What to Consider in Choosing Air Freight Forwarder during the Christmas Season?

Image Source: philstar.com

The Christmas season is fast approaching. In a country like the Philippines, where gift-giving is a tradition, it is an important thing that the gifts they prepare would be appreciated by the recipients. So whether they are miles away from their loved ones, they see to it that they were able to deliver their simple gifts. That is why air freight forwarders are really of great help in the Philippines, especially for parents, uncles, brothers and sisters who were working across the miles.

Christmas could be considered as one of the longest celebrated occasions in the Philippines. Filipinos have a colorful Christmas celebration. Children singing Christmas carols could be heard from the streets. Christmas lights twinkling in every street. Though, decorated by Christmas decors, a family’s Christmas celebration is incomplete with the absence of a family member or two.

Consequently, a family member who got to spend his Christmas out of the country due to work is a sad situation. And as the season approaches, a typical Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) starts to save presents for his family and loved ones staying in the Philippines.

And the possible way he could send his love is through air freight companies in the Philippines. Air freight and shipping companies serve as their bridge of love and communication. And with the number of issues revolving around the “Balikbayan Boxes”, overseas Filipino workers make sure that they set qualities in choosing the orient freight they could rely on.

So, what are the things an OFW needed to check for a reliable air freight forwarder?

First is the history of the freight forwarder company. This is one of the factors you must consider to assesses the quality of the service a freight forwarder offers. It is good to run a little background check on the freight forwarder company, especially if it is the first time you will use their service. Checking the service history will let you know about the services offered and how the company takes care of their clients’ needs. Also, this will let you know if the freight forwarder is legit and committed on helping their customers.

The next thing you should look into (and may be the one of the most important) is if the company offers insurance for lost packages and items. You have no control of what could happen the moment you hand over your package to an air freight forwarder. So, it is important if you’re assured of its safety.

Third is the cost of shipping. It is important that the cost of shipping is in parallel to the service the individual receives if he is going to avail the service. That is why it is really important to check the company’s profile before availing the service.

A “Balikbayan Box” or any package any individual wish to deliver to his family surely is of great importance for him. In line with this, freight forwarders must share the same sentiments through their quality of service. So, the most important factor anyone must consider is not just the level of professionalism a forwarder possesses. But their unwavering commitment and loyalty they have for their customers and not only because there is money involved.

So, if you are reading this and you are an overseas Filipino worker (or you have one family member who is), it wouldn’t hurt to take note of these things. Christmas is near and surely you are preparing gifts for your loved ones. So better choose an air freight company in the Philippines you can trust your fruits of hard labor. 

The Secret World of Air Freight Forwarding

Image source: www.stuttgart-airport.com

This is a video presentation from the Youtube Channel of WideopenVideoMusic and this is about the secret world of Air Freight.

We often neglect how things are transported to our home, neighborhood, stores, malls, and others. We are not aware of the process in which they undergo and how they arrived on the market.

With this video, we can have the awareness of this freight forwarding service, the air freight forwarding.

For more information regarding the technical aspect of air freight, just follow these posts:

What is Freight Forwarding?

Air Freight Forwarding Is Crucial To Your Business. Learn Why!

This is for educational purposes only, all credits goes to WideopenVideosMusic.

If you find this video helpful, feel free to tell us your feedback.

Importance of a 3PL Provider in Online Selling

Image Source: www.supplychain247.com

3PL (third party logistics) providers continue to make the life of companies selling their products online easier and safer. What is 3PL? TechTarget defines it as a “provider of outsourced logistics services.” A 3PL provider offers shipping, packaging and warehousing services. Without them, online shopping experience would run at a snail’s pace and customers wouldn’t like that. They are responsible for the delivery of the product right in the customer’s hands.

Last 2013, more than 80% of the online population shopped online. Internetlivestats.com says the number of online users last 2013 is 2.7 billion people. This is why some companies consider online selling a lucrative avenue than their physical shop. Customers are the main driving force on how this industry is shaped based on their needs and demands. Online shopping changed the concept of global trade and purchasing making it more complicated. This is where 3PL providers enter the picture.

