Canadian Blood Services Implements Descartes' Comprehensive, Saas-Based Transportation Management Solution

Published on Tuesday, 26 June 2012 06:36 Written by TradersHuddle Staff

Cloud-Based Solution Combines Purchased Transportation Management, Private Fleet Routing and Mobile Functions to Optimize Shipments of Blood Products

WATERLOO, Ontario, June 26, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Descartes Systems Group (Nasdaq:DSGX) (TSX:DSG), the global leader in uniting logistics-intensive businesses in commerce, announced that Canadian Blood Services, a national, not-for-profit, charitable organization that manages the blood supply in all Canadian provinces and territories except Quebec, has successfully implemented Descartes' cloud-based Transportation Management solution. The solution helps manage inventories in transit and the delivery of blood and blood products to hospitals, clinics, labs and other facilities.

"Our mission is to manage the blood and blood products supply in a manner that gains the trust, commitment and confidence of all Canadians by providing a safe, secure, cost effective, and accessible supply of quality blood and related products," said Jean Landreville, Distribution Manager at Canadian Blood Services. "Descartes is helping us deliver on this mission with a comprehensive solution that provides robust logistics management and chain of custody tracking capabilities that are critical to our operations."

Descartes' comprehensive transportation management solution provides modular, end-to-end multi-modal functionality that spans the entire shipment lifecycle. Orders are taken directly from Canadian Blood Services' enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and are optimized based on business requirements, service criteria and cost. The solution determines whether the time sensitive shipment should be transported on Canadian Blood Services' private fleet or via a third party carrier.

Shipments transported on Canadian Blood Services' private fleet are optimized to reduce fuel and operational costs while meeting defined service levels. To help ensure chain of custody compliance, the shipments are scanned on and off the vehicles and then shipment location and handling information is tracked, including electronic proof of delivery (POD) signature capture. For shipments transported via a third party carrier, the shipment management process is enhanced with optimized carrier selection, integrated carrier compliant parcel labelling, and performance management reporting.

"We are really proud to be working with Canadian Blood Services, and pleased that our solutions are helping to make a difference in Canada," said Arthur Mesher, Chairman and CEO at Descartes. "Our ability to rapidly deploy and cost effectively combine purchased transportation and private fleet management with leading-edge mobile applications is a perfect fit for organizations like Canadian Blood Services."

About Canadian Blood Services

Canadian Blood Services is a national, not-for-profit charitable organization that manages the supply of blood and blood products in all provinces and territories outside of Quebec. Canadian Blood Services also oversees the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network, and provides national leadership for organ and tissue donation and transplantation. Canadian Blood Services operates 43 permanent collection sites and more than 20,000 donor clinics annually. The provincial and territorial Ministries of Health provide operational funding to Canadian Blood Services. The federal government, through Health Canada, is responsible for regulating the blood system.

To book an appointment or for more information, visit us at www.blood.ca or call 1 888 2 DONATE.

About Descartes

Descartes (TSX:DSG) (Nasdaq:DSGX) is a global leader in providing on-demand, software-as-a-service solutions focused on improving the productivity, performance and security of logistics-intensive businesses. Descartes' B2B network, the Global Logistics Network, integrates more than 35,000 trading partners to our cloud-based Logistics Technology Platform to unite their businesses in commerce. Customers use our modular, software-as-a-service solutions to route, schedule, track and measure delivery resources; plan, allocate and execute shipments; rate, audit and pay transportation invoices; file customs and security documents for imports and exports; and complete numerous other logistics processes by participating in the world's largest, collaborative multi-modal logistics community. Our headquarters are in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada and we have offices and partners around the world. Learn more at www.descartes.com.

The Descartes Systems Group logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=4065

This release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws ("forward-looking statements") that relate to Descartes' solution offering and potential benefits derived therefrom; and other matters. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements or developments expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, the factors and assumptions discussed in the section entitled, "Certain Factors That May Affect Future Results" in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Ontario Securities Commission and other securities commissions across Canada. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. We do not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in our expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

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