Damco, global provider of freight forwarding and supply chain management services, has announced the launch of the startup Twill, a digital freight forwarder designed to simplify shipping with the customer at the helm.

The solution enables customers to book, manage and monitor shipments online at the click of a button, focusing on four key features: instant quotation, integrated document handling, milestone transparency, and proactive exception management.

Initially focused on managing ocean shipments within the China-to-UK trade lane, the company will grow by adding more shipping routes and products over the coming months.

Jo Southwell, Logistics Manager at Randa Accessories is already using the platform. “We were really pleased to be involved in the early stages of Twill’s development,” she said. “Already the online platform is giving us improved visibility of our shipments meaning that we can see where our goods are in the supply chain at any given time. Previously, we relied on a lot of manual processes including emails back and forth with our team in China, but Twill allows us to see all information in one place and it is so simple to use.”

“We understand that not everyone is a shipping expert,” said Troels Stovring, CEO of Twill Logistics. “Twill is designed to keep the booking process of freight as simple as possible. We’re taking an agile approach, developing a product for the customer with their needs as the core of everything we do. We are confident that this will simplify shipping significantly and create a great customer experience.”

Twill has until now been in a closed test phase with a select number of customers. Beginning April 10, 2017 the platform will be openly available to the UK market.