Enqlare: Simplifying Bulk Freight Workflows

Introduction to Enqlare

Stakeholders in the shipping industry are perpetually challenged by high operational costs and inefficiencies stemming from a lack of coordination amongst teams. Traditionally, teams have grappled with managing shipments through cumbersome processes involving emails, spreadsheets, and PDFs, necessitating a wide array of manual data entry work. This not only consumes valuable time but also introduces a high risk of human error in planning and executing port calls, leading to inaccurate laytime calculations. These seemingly minor issues have a domino effect, exacerbating substantial costs for all parties involved in a port call, from vessel operators to terminal and port agencies.

Recognising the urgent need for a streamlined approach to address these challenges, Enqlare set out to simplify the intricacies of bulk freight workflows. Enqlare's comprehensive suite of solutions spans across port agency operations, chartering management, and laytime operations including the digitalisation of the Statement of Facts (eSOF). By enabling real-time information sharing, document co-creation, and collaborative problem-solving, Enqlare significantly enhances turnaround times and minimises friction across multiple supply chain stakeholders.

At the heart of Enqlare's mission is the digitisation of port call processes, allowing port agents to share timely and accurate data with cargo owners and service providers. With a focus on predictability and well-coordinated port calls, Enqlare streamlines operations, reduces manual intervention, lowers operating costs, and sets new standards for efficiency in port call management. When used together, Enqlare’s solutions allow customers to achieve a significant reduction of up to 40 minutes for each laytime calculation, translating into more than a thousand saved man-hours across their customer base each month.

The Founding Story

The origin story of Enqlare is as serendipitous as it is inspiring, beginning with a chance meeting at a mutual friend's wedding in Stockholm. It was there that Anders Carlsson, who would become the CEO, and Fredrik Tham, the CTO, first crossed paths. Within the span of a few hours, their shared passion for tech startups sparked a connection, fueled by Anders' interest in the tech startup Fredrik was leading at the time. This encounter set the stage for a burgeoning friendship and partnership.

In the weeks and months that followed, what started as a chance encounter at a mutual friend’s wedding progressed into professional discussions ranging from their respective careers and businesses to emerging trends and news in the startup world over numerous coffee meetups, driven by their mutual entrepreneurial spirit. This evolved into brainstorming sessions for potential business ventures. Given Anders' extensive experience in the shipping industry, with stints at notable companies like Cargill and P&G, and Fredrik's proven expertise in scaling software products within fast-paced startups, the maritime sector emerged as a natural fit for their new venture. 

Enqlare’s Founding Team. From left to right, Fredrik Tham (Co-founder and CTO) and Anders Carlsson (Co-founder and CEO).

Anders brought to the table a wealth of knowledge about the challenges plaguing the bulk freight sector, such as widespread data isolation, unnecessary intermediary involvement, and exorbitant transaction costs. Leveraging their combined strengths, Enqlare was established with a bold vision: to simplify the maritime industry by fostering insight, collaboration, and automation among all stakeholders. To add to the timeliness of their chance encounter, the maritime industry was also ripe for digital transformation.

Early Beginnings

The nascent stages of Enqlare’s journey were guided by the co-founders’ early recognition of the importance of closely aligning their solution with market needs. This encouraged them to embark on a meticulous process of brainstorming and modelling their initial business concepts. By understanding that the quicker they figured out what the market needs through validation assumptions was the cornerstone to success, Enqlare chose to be agile. Instead of creating a feature-rich product, they built a simple but effective prototype using a low-code platform. This choice was made to speed up their "time-to-customer”. This approach was a deliberate strategy to facilitate early engagement with potential customers, enabling the team to rapidly gather and iterate on real feedback regarding features, value propositions, and usability. This rapid validation process was instrumental in sharpening their understanding of the industry's challenges and refining their problem statement.

Through this iterative process, a key insight emerged: substantial costs were incurred by ships during idle time (generally, in or around ports). The founders identified reducing these non-transit periods as a critical step to enhancing operational efficiency and, by extension, the profitability of all stakeholders involved. This insight underpinned their focus on streamlining the supply chain steps for dry bulk cargo, minimising paperwork errors that lead to costly delays, and enhancing the overall efficiency of port calls.

In pursuit of this vision, the initial months of Enqlare's journey were characterised by what the founders described as "daily virtual voyages", where the founders embarked on hours of targeted virtual calls with potential clients across the globe.

Screenshots of Enqlare’s Platform. The platform allows users to view all port calls and up-to-date updates in one place.

Growth and Evolution

Till date, Enqlare has worked with 100 companies across the globe. Enqlare’s path to growth is a testament to the power of listening closely to what customers really need and the agility to adapt quickly. Zooming in on how they've made a tangible difference for companies like Olam Agri, The Andersons, and Enviva, there is no doubt that Enqlare’s solution leaves a practical impact on their customers. 

For Olam Agri, their partnership with Enqlare began 3 years ago when the team adopted Enqlare's Laytime software solution. Olam Agri quickly saw the value in automating a process that was once manual, error-prone, and time-consuming, and the positive experience led them to expand their partnership to include Enqlare's eSOF product about a year ago, streamlining their operations even further. Their work with Olam Agri is a clear example of how thoughtful solutions can significantly improve operations, showcasing the potential for ongoing collaboration and evolution. 

Screenshot of an eSOF on Enqlare’s Platform. The eSOF provides a detailed breakdown of activity across the supply chain, accounting for delays and allowing remarks to be made.

At the core of it all, Enqlare takes on a unique growth strategy with a simple yet revolutionary idea, validating what the market truly wants before diving deep into product development. By pre-selling their solutions, the team could cut through the noise of optimistic feedback that often leads startups astray, ensuring their offerings meet genuine needs.

Knowing that the maritime industry's challenges are constantly evolving, Enqlare commits to a meticulous internal cycle of highlighting key assumptions and revisiting them over time to ensure that they remain relevant. To put it bluntly, what worked last year might not today, so constant validation here is a crucial step for startup success. This approach is not just useful in keeping their solutions relevant but also ensures that they continue to address real, evolving problems. In addition, their emphasis on exceptional customer service allows the team to build genuine relationships, providing them firsthand accounts to better understand the industry's challenges.

Looking Ahead

Enqlare is eager to broaden the horizons of their port agency software. They are keen to engage with cargo owners, port agents, and service providers interested in driving efficiency and innovation within their operations. For those intrigued by the possibilities of streamlining their maritime logistics and would like to learn more, feel free to visit their website or reach out to Anders directly for further discussions.