Case Study - Helping Australia's largest private rail freight company transform & modernise their core platforms

Overview

Project Management and Delivery Lead

We assigned a dedicated project management and delivery lead team that could steer the project towards modernisation navigating the complexities and challenges that the industry was facing, particularly high operating costs due to fuel price, labour shortages and poor GPS integration across the region. This team was responsible for overseeing the project's timeline, budget, resource allocation and stakeholder communication, ensuring that the project remained on track and aligned with business goals.

Software Design and Development

Focused on enhancing the TMS API Platform to support the modernisation project. This involved the creation of new APIs required to tackle regulation and compliance and the enhancement of existing APIs to meet new business requirements, such as near-real time location and container status.

Cloud Infrastructure Design & Development

We designed and developed a robust, scalable cloud infrastructure to support the enhanced TMS API Platform. We ensured that the platform was resilient, secure and capable of handling the demands of a modern digital logistics operation.

CI/CD Pipelines

The development and deployment of CI/CD pipelines were crucial to enhancing the team's capacity to deliver working software efficiently. These pipelines facilitated the automatic build, test and deployment of the TMS API Platform and APIs. As an example, new features took 3 days from ideation to production, while before this could take weeks to months for simple format changes.

Legacy System Migration

This involved carefully planning the migration process to minimise disruption to existing operations while ensuring that all data and functionality were preserved in the new system. Our team's expertise in legacy system integration and modernisation played a pivotal role to make this transition frictionless for the Pacific National Team.

Result

The PacNat digital logistics platform has significantly transformed the rail freight market in Australia. It has enabled Pacific National to provide a seamless, self-service experience for customers, managing their freight requirements nationwide efficiently. The platform has led to a reduction in B-double trucks on the roads, resulting in safer roads, less traffic congestion and lower carbon emissions. This project has not only met but exceeded the initial goals, positioning Pacific National as a leader in digital logistics and showcasing our capability in delivering large-scale application development services.

Ethical Behaviour Used

Throughout the project, our team adhered to the highest standards of ethical behaviour, guided by values of honesty, integrity and responsibility. We maintained transparency with all stakeholders, conducted regular inspections and adapted our strategies based on feedback and ethical considerations. Our commitment to delivering customer value and anticipating future needs ensured that we made decisions that were not only beneficial in the short term but sustainable and responsible in the long term.

Sustainability Considerations

The PacNat platform was developed with long-term sustainability in mind, at the project, organisation and community levels. Environmentally, it contributes to reduced carbon emissions and promotes a shift towards more sustainable modes of transportation. Economically, it offers a scalable solution that can adapt to future market demands, ensuring Pacific National's continued growth and competitiveness. Socially, it enhances the safety and efficiency of Australia's transportation system, benefiting the wider community. Our approach ensured that the platform's development and implementation had a positive impact, demonstrating our commitment to sustainability in all aspects of our work.

What we did