As marine shipping requirement change, shipping companies are always on the lookout for best possible maritime logistics solutions. When marine software solutions were introduced to the maritime supply chain industry, shipping became a lot different for ship owners, operators, and logistics service providers. Since then, most processes involved in liner shipping have been automated, leaving only a few areas of business untouched, particularly those which required manual operation. Yet, it is no surprise that nowadays many logistics programs are powered entirely by integrated shipping software.
As it appears, full automation of the shipping process seems to be the ultimate goal of every shipping company. Or it may not be. Either way, what is clear is that shipping software companies are unceasingly trying to find ways to make shipping more convenient and efficient. Time and again, new software solutions are being developed – for tracking freight (container tracking software), reducing cost and improving shipping voyage efficiency (voyage calculation software), or detecting issues involving containers (container repair software).
Additionally, there have been significant efforts by these companies to create something resembling an end-to-end or all-in-one solutions capable of managing all aspects of shipping process which includes:
· Data Encoding
· Documentation / Inventory
· Load Management
· Voyage Calculation
· Tracking
· Billing
· Compliance Filing
· Reporting, etc.
Having end-to-end shipping company software can significantly improve performance and reduce costs. However having good shipping software alone is not enough. Ship owners and operators must realize that it is in having a reliable logistics infrastructure that shipping operations becomes successful and profitable. In short, technology in the form of liner shipping software must be supplemented with good planning and flawless execution of strategies.
As of the present time, software companies have not yet come up with one-size-fits-all shipping solutions software, and there is reason to doubt there will ever be one due to the fact that business requirements vary from one shipping company to another. But, whatever the future holds with regard to this, shipping companies should be careful not to fall into the trap of over reliance on software solutions.
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