Making sure that your product is available to your customers in the right quantity at the right time and place is the holy grail of any supply chain. Selecting the right ocean schedule to ship your export cargo is, therefore, a vital component of your supply chain strategy.
This article provides you with some pragmatic recommendations to help you with the selection of the right ocean schedule and improve your order fulfilment performance to the next level.
1. Identify the required arrival date at destination
The first step to selecting the correct ocean schedule is to identify when the cargo needs to be available at the destination to fulfil your obligations to your customer.
2. Identify the product ready date
You need to understand when the manufacturing of your goods for any given purchase order is expected to complete. Work closely with your production team and aim to agree on a specific date of completion.
3. Calculate the maximum transit time
Now that you know when your products are ready and the delivery date, you can calculate the maximum transit time.
Do take note that containers need to be gated in well before the departure. You also need to take into account the Container Yard (CY) cut-off dates. To be safe, assume the CY cut-off is 48 hours before the scheduled departure date and include this in your transit time calculations.
4. Identify ocean schedule options
For most port pairs, there are multiple ocean schedules available for selection. Shortlist the services that meet your requirements for CY cut-off, departure and arrival.
5. Optimise costs
Now you have shortlisted the ocean schedules that meet your business needs, obtain quotations from carriers and/or forwarders to secure the most cost-efficient, yet reliable option.
Sounds like a lot of work, doesn’t it? We designed eShipAsia.com to help you evaluate your options and make the best decisions, all in less than a minute.
1. Find the best ocean schedule within 30 seconds
On eShipAsia.com, select the origin, destination, and the number of containers you would like to ship on the Intra-Asia trade.
You will be shown the available carrier options, rates and ocean schedules, allowing you to compare Intra-Asia ocean freight rates and schedules across various shipping lines instantly. You can build a customised ocean freight quotation by fine-tuning your search with our advanced filter features to find the best-suited departure date, transit time and price.
Our platform allows you to make improvements to your search based on the following criteria:
- Transit time;
- CY Closing Date;
- ETD;
- ETA; and/or
- Service Type: Direct or Indirect
2. Get an instant quotation
Once you find a product that meets your business needs, you can either proceed to book right away or save your quote and return to make the booking at a more convenient time.
eShipAsia.com quotations not only provide you with the ocean freight rates, it also gives you a detailed breakdown of the applicable local charges. This allows you to calculate your total landed costs (excluding tax and levies) instantly and avoid unpleasant surprises down the line.
3. Book and secure space online in less than one minute
Our super-simplified booking form means you will need less than a minute to complete it. The booking platform will interface directly with most carrier systems to minimise delays in obtaining your booking confirmation.
4. Track your shipment online
Shipment information is instantly available through our online track and trace – anytime and anywhere.
Conveniently track your shipments, view their details and stay updated from pick-up to delivery.
Depending on your preference, you can easily set up push notifications or share your shipment information with customers or colleagues via e-mail, SMS, WhatsApp, WeChat and many other channels. Now, this is convenience!
Interested?
Sign up on eShipAsia now.
