Global logistics and freight management can be difficult to manage due to a lack of clear visibility along the supply chain. Container tracking software does exist although very few companies actually use it and understand the benefits and so are without important information relating to their shipment. Having this information to hand can resolve many of the challenges that companies within the space experience. Some of these Global Freight Challenges include the following things:

Theft of goods

With there being so many people involved in the processes of shipping freight around the world, there may be some in it that have more nefarious motives. It is very easy for one of these people to alter the paperwork and steal some of the contents of a container for themselves. For a manufacturer, it can be very difficult, or almost impossible for them to try and figure out where theft of their goods may have occurred and how they can ever get them back.

Lack of shipment updates

When goods are being shipped in from abroad, it can take several weeks for them to arrive at their destination. However, most of the time they come without any sort of tracking information and in this day and age, this is not something that customers want or appreciate. They like to be able to keep tabs on their delivery the entire way.

Counterfeiting

This type of thing can take many different forms. What a counterfeit does is misappropriate the work of someone else’s brand by falsely labeling products or using inferior components in the production of certain items. Having a lack of provenance of goods can have a negative impact on a company’s ability to sell their products. This is a particular problem in some parts of Asia and one that has become more prevalent as more and more people are buying things online. 

Lack of data

When shipping products globally, there are sometimes some pre-set environmental conditions that need to be in place. This can include things like temperature parameters. Because there is no real way for the manufacturers to see what the shipping conditions are in real time, there are some logistics companies that falsify records on how goods are shipped. For instance, a shipping company may shut off the refrigeration unit as a container leaves in order to save costs. 

Manual process

During each and every stage that goods are handed over, there are many manual processes involved. For instance, paperwork needs to be completed and signed, and barcodes need to be manually scanned. This information then needs to be fed back to the original manufacturer and this takes time. Sometimes this does not even get back to them for several weeks or even at all and this leads to extensive delays in the shipping process.

The takeaway

It is clear to see that there exist many challenges for businesses to overcome when operating within the global freight industry. The use of technology can really help to combat these problems and make things move a lot smoother.