Case Study

Bringing Order, Visibility and Control to Global Supply Chains

A Gravity Supply Chain Solutions case study for shippers (beneficial cargo owners)

This case study reflects a representative implementation drawn from Gravity's work with clients in this sector. Specific client names and identifying details have been generalised to protect confidentiality under existing non-disclosure agreements; the challenges, solution approach and outcome ranges described are illustrative of typical engagements of this type.
Global trade network
Company Overview

A single source of truth for global supply chains

Gravity Supply Chain Solutions is a supply chain management platform that delivers end-to-end visibility, control and efficiency across cross-border orders and global supply chains. Built for the complexity of modern international trade, Gravity gives businesses a single source of truth for everything moving through their supply chain, from purchase order creation through to destination warehouse.

The platform connects and streamlines collaboration between brand owners, manufacturers, vendors and logistics providers, acting as a central hub for the entire supply chain ecosystem — replacing the fragmented mix of emails, spreadsheets and disconnected systems that characterises most global supply chains.

At its core, Gravity specialises in order management and 4PL (Fourth-Party Logistics) services, with deep expertise in vendor collaboration, first-mile orchestration and near real-time, multi-modal visibility. A built-in risk management framework enables customers to proactively identify, assess and mitigate supply chain disruptions before they impact operations.

Linked messaging and vendor performance comparison in the Gravity platform

Linked messaging and vendor performance comparison, available directly within the Gravity platform.

Company Profile

Built for complex, multi-country vendor bases

Gravity Supply Chain Holdings Pte Ltd is a Singapore-headquartered technology company. Gravity works with brand owners, retailers and manufacturers sourcing across complex, multi-country vendor bases in sectors including apparel, footwear, consumer goods and general merchandise. The platform is built on a modern, cloud-native architecture and integrates with customers' existing ERP systems through pre-built connectors, RESTful APIs and standard file transfer protocols, enabling rapid deployment without displacing systems of record.

Key Challenges

Key challenges facing shippers and beneficial cargo owners

Shippers that source across a global, multi-tier vendor base face a consistent set of challenges in the first mile of their supply chain — the stage where goods are manufactured, consolidated and dispatched.

  • Fragmented visibility across a global vendor base

    Purchase orders, production status and shipment data are scattered across emails, spreadsheets and vendor portals, making it hard to establish one trusted view of cargo from factory to destination.

  • Slow, manual vendor collaboration

    Confirming order details, tracking production milestones and managing quality control relies on time-consuming email and phone communication across time zones and languages.

  • Limited control over logistics provider selection

    Without a structured way to compare and allocate forwarders by lane and mode, shippers often default to a small number of relationships regardless of fit.

  • Reactive, rather than proactive, risk management

    Delays, non-compliant vendors, capacity constraints, or geopolitical and weather events are typically identified only after they've already affected intake plans.

  • Inventory and stock pipeline blind spots

    Without near real-time visibility of goods in transit, planning and merchandising teams struggle to forecast accurately — leading to stockouts, excess inventory or costly markdowns.

  • Disconnected performance reporting

    Vendor, forwarder and shipment KPI data lives across multiple systems, making it hard to hold partners accountable or diagnose the root cause of recurring delays.

The Gravity Solution

Case study: the Gravity solution

A global Fortune 500 consumer goods shipper, managing over 20,000 TEUs annually across 30 vendor locations, engaged Gravity Supply Chain Solutions to bring structure, collaboration and near real-time visibility to its first-mile operations. Gravity was deployed as a single hub connecting the shipper's internal teams, its vendor base and its panel of logistics service providers.

Two people reviewing a vendor performance comparison graph on a laptop

Vendor performance insights reviewed directly within the shipper's workflow.

Order and vendor collaboration

Purchase orders are pushed from the shipper's ERP into Gravity, giving each vendor a single tile to confirm order details, report production progress against key milestones, and manage quality control inspection sign-off — replacing unstructured email threads.

Vendor shipment booking and LSP allocation

The shipper gains the ability to allocate the best-fit forwarder to each shipment by lane and mode, with full visibility and control over booking and authorisation, including auto-authorisation rules configured to the shipper's own tolerances.

Near real-time, multi-modal visibility

The Goods in Transit tile combines vessel, flight and container tracking data on a single map, automatically flagging delayed shipments so operations teams can work by exception rather than checking every shipment manually.

Goods in Transit tile showing multi-modal shipment tracking on a map

The Goods-in-Transit (GIT) tile provides near real-time, multi-modal shipment tracking on a single map.

Advice of Departure (AOD) auto recreate leg feature

Enables automatic application of tracking-based route updates, streamlining AOD processing and minimising user intervention.

Document management and messaging

Centralises shipping and commercial documentation with configurable document checklists, automated tracking of mandatory document receipt, and proactive management of missing documents. Combined with in-platform messaging, the solution provides a complete audit trail across shippers, vendors and freight forwarders.

Reporting and analytics

KPI, Stock Pipeline and Shipment Insights dashboards give merchandising, logistics and leadership teams a shared, near real-time view of on-time performance, stock position, and top-performing vendors and carriers. All data can be extracted from the platform or delivered via API to downstream endpoints.

