Zencargo

16/08/2023

How important are relationships with stakeholders in your supply chain?

And how do you manage them?

These were some questions that were answered in our most recent episode of , where Zencargo CEO and Co-Founder Alex Hersham was joined by Greg Tress, Logistics Operations Manager at MATCHES. To listen to the full episode, follow the links here: https://www.zencargo.com/resources/episode-64-the-importance-of-digitalisation-within-retail-supply-chain/?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcast&utm_content=episode_64

Greg provides real-world, practical insights, leveraging his experience within the industry to share a wealth of tangible tips on everything from stakeholder relationships to digital vs. traditional forwarding.

Some key takeaways regarding stakeholder relationships were:
💰 Investing time into creating a positive relationship reaps rewards
🪟 Ensure transparency and accountability are exercised at every level of the supply chain
📋 Set clear expectations and standards

Follow the links above to listen to the full episode and hear all of Greg's insights.

02/08/2023

What's happening with AI in the supply chain industry?

Find out in the latest episode of our podcast here: https://bit.ly/3OhynAz

Alex Hersham, Co-founder and CEO at Zencargo, and Tamir Strauss, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Zencargo, explore the current and potential applications of this powerful innovation across the supply chain sector.

28/07/2023

How to build risk mitigation into your tendering strategy

In the wake of the pandemic era, ocean rates have taken a dramatic nosedive, prompting many shippers to contemplate longer-term contracting. However, in the current market, characterised by low rates and low demand, it's important to consider factors such as blank sailing and schedule reliability, as carriers adjust capacity in line with demand.

While schedule reliability may be improving (global figures for June were ~67%), the rate of blank sailings is also set to increase, with many carriers employing aggressive programmes, drastically cutting back the number of sailings. For any shipper approaching tendering, understanding these dynamics becomes crucial to secure the right service levels, space, and favourable long-term rates.

Contemplating long-term contracts should be carefully aligned with your business model, as discussed in our previous post. If it aligns with your organisational objectives, incorporating factors like blank sailing and service levels into your strategy is critical.

Last week, we held a webinar titled "Mastering Tender Strategies: How to Negotiate the Best Deals in Shipping." Hosted by experts Anne-Sophie Fribourg, VP of Ocean, and Catia Fernandes, Head of Asia-Europe Trade Lanes, the webinar aimed to arm shippers with the industry knowledge and tendering strategies to secure the best deal for their business.

In case you missed it, we are bringing it to you this week as a special edition of , which you can listen to here: https://lnkd.in/eDNrgJjx

27/07/2023

5 Factors to Consider to Help Identify if Contracting is Right for Your Business

These tips are from our most recent episode, which you can listen to here:

https://www.zencargo.com/resources/episode-62-mastering-tender-strategies/?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcast&utm_content=episode_62

📦 Volumes
What volumes are you moving? If you are shipping low volumes, maybe tendering is not a worthwhile investment.

🍃 Seasonality
Are there periods where capacity is a must for your business? If so, it's important to guarantee that in advance.

📈 Growth
Where is growth happening across the business, and what steps should be taken to protect those critical points in your supply chain? E.g., Securing capacity on a specific lane for a high-growth SKU.

💰 Price elasticity
Can your products absorb higher rates in case of rate volatility, or is there a strict landed cost goal?

🗺️ Routes
How do challenges differ depending on trade routes, and what measures can be taken to mitigate these?

Tendering can be a stressful and complex process. That's why last week we held a webinar titled “Mastering Tender Strategies: How to Negotiate the Best Deals in Shipping.” Hosted by experts Anne-Sophie Fribourg, VP of Ocean, and Catia Fernandes, Head of Asia-Europe Trade Lanes, the webinar was aimed at arming shippers with the industry knowledge and tendering strategies to secure the best deal for their business.

In case you missed it, we are bringing it to you this week as a special edition of , which you can listen to here: https://www.zencargo.com/resources/episode-62-mastering-tender-strategies/?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcast&utm_content=episode_62

21/07/2023

https://www.zencargo.com/resources/de-risking-inventory-in-an-uncertain-market/

After the pandemic's consumption boom, retailers face a transformed market in 2023. And soon enough they realised that rising prices & economic uncertainty need smarter inventory management.

Read our recent blog post with insights from industry experts from AGR & Spreetial on navigating agile inventory strategies.

The blog explores how partnerships can facilitate agile inventory management, allowing your supply chain to react to shifts in demand and disruptions.
Links below!

How do you de-risk your inventory when demand is volatile? Find out from our latest insights.

14/07/2023

What steps are companies taking to combat overstocking?

