A new breed of software supplier to the freight forwarding and global shipper community is born today. Swivel Software’s mission is to make it easier for freight forwarders and importers/exporters to work together through e-commerce and digitalization - shaking the dominance of established legacy supply chain management systems 

Hong Kong - The launch of Swivel Software creates a new approach to digitalizing processes for freight forwarders and beneficial cargo owners (BCOs) seeking seamless supply chain management tools.  With the emphasis on technology that is easy to access and use, and more personalized customer service than is currently available in the market, Swivel has a unique corporate pedigree.  This approach will set it, and its portfolio of products, aside in a market bedevilled with complex, inflexible software options presented to both forwarders and shippers. 

Matt Motsick
Matt Motsick
Announcing the new company’s launch in Hong Kong and the simultaneous opening of its North American headquarters, CEO Matt Motsick said, “We are Swivel by name and fully flexible and adaptive by nature. Years of experience in supplying software tools to international supply chain operators has made us very familiar with the true needs of forwarders and logistics service providers.  Providing detailed and real-time information for their customers; achieving reliable connectivity with branch and agency offices; uniting operational and financial data on one platform and all for a level of investment commensurate with a SME’s budget.  At Swivel we plan to empower digital logistics for this sector of the market enabling it to better service the growing needs of an e-commerce environment.” 

The brains behind Catapult International, which was sold to Dubai-based airline software specialist Mercator in 2015, Motsick has recently invested in the Paradigm Corporation, based out of Hong Kong.  Looking to forge itself a global identity, Paradigm has been re-branded as Swivel Software.  Between Mandy Mak, the original owner and now Chief Operating Office of the company and Motsick, they bring over 30 years of experience at commercializing software platforms, which are designed to instantly deliver transparency of activities performed across the international shipping industry.

Mak, who has built a portfolio of Paradigm customers across Asia over the last twenty years, including names like Air Sea Worldwide, Hankyu-Hanshin and Electrolux, commented on the logistics industry’s need to digitalize.  “There is currently a big technology lag.  Other sectors are advancing in web-based software, API’s (Application Programming Interface), artificial intelligence, and blockchain technology.  The global supply chain needs to adopt these tools to the e-commerce age and forwarders in particular, need to connect digitally.  They must communicate more efficiently with their partners, agents and customers in order to service current trends in e-commerce and dynamic sourcing patterns.”

The Asian pedigree of the Swivel suite of products, with Mandarin and Cantonese options, will help significantly in integrating data from source locations and organizations across Asia with the freight’s import markets destinations. Swivel’s five primary products are:

  • Swivel 360 - Creates complete visibility of all supply chain activity including tracking, exception reporting, performance indicators via a so-called ‘logistics control tower’.  Of crucial management importance to C-level executives in forwarder and BCO organizations this 360 view also acts as middleware to enhance connectivity with other applications.
  • Swivel ERP - A full operations system allowing freight forwarders/NVOCCs to prepare shipments, book cargo and uniquely integrate accounting data from each branch office or agent.
  • Swivel POM - This purchase order management system tracks orders from factory door to ultimate delivery point at SKU level: status alerts, inventory flow and delivery schedules are all included. 
  • Swivel E-Commerce - Responding to the fastest segment of logistics, SWIVEL E-commerce allows freight forwarders to help their clients manage product flow from the time at which a purchase is made online; fully integrated where necessary with the other SWIVEL products and through API to any pre-existing bespoke applications. 
  • Swivel WMS - This inventory management system allows complete control of stocks at SKU level throughout multiple warehouses globally.

Motsick concludes with an interesting analogy for current supply chain management software products, “There seems to be many new software companies that present their 

systems as smooth and easy, similar to a dog swimming in a lake,” he observes. “But beneath the surface there is frantic activity to keep the animal afloat. At Swivel we aim to calm the beast and have it reach the bank with minimal effort.”