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Visibility hub: two new features

Simplify the tracking of multi-container shipment tracking and avoid unnecessary demurrage and detention charges.

06/28/2023 | 3 min

Streamlining Freight Forwarding: Simplify the tracking of multi-container shipments with Transporeon Visibility

In the world of international trade, efficient and reliable freight forwarding is essential for businesses to thrive. However, managing large quantities of goods that are split across multiple containers has long been a challenge. Customers often struggle to track the progress and on-time status of each individual container under the same Bill of Lading (BOL).  

When using Transporeon Visibility for real-time tracking of your ocean shipments, this problem is now a thing of the past. In this blog post, we will explore how Transporeon Visibility simplifies the management of ocean multi-container shipments, providing customers with enhanced visibility and control. 

The challenge: missing out on synchronisation  

When customers move substantial quantities of goods in multiple containers, it is crucial to track the progress and on-time status of each container individually. However, traditional freight forwarding practices treat each container as a separate entity. This lack of synchronisation poses several challenges: containers can miss cut-off times, require rescheduling, or even be moved via different routes than initially planned. Such complexities can lead to confusion, delays, and ultimately impact the smooth flow of goods. 

Unlocking the power of managing multiple containers as one transport 

Transporeon Visibility offers a game-changing solution by seamlessly integrating multi-container shipments into its platform. Let's delve into the value and benefits of this remarkable feature: 

  1. Streamlined tracking for multiple containers: With the “Master bill of lading (BOL) – multi-container tracking” feature, customers can place orders with freight forwarders, and the contract of carriage for the goods is covered by a single BOL that spans multiple containers. This feature is particularly useful for customers who need to move large volumes of goods. 
  2. Automatic detection and separation: Our intelligent system automatically detects when a BOL comprises multiple containers. It then initiates separate tracking for each individual container while maintaining a common BOL reference. By treating each container as a separate transport within the system, customers gain granular visibility into the progress of each container. 
  3. Enhanced visibility and on-time status: Gone are the days of confusion and uncertainty regarding the progress of multi-container shipments. With Transporeon Visibility customers can effortlessly monitor the on-time status of each container. Whether a container misses a cut-off time, requires rescheduling, or is subject to route changes, customers are promptly notified, ensuring transparency and allowing for proactive decision-making. 
  4. Greater control and planning: The possibility to track each container individually empowers customers to make informed decisions. With the ability to manage multi-container shipments as one transport, businesses can optimise their supply chain operations, allocate resources effectively, and take timely action to mitigate any potential disruptions. 
  5. Seamless integration and user-friendly interface: The “Master bill of lading (BOL) – multi-container tracking” feature seamlessly integrates into the user-friendly platform of Transporeon Visibility, providing customers with a smooth and intuitive experience. The system effortlessly handles the complexity of multi-container shipments, enabling customers to focus on their core business operations. 

Simplified management and visibility 

The “Master bill of lading (BOL) – multi-container tracking” feature greatly simplifies the management of multi-container shipments. By providing customers with granular visibility and control over each container's progress, Transporeon Visibility empowers businesses to streamline their supply chain operations, optimise resource allocation, and make informed decisions. Say goodbye to the challenges of tracking multi-container shipments and embrace the possibilities of ocean Visibility for enhanced efficiency and peace of mind in your freight forwarding endeavours. 

Simplifying Ocean Transportation: Introducing Demurrage and Detention Detection with Transporeon Visibility

In the realm of global trade, efficient and timely transportation of goods is paramount. However, challenges such as demurrage and detention can often impede the smooth flows  of shipments, leading to delays and additional costs for businesses. To address these concerns, we are thrilled to announce the integration of demurrage and detention detection in Transporeon Visibility. This feature empowers businesses with comprehensive insights and proactive measures to mitigate risks, optimise operations and maximise cost savings. 

What are demurrage and detention? 

Demurrage refers to the charges imposed by shipping lines for delays occurring during the loading or unloading process beyond the agreed-upon free time at the port. It is levied to compensate for the occupation of valuable container space. 

Detention charges, on the other hand, are incurred when containers are retained beyond the allowed free time for their return to the designated port or depot. These charges compensate for the utilisation of containers beyond the agreed-upon period. 

The challenge: unpredictable and unreliable pricing information 

Demurrage and detention suffers from a lack of timely and correct information. For example, carriers generally send their invoices late. Shippers may have the pricing conditions for demurrage and detention, but predicting the actual costs is still extremely difficult. 

Shippers must ask themselves: 

  • Can you ensure that the correct rates are being applied for each individual shipment? 
  • Can you manage separate rates for your customers? 
  • Can you alert in real-time when and where demurrage and detention costs are going to appear? 
  • How can you drive the billing process towards your customers such that the cash cycle is shortened? 
  • Can you validate that incoming invoices from your carriers are accurate? 

The demurrage and detention detection of Transporeon Visibility is built to solve these problems and give you full control. We have a good overview on gate-out and empty gate-in moves, allowing us to monitor free time use and through that predict, calculate and report the demurrage and detention fees. 

Benefits of the demurrage and detention detection on Transporeon Visibility 

  1. Cost optimisation and transparency: By accurately tracking demurrage and detention charges, businesses can identify inefficiencies in their supply chain and take corrective measures to reduce costs. Ocean Visibility gives insights into when and where demurrage and detention costs were incurred, enabling businesses to identify cost drivers and take necessary actions. 
  2. Accelerate the billing process: Through precise monitoring of demurrage and detention charges, businesses can generate invoices promptly. This not only improves the billing accuracy but also enhances cash flow by ensuring timely collection of additional charges. Moreover, the streamlined billing process fosters better customer relationships as it demonstrates transparency and reliability. 
  3. Improve operational efficiency: Set up demurrage and detention-related notifications for your ocean containers to proactively manage risks by identifying potential issues early on. By having actionable insights, companies can take preventive measures and optimise their logistics operations to mitigate the risks of delays and additional costs. 

Transporeon Ocean Visibility interface

Enhanced situational awareness: Transporeon Visibility UI provides a list view that displays a bird’s-eye view of all your ocean transports and their risk of demurrage and detention. This comprehensive overview enables businesses to proactively identify potential issues and take corrective actions promptly. 

Detailed transport insights: The detail view provides a granular breakdown of each transport, including start and end dates, overdue time, and associated costs. This level of visibility empowers logistics teams to delve into the specifics of a shipment, facilitating better decision-making and risk management. 

Avoid unnecessary charges and optimise exception handling 

With Transporeon Visibility’s demurrage and detention alerts and notifications shippers gain the ability to prioritise containers that are at a higher risk of incurring fees and optimise exception handling accordingly. This proactive approach helps mitigate unnecessary demurrage and detention charges that can be compounded by factors such as ocean disruptions, port congestion, and delays. Armed with this knowledge, you can take immediate action to prevent unnecessary fees from accruing, effectively stopping additional costs in their tracks. 

Learn more about the Visibility Hub

Unlock the full potential of real-time visibility by seamlessly embedding it into your daily operations. Visibility Hub natively integrates with all Transporeon Application Hubs, making visibility a company-wide capability rather than just a feature. This lets you smarten your operations and bring together “what’s planned” and “what’s happening”, so you can turn your logistics into a competitive advantage.