Digital Revolution in Logistics for CSL

A few years ago, CSL’s management board made a strategic decision: to move beyond existing operating models and build logistics that stay ahead of their time. This decision evolved into the vision of CSL World - a digital logistics ecosystem built according to the CSL® standard, designed to connect customers, carriers, warehouse operators, customs agents, and partners within one collaborative network. CSL Group’s vision is clear: by 2033, to become a global benchmark for innovation in logistics.

The first fundamental step toward this vision was to build a modern logistics ecosystem from the ground up - a project delivered by CSL together with Hycom and technology partner Otimo.

Click to zoomimg > hycom x otimoClick to zoomimg > hycom x otimo

CSL’s existing TMS had served the company well for years. However, as the business grew dynamically and customer expectations continued to rise, the need for a solution capable of supporting new ambitions became increasingly clear. Some processes still had to be handled outside the system - in Excel and Google Sheets. In practice, this created several operational challenges:

Manual processes and a high risk of errors. Orders were received by email, FDL and XML documents were compared manually, and carriers were selected in spreadsheets. This generated operational costs and increased the likelihood of mistakes.

Lack of integration between systems and partners. Data was fragmented, while information exchange between CSL, customers, carriers, and port operators took place mainly via email.

No dynamic route optimization or fleet management. Transport selection and carrier assignment required manual analysis of available options. This made it difficult to compare fleet availability, vehicle location, payload capacity, and loading ramp schedules in real time. As a result, carrier selection was not always optimal from a cost, time, or operational perspective.

Complex logistics processes. Sea freight, land freight, port operations, and customs clearance are four different operational worlds. In day-to-day work, they all need to come together seamlessly within one supply chain - without teams constantly switching between systems.

Click to zoomimg > The challenges facing CSL

CSL works with demanding customers for whom service quality is the highest priority. As this cooperation expanded, the volume and intensity of information exchange between business partners increased significantly. Data security, accuracy, and operation within one consistent system became critical. This approach not only saves time but also enables direct and faithful 1:1 information transfer between all parties involved.

The starting point was an in-depth analysis of CSL’s operational processes - from order receipt, through transport planning and port coordination, to customs clearance and settlement. Hycom’s team spent dozens of hours in workshops with sea freight forwarders, land freight forwarders, port operators, and customs agents, mapping every process step, every document, and every decision point.

At the same time, we examined the "old habits" shaped by the previous system - both what worked well and what slowed teams down. Some processes simply had to be transferred into a modern tool. Others required a fundamental redesign, sometimes against existing habits. The role of Hycom’s analysts and designers was not only to listen, but also to recommend changes that could deliver measurable operational value.

Out of this work emerged the concept of the CSL World forwarding platform, based on five key assumptions:

• One working environment for all roles - sea freight forwarders, land freight forwarders, port operators, and customs agents - putting an end to fragmented data across emails and spreadsheets.

• Automation where it makes sense - using AI for document processing and n8n for process orchestration.

• Transport optimization based on hard data - instead of intuition and manual calculations.

• Openness to future development and integrations - CSL World was designed as the foundation of an ecosystem, not a closed island.

• Independence and full ownership of the solution - with CSL owning the system and controlling its further development.

The choice of technology - TypeScript and React, n8n, OpenAI, PostgreSQL, Microsoft Azure, and the Otimo Optimizer - followed five clear criteria: security, independence, scalability, ease of integration, and optimization power based on world-class algorithms.

Together with Hycom.digital and Otimo, we have created the architecture of the future: a strategy and roadmap for implementations that not only automate processes but also create a new model of work—one that is predictable, integrated, and accessible from anywhere. We’re not building a system. We’re building a new way for global supply chains to operate.

Przemysław Hołowacz

CDO CSL Sp. z o.o

Hycom designed and implemented CSL World - an integrated, web-based digital ecosystem that replaced a fragmented set of tools and manual processes with one consistent working environment.

The ecosystem covers four key roles: sea freight forwarder, land freight forwarder, port operator, and customs agent.

Sea freight forwarding.

Creation and management of forwarding documentation based on Preliminary List and FDL files. Automatic validation and comparison of documents using AI. Email integration through IMAP and automated attachment processing. Cargo register, discrepancy handling, and grouping of cargo items.

Click to zoomimg > Key functional areas 1

Land freight forwarding.

Planning and management of land transport, appointment scheduling, order status monitoring, and dynamic carrier allocation based on the Otimo Optimizer.

Click to zoomimg > Key functional areas 2

Port operations.

Management of port operations and appointments, support for processes before and on the loading day, and coordination with the Euroterminal system.

Click to zoomimg > Key functional areas 3

Customs agency.

Management of customs clearance orders, customs agency folders linked to cargo and documents, handling of multiple cargo items within a single customs declaration, and blocking of transport document generation until all customs clearance processes are completed.

