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Dear Ben,
Welcome to
the January/February 2005 CLI newsletter. We at CLI wish you a healthy and
productive new year. Turning the calendar to a new year is often a time to
reflect on the past and decide to make changes for the future. While these
New Year's resolutions tend to be personal, I challenge you to make some
business-related resolutions as well.
For
example, this year I hope you will optimize your CLI software by
participating in CLI's various training and tips. Whether it's a quick read
through the "Tip of the Week," participating in the "Out to
Lunch" webinars, or committing to attend the User Group meeting being
held March 9-11, I urge you to participate. Remember, according to Booth
Research, trained users use 66% of a product's features while untrained users
use only 24%. Increase productivity by participating in our various training
offerings outlined in articles below.
This year I
challenge business leaders to assess how well they keep their fingers on the
pulse of their respective companies. We often think we know what's going on
in our businesses but sometimes our information is based on dated or
incorrect data. That's why I urge you to read our feature article on
"Business Intelligence." This new model of business management
allows you to be in control and be up-to-date on all of your numbers, keeping
your top management on the same page. And lest you think only large companies
can afford Business Intelligence, think again. CLI has teamed with Top Dog
Solutions to create FACTSview™ - affordable Business Intelligence for your
needs. FACTSview™, developed to work with Microsoft Excel, is an open
approach and compatible with legacy systems. Pre-designed to have the views
and analysis you need the most, FACTSview™ is the answer your Business
Intelligence needs.
Also I hope
that you become more active in industry events this year. These conferences
and exhibitions are great places to learn, network and grow. And our
continued participation in these events guarantees they will continue into
the future. Please refer to our expanded Calendar of Events section for a
list of upcoming programs.
Again, I
wish you all the best in 2005.
Ken
Weinberg
Vice President
Carrier Logistics Inc.
Business
Intelligence: Mining for Value 
By Noah
Levine, Director, Account Management,
Top Dog Solutions, Inc.
Did you
know you may be sitting on a boundless resource of information that can help
guide you in running your organization? How can you harness the power of this
source to truly help deliver value and "ROI?" The answer is
Business Intelligence. Business Intelligence is a relatively new segment of
the software industry that delivers a treasure trove of value - cost savings,
increased profits and efficiency, performance management, better satisfied
customers, and more.
So what is
Business Intelligence? No, it's not related to corporate espionage (though it
does allow you to "spy" on all of your data). Basically, Business
Intelligence (BI) is a broad category of applications and technologies for
gathering, storing, analyzing, and providing access to data to help companies
make better business decisions.
In plain
English, BI allows you to 'mine' the massive amount of data that your
software systems collect and makes it available to you in an easy-to-use
application. Essentially, BI allows you to mine the gold that is hidden in
your data. BI empowers you to make better informed business decisions that
can have a direct impact on your bottom line by giving you real time and
instant access to key performance indicators. You can easily identify
historical trends, manage performance by conducting time period variances,
and conduct "what if" scenarios to project future plans.
Each and
every company in the LTL industry has thousands if not millions of
transactions flowing through their systems. These transactions make up a rich
set of data that is just waiting to be mined by you. With Business
Intelligence, you are free to explore your business data without having to
run or develop reports, ask for information, or wait to make decisions.
Business Intelligence empowers you to mine the value of your data by putting
your information at your fingertips.
Top Dog
Solutions has partnered with CLI to create affordable Business Intelligence
for the transportation marketplace. For more information on CLI's Business
Intelligence module, contact Ken Weinberg at kweinberg@carrierlogistics.com
or 914-332-0300.
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Register Today
for CLI's User Group Meeting
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 Sign up by Jan. 31
and receive a $25 gift card
CLI's
User Group Conference will be held on March 9-11, 2005 at the Hilton in
Tarrytown, NY. This is an excellent opportunity to get up-to-speed on all
aspects of CLI software components. You'll learn not only from CLI expert
trainers but from your business peers as well. This program is FREE to
attend and if you sign up by January 31, 2005 you'll receive an American
Express gift card for $25 upon attending the program.
The
meeting opens with a reception on Wednesday evening followed by structured
sessions beginning Thursday morning. You'll also have opportunities to meet
one-on-one with CLI trainers to get answers to your most pressing needs and
questions. The program continues on Friday ending by noon so that you can
either enjoy your afternoon in the New York City area or head back for your
flight home.
