With the market being as volatile as it is, unforeseen disruptions at every stage in the supply chain have become a common occurrence, emphasising the need to build resilient and agile networks that facilitate quick response and minimise risks. Due to the ongoing pandemic, heavy restrictions on transport and labour have thrown a huge spanner…
As global trade and supply chains continue to be disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, organisations across industries are looking for ways to build resilience and agility into their systems. A good starting point for improving efficiency and optimising supply chain operations is by the adoption of digital automation technology. Today, the power of advanced technology…
Shipping goods internationally, especially on a large scale, can be quite a task. While dealing with international shipments, logistics teams are faced with three fundamental questions: Which freight forwarder is the best fit for their business? Who among all the interested freight forwarders, is the most reliable? And most importantly, how can they get the…
The global pandemic has highlighted the value that Logistics Resource Management (LRM) platforms provide to export-import-oriented companies. For organizations considering LRMs for the first time or an upgrade of their current solutions, should they invest in building a customized, in-house platform or buy a ready-to-go, off-the-shelf software? Here are some of the factors to consider,…
An agile and resilient supply chain is truly an asset for organisations around the world as it boosts business opportunities and growth in countless ways. However, simplifying end-to-end logistics and building a robust supply chain doesn’t happen overnight. It requires strategic planning, the right choice of technology and a thorough understanding of the existing system. …
As COVID-19 continues to disrupt global supply chains, knowing exactly where your shipments are has become more crucial than ever before. The traditional way of tracking shipments is tedious, time-consuming and ineffective, to say the least. Industry studies show that tracking about 500 shipments every month on the sites of about 7-15 shipping lines alone…
With tightening capacity and ever-soaring rates in the face of COVID-19, managing logistics and shipping goods has become a turbulent experience. Investing in the right TMS can streamline your operations and boost business. However, with so many options to choose from, how do you identify the TMS best-suited for your organisation and your budget? What…
With cost-saving strategies more important than ever, companies around the world are facing a situation where faltering contracts and a widening gap between container demand and supply is forcing them to turn to the spot market to fulfil shipment orders. For organisations with hundreds of shipments per month, suddenly having to manually create, compare and…
Today’s dynamic logistics and supply chain environment requires strategic planning; execution of strategy; measurements to goals; analysis against industry benchmarks; and continuous improvement. However, negotiating quotes for your freight remains a static process. Freight procurement via an RFQ (Request For Quote) is plagued with inefficiencies when done manually. With logistics operations accounting for nearly 95%…
A lot has changed in the freight ecosystem over the last few decades – From regulations to carrier technologies. The way we look at international freight procurement – The Request for Quote/Price/Tender (RFQ/P/T), however, has been the same for decades. RFQ is the first step towards freight procurement and the one that decides the cost…
Spiraling freight rates have left businesses around the world scrambling to stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic, piling yet more pressure on already stretched global supply chains. At the core of this problem: shrinking cargo space. Here’s what has led to a decrease in cargo capacity and how it is impacting freight rates. Airplanes grounded,…
The lack of data in your freight management process is disrupting your supply chain and leaving your logistics team in the dark. Read this blog to find out the benefits of integrating data and freight analytics into your freight process.
As the world continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic, our reliance on supply chains has never been more starkly illustrated. From medicine to medical supplies, facemasks to foodstuff, manufacturers and their logistic teams are working round-the-clock to ensure that essential goods are being delivered. Many though find themselves close to breaking point, as country lockdowns…
Reducing costs is a key goal for most companies. Some expenses, however, are more difficult to see than others: they remain hidden, silently eating away at your profits whilst your competitors gain a critical pricing advantage from this lapse. The cost of manually reconciling freight invoices is a common example where organizations spending too much….
FACT #1: to automate and digitize takes time. There’s no denying it, so you might as well embrace it – and profit from it too! FACT #2: you need automation and digitization everywhere. Whether it’s for: simplifying manual processes; reducing worker fatigue; increasing efficiency; leveraging data or improving metrics, it’s impossible to ignore the value…
Are you sick and tired of paying thousands of dollars to your freight forwarders? Do you want to save money on your international freight procurement? The way you negotiate is key. Negotiation saves your business money. It allows you to work towards a lower price, making sure you pay less for your freight procurement. Unfortunately,…
Did you know? 8 is the luckiest number in Chinese culture because of 八 sounds like 發 (fa), which means “wealth”, “fortune”, and “prosper” in Chinese. Even in Japan 8 is considered a lucky number because it is nearly homophonous to the word “Prosperity” (繁栄 han’ei), It is also homophonous to Hachikō. Now you might…
Are you delivering in full and on time? Is your supply chain department working efficiently? There’s a way to measure your supply chain efficiency and be sure about it. That’s with the DIFOT rate. In this post, we will discuss DIFOT(Delivery in full, on time) why it matters and how you can improve. Let’s start…
Do you outsource your shipment tracking process to third party logistics services? We have observed that numerous organizations outsource their third-party logistics needs to get to the adaptability and scalability that an outside vendor can offer. If their shipping needs increase rather than employing additional staff or extending distribution center space, they hire 3PL merchants…
You did it — you finally dispatched your shipment! It’s smooth sailing from here, right? WRONG. On average, one intercontinental shipment includes hundreds of interactions and more than 20 players involved– freight-forwarders, port handlers, marine insurers, inland transportation and so forth. In this context, shippers frequently whinge about the difficulty in getting actual-time visibility of…