Click to zoomimg > Key functional areas 4

Reporting and operational dashboard.

A real-time view of transport statuses, reports and statistics based on flexible filters, as well as alerts and notifications for forwarders.

Click to zoomimg > Key functional areas 5

Administration and security.

User, role, and permission management, branch configuration, two-factor authentication with Google Authenticator, and flexible configuration of appointments, optimizer settings, finances, and checklists.

Click to zoomimg > Key functional areas 6

System integrations

From the beginning, CSL World was connected with key elements of the broader CSL ecosystem, allowing operations to run within one structured environment. The system handles email communication automatically - retrieving messages, analyzing attachments, and placing them directly into the logistics process. It also verifies carriers in public registers on an ongoing basis, helping CSL avoid cooperation with unreliable companies. This is complemented by integration with the port operator’s system, enabling terminal operations to be handled efficiently and without unnecessary manual work. In practice, this means fewer clicks, fewer errors, and a much faster flow of information between all participants in the process.

The platform architecture was designed with openness to future integrations in mind - including customer systems, logistics partners, carrier telematics, and customs systems. These integrations are planned for the next stages of CSL World development.

One of the key differentiators of CSL World is the deep integration of artificial intelligence into day-to-day logistics processes. AI is embedded directly into the forwarder’s workflow - it is not just a fashionable add-on.

OpenAI models - GPT-4o-mini, supported in selected cases by GPT-5 mini - automatically:

• extract data from PDF files in FDL format, converting unstructured documents into structured JSON data;

• compare different document versions, detecting discrepancies between FDL and XML files;

• identify missing information and potential errors in documentation;

• assign documents to the correct folders and cargo items;

• process documents in both text and image formats using a hybrid approach.

This automation eliminates hours of manual work and reduces the risk of errors. Instead of reading and comparing documents field by field, forwarders receive a ready-made summary with flagged discrepancies.

The decision-making engine at the heart of CSL World is the Otimo Forwarding Optimizer - a component embedded in the platform that automatically selects optimal carrier-route pairs for each order.

The algorithm performs multi-criteria optimization, taking into account:

• available fleet and its parameters, including payload capacity, location, and readiness time;

• carrier prices and route preferences;

• quality ratings of cooperation with carriers, including load balancing;

• pickup time windows, port ramp limits, and warehouse working hours;

• cargo weight and specifications.

Click to zoomimg > otimo optimizer

Otimo is a team of scientists and software engineers whose algorithms compete globally with solutions created by technology giants. For CSL, this means a competitive advantage built directly into the system’s foundation - every forwarder has access to an enterprise-class decision engine that has so far been available mainly to the largest operators.

CSL World was designed as a modern, scalable ecosystem of cloud-based web applications running on Microsoft Azure. The technology stack was selected according to five criteria: security, independence, scalability, ease of integration, and optimization capabilities.

Click to zoomimg > Technology and architecture

Production and test environments are logically separated, ensuring deployment stability. Two-factor user authentication and full control over data are standards we built into the platform’s foundation.

The CSL World project was a deliberate decision by Hycom to work in a new delivery model: faster, more agile, and deeply supported by AI at every stage of the process. Within 9 months from kick-off to GoLive, we built and implemented a complex platform that replaced a long-standing TMS system.

Analysis and prototyping

An analyst must understand the client, build trust, and propose a solution. Hycom’s approach was to create a prototype at a very early stage - one that later became the foundation of the entire implementation. The prototype allowed the client to see the solution, not just read about it. This radically shortened decision-making iterations.

Implementation

The implementation itself took 19 weeks. Functional analysis and workshops were run in parallel with iterative development, which required independence and initiative from the entire team. This approach moved away from the traditional "analysis → design → coding" model, where each phase waits for the previous one to close.

Shadowing

For 8 weeks, CSL and Hycom teams worked in parallel across two systems - the new CSL World platform and the existing TMS. This approach enabled practical verification of every process under production conditions, gathering feedback from forwarders and implementing improvements before the official launch. As a result, GoLive took place without migration panic. The CSL team knew the system, trusted it, and understood its advantages.

AI in the project team’s work

This time, at Hycom, we used AI not only as a product component, but also as a tool supporting the project team’s work. The key conclusions we observed were:

• Responsible use of AI accelerates coding and prototyping.

• AI works well as an assistant - it does not replace senior expertise, but strengthens productivity.

• Knowledge and experience in understanding the client’s problem remain critical - AI cannot replace them.

Building such an advanced system requires full trust on both sides. The most difficult stage is finding the right partners to cooperate with. We decided on a new, more agile delivery model with the supplier - based on a prototype instead of months of specification, with parallel analysis and implementation, and work in a shadowing model. Only this approach made it possible to create tools that met our high expectations. The decision proved right - we were not disappointed. The ecosystem that was created is intuitive and highly automated.

Przemysław Hołowacz

CDO CSL Sp. z o.o