Managing supply chain visibility remains a significant challenge for many businesses. Unexpected delays, missed pickups, and rising costs are common pain points that disrupt the smooth flow of goods and services. 

According to a survey, nearly all (95%) surveyed businesses are increasing their technology and automation investments over the next three years.

Increasing supply-chain visibility with rule-based RFID data analysis can significantly improve tracking accuracy across the shipping process. 

By accessing critical port and terminal data, businesses gain insights to reduce delays, minimize costs, and enhance operational efficiency, with real-time tracking solutions provided by Vizion.

What is Supply Chain Visibility?

Supply chain visibility refers to tracking and monitoring the flow of goods and materials across the supply chain in real-time. This visibility enables businesses to:

• Make better decisions by having up-to-date information on shipments and potential delays.
• Reduce delays by quickly identifying issues and inefficiencies.
• Enhance logistics efficiency by ensuring smooth transitions between ports, terminals, and transportation modes.

Enhancing supply chain visibility, particularly through solutions that integrate real-time tracking like Vizion and milestone updates, can significantly improve operational efficiency.

Importance of Port + Terminal Data in Supply Chain Visibility

Access to terminal-level data is essential for improving operational planning, reducing delays, and optimizing decision-making. Direct insights from terminal operators offer businesses real-time updates on key milestones. 

This data provides better visibility, helping streamline logistics and improve supply chain efficiency.

1. Enhanced Operational Planning

Having precise, real-time information about container availability allows businesses to improve operational efficiency.

• Align production schedules with transportation timelines, reducing delays resulting from late arrivals.
• Ensure that resources like trucks or warehouse space are available at the right time to prevent idle time and unnecessary costs.

2. Meeting Critical Deadlines

Terminal visibility ensures businesses meet critical shipping deadlines, from customs clearance to regulatory compliance.

• Track vessel cut-off times to ensure that goods are loaded on time, preventing missed shipments.
• Stay ahead of regulatory requirements and documentation submission deadlines to ensure compliance and reduce the risk of fines or delays.

3. Timely Document Submission

Terminal milestone data ensures businesses know when to submit critical documents like bills of lading, customs declarations, and port clearance papers.

• Time document submissions accurately to avoid delays caused by incomplete paperwork.
• Avoid hold-ups at customs or terminals by submitting documents well before deadlines, ensuring smooth processing and faster clearance.

4. Preventing Port of Loading (POL) Delays

Access to milestone data helps businesses identify potential delays well in advance, allowing them to take corrective action.

• Get early alerts about potential shipping delays or rollovers that could disrupt schedules.
• Take proactive measures, like rerouting containers or adjusting schedules, to avoid costly rollovers and ensure containers are loaded onto the correct vessel.

Increasing supply chain visibility with rule-based RFID data analysis can enhance this process by providing more accurate tracking and improving decision-making.

Key Events for Effective Tracking

Milestones at the port and terminal level are critical checkpoints throughout the shipping process. These key events ensure that cargo moves efficiently and on time, minimizing delays and helping businesses stay on top of their shipments. 

By tracking these milestones, companies gain visibility into the progress of their containers, allowing for better decision-making and optimized logistics.

List of Key Milestone Events:

• Discharged from Vessel at Destination Port: This milestone indicates that the container has arrived at its destination port and has been unloaded from the vessel.
  
  Why it matters: It marks the transition from ocean freight to port operations, indicating that the goods are ready to proceed to the next phase in the supply chain.

• Available for Pickup: This event occurs when the container is ready to be picked up from the terminal.
  
  Why it matters: Timing is crucial here; knowing when the container is available for pickup helps businesses avoid delays and prevent containers from incurring additional storage or demurrage fees.

• Gate Out from Destination Port: When the container exits the port and begins its journey to the next destination, this milestone is recorded.
  
  Why it matters: This milestone helps businesses track the movement of their goods after they leave the terminal, ensuring that shipments are progressing as planned.

• Free Time to Expire: The moment when a container's free time (the time allowed for it to remain at the terminal without incurring fees) is about to expire.
  
  Why it matters: Tracking this milestone ensures that businesses can take action before demurrage fees begin to accrue, thereby avoiding costly delays and additional charges.