1. Being mindful of seasonality when ordering, ensuring you are not holding excess stock when the demand for the product drops

2. Just-in-time inventory, ordering stock just when demand requires it, to minimise warehousing costs and avoid product obsolescence

3. Explore nearshoring options to cut down on lead times and allow for agile responses to demand so you can meet demand without overstocking

This week for , we are featuring another one of our Navigate sessions titled "A balancing act: Is restocking on the horizon?". Host Sam Greenhalgh, Chief Revenue Officer at Zencargo, is joined by Sigrún Gunnhildardóttir, Chief Product Officer at AGR, and Okyay Oztugran, VP Supply Chain Europe at Spreetail.

The trio delve into the current stocking cycles and the factors influencing them and share insights into when restocking might occur, as well as strategies to mitigate the risks associated with overstocking.

To listen to the full episode, follow the links in the comments below.

13/07/2023

Looking for practical tips to reduce overstocking risk?

Then look no further, here are two top tips to minimise the risk of overstocking in the current market:

1.Use data - Identify product categories within your business with high demand volatility - align your pricing strategies with these findings.

2.Explore alternative sources of supply - nearshoring can mitigate cost increases and risk - reducing the need for buffer stock and allowing for quicker responses to changes in stock levels.

This week for , we are featuring another one of our Navigate sessions titled "A balancing act: Is restocking on the horizon?". Host Sam Greenhalgh, Chief Revenue Officer at Zencargo, is joined by Sigrún Gunnhildardóttir, Chief Product Officer at AGR, and Okyay Oztugran, VP Supply Chain Europe at Spreetail.

The trio delve into the current stocking cycles and the factors influencing them and share insights into when restocking might occur, as well as strategies to mitigate the risks associated with overstocking.

To listen to the full episode, follow the links below.

05/07/2023

Interested in how digital compliance and quality control tools can drive value for supply chains?

Some top ways digital compliance tools are transforming how supply chain operate day to day are:

👉 Streamlining the efforts of internal quality control teams, third parties and even suppliers
👉 Operating off single tool to manage, plan, perform and report on inspections
👉 Leveraging collected data to drive better decision making
👉 Benchmarking supplier performance

One such digital compliance tool is Qarma and on our latest episode of , we were lucky enough to have their CEO and Co-founder Jacob Nedergaard join us. Alex and Jacob cover technologies' role in enabling transparency in the industry as well as why quality control is so important in the supply chain.
To listen to the full episode follow the links below 👇

30/06/2023

The relationship among shippers, carriers, and forwarders are intricate and continuously evolving to market trends.

Considering current market conditions, what can we anticipate for the future?

Global demand has declined, shifting power from carriers to shippers.

Recently, we've witnessed the introduction of GRI's (General Rate Increases), which appear to have halted the plummeting rates—a trend that Niels Madsen from Sea-Intelligence expects to persist.

'I believe we'll continue to see GRI's coming out.'

For a comprehensive overview of the ocean market and insights from Niels and Anne Sophie Fribourg, don't miss our latest episode of which features a session from our most recent Navigate which was held last week: 'The Future of Rates: Should You Lock in Long Term?'

Links in the comments below.

28/06/2023

What is the new 'normal'?

'Normal' does not mean a return to the pre-pandemic state. "We have to settle in for the new normal," according to Neils Madsen from Sea-Intelligence.

So, what does the new normal look like?

Schedule reliability continues to lag behind 2019 levels. If bottlenecks occur, schedule reliability is often deprioritised by carriers - a trend which is predicted to continue in the future.

To find out what the new normal looks like for capacity and freight rates, with insights from Neils Madsen and Anne-Sophie Fribourg, don't miss our latest episode of the Navigate series. This episode is fresh from our most recent session held just last week, titled "The Future of Rates: Should You Lock In Long Term?".

Links can be found in the comments below

21/06/2023

So what is going on with the Panama Canal at the moment?

Approximately 6% of global trade annually passes through the canal.

It serves as a vital trade route between Asia and the US east coast.
Currently water levels have dropped due to severe drought.

As a result the Panama Canal Authority has implemented draft restrictions.

These restrictions mean some ships must reduce their capacity by up to 40%.

Due to this restricted capacity, there is potential for surcharges to be placed upon shippers whose goods rely on the canal for transport.

To hear all the latest ocean market news tune into our June Ocean Update episode of with Anne Sophie Fribourg and Richard Fattal. The pair analyse the key factors influencing the ocean market and draw predictions for what we might expect in the future.

Listen to the full episode by following the links in the comments below.

14/06/2023

As we move into the second half of the year, we have taken a look back at four key industry developments of 2023 so far: their impact and how they are shaping the industry now and into the future.

🛥️Blank sailing programme
📉 Widespread rate erosion
🤝 Split of the 2M Alliance
⛔ Ongoing industrial action

So, how should shippers be reacting to this dynamic market? Ahmed El-Alfy and Catia Fernandes explore the strategies shippers should consider in our latest episode of , including rate strategy, peak season planning, and navigating disruptions from blank sailings and industrial action.

To listen to the full episode, follow the links in the comment section below!