The BCR Blog

3PL companies provide cost effective, end-to-end supply chain logistics services to businesses. The services offered by 3PL providers include warehousing, freight forwarding, domestic transportation, customs clearance and value-added services. Many business owners and CEOs in Australia get the most out of their logistics with the assistance of professional 3PL providers. However, before you first engage with a 3PL company, there are a few facts to be aware of and some misconceptions that need to be clarified.

Some common misconceptions associated with aligning with a third-party logistics company include increased overall costs, more hectic work, business security breaches and losing control over logistics operations. However, in most cases, outsourcing to a 3PL provider assists in making a business more organised, efficient and profitable. The expertise and resources available from a third-party logistics provider assist in reducing overall costs and free up your in-house resources, which enables you and your team to focus on growth plans for your business.

Read on to learn 5 facts about third-party logistics providers and how they can enable the growth of your company.

• 100% key customer retention in 2017.
• Triple digit growth in 3PL division over past 12 months, exceeding forecasts.
• Michael Thirgood appointed new BCR CEO.

On the back of a strong 2017 with 100% key customer retention and triple digit growth in their 3PL division over the past 12 months exceeding forecasts, international and domestic freight forwarding company and 3PL provider BCR has appointed Michael Thirgood as its CEO.

Michael will assume responsibilities from 14th May 2018, and will succeed David Katte, who as Director and CEO will step down as CEO to focus on his passions in IT and finance.

 

(5 min read)
For Supply Chain Managers in Sydney, data security is high on the list of supply chain challenges. Continuous cyber-attacks, security breaches, multiple data gathering applications, and misuse of business information are the major security alarms. Recovery from security breaches is a tough nut to crack, and requires large amounts of time, money, and resources for damage control as these factors can negatively impact the business’s image among service providers, customers, and suppliers. Certain benchmarks are implemented to ensure data security and reduce the chances of data breaches and most freight forwarders in Sydney follow these standards and continuously strive to improve your data security. Further, to avoid the possibility of security breaching within the supply chain, they make sure to align with only trusted partners.

Read on to learn more about the standards freight forwarders in Sydney apply to secure your valuable data and information, as well as questions supply chain managers must ask for regarding security standards for any new alliance.

The term “lean business” means all business processes have been optimised, including sourcing, manufacturing, freight forwarding and accounting. Generally, the supply chain manager of an will have the know-how to most of the processes involved efficiently, however, complicated functions like freight forwarding require a thorough understanding of the details of the process, as well as a global resource network and industry experience.

This is why many supply chain managers in Australia choose to align with expert freight forwarders as it provides assistance to operate a lean supply chain.

Established Australian freight forwarders in Australia have been implementing lean approaches such as Lean 6 Sigma, transport management systems, cloud-based data cost reduction programs to add value within the supply chain. That means the businesses working with them also benefit from these leading-edge approaches.

Read on and discover the five things your freight forwarder should be doing to help you run a lean business and how they optimise your processes to reduce waste and ensure supply chain success.

(6 min read)
As a transportation sector, sea freight is constantly evolving. Factors including government policies, growth in demand, varying customer requirements and technological innovations mean that new challenges are constantly emerging. There are, however, five common challenges that most logistics managers face frequently. Understanding what they are and how to overcome them is crucial for anyone responsible for either managing shipping in-house or outsourcing the task to an Australian freight forwarder.

Read on to learn about the five biggest challenges logistics managers face with sea freight in Australia, and how to turn them into opportunities to gain improved service levels and market positioning.

(6 min read)
A business can really suffer if logistics managers fail to ensure shipments are delivered within committed time-frames. Not only can there be a loss of sales, but delayed deliveries also diminish a company’s market value and credibility, increasing the chances of losing out to your competitors. To deliver within a committed TAT (Turn-Around Time), a logistics manager must have full visibility and control of the entire supply chain and its processes, including manufacturing, document preparation, shipment on-boarding, shipment packaging and other arrangements.

Delays associated with any of these elements directly impact delivery schedules, making life more challenging for logistics managers. In Australia, air freight companies can play a vital role in overcoming potential issues and ensuring timeframes for delivery are met. Air freight operators can also assist with your planning, such as guidelines for sensitive cargo.

Read on to understand the difficulties logistics managers can have in meeting the required TAT, and how air freight can help you leap the hurdles and meet your delivery deadlines.

 

(5 min read)
Running a business is a tough gig, which means operations managers face pressure on many fronts. They need to assist in making the business more productive, ensure deliveries are fast, reduce additional costs, avoid damages and achieve it all utilising minimal financial and manpower resources.

It’s a high-stakes juggling act, but there are ways to navigate the challenges and increase productivity. Ensuring sea freight is managed professionally is one of these ways. Further ways include bulk shipping, lower costs per unit, simple door-to-door deliveries and flexible policies. However, it is essential to know how to make the most of the mode’s strengths and avoid potential pitfalls such as requiring random or instant changes to schedules.

To gain the most benefit, a tailored logistics and freight forwarding solution that is specific to your company is ideal, which is where the guidance of an expert freight forwarder can be invaluable.

Read on to discover four ways sea freight can help to increase your company’s productivity and increase its market reach without adding any additional effort or expense.

(6 min read)
John, a CEO of an SME often feels that he is not getting the most out of his freight forwarder in Sydney. Without investigating in depth and assuming this as the freight forwarder’s performance lack, he has changed several freight forwarders and always felt the similar issue with everyone.

Like John, many other CEOs in Australia feel the similar kind of situation and believe that switching the freight forwarder is the only solution. Whereas improving relationships and maintaining it professionally may help CEOs to get the most out of their current freight forwarders. To be strategic, documenting the things, believing in your freight forwarder and avoiding misconceptions are the ways that make the relationship healthier and increase the trust level. Therefore, even if everything is going well, CEOs must try these effective ways as a diagnostic tool to make sure you and your freight forwarder are on the road to relationship bliss.

Read on to know the 4 ways to get the most out of your relationship with freight forwarders in Sydney or other cities in Australia and how this can enhance your overall freight forwarding performance.

(5 min read)

Welcome to the February 2018 edition of the BCR Market Update.

With Chinese New Year taking place this week, the freight forwarding industry is slowly moving into 'post-peak season' and we can see its impact by the easing of pricing. 

In this update, we focus on the current conditions of the international freight forwarding market for the Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia trade lane, announced blank sailings and the reduction of rates typical for this period.

 

(4 min read)
Are you like John, a CEO of an SME in Melbourne, and prefer immediate cost benefits over relationships? Neglecting the importance of building relationships with service providers and switching around to obtain cheaper solutions is a fairly common practice in business. While this can offer instant bottom-line benefits, it does deprive you of some important long-term paybacks.

Building strong and productive relationships with freight companies can enhance your entire supply chain operation. The best ways to achieve this include exchanging information, regular meetings, showing trust and understanding each parties mutual requirements. By incorporating building relationships in your strategic plan, you are ensuring flow-on benefits in terms of ensuring your can keep your customers happy in the long run.

Read on to know how CEOs can benefit from a better relationship with their freight forwarding companies.