/ By Varsity Shipping Specialists / AS400 • IBMi • Shipping Software • Technology/ / 0 Comments

The Missing Link: How Integrated Shipping Software Transforms AS/400 Systems

Discover how you don’t have to compromise operational efficiency with the right integrated partnership

For decades, IBM’s Application System or AS/400 (now known as IBM i) has been a reliable and trusted platform for businesses seeking stability and scalability. However, as technology continues to evolve, concerns have grown among these users about the limitations of an older system. While the AS/400 remains a backbone for many enterprises, it is a common opinion that this system is outdated and ill-equipped to handle the modern complexities of today’s businesses.


For shippers, relying solely on an AS/400 system without modern integrations can create inefficiencies, limit flexibility, and hinder a business’s ability to keep pace with today’s rapidly changing logistics demands. So, what’s the missing link for many AS/400 users? Seamless integration with advanced shipping software. Connecting your time-tested system with the right modern, flexible shipping solution can help eliminate bottlenecks, reduce costs, and increase throughput.


Let’s begin by taking a few steps back to dive into the AS/400.

What is the AS/400?

Developed by IBM and released in 1988, the AS/400 is a family of servers and network adapters. Back then, this technology completely revolutionized the way businesses operated, “creating the digital work environment we know today” and speeding up workflow processes four times faster than before. As the groundbreaking technology of its time, it was built to seamlessly handle a wide range of business applications including financial, manufacturing, customer service, and inventory management.


A defining feature of the AS/400 was its unique combination of hardware and software. The system ran on the OS/400 operating system, the heart of the AS/400, which was designed exclusively to support the integrated operations of the AS/400. The platform’s reliability and scalability made it a popular choice for businesses, earning a reputation over the years for its ability to handle complex workloads with minimal downtime.

The IBM i Landscape in Modern Shipping

Despite how long this system has been around, it has proven to be a durable solution still relied on by many businesses for day-to-day operations. The modernization of IBM i applications continues today to help them maintain an infrastructure that provides scalability and flexibility. However, the current global supply chain has become increasingly complex, and the traditional AS/400 infrastructure wasn’t designed to handle the dynamic demands of modern logistics, such as:

  • Multi-Carrier Management: Handling multiple carriers with different rules and pricing structures can be challenging without the right shipping software integration.
  • Real-Time Tracking: Providing customers with up-to-date tracking information and managing logistical complexities in real-time can be difficult with outdated systems.
  • Omnichannel Fulfillment: Seamlessly fulfilling orders from both online and in-store requires the right integrated approach that works with your AS/400 system.

However, this doesn’t mean that IBM i users must abandon their trusted platform. The key to navigating the modern shipping landscape is integration. By pairing IBM i’s trusted solution with advanced multi-carrier shipping software, businesses can bridge the gap between legacy systems and proven logistics solutions. This integration enables streamlined workflows, improved accuracy, and better carrier management, all while maintaining the stability and reliability IBM i is known for.

Why Seamless Shipping Software Integration Matters

Seamless integration between your IBM i system and comprehensive shipping software is no longer a want – it’s a need. As the logistics landscape grows more complex and customer expectations continue to rise, having a fully integrated shipping solution can be the difference between staying competitive and falling behind.


Without proper integration, businesses are forced to rely on manual processes and disconnected systems, leading to dreaded inefficiencies and bottlenecks. These disjointed systems can also slow down workflows, increasing the chances of delays and missed deadlines. However, when you leverage a seamless integration, it can offer several key benefits that:

  • Eliminate Manual Processes: Seamless integrations allow for data to flow between systems, reducing the need for manual data entry which minimizes room for errors and inconsistencies.
  • Improve Workflow Efficiency: The free flow of data between systems also helps accelerate workflows and reduce delays, especially with the automation top shipping software solutions provide.
  • Enhance Order Accuracy: Real-time updates and synchronized systems ensure more accurate customer information, tracking, and order fulfillment.
  • Increase Speed: Automated processes allow businesses to respond quickly to customer needs, improve order fulfillment times, and ultimately increase throughput.
  • Reduce Costs: Streamlining operations helps to cut down on overhead and operational costs, rate shopping capabilities lower shipping costs, and reducing manual tasks eliminates the risk of costly errors.
  • Improve Customer Experience: Increased speed, order accuracy, and throughput gets more orders out the door and into the correct hands, significantly improving customer experience.
  • Boost Competitive Edge: In a fast-paced market, optimizing your shipping processes will give any business an advantage.

The true value of seamless shipping software integration is in its ability to improve operational efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance the customer experience. By optimizing your shipping processes, you not only streamline internal operations but also gain a competitive edge in an increasingly fast-paced market.