It is not enough a company has a range of saleable products put up in their virtual store. But the most important factor that will make or break a business is how fast they deliver the product to their customers and its condition upon reaching the recipient. Why do some companies turn to 3PL providers?

Setting up an in-house freight management division will eat up your time and resources. You need to hire a competent team of logistic experts because they are the ones who will handle the most valuable asset of your company – your customers. They must see to it that every order is fulfilled in a safe and timely manner. This burden will be taken off once you hire the best 3PL provider. All you have to do is focus on your core competencies such as producing quality products and marketing them online.

How will you know your company and customers are in the right hands or right 3PL provider? Choose someone that specializes in your type of business. They must have a reliable 24/7 customer support that whenever a customer complaint arises, with regards to delivery, the 3PL provider should be reachable any time to address the concerns. In case there is an incident of damaged goods during shipping, the client company should be able to file a “return and damage claim” report. They value the role of an up-to-date system or 3PL technology that will seamlessly process their logistics operations. And their business strictly follows the latest and best industry practices.

Choose a 3PL company that you can consider as a business partner rather someone you just hired. You should be able to monitor the movement of your goods. If it is negotiable with your chosen provider, assign a person dedicated to monitoring. Don’t let the3PL provider have full control or you will be at a loss.

These criteria must be established during the selection process. Shopping for a 3PL provider is not an easy task. Choose a provider who is flexible, transparent and aligned with your business principles. In this way, you could have a harmonious working relationship with one another and, not to mention, your customers will be satisfied as well. 

Air Freight Forwarding Is Crucial To Your Business. Learn Why!

Image Source:www.shipit.com

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If you’ve got a growing business, and it includes shipments around the world, then the need for air cargo is a must.

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Air freight forwarding is one the mainstream service that is provided by freight forwarding companies. Nowadays, the market needs express services to meet all the demands, especially, the time sensitive deliveries. And the best way to deal with that demand is to rely on air freight forwarding. (See Air Freight Philippines as an example)

Most businesses today uses the advantage of technology to boost their business. Some well know example of that are the Alibaba, Amazon, Best Buy, eBay, and many more (Taken from the 2014 Research and Markets: The Leading E-Commerce Companies 2014 post from Yahoo! News). They are known for their top grossing E-Commerce Business. And all of them use freight forwarding services to deliver their products to their customers.

The importance of several freight forwarding services can be reflected from those top e-commerce companies. I believe that they just started from local deliveries, have grown to state level, have increased in sales and expanded to domestic or national level, and until they have gained so much growth that the need for the air freight had finally risen.

If you will ignore the need for air freight forwarding, your business will not grow. Most companies use this service to integrate with other types of transport services to reach a much wider range of customer coverage and product distribution. So you better contact a provider and use their service to help your business grow. Some of the capabilities that an air freight forwarding service provider like Orient Freight offers are door-to-door shipping, consolidation and direct service, express or next flight out service, charter flights, and sea-air service. You can see the list of their freight services from their website http://orientfreight.com/.  

For companies that use imported materials, they are hiring 3PL or Third Party Logistics Provider to handle all the transactions and to speed up their operations. The provider then delivers all their materials to the production lines through container freight station, devanning, and trucking. A reliable and accredited provider manages all the processes of this supply chain management system. Although it may be a little bit costly to avail these services, but in that way, the production will not be delayed, and the income will continue to increase. The same goes for those companies that export their products, the process will just be reversed as from the point of production to point of destination.

Imagine if there are no freight forwarding companies, how would the process be if the clients are to manually do all the logistics process? It would cost them so much that the income will be put into jeopardy. Thanks to 3PL firms, they skillfully and professionally handle all types of transactions and ensure product safety and deliver them on time.

Customer satisfaction is also another factor for your business to grow. The faster you deliver their orders and products, the more they will be satisfied. Loyalty will also be developed because if they can rely on your quality service, they will return for more business transaction. Others will even try to be part of your business.

With those reasons, truly, air freight forwarding is essential for your business to grow.

