Over the past two years, supply chains have gone from slightly disrupted to quickly overburdened and remain drastically out of sync today. As a consumer, you probably experienced this interference while shopping for gifts over the holidays, searching for in-stock furniture for your home, or with other products you purchased. And as a business, the headaches that come with delays are endless. These delays and backlogs are expected to remain in 2022.
During significant supply chain disruptions, some solutions can help you mitigate shipping disruptions and better serve your customers. If you’re over the frustration of upset employees, delayed products, and unsatisfied customers, we’re sharing tips on how to bring your product to market faster in 2022.
The Supply Chain as a System and How Ports Work
As a system, the supply chain involves a series of steps to get a product or service to the customer. The steps include
- Moving and transforming raw materials into finished products
- Transporting those products
- Distributing them to the end-user.
All of these steps must work together and move quickly to perform smoothly. But with the current congestion crisis at many ports worldwide, delays are inevitable, and many of the busiest ports cannot process all incoming vessels. This crisis is likely to stretch to at least the first half of 2022, if not longer.
This considerable supply chain disruption has been accumulating for months and shows no signs of slowing down as consumers continue to turn towards e-commerce.
Widespread Port Congestion Threatens Supply Chain Management
For months, global shipping has struggled with deliveries. Consumer demand for products continues to grow, factories are closed, the workforce has dwindled, and pandemic containment efforts have hindered port operations. Because of these forces, the supply chain continues to struggle.
Widespread port congestion has caused some carriers to reroute and skip specific stops. Not only has this caused confusion for tracking products, but containers continue to be imbalanced throughout many global ports.
What are the effects of port congestion?
The effects are not promising.
Global supply chains are breaking down due to multiple bottlenecks, and the shortage of workers in many industries isn’t helping. Higher demand for e-commerce products plus limited supply is sending prices spiraling. Not only are these issues delaying transport, but they are also translating to higher costs for everyone. Every stage of the supply chain is breaking down in its unique way to the detriment of companies everywhere – and it doesn’t look like global ports will be in repair any time soon.
Even with one vessel’s obstruction, such as the Ever Given blocking the Suez Canal, we can see just how immediate the supply chain crisis is to follow.
So how do we ensure your products don’t get stuck in those same routes? Avoid these ports altogether.
Solutions for Reducing and Preventing Port Congestion
Two main factors can contribute to a shipping solution: finding an available port and relying on trucking to transport your products to customers.
Finding a port
At this current time, there are no significant factors affecting the Port of Mobile in Mobile, Alabama. The Port of Mobile container terminal runs clear and has quick, convenient connections to rails, roads, rivers, and runways.
The Port of Mobile’s capabilities and connectivity make it an ideal gateway for all types of cargo, from coal and containers to forest products and steel, to automobiles and aggregates. With deep water, modern equipment, and multimodal connectivity, this port is one of the nation’s most efficient, versatile, and accessible ports.
Trucking solutions
It would be great if trucking companies were readily available, but the reality is many are facing a shortage of drivers. Trucking is one of the largest occupations in America, with nearly 2 million heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators reports the state government issues more than 450,000 new commercial driver’s licenses every year, many entering the long-haul trucking industry. With these numbers, how does it seem possible that a shortage is happening?
The issue at hand may be more related to retention and more minor to a shortage of drivers. The American Trucking Association (ATA) notes the average annual turnover rate for long-haul truck drivers at big trucking companies has been over 90% for decades.
Finding a trucking partner you trust with a reliable workforce and dependable service is vital. BR Williams is the choice for many businesses because of its exceptional team of transportation professionals, paired with tools for shipment status and tracking. These together give suppliers peace of mind knowing their products are in good hands and will get to the destination undamaged and on time.
Choose A Solution That Works
BR Williams has tailored their solutions to meet supply chain demands and better serve its business partners in the past two years. If your company needs a shipping solution that delivers, request more information from our team or get a quote today!