When talking about the ever-growing world of commerce around the world, Ocean Freight is one of the preferred Modes of transportation in supply chain management to move goods across borders.
It is crucial to efficiently manage, handle, and track containers. Proper container management helps global businesses:
- Stay organized
- Reduce shipping costs, avoid delays and additional fees
- Maintain a smooth supply chain
- Meet market demand.
Let’s explore more on container management, what it is, how it works, best practices, and why it is so important for businesses to keep it in check.
Container Management in Ocean Freight: Why It Matters
Containers play a key role in ocean freight shipping as they safely carry and transport your goods from point A to point B, ensuring global supply chains run efficiently and making international trade possible.
Proper container management ensures that your products:
- Stay compliant, and secure during transport
- They are handled efficiently and with care
- Your shipments arrive in good condition and on time
In a nutshell, container management is the logistics operation that focuses on the physical handling, loading, unloading, and tracking of shipping containers. It is a key operation to maintain the supply chain efficiently running.
Contrasted with software container management, which deals exclusively with digital data, container management has become an indispensable priority tool for global commerce.
As an experienced Logistics provider, at EP Logistics, we ensure the proper handling of your containers through our excellent focus on Ocean Freight services.
Our solutions and shipping can be customized to your business-specific needs with one goal in mind: to ensure secure and timely shipments for our clients.
The Impact of Effective Container Management on Global Logistics
Real-Time Tracking and Control
Companies are able to increase their accuracy and accountability on shipping when implementing real-time container tracking systems. This allows them to:
- Maintain visibility during all shipping stages
- Making sure goods reach their destination on time
- Avoiding communication errors among the other parties involved in the supply chain.
Our solutions at EP Logistics enhance your transport and logistics management along the supply chain, allowing you to make better-informed decisions at each stage.
Space Utilization Optimization
Container space when it is properly optimized, reduces operational costs. Making the best to maximize the use of space as much as possible within each container is the best way to avoid the increase in transportation and unnecessary storage expenses.
Our services promise to handle your goods with care and by professionals who keep space optimization as a priority to help you reduce shipping costs and maximize your profit margins.
Best Practices for Handling and Storage
In order to stay compliant with the various safety regulations in each industry, becoming familiar with the best practices for container handling to protects goods from damage and avoid delays cause by improper handling.
This is an important aspect to keep in mind, especially when port congestion solutions are needed to rapidly make decisions and overcome traffic challenges. Read more on this: How to weather the ongoing port congestion.
Our team at EP Logistics has wide experience on how to handle bottlenecks and other traffic congestions. We also offer Warehousing Services and cross-docking, to boost your company’s storage and movement capabilities within the supply chain.
4 Best Practices in Container Management for Ocean Freight Logistics
Following proven practices for container management will ensure the efficient optimization of container usage you can reduce costs, and make sure your goods are kept safe throughout each stage of the supply chain.
Some of the best practices related to container management you can adopt are:
1. Optimize Container Space with Efficient Loading Techniques
Proper container space optimization, meaning minimizing unused space, contributes to a better distribution of resources reduces shipping costs, and avoids the increase in additional fees.
2. Select the Right Container Type for Each Shipment
Choosing the adequate types of shipping containers depending on the type, size, and priority of the cargo prevents damaged goods, ensures timely deliveries, and saves on unnecessary added shipping or storage fees.
Consider using special container types and applications that meet both your industry and business-specific needs.
These different types of containers, available, adapt to the specific requirements of each shipment and the goods it transports. Each will offer you different features to adapt to all types of cargo requirements.
For example, choose refrigerated ones for time-sensitive goods or flat-rack containers for large or uniquely shaped cargo.
3. Prioritize Regulatory Compliance and Documentation
Staying compliant with global shipping regulations and having all documentation required by each customs agency is crucial when working in the international commerce panorama.
This is why partnering up with an experienced 3PL professional like EP Logistics is recommended.
A professional Logistics partner will bring its expertise and knowledge to the table, helping you optimize your container management in ocean freight and ensuring your shipments stay compliant with all the international standards for import and export.
- Integrate Sustainable Practices into Container Management
With more companies adopting eco-friendly practices that look to reduce waste and protect the environment, eco-friendly container handling protocols have become of more importance.
Accounting for sustainability, within the emerging technologies in container logistics, is an important factor to target as more and more consumers nowadays rather give their business to companies that consider the environmental impact they have.
The Value of Partnering with a Reliable Logistics Provider
Wondering What can a logistics provider do for you? When working with an experienced provider like EP Logistics, offer your business the benefit of having a dedicated partner whose ultimate goal is to help you optimize your logistics operations and reduce costs.
With over 20 years of expertise, our customizable solutions are designed to help you overcome challenges in container management with services like
- Customs Brokerage to ensure the smooth passing of your shipments across borders
- Air Freight as an alternative to quickly respond to congestion and shipping delays
- Road Freight for domestic shipping and deliveries to your customer’s doorstep.
Feel free to read our past blog post on how does freight logistics work, for more insights on this.
If you’re looking to optimize your container tracking and logistics and your overall operations along your supply chain.
Contact us at EP Logistics now to learn more about our tailored ocean freight solutions.
