Given the ample spare time people had during the pandemic, there were lots of discussions being had about a variety of COVID-related topics. Surprisingly, many of those discussions were about supply chain management and logistics, topics rarely discussed by people not working in the industry.
That’s because fears of product scarcities had people wondering what was actually involved in supply chain management and who were the companies responsible for the logistics required to keep supplies flowing across the country.
For Ocean Transportation Services Freight Forwarding Inc. (OTSFF® / OTS®), the pandemic was an opportunity to demonstrate to customers just how important their services can be to multiple industries.
As an international freight forwarder and independent logistics service provider, OTSFF® is used to the non-stop demands and expectations placed upon the industry in good times as well as times of crisis.
“We’re a company that like to think outside the box,” said André Laurin, who founded OTSFF® in 1994. “We’re not afraid to handle specialty equipment. Stuff that doesn’t fit in the container is the stuff we like to handle, stuff that is too big for a truck, that needs escorts and permits. That’s where we shine.”
The supply chain management industry has been undergoing a rapid evolution as technologies have been introduced into almost all areas of the logistics world.
Laurin says technology has been instrumental in bringing a new level of accountability and security to the shipping industry around the globe.
“For years shipping was really an untraceable industry,” he said. “Products would move and it would be a series of phone calls that told you where your products were. Now with GPS and satellite technology everything is easily tracked, even our ocean vessels. If steel is coming from China, for example, you can access online tracking with technology that didn’t exist 10 years ago. You simply enter the container number online and you can track it during its journey.”
Such technology is vital for shipping companies, third-party logistics companies, ground transportation companies, and most importantly, customers of all those companies responsible for moving consumer goods, industrial equipment, mining and logging product, oversized loads, machinery and more.
With ecommerce driving a wave of online consumer shopping and companies like Amazon wholly reliant on dependable supply chain and logistics companies, demands on companies like OTSFF® continue to increase. So too do new regulations from all levels of government in all the countries where OTSFF® does business, a reality that is having a real impact on logistics and shipping.
“Regulations and the documentation required now have become more intense,” said Laurin. “It all started after 9-11 with stricter airline security. The amount of paperwork we have to do with air shipping now is five fold what it used to be.”
On the ocean freight side, congestion in ports due to increasing volumes and inadequate infrastructure has become the biggest challenge to companies like OTSFF® offering global shipping solutions. Conversely, digital communication platforms like Google Teams allows OTSFF® to host meetings with multiple companies around the world to help facilitate faster, more efficient shipping.
Regardless of the product you’re shipping, find out more about what OTSFF® can do for you. Visit them online here. Or call 1 (800) 668-4473.