Ovako is a leading European steel manufacturer that transforms locally sourced scrap metal into high-quality special steel for global industries. With operations across Sweden and Finland and customers worldwide, Ovako handles a high volume of bulky freight that must be coordinated across many carriers. The company wanted a more structured and transparent way to manage transport bookings without disrupting ongoing operations.
Challenge
Ovako ships approximately 700,000 tons of steel each year through 20 different carriers. Until recently, the logistics team handled bookings directly with each carrier, often through separate web portals or via email. While workable, this approach created fragmentation, slowed down the booking process and made it difficult to gain central visibility of transport status and costs.
As freight volumes grew, Ovako recognised that consolidating transport booking into a single portal would bring greater structure, transparency and control. But they also needed a transition that was smooth, low-friction and did not require immediate integration with existing business systems.
Solution
Ovako chose to start using nShift TMS in the simplest possible configuration: manual booking through a single, central platform, without immediate system integration. This approach allowed teams to adopt the new process quickly while maintaining continuity in daily operations.
The setup was built using standard TMS modules adapted to Ovako’s needs. A private domain group was created so each local office could work within its own account while the head office kept an overview of all bookings. This balance of local autonomy and central visibility made onboarding easier and ensured that every team, regardless of location, had access to the same structured process.
Results
Centralising the booking process has made transport management easier, more consistent and far more transparent. Instead of relying on individual carrier systems or email threads, all bookings now follow the same structured workflow.
Teams can see whether a shipment has been loaded, how it is progressing and how much it costs. This information was previously accessible only to the booking contact and the carrier.
Ovako has also benefited from the Automatic Price feature, which provides price estimates based on existing carrier agreements. This allows teams to verify invoices more efficiently and reduce the risk of discrepancies.
Together, these improvements support a more controlled and efficient transport operation across all Ovako sites.
