SubscribeEntrepreneurs get excited about new products; their last consideration is how to transport it to the final consumer.
The UK has always been a trading nation which relies on exports and imports for its survival; effective freight solutions are vital to the health of the economy, but knowledge about international transport options can be minimal.
This is where the freight forwarder comes in. Their expertise and knowledge of the options available for international transport is essential to the satisfaction of the final customer. But how do you pick the freight forwarder that’s right for your particular business needs?
The Freight Industry
Ever since containerisation revolutionised international transport, the industry has followed the same pattern as manufacturing and financial services. A constantly shifting pattern of mergers and takeovers has resulted in a relatively small number of massive companies with a huge and complex infrastructure.
Most freight companies are big; they are good at moving large volumes at low prices.
But most UK companies are small and the majority of employees work for Small and Medium Enterprises.
The Transport Chain
A new entrepreneur is unlikely to be familiar with the complexity of the international transport chain. These are just some of the factors to be considered:
Who pays what
The ‘chain’ usually consists of three or more ‘links’ – trading partners need to sort out who is paying for which links of the chain.
Routing
There’s more than one way of getting here or there – or maybe there isn’t. How do you know what you don’t know?
Documentation Requirements
Can be very simple (within EU) or extremely onerous (outside European continent).
Transport Modes
Road, air, sea, rail and any combination of these – which is most suitable considering destination, cost, timing, perishability of goods?
Dangerous Goods Regulations
International regulations are very strict and appear to become increasingly so. How does a shipper/importer know they are doing the right thing?
It’s the job of the solutions provider to give cost-effective and reliable answers to all these questions, to advise the importer or exporter of the best options and get the goods to the right place at the right time. Within an increasingly megalithic industry the small independent forwarder also provides flexibility and personal service.