By Jean-Louis Paoli,  Production Manager

 

 

 

MGI – the right technological choices

MGI was created by a handful of visionaries who, as early as 1985, sensed there were opportunities in digital supply chain exchanges, especially for cargo port transit. The PROTIS system was born, based on IBM Mainframe technology. This product helped MGI to grow for twenty years without requiring disruptive technology, and revolutionised document flows between port operators such as freight forwarders, shipping agents, terminal operators and the customs authorities. This boosted productivity, generated growth by offering a 360° view of the export-import workflow, centralised data exchanges and became a unique reference for the port community.

AP+ web technology

In 2005, PROTIS made room for AP+, which expanded the services on offer, managing inland logistics, consolidation and deconsolidation, and port dues.

MGI had innovated once again, embracing web technologies, to give its customers much easier access to information. The application was written in Java and could be accessed using an internet browser. The total cost of ownership of the CCS dropped substantially as a single computer could be used for multiple applications, as could the shared web link. Another source of added value was that each operator had secure access to the port CCS, offering further productivity gains.

Ci5, the Rolls Royce of CCS – and now a Cargo Intelligent System!

In 2018, MGI launched its third-generation CCS, after thirteen years of distinguished service by AP+. Technology is changing faster than ever and MGI chose an open source, cloud solution to simplify and secure port flows further. The time to market was shorter than ever. It took just two years to get from initial specifications to commissioning Ci5, compared to five for PROTIS and four for AP+. Ci5 is fortunate to benefit from the experience of its predecessors and MGI’s expertise in business processes. But that is not the only reason for its success…

Modern-day computing infrastructure is now hosted in air-conditioned bunkers managed by Amazon or Google. The service catalogues available on these platforms give MGI the freedom to concentrate on its customers’ business processes and to innovate by simplifying access to information and digital data exchange.

Ci5 – productive and user-friendly

MGI wanted a system that was easy to use, so that customers could be guaranteed productivity gains. Application design took a user-centric approach to ensure that users could find a simple and intuitive digital version of their professional process in Ci5.

MGI – looking to the future

Every technological revolution leads to new changes. Constant monitoring of technology and markets is therefore vital. Blockchain is the latest buzzword in the world of innovation and we have been working on how to use it to track cargo flows. How can each step in the supply chain be secured in a decentralised way? MGI experts are working on applications. Read our Innovation article to find out more!