Smaller forwarders want much improved visibility, says BoxTop.
Freight forwarders are seeking greater visibility. “Just being able to track cargo is no longer good enough,” says Christopher Hewlett, managing director and co-founder of BoxTop Technologies.
“Visibility is much more useful if it is used pro-actively for planning and preventing problems, not just for finding out who is to blame when things go wrong,” he explains. “It should not be used simply as a historical record.”
Hewlett believes that BoxTop were ahead of the game when it first started providing this functionality and its freight management software system has included high levels of visibility for many years. However, many of the small and medium-sized forwarders are only now seeking to use all the functionality.
“With the recent economic climate, the smaller forwarders are facing two issues – intrusion into their traditional area of business by the bigger forwarders and logistics companies, and demands for greater reliability and cost control from their existing customers,” says Hewlett.
In addition to offering their customers greater visibility, BoxTop users are also able to widen their service portfolio by adding inventory management services, on-line stock control and pick & pack fulfillment services. “This allows them to compete with much larger forwarders – the exporters and importers can have the best of both worlds, intelligent use of information and personal service,” explains Hewlett.