Table of contents
Introduction
A mid-sized homeware importer relied on Pro Carrier's Horizon portal to monitor inbound shipments and coordinate warehouse operations. While the information they needed was always available, accessing it required a daily manual process that consumed valuable time and risked outdated planning information.
By implementing Horizon Connect, Pro Carrier's secure shipment API, the business replaced manual updates with live shipment data flowing directly into its internal planning systems.
The Challenge
"Our planning team needed live shipment information without relying on manual updates."
Each morning, planners logged into the Horizon portal to check vessel ETAs and delivery dates before copying them into the spreadsheet used for warehouse labour planning.
If a vessel was delayed, the spreadsheet remained inaccurate until someone manually checked the portal again.
The business had previously attempted to automate the process using screen-scraping software, but the solution proved unreliable whenever the portal interface changed.
They needed a secure, reliable way to access shipment information directly.
The Solution
"Horizon Connect provided direct, secure access to live shipment information without manual intervention."
Using Horizon Connect, the customer's IT team requested an API integration key and connected their internal dashboard directly to Pro Carrier's shipment data.
Within hours they were automatically retrieving:
- Shipment status
- Transport mode
- ETDs and ETAs
- Delivery dates
- Routes
- Shipment references
Because Horizon Connect is read-only, the integration could retrieve live shipment information without affecting operational systems. Each API key is restricted to the customer's own account and can be independently managed, rotated or revoked for individual applications.
Results
The implementation of Horizon Connect removed the need for daily manual data entry and ensured planning systems were always working from current shipment information.
The customer achieved:
- Elimination of manual copy-and-paste updates
- Live ETA updates within their planning dashboard
- More accurate warehouse labour planning
- Removal of unreliable portal screen scraping
- A single trusted source of shipment data across the business
Instead of checking multiple systems every morning, planners could rely on live data updating automatically throughout the day.
Looking Ahead
"Visibility is most valuable when it works inside the systems customers already use."
Horizon Connect is designed to help customers integrate live shipment data directly into their own business applications.
By making shipment information securely available through a dedicated API, Pro Carrier helps customers reduce manual administration, improve operational planning and make faster decisions using real-time logistics data.
