One of the ripple effects of the global pandemic is a strain on supply chains. Today, many of the world’s busiest ports are operating at limited capacity due to staff shortages. At the same time, businesses of all types are rushing to restock pandemic-depleted inventories. Add in the seasonal demand spikes associated with the upcoming Q4 holiday rush, and it’s easy to see why supply chains are backed up.
What’s a customer to do – when desperately needed inventory remains in transit? Each day, approximately 6 million containers travel the world’s oceans. Customers need to know where (in a multi-faceted supply chain) their containers are. They need to know when they will arrive. And most importantly, they need up-to-date information regarding delays - so that they can shape expectations, and wherever possible, reallocate resources to mitigate delays.
When information is vital - solutions such as Terminal49 are more important than ever. Terminal49 is more than a container tracker. It’s a powerful software platform that brings visibility, collaboration and automation to the shipping process. Terminal49’s real-time visibility platform automatically pulls key pieces of information from each stage of a container's journey – making it easy for customers, service providers, freight forwarders and 3PLs to find containers immediately, and to gain valuable context on route changes or delays that may negatively impact their business.
In the shipping business, time is money. Terminal49 brings speed & efficiency to the container tracking process. Every shipping company has its own tracking system – but Terminal49’s API provides data from 50+ different data sources (steamship lines and terminals). It standardizes the data, cleans it up and makes that data available in whatever tracking system a shipping company uses. Alternatively, customers who don't currently have a software solution in place can log into Terminal49's Dashboard to see that same data in a single consolidated place. This makes it fast & easy for customers to see all of their in-transit containers, regardless of which shipping line is transporting them, or at which terminal they arrive.
The Terminal49 dashboard tracks containers through four main stages:
- On Ship (providing the vessel’s ETA)
- At Terminal (identifying any potential customs issues or delays)
- Picked Up (flagging any containers that are at risk for per diem)
- Delivered (including time stamp proof of container delivery)
Terminal49’s technology helps customers get ahead of critical issues and prevent unplanned or excessive fees. The software prevents users from tracking down information or chasing people for updates – giving back valuable time to focus on other parts of the business.
What’s the best way to track a container? By letting Terminal49’s platform do it automatically. To learn more or to start tracking containers today, visit: https://app.terminal49.com/register.
