MTN Logistics
An internal shipping system for a Germany–Africa freight forwarder. Built to replace FileMaker, it connects orders, documents and payments — with AI-assisted customs classification built directly into the packing workflow.
Context
MTN’s operation spans container shipping, vehicles, air freight, storage and other services. The existing FileMaker setup held the data, but its structure didn’t reflect how those different jobs actually moved.
The system needed to follow the operation instead of forcing the operation into one generic record.
Keep the desk’s language.
Change the structure under it.
The system
Different jobs ask different questions. The new model adapts around the type of work while keeping the order at the centre.
Parties, route, status, costs, invoices and documents live around that order. The dashboard surfaces what the desk needs next.
Classification
Classification, where it actually happens.
The desk doesn’t need to know the exact customs terminology. Type a familiar description like Gebrauchter Kühlschrank and embedded AI interprets the item, matches it against the official German nomenclature and proposes likely nomenclature and HS code combinations.
A person makes the final selection before it enters the packing document.
01 — From order to classification
Follow an order into its packing list, where a plain-language cargo description becomes suggested customs nomenclature and HS codes.
Money
The money stays with the order.
Invoices, cash and bank payments, receipts and open balances stay connected to the shipment instead of becoming a separate workflow.
A cash payment updates the drawer and produces a receipt the customer can open by QR code.
02 — The money stays with the order
From shipment to payment and receipt.
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Self-hosted
Operational and financial data remain with the company.
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PWA
Installable, with customer-facing receipts accessible by phone.
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AI, with a final check
AI maps plain-language cargo descriptions to likely customs nomenclature and HS codes. A person makes the final selection.
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Documents
Generated directly from order data.
Result
The desk no longer runs in FileMaker. Orders, documents, payments and classification now live in the same operational system.
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