The Smartseeds (a member of Demetra-Holding) digital logistics platform, in collaboration with с Astral Group (an operator of the Information System of Electronic Shipping Document Management), took part in the Russian Government experiment supported by the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Federal Tax Service to introduce electronic waybills for shipment of grain and grain products.
The experiment lasted for six months. The event brought together major players of the grain transportation market, including manufacturers, traders, freight forwarders, as well as digital logistics services.
The experiment was aimed at digitization of shipping documents issued for transportation of grain by road. The task force comprising experts from Smartseeds and Astral Group developed key scenarios for grain transportation by road, established supply chains, and tested the system in real life.
During the experiment, Smartseeds and Astral Group organized the transportation of grain using electronic waybills. An electronic waybill is a document completely analogous to a waybill in hard copy, which is issued and kept electronically.
Moreover, Smartseeds in collaboration with its technology partner Astral Group developed user-friendly tools for issuing and processing e-waybills using a mobile app both on Android and iOS. During the experiment, more than 670 e-waybills were issued and rendered through the digital platform constituting the basis for shipment of more than 20 thousand tons of grain.
Anton Kondratov, Director of Smartseeds:
“Our involvement in the experiment was an important experience for us in terms of monitoring the processes and testing the system involving all market participants. In collaboration with our technology partner, a solution was developed to make the transition more seamless both for large agricultural enterprises, small farmers, and freight forwarders. The cross-platform solution may be web-based, mobile, and compatible with the 1C software. It enables all parties involved in the shipment to issue an e-waybill without effort, read and analyze the data in a traditional form similar to a hard copy format.”
Stepan Terekhin, Business Development Director of Astral Group:
“Digitalization in the transport industry is not just about a transition to electronic documents; it should be based on a systematic approach and a revision of business processes. This is the only way to optimize management processes and improve transparency and control at every stage of transportation.
Given all challenges related to digitalization, we understand how important it is for our clients to maintain their comfort work environment. Therefore, we offer the integration of electronic shipping documents wherever it's most convenient for you — whether in your own accounting system or on a 1C-based platform. Our goal is to ensure the digital transformation of logistics is as smooth and seamless as possible for all market participants."
Following the experiment, we decided to extend the collaboration between the task force members to business process methodologies for grain shipment. As a reminder, effective September 1, 2026, shipping documents must be processed electronically.
The Smartseeds digital logistics platform was the first in the market to commercialize grain transportation using e-waybills.
Additional information
An electronic waybill is a full-fledged analogue of a paper document confirming the conclusion of a cargo transportation contract. Using e-waybills facilitates the elimination of paper document exchange and speeding up the “completion" of the shipment significantly.
Smartseeds is the market leader in digital logistics for agriculture*. The Smartseeds platform consolidates all cargo transportation market participants and takes on all related processes ranging from price recommendation and contractor selection to shipment support, final settlements between participants and electronic document management. https://smartseeds.ru/
Astral Group is the leading Russian IT company focused on the development and implementation of innovative solutions for automation and optimization of business processes. The company has experience in the development and implementation of cutting-edge software in electronic document management, electronic shipping document management, electronic reporting, AI-based medical solutions, and information security.
* according to “Market of digital platforms for agricultural transportation by road” marketing research (“Resource Monitoring”, 2024)
