

(Posted on 14/01/20)
The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) in the USA has announced a partnership with essDOCS, a company that enables paperless trade, to implement a project that will digitize barge trading documents, such as bills of lading, so that they may be transmitted electronically – a huge cost savings to the industry.
The industry group directing and funding this project includes representatives from NGFA and the following member companies: Bunge North America, Inc.; Cargill, Inc.; Archer Daniels Midland Company; CGB Enterprises, Inc.; CHS Inc.; The Gavilon Group; Louis Dreyfus Company; Zen-Noh Grain Corporation; American Commercial Barge Line; and Ingram Marine Group.
Following a rigorous search process, the NGFA group tasked with forming a new digital barge documentation process selected essDOCS’ CargoDocs solution to form the backbone of a nationwide digital barge document platform for counterparty trades. The NGFA eBarge solution will digitize the 70,000 to 100,000 negotiable barge bills of lading that NGFA members handle each year.
NGFA’s more than 1,000 member companies are responsible for merchandising more than 75 percent of U.S. grains and oilseeds produced annually for domestic and export markets. NGFA members’ annual domestic barge trades involve cargoes carried by approximately 17,000 barges, managed by 15 to 20 barge lines and traded between 30 to 40 companies. These shipments flow from 150 origins to around 40 destinations nationally.
The industry-driven solution will be based on a customized version of essDOCS’ CargoDocs DocEx platform, which will digitize the administration of the barge trade. The system will digitally handle the trade string and documentation process to increase speed, efficiency, and visibility without altering the way the trades take place.
Charlie Delacruz, senior vice president, general counsel and secretary at NGFA, said: “From its inception, this has been an exciting and rewarding project with enormous potential benefit for the industry. NGFA is proud to be a part of this industry-driven project. essDOCS was selected by the industry group from a field of strong candidates for multiple reasons including essDOCS’ reputation, experience in the industry, and that its proposal stood out as the best fit while being the most cost-effective.”
Alexander Goulandris, co-CEO of essDOCS, added: “This type of ambitious market-wide project is becoming the norm even in logistics and trade, as digitalization is now widely acknowledged as a key factor in the success of companies globally. We are delighted to partner with the NGFA member group and aim to deliver massive digitization of this market in just a few short months.”
NGFA, established in 1896, consists of more than 1,000 grain, feed, processing, exporting and other grain-related companies that operate more than 7,000 facilities and handle more than 70 percent of all U.S. grains and oilseeds.
As of April 25, 2025, farmers in all regions of Ukraine have sown 2M hectares (ha) of spring grain and... Read more
GrainCorp’s rail site at Condobolin, in the heart of central west New South Wales, Australia,... Read more
Rio Tinto and AMG Metals & Materials (AMG M&M), an energy transition solutions provider, have... Read more
BHP has released its Operational Review for the nine months ended 31 March 2025.BHP Chief Executive... Read more
The volume of world merchandise trade is expected to decline by 0.2% in 2025 under current conditions... Read more
In a strategic move to empower UAE exporters and advance the nation’s economic diversification... Read more
Anglo American plc has noted the recent statement issued by Peabody Energy in relation to the definitive... Read more
Rio Tinto’s first locally made iron ore rail car has been built in Western Australia, as it steps... Read more
ADM and Mitsubishi Corporation have signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding to form a strategic... Read more
ESL Shipping and global steel manufacturer SSAB have agreed on a multi-year extension of the agreement... Read more