At Crowley, we see increased opportunity as an integrated logistics provider with dedicated ocean carrier service in the US, Caribbean, and Latin America — a structure that offers added value by combining diverse supply chain services with liner transportation to customers. Integrated solutions that provide a level of total supply chain management are increasingly sought by customers, who are looking beyond ocean transport services alone to operate most efficiently with dependable, fast, and seamless services to support their supply needs and optimize inventory management.
When a shipper utilizes multiple service providers for things such as freight forwarding, trucking, ocean transportation, warehousing, customs compliance, cargo insurance, and last-mile delivery, for example, it creates friction, inefficiency, and a loss of cargo visibility and control. In contrast, an integrated, single-source logistics solutions provider — particularly one with its own vessels and proprietary transportation and distribution network — can reduce friction and complexity while increasing the velocity of customers’ goods moving to market.
For the longest time, supply chain services have been viewed by shippers as a necessary cost of doing business. But we see an opportunity to reverse that thinking by providing integrated supply chain services that speed goods to market, thereby creating a competitive advantage for our customers. Online mega-retailer Amazon has already created a competitive advantage with its two-day Prime shipping and shipment visibility. We believe we can help our customers create a similar experience for their customers with integrated liner and supply chain services providing speed to market on an international level.
While container shipping is becoming more commoditized, companies that can provide end-to-send supply chain solutions that reduce friction, speed goods to market, and reduce landed costs will help shippers develop a competitive advantage and become valued business.