Nestle Finds Help With Trade-Doc Headaches

International food-and-beverage maker Nestlé has bought trade-management software from Vastera Inc. Nestlé will use Vastera's TradeSphere Exporter to more efficiently manage shipping documentation and compliance problems that are endemic to international trade.

The purchase is part of Nestlé's effort to simplify processes and increase efficiency. It plans to deploy TradeSphere Exporter in 2005 in Austria, Germany, and the United Kingdom. In fact, Nestlé also bought TradeSphere Transit & Statistics, an app designed to speed up and make secure shipments in the European Union.

(Here in the States, Nestlé is complying with Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s radio-frequency identification mandate to tag cases and pallets being sent to the retail chain's Texas distribution centers.)