How AfriShore replaced a failed custom build, scattered tools, and a bursting Monday.com setup with software that fits.
We started by building AfriShore a structured Monday.com setup that finally gave their team real visibility across the operation. As complexity grew, so did the need for something purpose-built. So we designed and built them custom software that now powers their full marine logistics operation, end to end.
Revenue
+22%
Over the past year, with only one new hire.
Admin
-30%
Reduction in organisational admin workload.
- Client
- AfriShore
- Industry
- Marine logistics agency
- Team size
- 55 people
- What we built
- Custom logistics software
- Time to delivery
- 7 weeks
Real feedback from AfriShore
Hear directly from the team about how the custom logistics system changed their day-to-day operations.
“We feel seen, we feel heard, we feel understood. There is no off-the-shelf software that is going to give you that.”
Chris Maree
CEO · AfriShore
“Normally, you have to change your ways to fit the product. This was the opposite — the product changed around what we needed.”
Ross Hyland
Logistics Coordinator · AfriShore
769 vessels serviced since 2010.
AfriShore is a marine logistics agency operating from five offices in South Africa and Namibia. They handle the full lifecycle of marine and offshore projects for energy and marine clients worldwide. Cargo, port calls, crew movement, immigration, materials. All of it.
Since 2010 they have serviced 769 vessels and moved close to a million tonnes of cargo for clients across the globe.
769
Vessels serviced
5
Offices
~1M
Tonnes moved
One of the most complex logistics environments there is.
AfriShore operates in one of the most complex logistics environments there is. In a single week they coordinate cargo movement across multiple ports, immigration clearance for project crews flying in from all over the world, real-time procurement for offshore vessels, and reporting back to international clients. None of that fits neatly into off-the-shelf software.
They knew this. They had been trying to solve it for years. Initially with Monday.com, a popular off-the-shelf project management tool, which they set up themselves. Then with a South African development agency they paid to build them a fully custom system. That attempt was a complete write-off. Significant capital invested, nothing usable delivered.
Out of options, they returned to Monday.com. That is when they found us, through our online tutorials, and asked if we could help them push Monday further. We did and for a while it worked fine. AfriShore found real structure again, the team got into a rhythm of working from a shared platform, and the operational chaos calmed down.
But Monday.com, like any off-the-shelf tool, has limitations. The complexity of AfriShore's operation eventually outgrew them. As the business kept growing, the cracks reappeared. Departments started running in silos again, money was leaking through emergency supplier costs that never got logged or invoiced, and on top of Monday there was still an exotic mixture of Dropbox, Teams, and SharePoint holding everything else together.
That is when the harder conversation started. Going custom again.
It was an exotic mixture of everything to be honest. Dropbox to Teams to SharePoint. So many different things going on and information sitting in various places, and nobody had any idea where it was.
Ross HylandLogistics Coordinator, AfriShoreIt is a brave conversation in the first place. Once you have a full system on Monday basically working, it is a big financial decision to commit to a new system. And outside of the commercials, you have to convince your people that another change is necessary.
Chris MareeCEO, AfriShoreWe didn't just talk about it — we built it.
After everything AfriShore had been through with their first attempt, asking them to invest in another custom build meant overcoming real scepticism. So rather than talk about what was possible, we built it.
A working prototype in a week
Within a week, AfriShore could click through a working prototype of the new software, designed around their actual workflow, before committing to the full build.
Custom software, built around the operation
The prototype worked because we build every prototype the same way — by understanding the business first, then designing around it. That became the full logistics platform.
Unified operational view
Crew, cargo, and costs no longer run in silos. Every department now works off the same live view of the operation.
Automated cost logging
Emergency services and on-the-fly costs no longer slip through the cracks. Every expense is captured the moment it happens, with the markup automatically applied to client invoices.
Real-time crew and travel coordination
Flight data, immigration status, baggage issues, and arrival reporting all integrated.
Xero integration
Connected directly to AfriShore's financial software. No more manual bridges.
Built to scale
Where Monday.com became exponentially more expensive per seat as the team grew, the custom software does not.
Custom software that plugged the leaks.
The shift to custom software did more than reduce admin. It plugged commercial leaks, made cross-team collaboration possible, and gave the AfriShore team the kind of buy-in that no off-the-shelf tool could ever earn.
Revenue growth
+22%
AfriShore grew revenue by 22 percent over the past year while only adding a single new hire. Operational efficiency turned directly into commercial growth.
Admin workload
-30%
Digitising and centralising key operational processes reduced organisational admin workload by approximately 30 percent across the team.
Reporting accuracy
95%+
Centralised data and automated processes lifted reporting accuracy above 95 percent, closing off the process seepage that used to cost the team time and money.
Company-wide adoption
Full
From younger team members to older staff more hesitant about new tools, the entire AfriShore team is using the software daily, with enthusiasm rather than resistance.
“The product changes according to what we need. I cannot give you guys enough accolades for how the collaboration has been.”
“The build time is sometimes hours, mostly days, versus weeks before you see a product you can actually use.”
See if you qualify for a free custom prototype
Let's schedule a short call to discover your needs. If we see a mutual fit, we'll build a free prototype so you can see what we can do for you before committing to the complete project.
Join the list of our 200+ satisfied clients. You'll be in good company.
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