligned prioritised technical requirements with business objectives in business modelling workshops
Delivered one central database using Azure SQL that consolidated multiple data sources.
Delivered real-time data from APIs using Azure Functions. Real-time analytics support better business decision making
Provided a cost-effective solution using Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Serverless solutions with no ongoing maintenance burden and the ability to scale easily
Supporting ongoing data warehousing service in order to ensure database optimisation and backup maintenance.

FAQs

What is the 50% time saving — what it actually means?

Freeing up more than 50% of staff time from data entry is not an abstract metric. For a logistics business like FLS, the people spending that time on manual data work are typically operations staff with deep knowledge of their customers and their business. Redeploying that time to customer service, problem-solving, and strategic work is not just an efficiency gain — it is a capability gain.

The reason data entry consumed so much time was fragmentation: multiple data sources that did not talk to each other, requiring manual extraction and reconciliation to get a coherent picture of business performance. Consolidating that data into a centralised reporting database, with real-time feeds from key sources, removed the need for the reconciliation work entirely.

Why Azure was the right choice?

The decision to build FLS’s data warehouse on Azure SQL, with Azure Functions handling real-time data feeds, reflects a core principle in GoSmarter’s engineering approach: use Platform as a Service (PaaS) and serverless solutions where possible to eliminate ongoing maintenance burden. For a logistics company, maintaining a database infrastructure should not require dedicated IT headcount — the platform should handle it.

The scalability of this approach is important too. As FLS’s business grows and new data sources need to be added, the architecture supports that growth without requiring a rebuild.

Near-real-time visibility — why it matters in logistics?

Chris Sourbutts’ testimonial describes the goal as adding value to customers’ experience. In logistics, the fundamental value proposition is reliability and transparency — customers want to know where their freight is and when it will arrive. Near-real-time data visibility gives FLS the operational picture they need to answer those questions accurately, manage exceptions before they become problems, and provide a service that retains customers rather than losing them to competitors.

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