Business, Forwarding, Freight News, Logistics

Forwarding is alive and kicking, says Millennium boss

[ May 14, 2020   //   Chris ]

Managing director of Birmingham-based Millennium Cargo Chadd Blunt is urging fellow industry professionals to put a stop to scaremongering reports that suggest that the freight forwarding sector is in the midst of extinction

He has criticised logistics experts for repeatedly publishing ominous accounts reports which are not only fuelling increased negativity within the industry but are also inflicting further harm to the supply chain by causing importers and exporters to go underground.

Alongside other industries freight forwarding has become another causality of the Covid-19 pandemic which has hiked air and sea freight costs, created labour shortages due to countrywide lockdowns and global travel restrictions.

However, says Blunt, the transport and logistics sector still sits at the forefront of the world’s pandemic response and remains integral in keeping the global supply chain moving – offering a glimmer of hope to forwarders.

He says that freight forwarding still has a permanent place on the round table of logistics and has called upon importers and exporters looking to move goods to seek the advice of a professional before taking ominous reports at face value.

He commented: “Every industry is having to adapt to the current situation – and freight forwarding is no different. Yet industry ‘experts’ are insistent on continuously painting a bleak picture of the future rather than attempting to work together to provide viable solutions to help freight forwarders navigate through the current crisis.

“Additionally, false information has also become the latest symptom of the Coronavirus crisis and unfortunately I have seen extensive reports pushing misinformation on the basis that it is physically impossible for goods to be moved due to the current restrictions in place, when this is significantly wide of the mark.

“Of course, it’s no secret that the widespread and comprehensives measures to help halt Covid-19 have had a major impact on the exchange of goods throughout the world and we are all facing one of the most important crises in a generation.

“But, in spite of the hardship that we are all experiencing, global shipping is however still very much in operation and our peers continue to work tirelessly to keep goods moving.”

He adds that, rather than signal an end to the freight forwarding sector, it is more likely that the impact of Covid-19 will re-shape global supply chains and change the way goods are moved. In particular, single sourcing is set to become an outdated practice and diversification of supply chains will become the norm.

He concludes: “The traditional freight forwarder still makes up an integral part of the logistics machine. In fact, during crises the service we provide is paramount as our role in such times is to be pragmatic and to find solutions to difficult problems – whether they be locating air cargo in the midst of the current capacity crunch or attempting to navigate past the stagnant flow of goods from China to Europe…Coronavirus isn’t likely to spell the end of the traditional international freight forwarder but rather further highlight their importance in providing companies with a quicker and more cost-effective solution to the shipping process.”

 

 

Tags: Millennium Cargo