White Papers

The majority of shippers today are concerned with rising transportation costs, fueled by an increasing demand in shorter consumer delivery times and an expanding network of inventory distribution points. Discover how an automated solution can help ease your transportation costs fears with Amber Road’s eBook, Controlling Shipping Costs via Multi-Modal Freight Rate Visibility!

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As the globalization of world trade accelerates, the importance of achieving operational speed without sacrificing accuracy is becoming paramount to the success of all stakeholders in the international trading system — from shippers to logistics service providers, terminal operators, and carriers, to retailers, consumers and end-users of the transported goods. For businesses involved in that supply chain, providing end-to-end visibility and predictability is vital for staying ahead of the competition. Fortunately, automation and digitization are making that possible at levels that were unimaginable even a few years ago. Nevertheless, a great deal of additional progress remains attainable, so long as stakeholders join forces to take the next big leap in the process. 

In a 2018 survey of approximately 250 shipping industry executives and professionals conducted by JOC.com/IHS Markit, Navis, and XVELA (Fig. XI), more than half of all respondents anticipated that their performance metrics would improve by at least 50 percent if they could share real-time operational information. However, 56 percent surveyed see a hurdle in the lack of industry data standards, a statistic that supports concerns raised by stakeholders that data standardization is a primary challenge that needs to be overcome to achieve widespread industry collaboration. 

Based upon a series of interviews with industry thought leaders as well as the survey results, this report examines the potential path to real-time collaboration across the industry, including cultural and operational challenges facing adoption. This project was co-sponsored by Navis and XVELA. 

The advent of cloud-based, collaborative data-sharing platforms has enabled automation of dozens of global supply chain processes and management of electronic booking, digital transmission of shipping instructions, and real-time container-status tracking. With the expansion of collaboration and data-sharing into the foundational end-to-end container planning processes, from stowage planning and execution to berth window management and port call optimization, the ideal of “working as one” appears to be within reach. 

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One major trend of 2018 is that transporting goods remains costly and complex with increasing ecommerce sales and shipping rates, unexpected natural disasters, and driver shortages. This paper examines several supply chain trends to closely monitor this year and how digitizing your supply chain can keep you one step ahead.

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Globalization puts forward opportunities to companies of any size who can effectively provide or source products and services in dynamic markets. Review our white paper and learn:

• How to gain a competitive advantage through global transportation logistics
• Factors that influence international shipments
• Five characteristics of a global TMS and why companies worldwide should consider TMS technology

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This paper takes a deep dive into SMC³’s CzarLite XL, an advanced pricing system solution that gives shippers and logistics service providers a new neutral benchmark choice when negotiating LTL shipping rates.

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There are countless operational and security functions involved in the successful movement of cargo. Click for infographic.

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In a recent survey of ocean supply chain professionals by the Business Performance Innovation (BPI) Network and XVELA, a full 90 percent of respondents believe that real-time visibility and information sharing is critical to improving the efficiency and performance of the shipping industry, but the technology to make these improvements has been lacking until now.

This paper examines the existing challenges caused by the industry’s aging EDI infrastructure and legacy IT systems, and explores how modern cloud solutions can address these challenges by facilitating collaboration and real-time data exchange between terminal operators, ocean carriers, their operational partners and port constituents.

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An August 2017 survey conducted by The Journal of Commerce/IHS Markit suggests that the current shipper-carrier relationship is strained due to longstanding industry practices that impact carrier and supply chain performance.

For two parties that rely so intrinsically on one another for the success of their respective enterprises, the key objectives of ocean carriers and beneficial cargo owners — and their non-vessel-operating common carrier and forwarder partners — are often in direct conflict. A history of pricing volatility, unsustainable industry practices, and failures to fulfill contract obligations fuels the discord.​

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In this evolving environment, where shippers are searching for the fastest conduits for their goods to markets, communication along the whole length of the supply chain is paramount. For years, the Port of Long Beach has been preparing for the mega vessels that are becoming more common at U.S. seaports, investing more than $4 billion on capital improvements this decade to increase cargo-handling efficiency with sustainable facilities and practices that can withstand community and regulatory scrutiny.

This paper will briefly examine what the Port of Long Beach has done to prepare its supply chains for the future demands of shipping alliances and larger ships. The findings of this paper will help policymakers and executives at U.S. port authorities understand their role as they position their ports to benefit from the changing landscape in the maritime shipping industry. 

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