Trusted as the prime source of feature-rich, leading insurance management systems in South Africa, Cardinal offers fleet business insurance firms a new standard for high-performance administration software.
The Fleet Management and Logistics industry is considered one of the most accurate measures of a nation's economic health. When transport networks are efficient, they give economic and social possibilities and benefits that result in positive multiplier effects such as better accessibility to markets, employment, and extra investments. In many economies, transportation accounts for between 6 percent and 12 percent of the GDP. Further, logistics costs can account for between 6 percent and 25 percent of the GDP.
As the most adaptable, and in many instances, the cheapest mode of transport, road freight is the most popular method for transporting products. As such, it has a significant obligation: to offer transport services that are efficient, dependable, safe, and environmentally friendly.
One of the largest components of transportation costs for any organisation is insurance, which is especially important for hazards associated with heavy commercial vehicles and trucks.
There is no denying that the heavy haulage industry in South Africa is confronted with numerous challenges, including the ever-rising cost of fuel, wear and tear of tyres and vehicle maintenance cost, an unstable Rand, deteriorating road network infrastructure, and an ever-increasing hijacking risk.
Due to their exposure to so many hazards and demands, many of which are beyond their control, fleet owners must efficiently manage their risks, including ensuring that they are adequately insured. It is essential to recognise that firms offering customised and flexible insurance solutions have distinct requirements and face various, unique challenges.
Cardinal is a business-first technology company, dedicated to helping insurance organisations reach their goals through a fully integrated, end-to-end insurance administration and management system.
The firm’s flagship product, C360, readily supports and complements the most progressive insurance technology needs and InsurTech strategies, while providing insurers, underwriting managers, and intermediaries with a compelling cost-to-benefit value proposition.
All C360 modules ‘speak’ to each other. Brokers and insurers can easily – and bi-directionally – share transactional data in real-time by using Cardinal’s C360Sync capability.
Founded in 2019, Umthwalo Specialist Motor Insurance (USMI) is a Motor Fleet insurance firm based in Gauteng. The Group is a division of Osprey Underwriting Managers, which serves as a collective authority on matters pertaining to Serves as a registered FSP specializing in Specie Risks, Security Liability cover, Motor and Marine.
Umthwalo is best known for offering customised and flexible insurance solutions with a core focus on Heavy Commercial Vehicle/Trucking related risks – from the single-vehicle fleet to the fleets with a few hundred units, each policy is tailored to suit individual clients’ needs and requirements.
Grant Carstensen, managing director of Umthwalo, says, "USMI provides more than a minimum level of coverage. Under the direction of our brokers, each policy is customised to meet the specific needs and objectives of each client. We recognise that the needs of a local, short-haul transport contractor will differ from those of a South African long-haul transport contractor or a cross-border carrier; hence, our unique approach."
Umthwalo offers a wide choice of added policy options, including Fire and Explosion, Wreckage Removal, Mechanical Breakdown Towing, Cross Border Riots and Strikes, and Trailer Combination Extension, to name just a few. To ensure all Umthwalo’s moving parts run smoothly, the company enlisted the expertise of Cardinal and implemented our C360 solution.
Grant Carstensen first made use of Cardinal's administration and management systems in his own brokerage back in 2003.
"Since then, the system has evolved tremendously, and I've continued to use Cardinal's platform wherever I go. Before utilising Cardinal, I had explored several systems, but none were as powerful and useful as C360 is, and they all lacked the necessary reporting capabilities we required.”
Carstensen maintains that, in his view, one of the most significant obstacles posed by software systems, is the system's ability to perform tasks usually performed by personnel.
"Because of C360, we have not had to incur additional internal costs, as Cardinal's IT platform provides all the necessary capabilities. Once the system is programmed and the platform is ready, process mapping and workflows are merged on a single platform and function seamlessly. If we touch a single button, four processes are initiated, drastically reducing wasted person-hours. We are not wholly dependent on human involvement. The technology gives us the ability to work smarter, not harder."
"Cardinal is an all-around, well-balanced company that is certainly here to stay and is not scared to grow and expand. They always have their ‘’think-tanks on!" adds Carstensen.
Just three years ago, Umthwalo was a start-up agency. With Cardinal's cutting-edge technologies, the company has improved operational efficiency and capability, and developed into a mid-sized underwriting management agency - now fully established and utilising the Cardinal system.
Carstensen and his colleagues are now quite familiar with C360, as they use it exclusively and extensively. However, according to Carstensen, Cardinal is always eager to listen and very willing to assist in the event of any complications.
Looking to the future, Cardinal and Umthwalo are working together to deliver on their transformation initiatives.
"Umthwalo is using our standard product very successfully," says Cardinal Chief Commercial Officer, Craig Grasko. "We have a strong partnership built on trust and mutually beneficial relationships."
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