4 tips to reduce cargo damage and save money on shipping costs
Shipping damage is a massive threat to any products that travel on the supply chain.
As per a Statista survey, eighty per cent of consumers say they’d return a product they received that was damaged in shipping.
The more your products get damaged in shipping, the more money your company loses and the effects of that loss can spread throughout your organization, causing both direct and indirect expenses and affecting sales.
Here are 4 tips to reduce cargo damage and save money on shipping costs.
What are the major reasons for misdeclared or undeclared dangerous goods?
In the past few years, we have seen a large number of maritime disasters such as catastrophic fires onboard ships mostly due to misdeclared and undeclared dangerous goods.
Some of the vessels which had major fires in the year 2019 are Yantian Express, APL Vancouver, E.R. Kobe, Grande America, KMTC Hong Kong, APL Le Havre.
Most of the cases involving leakage, fires, cargo damage is linked to undeclared, misdeclared or poorly packed containers.
Guidelines for claims handling and submission
For obvious reasons, no one wants to receive cargo claims. More so, carriers who carry the cargo from A to B. It could possibly be the reason why there is a lot of misunderstanding among BCOs and OTIs about which documents are really necessary to submit and which are completely irrelevant in the process of claims recovery.
Below are some simple guidelines for claims handling and submissions. I hope this will help to make the claim submission process as efficient and as simple as possible for you.
Importance of sustainable packaging and shipping
Global trade keeps us connected with customers, consumers and industries around the world.. There are several modes of transport used in global trade – sea, air, land and rail..
Whichever mode of transport you use, even the most meticulously planned shipment can go awry either due to natural disasters or man-made errors..
Cargo damage is one such disaster that not only gives rise to product and financial losses, but could also affect the relationship between customers and their service providers..
Physical and wet damage could be caused due to lack of proper packaging to protect the cargo on its long voyage..
With current modern developments in sustainable packaging and shipping solutions, businesses have no excuse not to take the movement into consideration.
Making an effort to reduce your environmental impact will not only pay off in cost but will impress your consumers in our now rightly eco-centric society.
Technology has led to the creation of numerous types of sustainable packaging materials, to allow businesses from any industry to reduce their carbon footprint and environmental impact.
Here are some of the pressing reasons to incorporate sustainable packaging and shipping into your supply chain.
Advance notification of cargo rollover – Reality or Myth?
Cargo rollover happens for a variety of reasons, at various stages and various places. Cargo rollover can cause significant delays and result in potentially crippling operations.
Most shippers assume carriers would send rollover notifications, but only a few carriers seem to notify customers in advance that their cargo is about to be rolled or has been rolled. This especially happens when transhipment is involved and catches many customers by surprise and upsets their production or sales plans.
What most customers don’t know is that there is a reliable way to get advance warning of cargo rollover so that they can take suitable action.
How?
6 tips to preparing your cargo for international shipping
For businesses that ship internationally, return of goods due to damage in transit can be a huge burden in terms of time and money.
Here are six tips on how to prepare your cargo for part or full load shipments and prevent lost revenues when using worldwide parcel delivery services.
Missing Import Licenses – Do’s and Dont’s
Dealing with Missing Import Licenses
“The import permit was rejected, because of missing license!” says your Customs agent in a text message.
“Are you sure? We’ve been importing this for years!”, you reply.
Unfortunately, similar conversations like the above happen all the time, and in all parts of the world because of various reasons.. Here are some do’s and dont’s when it happens..
How to select a Carrier for your freight transportation needs
A carrier should serve as a trusted transportation partner that works in alignment with your team to meet the needs of your customers.
For that reason, among others, they need to be an organization that you know will get the job done.
Aside from security, your company undoubtedly has unique standards and requirements in your own workflows.
When bringing a carrier into your operation, alignment is essential. That’s why thoughtful preparation and an intentional vetting process.
If you’re currently searching for a new carrier, here are some tips to use when selecting a carrier who would be the best fit for your company.
Impact of IMO 2020 on the maritime landscape of South Africa
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has been working to reduce harmful impacts of shipping on the environment since the 1960s..
The regulations for the Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships (Annex VI) seek to control airborne emissions from ships (sulphur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), ozone depleting substances (ODS), volatile organic compounds (VOC) and shipboard incineration) and their contribution to local and global air pollution, human health issues and environmental problems..
In April 2018, more than 100 Member States met at the United Nations IMO in London and adopted an initial strategy on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from ships by at least 50% by 2050 compared to 2008 levels..
Below is a perspective from Durand Richard of Linsen Nambi Bunker Services on the impact of IMO 2020 on the South African maritime landscape..
5 things to do before shipping your first export consignment
Are you new into the business of exporting and not sure how to get it right the first time? You are not alone. Not many people are aware of how to handle their first export consignment.
Considering the international nature of the business, it is not easy as it requires a deeper understanding of the entire process of the markets its rules and regulations.
Ensuring this on a regular basis is challenging even for experienced agencies in the export/import market.
So what should you do? Well as a first timer, the best you can do is prepare. Prepare yourself and develop an in-depth understanding of the market you are exporting to. And more importantly, about the export rules and the best practices to keep in mind.
While the business scenario and shipping regulations would differ from country to country, there are certain common things that you must ensure while exporting.
Here’s a look at the 5 important things to consider before shipping your first export consignment abroad.