Challenges within logistics supply chains have become more difficult to navigate over the past few years. Understaffed logistics hubs throughout the supply chain due to persistent labor shortages and the ongoing COVID-19 fallout in China continues to create chaos for consumer goods and manufacturing segment companies. Ongoing labor disputes have resulted in shifting lanes and ports and threaten further disruption, potentially driving supply chains to a standstill.
According to a recent Forbes article, risks to supply chains are expanding, highlighted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which is affecting global trade, as well as economic inflation that is hitting the U.S. One industry executive summed up the supply chain crisis by saying it was “affecting not just day-to-day operations, but also causing us all to reconsider our Supply Chain Risk Management Strategies.”
These persistent challenges facing shippers and manufacturers makes it critical that they embrace a holistic approach to collaboration that works across the entire supply chain. Even so, obstacles exist that complicate improved relationships. Outdated technology holds supply chains hostage to slow manual processes, makes data transference into actionable insights difficult, and provides poor visibility between shippers and optimized operations.
An ocean freight container tracking API enables shippers to overcome these issues through improved communication, streamlined data processes, and bolstered supply chain relationships.
So How Does Ocean Container Tracking Bolster Supply Chain Relationships?
Freight logistics happen with tremendously less friction when automated; processes, full data analytics, and real-time visibility are components of the process. Together, these three components create a revolution in shipping, smoothing out variability, exceeding customer service demands, and significantly lowering costs.
By Eliminating Manual Processes With API Logistics
Investors have taken note of the value of technology in supply chain logistics. Funding in the supply chain technology sector almost doubled from 2020 to 2021, reaching $37 billion for the year and $9.4 billion in the first three months of 2022.
APIs give logistics partners the ability to automate manual processes, which are time consuming and prone to human errors. This helps companies reduce the time and costs associated with exchanging documentation, data, and other essential transportation information. Automating data exchange and documentation processes results in secure access to critical information, streamlined communication, and greater efficiency while lowering overhead costs throughout the supply chain.
Communication is the priority, not the paperwork—more outstanding communication and accountability results.
By Streamlining Data Analytics in Logistics
Shippers generate a lot of data about their supply chains which can be analyzed to find ways to improve efficiencies and operational performance. While crucial to enhancing operations, surfacing those data points is a cumbersome process.
When properly processed, that data has information that leads to understanding and cutting shipping rates, enhancing process efficiency, knowing which carriers produce the best results, and finding opportunities to improve customer service. The most significant barrier to best using their data is the amount to sift through, as just one shipment could generate thousands of data points.
One industry expert shared that “organizations continuously face the challenge of better leveraging the data they have to make informed decisions. While the volume and nature of data available to organizations has exploded in the recent years, the ability to translate that into meaningful, actionable, and real time insights is still lacking…”
The data is there, but is it seeing its potential? Only if it is efficiently harvested and processed into a format easily read that shows where opportunities exist.
An ocean container API harvests the raw data, translates it, and presents it as actionable insights, easily shared with others across the organization and with logistics collaborators. Optimized operations and improved supply chains result when data opens the possibility of understanding and sharing data among partners.
By Building Exceptions Resilient Supply Chains With Real-Time Visibility in Logistics
Using actionable insights provided by an ocean container tracking API certainly helps shippers avoid exceptions. Still, some exceptions do happen. A shipping exception means something has gone awry during container transit, causing schedule changes that might result in a missed deadline.
Some reasons exceptions happen include the following:
- Weather
- Loading delays
- Equipment shortages
- Additional port stops
- Late container discharge
Exception management is crucial regardless of the cause, and shippers must act quickly to assess the situation and work toward a resolution. Emails and phone calls are outdated communication methods that don’t get the job done due to failure to notify logistics partners as quickly as needed. Ocean container tracking software is the answer.
Automated notifications from an ocean container tracking API ensure that all partners in the supply chain have immediate access to the latest exception information. That the information is unified and visible, resulting in a single source of truth, ensures all partners have the same information simultaneously when they need to track ocean containers.
Bolster Your Relationships With Ocean Container Tracking From Vizion
Eliminating manual processes, streamlining analytics accessibility, and building exception-resilient supply chains give shippers the ability to optimize their operations. They bolster the essential relationships that move the transportation industry forward.The Vizion API transforms your shipping operations with automation, actionable insights from your data, coordinated communication, and real-time visibility. See the difference today by booking a demo with Vizion.
