Posted on June 21, 2018Left to right: Mark Hall (WiseTech Global), Bob Malley and Mark Picarello (Pierbridge)
Global logistics solutions group, WiseTech Global, today announced the acquisition of Pierbridge, a leading parcel shipping transportation management solution (TMS) provider to medium and large shippers in the United States.
Headquartered in Massachusetts with development offices in the UK and Finland, Pierbridge offers an enterprise-class, multi-carrier, parcel shipping solution, which streamlines carrier selection, booking, label printing, tracking, invoice reconciliation and BI reporting. Pierbridge provides its parcel shipping TMS direct to customers and through solutions providers including Pitney Bowes, Logistyx and others. Pierbridge’s technology automates many large shipping operations across the manufacturing, healthcare, financial, technology and e-commerce sectors for end-users including Overstock.com, Siemens, US Homeland Security, BNY Mellon Bank, Texas Instruments, Genentech, Mazda, Home Depot and Menards.
A few key tips for surviving the current carrier capacity crunch.
“Innovate or die!”
Okay, jeez, you don’t have to yell, we’re trying.
“Disrupt yourself!”
One, that sounds like it will hurt, and two, please settle down.
The current carrier capacity crunch that the logistics industry is experiencing may seem like something shippers have weathered before, but this time it’s different. Changing technology, a growing economy coupled with growing consumer demands, and new regulations are all combining to create what many industry observers are calling “unprecedented.”
Not all Enterprise Shipping APIs are created equal. Here’s what you need to consider when evaluating how to augment your enterprise systems with multi-carrier shipping capabilities.
There has been an explosion in Enterprise Shipping APIs. But how many of them will provide you with the breadth and depth of capabilities you need for production-level deployment across your enterprise?
Here are the top 10 things developers and IT personnel should consider when evaluating Enterprise Shipping APIs.
Shopping cart abandonment is a problem in the eCommerce world. In fact, trillions of dollars in business is lost every year due to cart abandonment—and that doesn’t count the time and money spent trying to get those customers back through email and retargeting ad campaigns.
Amazingly in 2017, according to an article on Chargebacks911, “Consumers added more than $9 trillion to online shopping carts in 2017 but due to shopping cart abandonment, only about 25% of that total will ultimately make it through the checkout process."
Cartonization algorithms can reduce unexpected DIM fees and waste, but did you know that they can help you find the cheapest way to pack an order for whatever carrier zone you’re sending your shipment?
You know the score: eCommerce volumes have created a capacity crunch for parcel and LTL carriers. They have responded by expanding dimensional-based (DIM) rating policies, which penalize shippers who waste space on their trucks by packing orders into cartons that are too large relative to the weight of the contained items.
The result? Unexpected DIM fees on carrier invoices. Luckily, there is new cartonization technology that can help reduce shipping costs and eliminate waste.
Pierbridge sat down with Brian Bourke, VP of Marketing, SEKO Logistics, to discuss the explosion of global retail and eCommerce and how companies can use supply chain strategies to differentiate themselves.
One of the largest drivers in the growth of global eCommerce and parcel shipping is the retail market. Consumers now have more choice when it comes to buying the latest fashion, allowing retailers from around the world to compete in countries that, 10 years ago, they would never dream of setting foot in without some serious financial muscle.
But it’s not all gravy trains to the bank. As more small, medium, and large retailers get online, they become inevitably drawn into delivering to customers across international borders. Competition is fierce. How does one retailer differentiate its Summer 2018 blue shirt and dresses trend from another retailer’s Summer 2018 light-blue shirts and dresses? And then how does a retailer cost-effectively and speedily ship that one T-shirt across a hemisphere?
Shipping costs are squeezing eCommerce company profits.
Let’s start with the elephant in the room. Amazon. This evergrowing eCommerce bohemoth has become the standard against which all e-tailers are judged and not just by industry insiders.
Customers, especially those that belong to Amazon Prime, have come to take fast and free delivery for granted even on what was once thought of as premium services such as Sunday delivery and hold-at-locations.
UPS’ CIO stressed the three “C”s at Modex 2018: Convenience, Choice, and Control. But we think there are two other critical “C”s if shippers want to stay a player in the eCommerce game.
UPS CIO Juan Perez’s keynote address at Modex 2018 got us thinking about a lot of things. First, it reminded us just how large the organization is — 454,000 employees, 100,000 vehicles, and 500 airplanes spread out over 220 countries and territories, moving 19 million packages per day — 34 million during the Christmas shipping season.
To do all of that, to stay competitive, “it requires more tech than ever before,” said Perez.
With ELD enforcement now in full swing in the U.S., truckers have less time to deliver loads and are picking and choosing their lanes. Shippers are paying the price.
Unless this is your first day in the shipping or logistics industry, you’ve no doubt heard of the electronic-logging device (ELD) mandate. If it is your first day, then welcome. You’ve joined at a time when the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) ELD mandate is raising the cost of shipping within North America and looks to be changing U.S. truck shipping patterns — all within a strong economy.
With the democratization of eCommerce, global parcel shipping is growing wildly, overwhelming customs and set to raise delivery costs.
You’ve seen the ads on your Facebook or Instagram account — the $13 watch, the $3 wallet, the $15 “18K GOLD DIAMOND Width 1.4cm Length 21cm” — each and every one promising 60 to 70 percent off, sometimes more. One easy tap on the ad brings you to a website where you can see more of the company’s products and another few taps will soon have that $13 watch on its way to your house or office. It’s easy, and you can do it from the comfort of your smartphone.
Nearly as easy? Setting up the online store to sell that watch.
Become a better parcel shipper to reduce costs, increase margins, improve customer service, and stay competitive. Stay informed on the latest trends in shipping and parcel transportation management. Delivered regularly by email and through social media.
