Archive for the ‘logistics’ Category

An Explanatory Guide For Choosing The Correct Air Freight Services

February 13th, 2010

Business now moves at the speed of light. Email, text, and instant messaging means that communication is instantaneous, and likely will only continue to speed up. Customers no longer consider it adequate to drop an order in the mailbox and then wait three or four weeks to receive it. Attempts at inventory control and the adjustment to faster paced transactions mean that customers are no longer willing to accept long lead times. They want their orders shipped as soon as they are placed. This has paved the way for the expansion of the air freight industry. But what should a company use as a guide for choosing the correct air freight services?

The first thing a company needs to do is evaluate its needs. Will air freight be used only for outbound shipments to customers? Or is it often necessary to bring in raw materials or merchandise by air as well? What kinds of shipments are involved? Will most outbound shipments consist of small packages, or will cargo containers be sent? On the inbound orders, will they be bulk cartons or pallets? And to what destinations will shipments be made, international or within the US? Are inbound shipments originating overseas or nationally?

Once the types of shipments in and out have been analyzed, then a company needs to determine which factors are most important in selecting a courier delivery service. How critical is on time delivery? If it is crucial, then carriers with the best on time record should move to the front of the list. What about ground services, such as getting the shipments to and from the airport? Are those available at no cost or will there be an additional charge? If the company must deliver shipments to the airport, is the required equipment in place?

A company also needs to examine the ability of the carrier to handle the amount of business it will be generating. Does the carrier have sufficient planes and ground personnel to make timely deliveries, or are their resources limited? Do they offer tracking services, particularly the ability to monitor the status of shipments online in real time? In the event that a delivery is delayed, does the carrier have secure warehousing services available? Are there any restrictions to contents that might impact shipments?

By answering these questions, a company has compiled its own guide for choosing the correct air freight services. A handful of carriers possess all the qualities, many will have most, and a few will fail to have enough to justify the business.

The large, well established carriers generally, but not always, offer the most services and the best reliability. There are also smaller carriers who can compete in terms of on time rates and availability of services. Some of these small carriers, however, are novices at the air freight industry, while others are operating with very limited equipment.

Since price is one key factor in choosing a carrier, many companies opt to use the large, established carriers. A company that can provide these carriers with a significant number of shipments can often negotiate reduced rates. In return, the carrier expects to receive all or at least the vast majority of the company’s business. While another carrier can be used whenever desired, contract renewals may result in increased rates if the carrier feels it is not receiving its fair share of the shipments.

Companies who ship mainly smaller parcels might want to utilize supplies furnished by the carrier. Most of the larger carriers will offer shipping boxes and return address labels for no cost, and some require it. The company saves money on shipping supplies, and since the boxes are often faster to pack, may also reduce labor costs.

The best guide for choosing the correct air freight services is the careful analysis of what the needs of the company are. Then it is simply a matter of compiling a short list of all carriers who meet the minimum requirements. Once this is done, negotiations can begin, and the winners can start their engines.

Looking for an excellent cross border shipping / Air Freight service? As Canada’s largest courier company, they offer the best products and services to ensure your shipments get where they need to be quickly, for the right price.

For information on Car Shipping visit MetroGistics.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in logistics | Comments (0)

Puzzling Over Warehousing And Storage?

November 26th, 2009

There are many sorts of warehouses and warehouse port storage options. When choosing a storage choice there are some things you will need to contemplate, like:

Do I want a centrally located warehousing facility, or one outside city?

The rationale you may need to ask yourself this query first of all comes all the way down to price. A warehouse that is centrally located will, as a general, be a lot of expensive. This can be as a result of they will in turn incur higher taxes, charges and/or rent. Therefore, you can save money by choosing a warehouse which is more aloof from the town centre; however it may be less convenient to induce to.

Do I need to obtain the ability to be manned?

This can be one issue that will affect the safety of your items. If your things are of nice value, then it may be wise to go for a warehouse that is manned 24/7, in case of theft, fireplace, or alternative unforeseen events. This can again affect how much you will must acquire your storage.

How secure do I want it to be?

There are varying levels of security at totally different warehousing. Some are aimed at students and different seasonal occupiers, and these can typically have a lower focus on security as they do not expect their purchasers to store something of nice value. Others will be aimed toward a completely different consumer cluster, and may as such have 24 hour dedicated security officers on sight. As you’ll understand, this can be additionally a factor that affects how abundant they charge for his or her service. It could also be price noting that if you propose to take out a non-public insurance on your items while in storage, a nice deal can be saved by selecting a a lot of secure warehouse.

Can I need them to produce delivery and assortment of my items?

Not all warehouses can have a collection and delivery charge, and a few can charge a honest bit for this service. Whether or not you don’t use the service, it may be that it is included in the worth of their service, that means that that you may be paying further for no reason. Should you would like it, it could still be cheaper to hire someone with a van (or indeed a taxi) to take care of the delivery for you. Therefore it is a sensible idea to check different warehouses and their services, in addition to other delivery choices, before opting for a bound storage option.

Will it need to be heated, or cooled?

Bear in mind that some things could suffer from too hot or too cold temperatures; build certain to test with the warehouse if they regulate temperatures in their facilities before storing your items.

What am I storing; can they cater for things of my size?

This final question is kind of vital, as a result of there are few things a lot of frustrating than selecting a warehouse and driving all your items over, only to search out out that they will’t match your sofa in storage.

Incorporated in year 2002, VentHill Sdn. Bhd. started off as a ocean freight company with providing sea freight services to our customers. But, with the expansion of demand for total solutions to their business wants, we have developed ourselves to a warehousing and distribution company.

For information on Car Shipping visit MetroGistics.

Tags:
Posted in logistics | Comments (0)