The COVID-19 pandemic placed the logistics industry under a microscope, with ocean shipping rates, port congestion and supply chain shortages suddenly becoming a popular topic of conversation the world over.
But as any supply chain professional knows, many of these issues had been persisting for quite some time. What the pandemic did was force the logistics industry to face the underlying causes of these problems, which included gaps and opportunities in communication, collaboration and data sharing.
This is because there has long been a perception among the major maritime supply chain players that data is so valuable it should not be shared.
However, data is not valuable on its own – what’s valuable are the insights and automation derived from that data, which can only be obtained when shared with other parties.
If you’re an NVOCC, here’s how investing in technology to facilitate cross-network communication can help optimize your end-to-end logistics operations.
End-to-end logistics software platforms like CargoWise can remove the limitations of third-party connections and broaden the scope of connectivity you can access with industry leading electronic communication to your customer base of forwarders, shippers and BCOs around the world.
Process more shipments in less time
Previously, you may have had to manually manage incoming booking requests from multiple forwarders, while figuring out how to best consolidate these shipments on a single container, alongside creating, sending and amending extensive shipment documentation. This is now a thing of the past, with CargoWise automating these processes for you. For example, say a forwarder sends you five booking requests for five different shipments. You can now create an optimal consolidation based on the jobs received, and the system will automatically advise your forwarders how their shipments were consolidated.
What’s more, if these shipments are sent progressively over a period of time, CargoWise will help you to identify and consolidate these bookings according to available space, and notify the booking party how their shipments were consolidated.
All at the touch of a button.
This improvement in the speed and quality of your existing booking and consolidation processes will give you the capacity and resources to potentially accept more shipments, increase revenue, improve your ability to negotiate rates with your network of carriers, and scale to reach new markets.
Give your forwarder customers the visibility they’re looking for
We know that despite the industry’s best efforts, continued supply chain disruption is inevitable.
A sudden change in a weather pattern may lead to an unforeseen vessel delay, which, if not communicated properly may lead to further congestion at port, and ultimately result in additional costs borne by the forwarder.
Regardless of the initial cause of disruption, forwarders are looking for enhanced shipment visibility in order to mitigate any potential risk.
They’re doing this by investing in technology that enhances their decision making capabilities, so they can improve the control they have over their operations, inventories and communications. And they are looking for supply chain partners that can do the same.
By leveraging the powerful automation options available in CargoWise, you’ll be able to improve the accuracy of data shared with your forwarders, shippers and BCOs, to streamline the communication of shipment information and documentation between all parties.
With accurate, up-to-date information on the status of their bookings, how you’ve grouped their cargo, which vessel they’ll be on, and which routes they’ll be taking, you’ll be the NVOCC of choice.
And because we are the core operating system used by the world’s largest freight forwarders and 3PLs, you’ll always be within sight of buying forwarders.
Want to use CargoWise-to-CargoWise electronic messaging to accelerate and simplify your ocean shipment booking process, including direct communication for shipping instructions, consolidation advice and automated status updates? Learn more