Introducing Varsity Logistics: Purpose-Built for IBM i (AS/400) Shippers

What if there was a shipping software solution designed specifically to work with your IBM i system – one that could seamlessly integrate with your existing infrastructure while optimizing your shipping operations? This idea isn’t so far-fetched. Varsity Logistics is exactly the partner you’re looking for.


Varsity Logistics, the leading provider of native multi-carrier shipping software for parcel and freight shippers on the IBM i (AS/400) Power Systems, is a solution that connects your legacy system and the demands of modern shipping. This shipping software helps businesses unlock new levels of efficiency, accuracy, and flexibility while preserving the characteristics IBM i users value with:

  • Streamlined Integration: Varsity’s software is a plug-and-play solution, providing seamless integration with your current IBM i environment whether that be enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and/or warehouse management systems (WMS). This ensures smooth data flow and minimal disruptions to your existing operations.
  • Multi-Carrier Support: Varsity integrates with a wide variety of North American carriers, enabling you to manage both parcel and freight shipments effortlessly. With advanced rate shopping capabilities, you can compare rates across carriers to select the most cost-effective and efficient delivery options for every shipment.
  • Automated Shipping Processes: From label creation to route optimization, Varsity’s software automates key shipping tasks, reducing costly errors and saving your business valuable time.
  • Real-Time Visibility: Access to real-time communications, delivery status, tracking information, and up-to-the-minute shipment updates ensure efficient supply chain management and visibility while keeping your customers happy.
  • Scalability for Growth: Varsity provides the flexibility to handle increasing shipping volumes and expanding carrier networks, growing with your business to support and maintain business continuity.
  • Expert Knowledge and Support: Varsity is built of a team of IBM i (AS/400) Power shipping experts that know the product best, providing top-tier support for your systems whenever and wherever you need it. We also have technical and operational training resources available at all times.

With Varsity Logistics, you can dismiss the concerns you have with your AS/400 system not keeping pace. By leveraging this partnership, you don’t have to compromise between the trusted performance of your IBM i system and the capabilities of advanced shipping solutions. Our purpose-built software allows you to optimize your shipping processes, cut costs, and deliver an enhanced customer experience – all while staying true to the platform you rely on.

Future-Ready Shipping for IBM i Users

The IBM i (AS/400) has stood the test of time, proving its reliability and strength in managing critical operations. However, to stay competitive in today’s fast-paced logistics environment, businesses must adapt their strategies by integrating their trusted platform with comprehensive shipping solutions.


Leveraging the seamless integration with Varsity’s advanced multi-carrier shipping software is the missing link to unlocking streamlined workflows, greater efficiency, reduced costs, and delivering outstanding customer experiences. By implementing Varsity’s multi-carrier shipping software, businesses can future-proof their operations, ensuring they’re not only meeting today’s challenges but also ready for what’s ahead.


Ready to discover how this powerful shipping solution can help you bridge the gap between your IBM i (AS/400) system and modern shipping demands? Contact our team of shipping experts or schedule a demo to explore how Varsity Logistics can transform your operations into an efficient logistics powerhouse.

/ By Varsity Shipping Specialists / Supply Chain/Logistics • AS400 • Customer Experience • Parcel • Shipping Software • Technology • Varsity Logistics/ / 0 Comments

The IBM i (AS/400) Guide to Handling Increased Parcel Throughput

Learn how IBM i (AS/400) Power users can streamline their shipping operations and increase their parcel throughput with ease

Up and running since 1988, IBM i (AS/400) operating systems (now Power Systems), are a cornerstone of many businesses’ shipping operations. In fact, the AS/400 platform is used in over 100,000 companies including Fortune 500 companies that use IBM i Power systems. As these systems have stood the test of time, their reliability, scalability, and durability have remained strong, which is why they are still relevant in today’s modern business environments. IBM i (AS/400) Power systems act as a central hub for various business functions, including those related to shipping and distribution. For those in the parcel shipping industry, these systems play a critical role in managing the various aspects of daily shipping operations.


E-commerce and customer expectations have surged over the last few years. This has caused the pressure for shippers to handle increased parcel throughput to grow in tandem. As businesses find themselves grappling with the challenge of managing an increased volume of packages, they must find an efficient solution to help them navigate this quickly changing environment to remain competitive. For shippers relying on IBM i (AS/400) Power systems, there are strategies and solutions that can empower your business in tackling the ever-growing demand for efficiency. Let’s start by looking at potential challenges you may face if you fail to adapt your strategy.

The Challenges of Handling Increased Parcel Throughput

While increasing your business’s parcel throughput can point to many positives, such as business growth, improved customer satisfaction, and competitive advantage, it is not always an easy undertaking. A quick spike in orders can stretch a company’s staff and resources thin without proper planning. Operational bottlenecks and a slow down or halt in tasks due to inefficient processes can result in order processing delays, late shipments, and unfulfilled customer expectations.


