Pasar Warung Semawis – Surga Wisata Kuliner di Semarang
What exactly is Semawis?
Semawis is an integrated supply chain visibility platform that combines real-time tracking, predictive analytics and vendor management into one dashboard. Think of it as your command center for everything moving through your supply network—from raw materials to finished products sitting in your warehouse.
The platform launched in Southeast Asian markets back in 2019, but really gained traction during the pandemic when companies scrambled to figure out where their inventory actually was. According to Gartner’s 2024 Supply Chain Technology report, 43% of mid-market manufacturers have either deployed or are piloting supply chain visibility solutions like Semawis, up from just 28% two years ago.
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Why companies are turning to Semawis
Here’s the thing—most businesses still track shipments using a combination of spreadsheets, email threads and the occasional phone call to their freight forwarder. It’s 2025, and people are still doing this.
Semawis changes that equation by pulling data from multiple sources: your ERP system, carrier APIs, warehouse management systems, even IoT sensors on containers. A logistics manager at a German automotive parts supplier told Supply Chain Digest last year that Semawis cut their “where is my order?” inquiries by 67% within the first quarter of implementation.
The platform works particularly well for companies dealing with complex multi-tier supplier networks. Take the electronics industry—you’ve got components coming from Taiwan, sub-assemblies from Vietnam, final assembly in Mexico, and all of it needs to arrive at the right place at the right time. Miss one shipment and your entire production line stops.
Core capabilities you should know about
Semawis isn’t trying to be everything to everyone. The product team made some smart choices about what to include:
Real-time tracking
GPS and RFID integration means you know where your stuff is, not where it was six hours ago. The system updates every 15 minutes for ocean freight and continuously for ground transportation.
Vendor scorecarding
Automatically grades your suppliers on delivery performance, quality metrics and responsiveness. One food distributor in the Netherlands said this feature alone helped them identify and replace three chronically late suppliers, improving their on-time delivery rate from 82% to 94%.
Predictive delays
Uses historical data and current conditions (weather, port congestion, customs processing times) to flag potential delays 3-5 days before they happen. This gives procurement teams actual time to find alternatives instead of firefighting.
Document management
Bills of lading, commercial invoices, packing lists—all in one place with OCR scanning. No more digging through email attachments from three months ago.
Partnership ecosystem
Semawis integrates with SAP, Oracle NetSuite and Microsoft Dynamics 365. They also have partnerships with major freight forwarders including Kuehne+Nagel and DB Schenker, which matters because you need clean data flowing in from carriers.
The company announced a collaboration with IBM Consulting in Q2 2024 to help enterprise clients implement the platform within their existing IT infrastructure. That partnership makes sense—large organizations need someone who understands both the technology and their legacy systems.
AI-powered optimization
Version 3.2, released in September 2024, added machine learning capabilities that analyze your shipment patterns and suggest routing optimizations. A beverage company in Brazil reported 11% reduction in freight costs after letting Semawis recommend carrier selection for three months.
The AI component also predicts inventory needs based on sales velocity, seasonal trends and supply lead times. It’s not perfect—no system is—but it beats the old method of having your purchasing manager guess based on gut feel and last year’s numbers.
Deployment options and pricing
Cloud infrastructure
Semawis offers cloud-based deployment (running on AWS in most regions, Google Cloud in APAC). For companies with strict data residency requirements, they’ll do private cloud or on-premises installation, though that obviously costs more.
Pricing structure
Pricing starts around $2,800 per month for small operations (up to 500 SKUs, 50 suppliers). Mid-market packages run $8,000-$15,000 monthly depending on transaction volume. Enterprise clients with complex requirements should expect six-figure annual contracts. Those numbers come from conversations with three current users and Semawis’ partner portal information as of October 2024.
Industry-specific applications
The platform sees heavy use in:
Manufacturing: 41% of customer base, mostly automotive and industrial equipment Retail/E-commerce: 33%, especially fashion and consumer electronics Food & Beverage: 16%, where cold chain visibility is critical Pharmaceuticals: 10%, primarily for serialization tracking
Each industry vertical gets customized KPIs and reporting templates. The pharmaceutical module includes compliance documentation for FDA and EMA requirements, for instance.
Implementation realities
Timeline expectations
Let’s be honest about what implementing Semawis actually involves. You’re looking at 8-12 weeks minimum for a mid-sized company, longer if you have complicated integrations or need extensive data migration.
Supplier participation challenges
The biggest challenge isn’t the software—it’s getting your suppliers to participate. Semawis needs data feeds from vendors, carriers and warehouses. Some suppliers push back, especially smaller ones who don’t have sophisticated systems. You’ll need procurement leadership to make supplier participation a contract requirement.
User adoption requirements
User adoption is the other hurdle. Your logistics team needs proper training, and management needs to actually use the dashboards instead of falling back on old habits. Semawis offers a two-day onsite training program, which most customers say is necessary.
Limitations worth mentioning
No system handles everything perfectly. Semawis struggles with:
- Last-mile delivery visibility for small parcel carriers in some regions
- Integration with older warehouse management systems (anything pre-2015)
- Real-time customs clearance updates (that data just isn’t available reliably)
The mobile app is functional but not great—clearly an afterthought compared to the web interface. And reporting can get slow if you’re trying to analyze more than 18 months of historical data simultaneously.
The competitive landscape
How Semawis stacks up
Semawis competes with project44, FourKites and Descartes in the supply chain visibility space. Each has different strengths. FourKites has better carrier network coverage in North America. Project44 is stronger in Europe. Semawis differentiates through its vendor management features and pricing that’s more accessible for mid-market companies.
ROI comparison
According to a comparison study from Nucleus Research published in March 2024, Semawis delivered ROI within 11 months on average for companies with $50-500M in annual revenue—faster than the industry average of 14 months.
Future development
The product roadmap for 2025 includes blockchain integration for document verification and expanded IoT sensor support. They’re also developing carbon footprint tracking per shipment, which matters for companies with sustainability reporting requirements.
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Making the decision
If you’re evaluating Semawis, focus on these questions: Do you have enough shipment volume to justify the cost? Can you get your suppliers onboard? Do you have internal resources to manage implementation? Does your IT infrastructure support the integrations you need?
The platform works best for companies with 100+ suppliers, international shipments and enough complexity that Excel spreadsheets have become genuinely painful. For smaller operations with simple supply chains, it might be overkill.
Talk to current users in your industry. Semawis has a customer reference program—ask for contacts who’ve been using the system for at least a year. Their experiences will tell you more than any sales presentation.
Supply chain visibility isn’t just about technology. It requires process changes, organizational buy-in and ongoing maintenance. But for companies dealing with the chaos of modern global logistics, tools like Semawis have moved from “nice to have” to “competitive necessity.”