Have you heard about logistics collaboration? Years ago, McKinsey & Co. summarized the benefits of collaboration as reductions in cost, improvements in speed, and better service levels and customer satisfaction.
With supply chains coming off of two years of chaos, collaboration is top of mind for logistics providers once again. But as the McKinsey report explains, there are only sometimes enough resources or enthusiasm for collaborations to work. Separate entities can become siloed as a result.
The right infrastructure can facilitate communication and circumvent these concerns. This article will explain logistics collaboration and why expedited air freight recovery can’t succeed without it.
Logistics collaboration occurs when two or more organizations work closely to meet a shared objective. Companies might share equipment or information to reduce costs or improve customer service. A retailer might collaborate with a manufacturer. A raw materials supplier might collaborate with a carrier, or, in the case of air freight recovery, multiple carriers could collaborate with a 3PL and each other.
Organizations collaborate often work through a neutral third party so confidential data or other information isn’t shared. Technology plays an important role here – having the right platform enables different teams to communicate precisely and quickly.
On top of that, each airport pickup must be treated with urgency. Timing is critical for just-in-time cargo retrieval.
It requires an agile team that can work together to respond to a customer’s request. Not only do all parties have to know each other’s status on a haul, but they must also be able to communicate seamlessly.
Logistics service providers use technology to coordinate between different air freight recovery team members. Trust can break down when information is siloed and coordination suffers.
Instead, technology can help a logistics service provider to efficiently coordinate air freight recovery pickup, by providing a flow of real-time information available for all partners to see. A shared platform could, for example, notify the team when a driver is en route or has arrived at a pickup location.
This readily available information makes workflows more efficient, but even more importantly, it helps the logistics provider build trust between team members.
There are a few distinct challenges to contend with in expedited freight recovery. First, it is marked by urgency. Shippers don’t have time to wait hours or days for cargo retrieval in an air freight emergency. For example, one business needed to recover six pallets in Miami and deliver them to Indiana – in 24 hours. Carrier 911 sent a straight truck team to recover and deliver the shipment on time.
Second, visibility becomes even more important. Visibility solutions are gaining in popularity. However, it is still too common for a driver to fall off the radar once the pickup has been made. That’s not acceptable in emergency freight recovery – all parties need to know where a load is at any time.
Such was the case when Carrier 911 was contacted about picking up two pallets at the Los Angeles International Airport and delivering them to Nashville, Tennessee in two days. Or when Carrier 911 received a request to recover thirteen pallets from a container freight station in New Jersey, with a 36-hour window to deliver them to Dallas. In that situation, Carrier 911 sent a dry van team to make the pickup and knew their whereabouts the whole time.
Finally, communication is key. When a shipper requests expedited freight pickup, it’s imperative that the logistics provider proactively reach out with updates and notifications.
In each case mentioned, Carrier 911 used Turvo’s logistics platform to coordinate the pickup and facilitate collaboration between the relevant parties.
Logistics collaboration comes with immense benefits – when companies work together, it drives down costs and vastly improves customer service. This is especially important in expedited air freight recovery when the details of a pickup must work like clockwork.
With so many teams working together and moving parts, it’s next to impossible to coordinate without the help of technology. Carrier 911’s technology stack facilitates collaboration and provides proactive updates at any time of day. Contact Carrier 911 for a free demo today to see this process in action.
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