As mentioned previously, there has been a substantial increase in consumer demand and expectations surrounding the delivery of their products and customer service. Because of this, there is a heavy pressure on shippers to ensure they meet order fulfillment timelines and delivery promise dates. This requires businesses to adapt their shipping operations quickly to meet high order volumes and keep their customers satisfied.


As a reliable system for over 35 years, it is no wonder that the IBM i (AS/400) Power system is one of the world’s “most popular business computing systems”. However, because it has been around for so long, it is considered a legacy system by many – mainly because of other, newer solutions that have been released since. In fact, many companies with IBM i (AS/400) Power systems still have homegrown shipping solutions that may not be as adaptable or efficient, making it hard to keep up with increased throughput demands. Because of this, it is crucial for shippers to find scalable and efficient technologies that can seamlessly grow with their operations and provide the adaptability they need to keep up with such a dynamic parcel shipping landscape.

Strategies to Handle Increased Parcel Throughput Like a Pro

While the challenges of managing increased parcel throughput are evident, there are several strategies for shippers utilizing IBM i (AS/400) Power systems to empower them to tackle these obstacles effectively.

Automating Order Processing

Order processing automation is crucial for businesses experiencing an increase in demand. Implementing the automation of tasks such as order entry, address validation, and order routing can minimize the need for manual data input. Overall, this significantly reduces the possibility of human error and allows businesses to handle increased parcel throughput with ease. When integrated into IBM i (AS/400) Power systems, order processing automation substantially improves the precision and seamlessness of order fulfillment, delivering a streamlined processing of orders and efficient dispatch of shipments.

Rate Shopping

Rate shopping is an invaluable strategy for shippers utilizing IBM i (AS/400) Power systems to efficiently handle the challenges that come with increased parcel throughput. Rate shopping technology gives shippers the ability to compare and select the best carriers and rates for each shipment, allowing them the opportunity to stay cost-effective for both their business and their customers. Incorporating rate shopping into the shipping process also guarantees a reduction of overspending on shipping costs while ensuring users can make well-informed decisions in real time, guarantee timely deliveries, and remain competitive in a rapidly evolving landscape.

Real-Time Tracking for Customers

With the high expectations consumers hold today, real-time tracking and visibility to their orders is extremely important. Shippers can utilize their technology to provide their customers with tracking information, providing them insight into every step in the shipping process of their order. Notifications of early, on-time, or shipping delays make deliveries more convenient for consumers, as well as builds trust with the business, enhancing the overall customer experience. IBM i (AS/400) Power users can achieve this through integration with shipping software, like a multi-carrier shipping software solution, ensuring real-time tracking and visibility for their customers.

Dimensional Weighing

Incorporating dimensional weighing technology can significantly boost your company’s parcel throughput. This strategy is critical for IBM i (AS/400) Power users to integrate in order to get accurate rate calculation and cost-efficient shipping. It ensures accurate pricing based on the dimension and weight of parcels, minimizing discrepancies between manifest weight and actual weight. Not only does this technology lower shipping costs and allows businesses to handle increased parcel throughput, but it also results in substantial labor savings. [Learn more about dimensional weight pricing and unexpected shipping costs.]


The list of strategies for shippers using IBM i (AS/400) Power systems to handle increased parcel throughput goes on, but wouldn’t it be nice if there was one comprehensive platform that combined all of these strategies into one helpful solution?

Introducing: Varsity Logistics’ Multi-Carrier Shipping Software Solution

Varsity Logistics has stood as a top-tier supplier of multi-carrier shipping software for companies in need of parcel shipping capabilities for over a decade. Designed exclusively for IBM i (AS/400) Power users, our comprehensive parcel shipping suite is seamlessly integrated, hosting various top tier supply chain execution modules engineered to handle even the most intricate small package shipping.


Varsity’s ShipSoft-Parcel seamlessly integrates with ERP, legacy, and Order Entry systems running on IBM i (iSeries, Power, AS/400) systems. It delivers a unified and automated shipping solution that ultimately eliminates manual data entry and significantly reduces shipping costs for your business. This solution incorporates several technologies to apply the strategies for businesses to handle increased parcel throughput discussed above.


Within Varsity’s ShipSoft-Parcel solution, ShipSelect automates the carrier selection process based on factors such as transit time, cost, and carrier service. It chooses the optimal carrier for every shipment, following business requirements and routing guides. ShipOptimizer technology finds the ideal containerization process and accurately predicts shipping costs before processing the order. SpeedWeigh allows shippers to automatically retrieve the package weight from the scale which is pulled into the system at the time the order number is scanned. This eliminates the need for an additional get-weight barcode scan or manual entry, ultimately saving your business processing time and money.