• Gate In Empty Return: This marks the return of an empty container to the terminal after it was unloaded.
  
  Why it matters: Returning empty containers promptly frees up terminal space, ensuring the cycle is completed for the next shipment and helping to reduce congestion at ports.

These key milestones provide businesses with a real-time snapshot of their containers' locations and statuses at every stage of the shipping process. Tracking these events ensures that shipments move efficiently, reducing delays and the potential for additional costs like demurrage or missed pickup charges.

How Vizion Enhances Supply Chain Visibility

Vizion provides real-time access to terminal events, offering businesses accurate and timely updates directly from terminal operators, rather than relying solely on carriers. This ensures that businesses receive up-to-date and comprehensive insights into their shipments, eliminating delays caused by incomplete or outdated data.

With Vizion’s Pro Plan, companies gain access to critical terminal milestones like:

• Free Time to Expire: Businesses are alerted ahead of time when free time is nearing its end, allowing them to avoid costly demurrage charges.
• Available for Pickup: Real-time updates ensure businesses know when their containers are ready to leave the terminal, reducing the risk of missed pickups and terminal congestion.

How Vizion’s Solutions Fit

Vizion’s solutions provide the automation, integration, and real-time data that help businesses streamline their operations and make more informed decisions.x

• Automated Data Feeds: Vizion automates the collection and distribution of terminal milestone data, reducing the need for manual tracking and minimizing human error. This automation streamlines the process of obtaining crucial data, enabling businesses to make quicker and more accurate decisions.
• Integration with Existing Systems: Vizion integrates smoothly with TMS, ERP systems, and other logistics platforms, ensuring terminal event data is captured and displayed within a company's existing workflow. This integration enables easy data transfer and enhances visibility across the supply chain, eliminating the need for complex and disruptive system overhauls.
• Real-Time Event Updates: With Vizion’s real-time updates, businesses receive timely notifications on key events, like customs holds, freight holds, and container availability. This immediate visibility allows businesses to make proactive decisions, helping them avoid unnecessary delays and costly fees.

Key Benefits of Terminal-Level Data with Vizion

Accessing terminal-level data brings several advantages that can directly impact operational efficiency and cost savings. Below are the key benefits businesses can gain by integrating terminal-level data into their supply chain management:

• Minimized Costs and Risk: With accurate port and terminal data, businesses can:
  
  • Avoid costly demurrage and detention charges by ensuring timely pickups and gate outs.
  • Manage customs holds, freight holds, and terminal holds more effectively by receiving early alerts and updates, preventing unnecessary delays and costly fees.

By having this data in real time, businesses can make proactive decisions to keep costs down and avoid the financial strain of unexpected charges.

• Improved Efficiency and Decision-Making: Port and terminal data allow businesses to:
  
  • Optimize cargo routing and ensure smooth transitions between different transport modes, reducing delays at port terminals.
  • Utilize Vizion’s accurate data to make better decisions, ensuring containers are picked up on time and terminal space is managed efficiently.

This enables businesses to enhance their logistics flow and reduce idle time at port facilities, maximizing efficiency at every step.

• Transparency Across the Supply Chain: With complete visibility into terminal milestones, businesses can ensure that:
  
  • All stakeholders, from logistics managers to procurement officers, stay informed and aligned on the status of shipments.
  • Miscommunication is reduced, minimizing delays and ensuring that everyone involved in the supply chain is on the same page.

Final Thoughts

Port and terminal data provide businesses with the critical visibility needed to manage costs, optimize routing, and improve overall supply chain performance. By tracking key terminal milestones, companies can avoid delays and reduce costly charges, like demurrage and detention.

Increasing supply-chain visibility with rule-based RFID data analysis further enhances this process, enabling more accurate tracking and improving decision-making.

Vizion offers powerful tools for improving supply chain visibility:

• 99% of ocean shipments are tracked with real-time container tracking across both ocean and rail.
• 24/7 support to assist businesses whenever they need help with tracking or data insights.
• Vizion’s Pro Plan ensures access to accurate terminal data, empowering enterprises to make better decisions and reduce operational costs by staying ahead of key milestones, like available for pickup and free time expiration.

Ready to optimize your supply chain? Discover how Vizion can enhance your visibility and efficiency. Book a demo to get started!