The battle for a market that could amount to 30m teu globally is now between carriers, forwarders and digital offerings, delegates at this week’s TOC Container Supply Chain conference in Rotterdam were told.
Lars Jensen, chief executive and partner of SeaIntelligence Consulting, said: “There will be a fundamental change in the competitive dynamics between carriers, and this will take place no matter what happens in terms of supply and demand in the …
Customer-carrier relations
Market Insight: ‘Immature procurement’ & trade management risk – carrier freight quotes come under fire
“It’s all Greek to me” I told Mr Ocean mid-way through a long chat covering a fascinating topic that, in short, he labelled as “immature procurement”.
“I can feel that,” he replied.
In an unusual fashion for me, there are no numbers, tabs and charts to discuss today but lots of trade experience to share with our growing community – for which we are incredibly grateful. (Of course, if you have more …
The post Market Insight: ‘Immature procurement’ & trade management risk – carrier freight quotes...
From 15 to five in just a few years – shippers’ declining choice of container carriers
Shippers and forwarders that The Loadstar spoke to at Transport Logistic in Munich this week expressed concerns over the decreasing circle of carrier options open to them on tradelanes around the world.
A number were also confused over the bunker surcharge policy of container lines in respect to the IMO 2020 low-sulphur regulations.
A chief executive of a major global forwarders complained to The Loadstar that his carrier options were limited following …
The post From 15 to five in just a few...
Market Insight: New recruitment suggests AP Møller Mærsk is targeting your FF business
A few hours before yesterday’s soft corporate divisional reorg announcement from AP Møller Mærsk there was frantic talk amongst my sources, many of whom pressed ahead with the debate over the end-to-end vertical logistics push from the Danish powerhouse.
The Inland Services integration was just the proverbial cherry on the cake for bears of the APPM corporate plan this week – I briefly touched upon it here yesterday – because the words of …
Return to index-linked contracts an idea gaining traction with BCOs and forwarders
It’s time for the liner industry to ditch the flawed fixed tender process where “someone always loses” and revisit index-linked contracts.
In a webinar yesterday to reveal results of a survey of 80 senior executives, consisting of forwarders, BCOs and carriers, Freightos founder and chief executive Zvi Schreiber said there was considerable “frustration” with the traditional time-consuming method of tendering – not only from shippers, but also from carriers.
As a commodity, …
The post Return to...
How shippers can plot a course through the choppy economic waters ahead
After a volatile first quarter, ocean freight is heading into a more stable pricing environment, but uncertainty over fuel costs and trade politics still make for difficult steering, warns American Global Logistics (AGL).
The US forwarder has advised clients to exercise caution in the upcoming round of contract negotiations, urging them to concentrate on total cost rather than just freight rates, to map their supply chains and build in flexibility to …
The post How shippers can plot a course...
https://theloadstar.com/how-shippers-can-plot-a-course-through-the-choppy-economic-waters-ahead/
More interoperability needed as smart containers begin to make their mark
More shipper engagement with carriers offering smart containers is required.
This would bring down the cost of the technology and push it towards ubiquity – although developing interoperability standards will also be key.
On the final day of last week’s TPM conference in Long Beach, Kathryn Delecluse, smart container commercial project manager at MSC, said: “We all know smart containers are the future, but at the moment it is totally customer-orientated because …
The post More interoperability...
https://theloadstar.com/more-interoperability-needed-as-smart-containers-begin-to-make-their-mark/
Forwarders need not fear Maersk’s ‘one-stop shop’ ambitions, says CEO
Freight forwarders offering supply chain solutions to shippers should have nothing to fear from Maersk’s ambition to be the “UPS of container shipping”.
So said Maersk Line chief executive Soren Skou, speaking at this week’s TPM conference in Long Beach.
He said: “Freight forwarders make up 40-45% of our business and I don’t see that changing – the most important thing for freight forwarders is to have the best service at the lowest …
The post Forwarders need not fear Maersk’s ‘one-stop shop’...
https://theloadstar.com/forwarders-need-not-fear-maersks-one-stop-shop-ambitions-says-ceo/
Fury at carrier demurrage and detention fees – ‘profiting from port congestion’
Shippers and BCOs at the JOC TPM Conference in Long Beach this week are almost unanimously furious that carriers are “profiting at their expense” from port congestion at the San Pedro Bay ports.
They are also up in arms about the decision of some shipping lines to penalise truckers for street turns – or roundtrips – which help to ease landside congestion by allowing one truck to exchange boxes at the …
The post Fury at carrier demurrage and detention fees – ‘profiting from port congestion’...
https://theloadstar.com/fury-at-carrier-demurrage-and-detention-fees-profiting-from-port-congestion/
Walmart online volume forecaster brings 10% improvement in on-time delivery
A new portal, developed by US retailer Walmart with freight forwarder Expeditors to deliver forecasted shipping volumes on a rolling basis to its container carriers, has brought a 10% improvement in on-time delivery of cargo.
At this week’s Transpacific Maritime conference in Long Beach, Michelle Weaver, Expeditors’ senior vice president of global order management, said the portal, five years in development, had “improved the partnership between shipper and carrier”.
“A lot of …
The post Walmart...
https://theloadstar.com/walmart-online-volume-forecaster-brings-10-improvement-in-on-time-delivery/