Stock Pipeline dashboard showing order-to-delivery analytics

The Stock Pipeline dashboard gives near real-time BI analytical reporting across the order-to-delivery lifecycle.

The Results

Typical outcomes for shippers implementing Gravity

Based on Gravity's benefit modelling and outcomes reported across comparable shipper deployments, typical results include:

On-time delivery status breakdown and shipment tracking overview

On-time delivery status and shipment/vendor overview.

  • Speed to value

    Live and operational within 12 weeks of project kickoff, delivered through a phased vendor onboarding programme.

  • Fewer delivery failures

    Delivery failure rates falling from around 5% to as low as 3.5% of shipped volume as exceptions are caught earlier.

  • Inventory efficiency

    Inventory cover reduced by 15% to 25%, improving working capital and cash conversion cycle.

  • Reduced markdown exposure

    Improved full-price sell-through and a 5% to 10% reduction in markdown from late or misaligned stock arrivals.

See what Gravity could do for your supply chain

Talk to us about bringing order, visibility and control to your first-mile operations.

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Gravity Product Update

Your Shipment, Your Choice: Gravity Now Offers Three Ways to Track Ocean Freight

Gravity Supply Chain SolutionsOcean Freight Visibility

Digital network of global shipping routes

Introduction

For years, container tracking has been the default way to monitor ocean shipments, and it remains a dependable part of how Gravity tracks freight today. What's changing is choice: Gravity customers can now trigger tracking registration using a Container Number, a Carrier Booking Reference (CBR), or a Bill of Lading (BL / Master Bill of Lading), whichever reference is available and best fits how they manage bookings. These additions sit alongside container tracking, not in place of it, giving shippers and forwarders more flexibility and, in many cases, an earlier window into shipment visibility.

Understanding the Three Tracking References

Each of the three references reflects a different point in the shipment lifecycle, which is exactly why offering all three matters:

Container Number

The physical equipment reference that most supply chain teams already use and recognise across the industry.

Carrier Booking Reference (CBR)

The reference issued when a carrier confirms a shipment booking, often available before a container has been assigned.

Bill of Lading (BL / Master Bill of Lading)

The legal contract issued by a carrier confirming the transportation of cargo. Each BL carries a unique reference number, such as ONEY1234576 or CMDU1234567, and, unlike a container, which is reused across multiple voyages, is tied to one specific shipment movement.

Why Offer Three Ways to Track?

Every organisation manages bookings a little differently, and the reference data on hand can vary by shipment, trade lane, or operational process. Offering container, CBR, and BL tracking side by side means tracking can begin using whatever reference is confirmed first, rather than waiting on a single data point.

We've also seen that BL and CBR references can offer practical advantages in certain scenarios. Because containers are reused across voyages, milestone data can occasionally be associated with a previous or subsequent journey. And because CBR and BL data is often available before a container is assigned, tracking can sometimes be registered earlier in the process, improving visibility during the booking and planning stages. This isn't the case for every shipment, and container tracking continues to perform reliably for the large majority of freight movements, which is exactly why Gravity offers all three as options, so customers can choose the reference, or combination of references, that best matches how they work.

Built for Automatic, Earlier Registration

Once CBR or BL tracking is enabled, Gravity automatically sends a tracking registration request as soon as a 3PL shipment booking is submitted or updated with a valid reference, with no extra manual steps. Automated registration is supported for shipment bookings created or updated through 3PL import integrations for both reference types, extending the existing container-based tracking model rather than replacing it.

Turning More Tracking Data into Predictive Insight and Automation

Regardless of which reference triggers tracking, the milestone data Gravity collects feeds the same downstream capabilities. Richer, earlier tracking data strengthens predictive ETA calculations, giving supply chain teams a clearer forward view of when shipments will actually arrive rather than relying solely on carrier-published estimates. That same data also powers automation updates, keeping downstream milestones current and supporting timely exception handling without manual intervention. The more complete and timely the tracking data, the sharper the predictive signal and the more teams can automate rather than chase.

Handling Complex Shipment Relationships

Ocean freight rarely follows a simple one-container, one-shipment model. A single BL may cover multiple containers, while multiple BLs may be associated with one container. By offering tracking via container, CBR, or BL, Gravity lets organisations align visibility to whichever level, the physical equipment or the transportation contract, best matches the shipment in question.

Goods in Transit: No Change to How You Work

However tracking is triggered, updates continue to appear in the existing Goods in Transit experience. Milestones and statuses map to the same shipment and container tracking views, the visual experience stays consistent with current tracking behaviour, and no end-user process change is required once a configuration is enabled.

The Gravity Advantage

Gravity's tracking capability now spans container, Carrier Booking Reference, and Bill of Lading data, giving customers the flexibility to register tracking using whichever reference suits their operation. Customers benefit from earlier insights where available, more accurate milestone data, improved exception management, and greater confidence in operational decision-making. This enhanced visibility enables supply chain teams to identify delays sooner, improve customer communication, and proactively manage risk across global logistics networks.

Conclusion

Visibility shouldn't be limited by which reference happens to be available first. With container, Carrier Booking Reference, and Bill of Lading tracking all supported, Gravity gives customers the flexibility to register tracking the way that suits their operation, and turns that data into earlier visibility, sharper predictive ETAs, and more automation across the shipment journey.

Gravity Supply Chain Solutions