2020 will be remembered for many things, most specifically COVID-19 and the hardships and challenges this brought to most of our lives both professionally and personally.
With hardships and challenges however come truths, new vulnerabilities and lessons learnt. It highlighted the fact that some stakeholders within a supply chain can thrive and prosper amongst the Chaos. Shipping lines and unions can exploit importer/exporter chaos for profitability, as is their right, as they also experience down times when order prevails.
As a logistics professional of nearly 20 years, my experience within the chaos was like a slap in the face and a true wake up call. Our clients’ reflex is to ship “just in time” but as space demand is squeezed this will evolve and change how certain commodities are ordered and terms of trade will be re-evaluated and re-negotiated for more control to the importing party.
The footprints of less warehouse space and consolidated hubs may also require some tweaking as we find a new tolerance to the changed landscape of logistics. Linehaul is already adapting to this new normal.
Our clients’ ever increasing need to be fully driven by on-line systems and e-commerce emphasised the fact that no matter how many systems a company has in place, you CANNOT replace the hard work, after hours tolerance, persistence, and importance of individual stakeholder relationships your freight forwarder, your customs broker or your transport company has on your behalf.
The pandemic has underscored that true partnerships over severe cost cutting and /or going completely digital (or direct with shipping lines) is far more valuable to customer satisfaction and retention. Freight forwarders have never been afraid of the hard work involved in large freight accounts, it is what we are good at and why we still have a very significant place in this arena.
Written by Angela Gambell, Stockwell International Sales and Marketing Director.
