Customer Success Story: Near North Customs Brokerage, Inc.

Near North Customs Brokers, Inc. is an expanding North American customs broker, international freight forwarder, and trade consultant headquartered in Ontario, Canada. The company is committed to providing world-class service using innovative technology such as Descartes Canadian Customs Brokerage solution.

“Global trade can be complex. With offices in Canada and the United States, our goal is to ensure trade regulations are followed properly on both sides of the border,” said Patrick Plourde, Sudbury Branch Lead from Near North Customs Brokers, Inc. “Our dedicated team of licensed customs brokers and certified customs specialists are committed to ensure the entire transportation process is simple and seamless.”

“As we have grown in size, our portfolio has expanded across a broad range of service offerings and business niches. This set the foundation to provide a more comprehensive level of service that our customers expect in today’s competitive marketplace. One of the core challenges we faced was unifying our business on a common platform to be more agile and to operate our business more efficiently. We knew that we needed to move to a centralized system to better manage operations.”

“However, switching technology platforms can be challenging since systems can become entrenched and are difficult to untangle. In addition, there was some functionality, such as Canadian Advance Commercial Information (ACI) filing for trucks, that needed to be fully explored in order to fully switch platforms.”

“That is where Descartes came in to help us succeed. As a technology innovator, Descartes worked to help us implement and test Canadian ACI security filing technology to benefit our operations. We worked closely with Descartes to ensure a seamless filing with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). As a result, we no longer had to rekey information which improved our efficiency and overall performance.”

“As a company that grows through targeted acquisitions, we also now have a roadmap to move legacy platforms to the Descartes Canadian Customs Brokerage solution and to add on additional carriers for Canadian ACI. With Descartes, we have a pathway for growth to boost our bottom line.”

Patrick Plourde, Sudbury Branch Lead, Near North Customs Brokers, Inc.

Near North Customs Brokers was able to consolidate and unify technology platforms to improve performance

With a roadmap in place to integrate acquired companies on a centralized technology, it is easier to standardize business processes

Working with Descartes, the company was able to add service offerings to help improve profit margins

Near North Customs Brokers ended the need to rekey Canadian ACI information into existing platforms

Near North Customs Brokers provides tailored customs brokerage, trade consulting, and freight-forwarding services in Canada and the United States. With more than 30 years of experience, Near North continues to invest in the knowledge and expertise through ongoing training and a commitment to stay current on all changes in the industry. With real-time status updates on shipments, Near North uses the best software in the business at both our Canadian and U.S. offices, each tailored to the requirements of its respective government agencies governing the import and export of commercial goods.

Learn more at www.nearnorthcustoms.com.