Andrea Martin, from The Coop’s FreightViewer department, talked online with Wilson Huang, BlueX’s Senior Sales Manager, about the industry-defining trends in the transportation and logistics industry
Two years back, the Coop made available FreightViewer, a free and exclusive online quote generation software that allows its members to send instant accurate quotations within a few seconds. This tool that greatly simplifies the quote generation process, was created to encourage the members to embrace digitization. The transportation and logistics industry is going through a transition phase. Moreover, since March 2020, this sector is undergoing a somewhat disruptive transformation. This is precisely why the small and mid-sized forwarders are trying their best to digitize their operations by using solutions offered by companies like BlueX.
→ Click on the image below to listen to the full interview
The BlueX team provides useful logistics tech platforms making ocean freight service simpler and more accessible both for the freight forwarders and the carriers. Simply stated, they connect the logistics companies and the clients on a single easy-to-use platform.
BlueX cooperates directly with the carriers for fostering a new business model that optimizes the ROI of the freight forwarders. In this interview, Mr. Huang and Ms. Martin discuss how the industry is directing its focus mainly on enhanced productivity and client servicing. Furthermore, they also talk about the impact of the pandemic on the digitization of the logistics industry.
According to Mr. Huang, the transportation and logistics industry had started the digital transformation around three years back. Nevertheless, the process picked up speed, and now it is absolutely essential to beat the intense competition. Since 2018, this sector has witnessed the rise of many new technologies. For instance, eight out of ten best carriers have invested in creating automated quotation generation software. Maersk, the biggest name in container shipping, did this10 years back by launching Maersk Spot Booking. At the moment, over 52% of their shipments are booked via this platform.
After working for many years in this sector, Mr. Huang thinks that automation is no longer the future, it is happening right now. Until now, it was only the biggest carriers who were taking the major steps towards digitization. However, this is no longer the case. Independent freight forwarders are embracing digitization like never before. They are using online tools and software to automate their daily work process and increase productivity. Flexport, a logistics and customs brokerage firm has set a great example. They have shown us how automation can be used to meet the modern requirements of this industry. In addition, the pandemic has also accelerated the process of digitization of the transportation and logistics industry. In other words, the digital transformation is no longer a vision but a reality.