Discover what ION can do for you
Over 2.5 billion tons of bulk materials transported on vessels are managed with ION Commodities solutions
In today’s era of lean supply chains, rising raw material prices, and regular disruptions, transporting and storing your commodities can be challenging. Efficient transportation can be the difference between being profitable or not, making supply chain management software crucial. When this software is integrated with your commodity management system, you can achieve even greater efficiencies while increasing visibility into your portfolio. ION Commodities solutions empower businesses to manage the physical logistics of any commodity, whether it travels by pipeline, tanker, barge, vessel, rail, or truck.
Related sectors
Purchasers of large quantities of fuels, like airlines and logistics companies, need control over the volatility of fuel costs. Most importantly, they must ensure adequate fuel is available to support their operations.
Companies that own, operate, or manage and track logistical and storage activities.
Vessel and barge owners and operators, or those who charter marine-based transportation, that manage the risk and cost of transporting freight.
Value delivered
- Challenge
Separate systems for trading and scheduling
Integrated energy firms, refiners and petrochemical manufacturers, power generators, agricultural commodity traders, crude producers, refined products, fuels, and NGL and LNG marketers and traders can benefit from an integrated platform for commodity logistics. By knowing your global physical positions, you can trade more effectively around your positions and manage imbalances. Businesses with integrated trading and logistics solutions can reduce operational costs and risk by optimizing their logistics and storage operations, achieving higher margins and lower costs.
SolutionBenefit from a single, connected solution
ION’s commodity management solutions can support your needs across all major commodity classes and modes of transportation. Our solutions are built on robust commodity trading and risk management (CTRM) systems that support the commodity lifecycle from trade to cash. ION also has several complementary solutions that integrate with our core CTRM systems to expand the management of your transportation and shipping operations, and optimize your supply chain.
- Challenge
Managing fuel price volatility
Fuel is one of the largest costs for airlines, railroads, shippers, trucking companies, and integrated logistics companies. The high cost of alternative fuels can erode profit margins and volatile fuel costs can cause large swings in your profitability. Companies that best manage their fuel costs and other risks can gain more stable margins and, therefore, a competitive advantage.
SolutionOptimize against volatility
Understanding fuel consumption and developing an effective purchasing and hedging strategy is key to ensuring that fuel costs and volatility are managed. Doing this requires sophisticated commodity management systems. ION’s commodity management solutions go beyond trading to track inventories, logistical movements, and imbalances, enabling you to ensure that you always have the fuel available to support your transportation operations.
- Challenge
Outdated tools for vessel management
Marine logistics is a key element in the global supply chain, with over 90% of the world’s traded goods being transported by sea. Though marine transport is efficient, costs can be quite high. Many risks are made more acute because the payment for your products may come several months after you purchased or produced the products. Despite these complexities, industry surveys show that many companies are still attempting to manage chartering and vessel operations with spreadsheets. This creates information silos and blind spots, along with presenting a greater risk for error.
SolutionA solution built for shipping
Complete transparency and fast access to actionable information can be the difference between sinking and swimming. Shipping companies and commodity companies utilizing ocean freight need a complete picture of enterprise position and exposure. They must deploy an advanced software solution for chartering, vessel operations, and risk management. Softmar, ION’s vessel chartering solution, equips organizations to make better decisions with accurate and real-time information exchange. ION’s commodity management solutions empower you to take control of your organization’s shipping and transportation operations.
- Challenge
Reducing costs while ensuring supply
Managing bunker trading and risk while also reducing fuel costs is essential for shippers’ survival. The high cost of alternative fuels, together with price volatility and the need to maintain product quality, stability, and availability, all pose challenges that have a direct impact on profitability. Shipping companies are seeking ways to improve their bunker fuel procurement strategies through sophisticated purchasing programs, while bunker traders offer risk management and hedging support strategies.
SolutionOptimize trading, risk, and inventory management
ION’s Aspect is a comprehensive solution for bunker traders and shippers seeking to optimize their fuel procurement. With capabilities spanning from trade capture to risk management to inventory management and settlement, Aspect provides complete visibility across the value chain for improved understanding of profits, losses, and exposures. By knowing exactly what stock is held in tanks across the world, along with the value, title, and specifications of that stock, you can make informed decisions to yield the best possible margins.
Products
A CTRM with robust scheduling and logistics capabilities for liquid hydrocarbon companies.
A shipping solution for vessel chartering and operations integrated with ION’s CTRMs.
A multi-tenant, SaaS CTRM for liquid hydrocarbons and metals traders moving off spreadsheets.
