INTTRA expands into empty container repositioning with Avantida acquisition

The acquisition sees ocean shipping electronic market place INTTRA make its first foray into the landside of the business. Belgium-headquartered Avantida’s business is based around the provided digitized systems for the automated re-use of empty containers matching the locations of empties with shippers requiring boxes.

“With Avantida we are bringing additional products and services to that customer base with the opportunity to be more efficient with container usage on the landside, which is a very large pain point for customers,” John Fay ceo of INTTRA told Seatrade Maritime News.

“It’s widely accepted within the industry that carriers and shippers need to improve the innovation and technology on the landside to be more efficient in the positioning of containers. From our customers this is a topic that comes up consistently.”

For example a container arriving in the port of Hamburg and delivered to a company 100 miles inland would traditionally then be trucked back to the terminal where it would be stored until another shipper required that container, when it would be trucked out to that shipper. Using the web-based Avantida system when the loaded container is delivered to the consignee the system identifies customers nearby in need of an empty container instead of it having to be returned to the terminal.

The result is a reduction in the trucking of empty containers back and forward to the terminal resulting in both cost savings and on emissions, as well as storage at the port. “It saves really significant costs for all parties,” Fay stated.

Avantida currently operates in seven European countries and as part of INNTRA is expanding further in Europe this year and rolling out its products in the US in the third quarter. Expansion into Asia will come later in 2017 and into 2018.

“One of the real benefits of INTTRA and Avantida combining is leveraging our global network of customers, our sales force and support area,” Fay explained.

Avantida will remain as separate unit of INTTRA with Luc De Clerk staying on as ceo of the Belgium-based company.

“It is really important for Avantida to continue its expansion rapidly and we’ve decided the strongest way to do that is have the team on growing the product and rolling it out to more customers,” Fay said.