Despite a year of declining imports and exports at the national level, Andes Integración Logística has achieved remarkable growth. How have you overcome challenges, expanded your operations internationally and committed to measuring your clients’ carbon footprint in the midst of a process of continuous transformation?
CHILE. To reduce errors to a minimum. That is the transversal premise that motivated Andes Integración Logística -an international freight forwarding company, with presence in eight countries and more than a decade in the business- to start its automation process with innovative technology, more than 10 years ago. As explained from Andes Group, the main motivation is to always deliver a better service, directly impacting customers through new digital tools and continuous improvement processes.
We have strengthened the area of operations and processes, who are responsible for finding new ways to automate the different processes. We have programmers in charge of adapting the systems to the needs we identify,’ explained Camila Parker, the company’s general manager. The strategic alliance with Macrobots, which automates repetitive processes in which human resources used to spend a great deal of time, has been a key factor.
This joint work has allowed the Andes Group to integrate directly with customs agencies, receiving the assistance of robots that have reduced customer service processes from 20 minutes to 3 seconds. In this way they achieve greater efficiency, free of errors, in addition to being available 24/7 for their customers.
It is in this context that, during August, the company launched ANDES 360, a new platform that seeks to enhance the efficiency of operations and provide a complete view of day-to-day challenges. This digitalization initiative aims to establish unified communication in all areas, making it easier to obtain comprehensive and agile solutions for unforeseen events that may arise during such processes.
With us, clients can have everything online, depending on their needs and concerns; in ANDES 360 they can check where their shipments are, access all the documents of the operation, and also customize the information they require,’ said Camila.
Growth in a year of slowdown
The road that Andes has traveled has allowed it to break its own records in the agile process of expansion, in which they have achieved presence in eight countries: Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, United States and China.
During this year they opened the most recent office in China, a process that took only three months thanks to the accumulated experience and the tools that exist and how connected all the systems we use to operate and serve our customers are.
The above, in a context in which the great challenge has been to maintain volumes with the lack of global demand. Thus, the company has managed to maintain them in some countries, compared to last year, and in Chile, for example, in air and sea exports, to increase it by 11%, specifically in dry cargo exports. The Andes Group indicated that ‘this requires an important operational efficiency, which has been possible thanks to all the innovations and integrated automations’.
Challenges 2024
Undoubtedly, one of the great challenges of the Andes Group for next year is to continue with the expansion process. That is, to strengthen its presence in China as a strategic point to provide more and better alternatives to customers, both exporters and importers, as well as in new territories around the world to benefit its customers and suppliers.
In addition, the company seeks to continue promoting the measurement of CO2, a certificate that customers can access from ANDES 360. To be able to choose ‘greener’ routes and contribute to reducing global greenhouse gas emissions.
This is possible thanks to an alliance with the company Searoutes, which has made us pioneers in offering this service”, said the general manager of Andes Integración Logística, who also added that during the next year they expect to offer carbon footprint compensation alternatives to their customers.