Freight Forwarding in the Logistics world

It’s not a surprise that the world is moving faster as each day passes. Customers want to receive their products and services as fast as possible, making their suppliers to also work under a rush schedule to deliver their clients in the most efficient way. Normally you can think that shipping an item from one point to another is not a hard task; what difficulty can be in taking your phone and calling some transport company, ask for a truck and move the merchandise from origin to destination? Maybe you can even have your own transport company, meaning this will be less effort as you don’t depend on another company to deliver the client. But when it comes to more complex operations, such as move cargo from one country to another (by road, ocean, or air) where you don’t fully know foreign Customs or Transport regulations or whether which is the best cost/time efficient way, it is possible to end up with a more expensive operation that could affect the profits the company was hoping to receive.

By Bff International (https://bffinternational.net/que-hacen-los-freight-forwarder)

This is where Freight Forwarders come into the play. I had the opportunity to work in this type of company back in the Dominican Republic and, in my experience, I can honestly tell you that this is a problem solver for companies since they are in charge of getting their customers the best option that can adjust to their budget. They must organize transportation, identify the most efficient route to save time and money, obtain insurance, select the appropriate packaging for the shipment in question, organize freight storage and/or distribution, and so on. Also, as Freight Forwarders are internationally connected, they are in the capacity to oversee those foreign regulations to move the cargo within the destination/origin country.

In the company I worked in the Dominican Republic, they offered a huge variety of services, which some can be found below:

If you are planning sometime in the future to have your own company, or if in your workplace are having issues with logistics matters, I would totally recommend you make and approach to a Freight Forwarding company to have those matters solve with ease. Of course, it will cost you, but trust me that it is all worth and you and your final customers will be grateful for making that decision!

Overnight-Express or: How to order lobster from overseas

Do you know how long it takes to walk 1000 kilometers? I bet you don´t. Of course you could calculate it, for example by taking an average speed and adding some time for basic needs like sleeping and eating. I won´t tell you the question´s answer, but all of us know: it will take a lot of time. Next question: How long takes a flight from Madrid to New York City? Less than 9 hours you will say. And by the way, the distance is almost 6000 kilometers. The 100-year old invention of the airplane completely changed all our lives. The airplane connects the world. It plays an important role in freighting people as well as goods. The air freight has become indispensable for sending urgent as well as perishable cargo, because it is fast, reliable, and the freight is under controlled conditions. Some examples for delicate cargo: medical supplies, foods, animals.

Thanks to logistics engineers, who developed an all over the world perfectly working, highly sophisticated logistics-system based on IT-technologies, nowadays it is possible to receive a package from overseas within 24 hours. To make this possible, it is indispensable that all required steps interlock perfectly, beginning with the record of an order, to the delivery to the customer. Same for the information flow.  In one of the world´s largest air freight transshipment-centers, the DHL HUB Leipzig in Germany, 1500 tons of freight are transshipped per night. Of course every step has to work and there is no space for mistakes.

When starting its journey around the world, an express package like a coolbox containing lobsters will rarely stand still. The journey is planned from A to Z by an IT-System and it will be timed minutely. Do you still remember the question at the beginning of this text? The lobsters will be faster!