Clariant

Clariant, a Switzerland-based global specialty chemicals company, faced a critical visibility gap across its international ocean freight network. In the energy and chemicals supply chain, where shipments often involve regulated materials requiring precise handling, compliance documentation, and just-in-time delivery, delayed or inaccurate tracking information compounds risk at every stage. Clariant's logistics teams were relying on multiple disconnected systems and manual tracking workflows — a fragmented approach that left global stakeholders, business units, and customers operating on stale data. Without real-time visibility or predictive intelligence, the company could only react to disruptions after they occurred, increasing exposure to missed delivery windows, elevated operational overhead, and deteriorating customer service levels.

Clariant deployed FourKites' supply chain visibility platform to consolidate all ocean shipment tracking data into a single centralized system accessible simultaneously to global stakeholders, business units, and customers. At the core of the platform is a machine learning engine that continuously processes carrier data and real-time transit signals to generate dynamic predictive ETAs — updating automatically as conditions evolve rather than relying on static schedules or manual status queries. FourKites also integrated critical alerting capabilities to surface in-transit disruptions before they escalate, alongside OTIF and carrier performance analytics that gave Clariant's logistics leadership a structured KPI framework for performance management. The deployment covered Clariant's full international ocean network from go-live, with the long-term goal of achieving 100% global ocean shipment tracking coverage.

Within six weeks of go-live, Clariant reached its highest-ever tracking percentage for international ocean shipments — a record achieved faster than anticipated and delivering a rapid return on investment. The unified platform eliminated the need for multiple disconnected tracking systems and the manual overhead tied to them.

Key outcomes:

• Record ocean tracking coverage reached within 6 weeks of deployment
• Automatic, accurate ETA updates delivered to all global stakeholders without manual intervention
• Reduced operational overhead from consolidating disparate systems into one platform
• Improved customer satisfaction through proactive, real-time shipment status visibility
• OTIF and carrier KPI framework established as a foundation for continuous supply chain improvement

• Specialty chemical companies should prioritize unified visibility over point solutions — fragmented systems create blind spots that predictive analytics cannot bridge.
• Deployment speed can be rapid: Clariant's six-week path to record tracking coverage shows modern SaaS visibility platforms can deliver measurable ROI without lengthy implementation cycles.
• Machine learning-driven predictive ETAs reduce manual tracking burden and improve stakeholder trust by delivering automatic updates across time zones and business units.
• OTIF and carrier performance analytics established from day one create the feedback loop needed to drive continuous service improvement.
• Platform-wide adoption across all business units — not just the logistics function — is what enables the shift from reactive to proactive disruption management.