Schedule integrity has been identified as one of the key challenges facing groupage operators from the US with delays, cut-offs in the ports, and general service shortages the order of the day as we head into the winter period.
That’s according to local marketing director of global neutral NVOCC Vanguard Logistics, Raymond Cutts. “The overall picture over the past year or so is one of carry-overs, containers that aren’t stacked on time and freight by road coming in late," said Cutts.
Fortunately reform is afoot throughout America’s transport sector, with reforms in place to tighten up on schedules and avoid delays. In the face of these challenges, Vanguard has developed an extensive network of systems and services using technology to provide ‘smart solutions’.
Taking pride of place in the company’s “bouquet offering” is an integrated end-to-end software service, featuring a wide range of easy-to-use online tools. These include a handy LCL calculator while ‘Status Mate’ allows customers to track and trace each and every shipment in real time.
“It gives our customers full-access visibility of their cargo along the way, from the time a shipment is booked and paid for until the cargo is delivered. It also affords them immediately available access to documentation, shipping instructions, bills of lading, and other aspects of shipping,” Cutts explained. “Moreover, through the seamless and comprehensive stream of data and information accumulation across our services and capabilities, Vanguard can identify challenges so that we can take these up with our customers in a region-to-region kind of way.
“We’re not interested in trying to trouble-shoot things such as hurricanes over which we have no control. We’re interested in adding to existing systems and services that set us apart.”
The company has 18 offices, 143 points of presence, and its own CFS facilities in key US locations like Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Atlanta and Miami.
Vanguard can identify challenges so that we can take these up with our customers in a region-to-region kind of way. Raymond Cutts