To
register, contact Kathleen Jurka at kathleen@carrierlogistics.com or call
her at 914-332-0300 to let her know you want to attend and she'll e-mail or
fax you a complete registration packet. Return your registration form by
11:59 pm EST on Monday, January 31 and you'll receive a $25 American
Express gift card when you attend the event. 
Register
for the User Group Meeting to get the long-term reward of knowledge and
better efficiency and do so by January 31st to get a short-term reward as
well.
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CLI Partners
with ViaSafe to
Facilitate Cross-Border Transports
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 New International
regulations that require carriers to communicate shipment data
electronically to Canadian Border Service Agency (CBSA) and Customs &
Border Protection (CBP) are now in effect on a voluntary basis. These
regulations, which will become mandatory in 2005, are a positive step for
the transportation community. By making the flow of documents electronic,
the border process will speed up, the cost per shipment will be lowered,
and there will be improved service levels for freight carriers as well as
an increase in job satisfaction for drivers moving freight north and south
of the border.
In
response to demand for customs connectivity and as a proactive value-added
measure to assist our clients, CLI is pleased to announce an alliance with
Ottawa- based e-global logistics firm, ViaSafe Inc. ViaSafe offers
connectivity services to ensure speedy north and southbound cross-border
movement of freight that lowers your cost-per-shipment and meets both
Canadian and US requirements for Customs Self-Assessment (CSA), Advance
Commercial Information (ACI), Free and Secure Trade (FAST) and
Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT).
By
partnering with ViaSafe, CLI can now provide a seamless, transparent
back-end solution to link our FACTS™ freight management system with US and
Canadian governments, customers and customs brokers to exchange customs and
trade documentation. This partnership assures our customers that CLI
continues to provide services that fit real business needs.
Regardless
of your company's size, all CLI customers can take advantage of this
alliance either through the direct connectivity option or a stand-alone
ViaSafe-based application. In any case there is no need for a major
investment in software or internal system changes. For more information,
contact Gary Snyder at gmsyder@sympatico.ca
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Welcome New
Customer: Al's Cartage
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 CLI is pleased to
announce that Al's Cartage has joined its client list of premier
transportation companies who have chosen the FACTS™ total freight
management system. Al's Cartage Ltd. is a leading Canadian freight carrier
serving Ontario.
"We're
extremely pleased that Al's Cartage has chosen FACTS™ for its software
solution," said Ken Weinberg, vice president, CLI. "The company
was seeking a system with web functionality, wide-ranging customer service
and operational capabilities and progressive business analysis tools. They
found the answer to their software needs in the comprehensive and
bulletproof FACTS™ system."
Al's
Cartage operates from terminals in Kitchener, Chatham, Barrie, and
Mississauga/Toronto, Ontario. It is a family-owned business that has grown
from one truck in 1936 to a major force in Ontario transportation and a
one-stop shopping center for LTL, truckload, marine, container,
consolidation, distribution and contract shipping. 
CLI is
pleased to welcome Al's Cartage to its list of clientele.
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New "Out to
Lunch" Schedule Released
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A new year is here and a new training schedule is now
available. Beginning this month, "Out to Lunch" web training will
now take place every other week. During the weeks when an "Out to
Lunch" session isn't scheduled, you'll receive a "Tip of the
Week" via e-mail. This way - whether via the web or e-mail - you'll
have a chance to stay up-to-date on various components of the entire FACTS™
software package.
Following
is the "Out to Lunch" schedule for January and February. These
live, interactive sessions are a great way to learn with minimal disruption
of your day and at a very affordable cost. You can participate over the
Internet and by conference call.
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Date
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Topic
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Jan. 14 12:00pm EST
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Equipment Control
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Jan. 28 12:00pm EST
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Recap Errors
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Feb. 11 12:00pm EST
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Carrier Rates and Exceptions
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Feb. 25 12:00pm EST
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Route Planning
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The fee
for each session is $75. If you need more than one connection to the
conference call, each additional connection is $30. This additional fee
covers the conference call and the WebEx cost, both priced by user.
For
questions or to register for any of the above sessions, please send an
e-mail to training@carrierlogistics.com. Registration is required at least
24 hours in advance, as we may need to increase the number of connections
required for a given session. Please supply the following when you register:
Company Name, Your Name, E-mail Address, Phone Number, and Topic.
Do you
have a topic that you would like covered in a future "Out to
Lunch" session? Please send it to training@carrierlogistics.com.
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Calendar of
Events
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Quick Links
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