It's not only cargo moving in the shipping world - the entire freight forwarding industry is in a state of flux. Factors behind the changes include changing trade alliances, consolidation of some shipping lines, changes to oil prices, the growing demand for sustainable solutions, digitisation and terrorism threats.

While a CEO cannot control all these things, careful planning and partnering with a professional freight forwarder can help to de-risk supply chain operations and protect business profitability.

Keep reading and learn about five big trends your operations team need to navigate to make your business future-ready.

(4 min read)

For any business, the important Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Operations and Logistics Managers include efficient order fulfillment time, lowest end-to-end logistics costs, minimal damages and an optimised inventory pipeline.

These are all crucial for business performance.

What can be frustrating is when you have done everything possible to achieve your KPIs but haven’t.

Sometimes the cure is to find a better solution, such as partnering with an experienced air freight forwarder.

Discover more about how the right freight forwarder can help you meet or even beat your KPIs.

Welcome to the August edition of the BCR Global Market Update. BCR is an international freight forwarder and 3PL provider located in Australia. Regularly we provide an update on market conditions for companies importing goods into Australia from around the world.

Read on to learn about import sea freight market conditions to Australia for major lanes including North East Asia, South East Asia, the United States and Europe. In addition, learn about the restricted shipping controls ahead of the BRICS Summit in Xiamen and changes to import conditions and documentary requirements for wooden manufactured articles.

This is the Winter edition of the BCR Global Market Update with valuable information international freight industry specifically composed for our Australian readers. We understand it is important to stay informed on changes so that you can plan your cargo movements with your freight forwarder and know in advance when rates will be changing. 

Read on to learn more on the import sea freight market conditions to Australia for major lanes including North East Asia, South East Asia, the United States and Europe. Also included are details on the introduction of Infrastructure Fees and increases to Australian Local Charges effective 15 July 2017.

Leading Australian-owned freight forwarder and 3PL provider BCR has achieved a major endorsement of its compliant practices and supply chain security, gaining accreditation as an Australian Trusted Trader (ATT).

The ATT program is a voluntary trade facilitation initiative that was launched by the Australian Government in July 2016.  ATT brings Australia in line with key international trading partners, joining over 70 countries with similar Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programmes.

Becoming a leading provider in the freight forwarding, customs and third-party logistics (3PL) industry has been a 125-year long journey for BCR. The company’s focus on customers, performance, collaboration and continual improvement has been part of its success from the very outset when it started as literally a one-horse operation in Sydney. 

In this blog, we share a brief summary of how 3PL provider and freight forwarder BCR started and evolved to respond to customer needs within the country’s ever-changing corporate landscape over the last 125 years of Australian history.

This gives them a much clearer picture to base decision-making on, for example when choosing between shipping modes such as air freight or sea freight to meet your supply chain timeframes. They also have to make cost comparisons while factoring in carrier service levels, and they need to make decisions around exception reporting, issue escalation, and how to reduce risks.

Astute Operations and Logistics Managers understand that the best place to start is by aligning your freight forwarding company with your business objectives – so you can achieve the main goal of getting the best results for your business and customers.

Read on to find out the best ways to align with your freight forwarding company and keep your supply chain strong, reliable and efficient.

In a fast growing business, CEOs and business owners juggle a range of simultaneous actions across sales, marketing, finance, production, procurement, logistics and HR. Doing so many things together can result in stress, unproductive time management and compromise outcomes. If a business frequently imports or exports, as many businesses in Australia do, international sea freight is or shoud be a large part of a company’s logsitics. International sea freight, also know as ocean freight, incorporates multiple activities including, origin transport, international transport, customs clearance, domestic transport and documentation thus making it quite complex. If not managed properly, costs increase and customer satisfaction decreases. It can be challenging to ensure you receive the best results from international freight operations. Professional international freight forwarders in Australia bring relief by taking over the entire operation for seamless service at competitive pricing. This outsourcing can take a huge burden off a business owner’s shoulders. Alignment with these professionals is becoming very popular among business owners in Australia.

Read on to learn how a fast growing business can benefit from an international ocean freight forwarder.

Whether you are a new business in need of freight forwarding services or an established one already working with a freight forwarder, you need to pay attention to the freight forwarder set-up to ensure that you receive maximum value for your investment. Freight constitutes a large part of overall supply chain costs and focusing on it can improve your profits. It’s important that you see it as a strategic part of your business and spend time in setting-it up right so as to save time and resources later on.

Proactively working with your freight forwarder in setting the expectations and processes upfront can save you time, energy and money. Leading CEOs and Logistics Managers understand this and ensure that they engage their freight partners at the right level at the beginning of relationship to get the desired results. Even if you have been using freight forwarding partners for quite some time, it’s not too late to use these powerful tips to improve your freight forwarding operations.

Read on to learn 7 powerful tips which can assist you in improving your freight operation and save your business money.

Choosing the best transportation medium for your cargo can be challenging. This decision can have a profound impact on your business and your customers. Both air freight and sea freight have their advantages and disadvantages and the selection of the best shipping mode requires knowledge of each medium and the corresponding pros and cons. The first instinct of many Logistics and Operations Managers is to compare costs while considering transit time. However, along with these two factors, additional factors such as size, volume and the nature of the shipment should be considered. Leading managers know that a professional freight forwarder in Australia will take all of these factors into consideration and assist you in choosing the best shipping mode based on your requirements.

Read on to learn 4 questions to ask yourself that will assist you to choose the best-suited transportation medium between sea freight and air freight.