Varsity’s multi-carrier shipping solution is a unified platform that encompasses automation, order processing, dimensional weighing, real-time tracking, and more. This all-in-one solution optimizes operations, improves efficiency, and guarantees the effective and successful management of increased parcel throughput for those operating on IBM i (iSeries, Power, AS/400) systems. To learn more about Varsity’s Parcel shipping solution, the additional execution modules, and how our software can transform your shipping operations, contact our team of shipping experts or request a demo.

/ By Varsity Shipping Specialists / Technology • 3PL/Distribution • AS400 • IBMi • IT • Manufacturing • Parcel • Procurement • Retail • Shipping Software • Supply Chain/Logistics • Varsity Logistics/ / 0 Comments

What to Know Before You Invest: 7 Key Questions About Shipping Software

Shipping software is an important supply chain investment – do you have all the answers?

Rising transportation costs, labor concerns, and ever-changing customer demands for faster and free deliveries make shipping one of the most critical and costly areas of the supply chain. Because of this, the role of shipping software to gain efficiency and stay competitive has become increasingly pivotal. From optimizing resource allocation to ensuring consistent customer satisfaction, the right shipping software can make a significant impact on the cost savings you find as well as the overall success of your business. 

This leads us to the question: How do you ensure that your shipping software is a good fit? Before embarking on the journey of selecting the perfect shipping software solution, it is important to take a step back and consider your answers to a series of valuable questions. We’re sharing seven questions you should ask before deciding if a multi-carrier shipping software (MCSS) solution makes sense for your IBM i/AS400 system.

7 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Buying Shipping Software

Shipping software is an important supply chain investment. Here are the top things to consider before choosing a multi-carrier shipping software solution for your business.

1. Are we doing too many things manually?

If your business is using separate, carrier-supplied systems and website searches to find the best shipping rates, you can likely add automations to your process with a new shipping solution. By fully assessing the manual effort required, you can determine the potential cost savings a MCSS solution could provide. Shipping software improves accuracy and reduces errors, avoiding costly consequences that can arise from manual tasks.

2. Are our shipping costs accurate?

It is important to audit your shipping invoices to ensure they match your contract rates, so you avoid overpaying. Cost auditing can also reveal inefficiencies and bottlenecks in your current shipping operations, allowing you to pinpoint areas where redundant tasks may be causing unnecessary costs. When you identify the areas of cost savings, you can better allocate your budget for a more efficient operation.

3. Do we have good visibility of shipments once they leave our facility?

Now more than ever, customers have high expectations for shippers to meet estimated delivery dates and provide updates throughout the shipping process. Top-tier MCSS solutions integrate seamlessly with your carriers and have options to allow real-time tracking and status updates for your customers. MCSS visibility also helps reduce risks, like supply chain delays or disruptions, which can prevent substantial financial losses for your company.

4. Do we have an efficient number of shipping staff?

Evaluating your labor force can help you allocate your resources effectively, especially in today’s labor-constrained warehouses. Industry-leading MCSS are single, fully integrated systems that seamlessly connect with your existing carriers and ERP or WMS systems, replacing inefficient carrier-provided systems. Using advanced shipping solutions can save your team time and effort, allowing them to dedicate it elsewhere. This results in improved productivity and a competitive advantage.

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5. Can we scale up as needed?

Scalable shipping software integrates seamlessly with your existing software systems, ensuring that as your business scales, everything scales together cohesively. MCSS gives you the ability to automate carrier selection to find the best rates for your customer’s needs from the start, and as your business grows, you can add modules or features such as auditing, pick/pack integration, and custom filings. Investing in scalable shipping software is also a way of future-proofing your business operations, avoiding costly frequent software upgrades and keeping up with shifts in customer expectations.

6. How accessible is our shipping data?

The ability to analyze and evaluate transactional and historical data is essential for operational success. Choosing shipping software that allows you to easily view and/or export your data is the key to monitoring day-to-day shipping operations, ensuring accurate order processing and optimal resource allocation. Historical data gives great insight to performance evaluation and customer behavior, leading to data-driven strategies for future success and effective cost management.

7. How quickly will our investment pay off?

Estimating the time to achieve ROI helps align your investment with your financial goals and business strategy. This allows your company to effectively plan and allocate resources. Leading shipping software solutions, like Varsity Logistics, see their customers recoup 5-15% in overcharges and realize an ROI in just a few months. The combination of benefits that MCSS provides, like streamlined processes, automated rate shopping, batch processing, and reduced shipping errors, lead to immediate bottom line cost savings for your business.

Learn more about Varsity Logistics multi-carrier shipping software for IBM i/AS400 systems

Interested in learning more about the long term cost savings and increased operational efficiency with multi-carrier shipping software? Varsity Logistics offers a robust, industry-leading freight and parcel shipping solution for IBM i/AS400 systems that integrate seamlessly into your existing business infrastructure.

Contact our team of shipping professionals to discover how Varsity Logistics can step-up your shipping operations and revolutionize your supply chain game.