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2022 has been a perfect example of just how everchanging the logistics industry can be. This year has seen a variety of unprecedented situations arise, such as strikes across the transport and industrial sector, as well as driver shortages and the continued aftermath of COVID-19. All of these challenges, which can arise quickly, can cause supply chain disruption. This can create worldwide disruption, as well as EU to UK shipping delays if you are importing goods into the UK. Planning ahead and having back up plans are just a few ways you can try to mitigate or prevent supply chain disruption, and make sure your shipments travel from A to B efficiently and reliably.
How to prevent supply chain disruption?
There are a variety of things you can do, to try to prevent supply chain disruption and ensure that even when situations arise you are well prepared and equipped to deal with these. Read on for some points and tips…
1. Increase your visibility
Ensuring you have visibility of industry news is vital to making sure you are aware of what is happening both now and in the future, and the impact it could have on your supply chain. Following logistics news, as well as following logistics social media channels, will increase your visibility as to what is happening in the supply chain. Good Logistics also offer powerful digital self-service tools that give you complete visibility of your shipments or stock, and provide valuable insights that help you spot trends, mitigate risk and improve performance.
Likewise, we have written a series of blogs surrounding industry updates, such as the strikes at both Felixstowe and Liverpool ports. We also constantly update our social media, releasing important information to our followers, as well as sending out mailshots to ensure our customers have all the information and warning they need.
If you do not keep up to date with the industry news, then you are unlikely to consider these challenges into your freight methods and shipping deadlines, which could cause EU to UK shipping delays to occur further down the line.
2. Use the appropriate freight method
If time is of the essence, it is essential that you choose the correct freight method for your goods. For example, if you require your supply chain to keep running in a timely manner, our EU Groupage services could help you achieve this. EU Groupage means you can make smaller shipments when needed, rather than wait to fill a full load each time.
The option Groupage gives you, which allows you to make small shipments when required, keeps your supply chain running efficiently. This means you are not constantly waiting on a full load shipment to get your goods from A – B and can instead consistently keep your cargo moving through the supply chain.
Our professional European Groupage team can coordinate fast transits and scheduled direct departures by road, rail and short sea.. These are services strategically managed to suit your needs. We really take the time to listen and understand your needs, offering solutions with a personal touch.
3. Choose a reliable partner
Ultimately, the logistics industry faces a variety of constant challenges. Therefore, this is why it is essential that you choose an experienced, accredited and reliable partner to help guide you through these. Our EU team of trained professionals are agile and can respond to supply chain disruption, as and when they arise, finding alternatives when issues arise to minimise delays and disruption.
Choosing the wrong partner can create more stress than is needed, through a lack of organisation, concerns over safety and reliability, as well as running into further problems which could cause shipping delays.
Remember that cheap rates are not always the best solution. Although it may be a tempting offer, cheap rates may not be based on these routing or mode to meet your deadlines. They maybe on standard services rather than express or direct or may be based on transhipment ports, all of which can add time to transit and mean your goods are not where they should be when they need to be leading to additional cost either through lost sales, disrupted production or unhappy customers.
Make sure to research into a logistics partner before rushing into a situation that may leave you with supply chain disruption and EU to UK shipping delays.
Other tips:
- Make sure you understand the correct legislation and documentation required for importing good into the EU. The new customs declarations service (CDS) are the latest changes to customs procedures, replacing CHIEF. They affect the documentation and processes required when importing goods into the UK. Further changes to import controls are also due to come into place in late 2023. If you do not prepare for these in advance, it is likely you will run into EU to UK shipping delays and your cargo will be held up. If cargo is held at ports, this can also incur charges, which could mean that your shipments become much more costly.
- Identify a back-up plan: There will be inevitable disruption that can affect supply chain lead times, as such it can be a good idea to have back up plans and contingency in transport budget to give flexibility where alternative solutions are required to expedite shipments in the vent of issues.
- Inform customers: If supply chain disruptions are unavoidable, the best thing you can do is to communicate with your customers and keep them in the loop, as well as arranging alternative freight methods to try to mitigate the situation and we continue to update our clients with regular mail shots and blogs to advise of what is happening in the industry
To conclude…
Essentially, supply chain disruption can sometimes be unavoidable, due to the constant changes happening worldwide. However, the more you plan and prepare with the mindset that EU to UK shipping delays may occur, the more equipped you will be to handle this moving forward.
Working with a reliable logistics partner, such as ourselves, can also help to mitigate the stress you may be facing regarding these challenges and we can support you, delivering your supply chain needs efficiently and reliably.
Contact us:
For further information on our EU services, please visit our dedicated EU page and discover the array of supply chain solutions we can offer you:
https://denholmgoodlogistics.com/could-eu-groupage-be-your-solution-to-saving-shipment-costs/
Or if you are a current customer, reach out to your account manager to discuss options for your shipments.