Related Topics:

3PL
What is Freight Forwarding?

Phases of Logistics Management

Container Freight Station

What are the Advantages of Container Freight?

What are the Advantages of Container Freight?

When it comes to logistics management services, one of the most well-known is the container freight station. It is defined as the loading and unloading of containers to and from different points of destinations. Normally, it has a two-point location, one is from the port, and the other is the facility or warehouse wherein the products or goods must be unloaded. Before any container can be unloaded from the ships, it must be checked for its documents. After all necessary requirements were completed the customs will issue a clearance so that the logistics management can deliver the containers to their respective destinations.

The process may look that simple, but it takes some time to complete all the documents and clearances. But why do most companies use this type logistics service? Let us enumerate its advantages.

Storage of Cargo for Import/Export

Container freight is essential in storing Cargoes and Containers that contain products/goods for export/import. The station serves as the inbound and outbound point for the international market that uses cargoes to deliver products/goods. Services offered by most CFS include storage, cargo consolidation, vanning and devanning, segregation, and marking.

The procedures are simplified and use modern technology or computer systems for fast monitoring and transaction. All documents and reports are easily generated which is another plus for the clients.

Safety of Products

Every client needs facilities and personnel to make sure that their cargoes are safe. And that’s what container freight is for. Facilities for the storage of shipments are secured with guards that ensure safety and surveillance cameras for additional security.

Cost reduction

Imagine if you were to do all the logistics processes by yourself alone? It would cost you so much more rather than letting the experts in that field to do the task for you. Yes, your money is still involved, but it would cost you less because the logistics company has the necessary requirements already for smooth delivery of shipments. It would also save you time because you can focus on your business instead of the freight service.

Expeditious Cargo Release

Production is very important especially for all the manufacturing companies. They rely on the efficient and speedy release of materials for production use. Income generation will be greatly affected by the delay in receiving the cargoes.

Having said those advantages, more and more companies are relying container freight services for the efficiency of the materials and product storage and distributions. 

What is Freight Forwarding?

Source: www.cfrrinkens.com

Freight Forwarding is the process of arranging storage, moving of cargo, packing, documentation, and customs clearance of shipments from importers and exporters.

This process of service is an industry that specializes in moving or transporting goods locally and internationally. Most firms cater services for cargos and customs clearances for different goods and facilitate the maintenance of all required documents, making sure that all packages and shipments will arrive to their proper destinations according to the client’s specified time. The companies that offer those services are called freight forwarding firms. An Example of this firm is Orient Freight (http://www.orientfreight.com)

Custom Clearance

According to the business dictionary, this is the documented permission to pass a national customs authority to grant permission for imported goods to allow entering the country, and for export goods exit the country. This process can be performed by the freight forwarding company itself (usually, they have their own shipping agent) or by subcontracting it to a company that offers customs brokerage services. The clearance is a documentary proof that all the required customs duties have been paid and the shipments have been approved.

The advantage of hiring a customs broker is the freeing up of the clients waiting and processing time so that they will receive or deliver the shipments on or before the specified date of delivery. On the other hand, if a freight forwarding firm will do this task, they need enough funds to handle bonds, tariffs, and tax payments necessary for the shipping process.

Documentation Required

Before any freight forwarding service starts, there are documentation required. Clients or customers need to provide well-ordered and accurate documentary requirements to a freight forwarding company for a successful process. Receipt of payments for delivery and the time should be specified on when the process should be done and delivery date for the shipments, products, or cargoes.

Freight Forwarding Services

These are the services offered by a freight forwarding firm or company, although they may vary from one company to another, the customers are to decide on what services are applicable for their shipments and products/goods. Below are some of the well-known services they offer:

• ·         Specialized Logistic Solutions
• ·         Container Freight Station
• ·         Supply Chain Management
• ·         Sea Freight Forwarding (NVOCC)
• ·         Logistics and Customs Brokerage
• ·         Air Freight Forwarding

I will discuss each service on my next post, this just an overview of the freight forwarding process as a whole. Thank you for dropping by. Have a nice day folks!