News / Surprise package: WiseTech’s CargoWise shake-up triggers industry outcry

© Md Azizul Islam |

WiseTech Global’s launch of its new CargoWise Value Packs was intended to simplify billing, reduce overheads and deliver more capabilities across forwarding, customs and warehousing. But instead of a smooth transition, the rollout has led to industry frustration after customers reported unannounced changes to live systems just before the Black Friday peak.

The alarm was first raised by Seko Logistics’ SVP of product management, Jamie Andrade, who posted publicly on LinkedIn about WiseTech “logging directly into your production environment the eve of Black Friday”, silently upgrading core functionality without approval.

Describing the situation like “an episode of Black Mirror”, Ms Andrade argued that such changes violated the basic principles of trust, change control and operational governance.

“If you’re going to touch client production systems, respect change governance,” she wrote. “This isn’t partnership. It’s chaos masquerading as customer service.”

The timing coincided with WiseTech’s official introduction of the CargoWise Value Packs, which went live for more than 95% of customers today, after they had been informed on 31 October, the company said. The new commercial structure replaces the seat and transaction licence (STL) model that has been in place since 2014.

Crucially, WiseTech states that under the Value Packs, there are no standard CargoWise Cloud hosting costs and no seat fees. Instead, billing is tied directly to the logistics transaction being performed for an importer or exporter – such as a shipment, standalone customs declaration, land transport movement or warehouse order line. Logistics providers may choose to pass on those charges to their customers as a disbursement, consistent with existing industry practice.

WiseTech says the Value Packs provide access to more than 216 modules and functions for logistics providers, including “198 high-value capabilities and all features released under the early access agreement this past year”. Importers, exporters and international traders gain more than 116 new capabilities, including an expanded version of CargoWise Neo, along with supply chain management tools from e2open. The company is also making offering a range of AI services, including for compliance and workflow. Additionally, all customers on the Value Packs receive access to WiseTech Academy training and certifications.

Whether the change will actually make CargoWise cheaper, however, will depend on how it is used. WiseTech said the model was designed to “significantly reduce or eradicate” platform overheads by removing hosting and seat fees and replacing them with a single transaction-based charge. But the real cost impact will depend entirely on each provider’s transaction volumes and ability to pass charges through.

While some may see reduced overheads, others could find that frequent transactions accumulate more quickly than the savings from removed seat fees. And the inclusion of hundreds of modules and AI tools – whether or not customers need them – means some may feel they are paying indirectly for capabilities they did not request.

Richard White, WiseTech’s co-founder and chief innovation officer, described the Value Packs as offering customers “a major enhancement in value and capability”, highlighting the AI engines and reduced overheads as transformative. CEO Zubin Appoo said the move simplified billing and removed barriers to adopting new modules, adding that more capabilities will be added over time.

But despite the expanded feature set, the complaints have put WiseTech under pressure. In an industry where operational stability is paramount, especially at peak season, customers argue that the manner of the rollout undermines trust precisely when reliability matters most.

The coming months will determine whether the company can regain confidence while moving customers to its new commercial model – and whether the promised simplification will outweigh the controversy.