In a Jan 20 blog post from the White House, Brian Deese, Director of the National Economic Council, touted the positive effects of Biden-era economic investments and supply chain regulations. “Building from the bottom up and middle out also means investing in America – in infrastructure, innovation, and clean energy – in ways that rebuild our industrial strength and supply chains, and expand the productive capacity of the economy,” wrote Deese.

However, the New York Federal Reserve’s Global Supply Chain Pressure Index (GSCPI) tells a much different story. According to reporting from FreightWaves, the GSCPI has actually fallen in recent months, primarily due to the complicated COVID-19 landscape in China. As a copy of the recent GSCPI states: “After analyzing the contributions of the underlying variables in the index, we can partly attribute the recent slowdown of the GSCPI’s return to its historical average to worsening supply conditions in China, which have also spilled over into its neighboring trade partners.”

Between these two competing viewpoints — one focused on past successes, and the other focused on a worrisome supply chain forecast for the new year — shippers are left to forge their own paths toward improved resiliency in a dynamic supply chain landscape. Increasingly, shippers are turning toward ocean container tracking software to bolster operations in the face of an unpredictable logistics ecosystem. 

What is Ocean Container Tracking Software?

For shippers, ocean container tracking software is a means of streamlining previously complex ocean container tracking operations. Whereas shippers used to rely on inefficient manual processes to know where their containers were within the supply chain, today’s shippers rely on innovative container tracking technologies to provide real-time location data across modalities. 

But not all ocean container tracking software is created equal. With more options for shipping container management software than ever, shippers face a tall order in deciding which ocean container tracking software is right for their operations. With the hope of making shippers’ lives easier, this article examines the six questions every shipper should ask when searching for container tracking software.

6 Steps to Find the Best Container Tracking Software For Your Operations

By following these six steps, shippers can not only understand whether or not a container tracking system is right for their business but can better understand their priorities when shopping for ocean container tracking software.

Can Software Be Streamlined?

With outdated software, shippers are often left to rely on inefficient, manual processes to perform simple ocean container tracking tasks. Siloed systems hinder supply chain collaboration, making it more difficult to develop a precise understanding of asset location through a cohesive software ecosystem.

Shippers can eliminate siloed software infrastructure by integrating existing software infrastructure into an application programming interface (API). An ocean container tracking API takes disparate systems and houses them under a single software interface, providing shippers with streamlined access to a scalable range of ocean container tracking software benefits. 

Could OTIF Rates Be Improved?

For shippers, there’s nothing more important than delivery service. Despite this, a number of challenges have stood between shippers and on-time, in-full performance. Poor ocean freight visibility means shippers can’t prepare supply chain partners for adjusted ETAs. A lack of communication throughout the supply chain means shippers are disadvantaged when handling unexpected exceptions. 

For shippers looking to bolster OTIF rates, ocean container tracking software provides streamlined access to a vast array of ocean container tracking assets, including real-time container tracking and whole-chain communication assets. With on-demand visibility and communication through ocean shipping container tracking software, easily accessible through an ocean container tracking API, shippers can bolster OTIF rates in a dynamic supply chain landscape. 

Do Stakeholders Stay in the Know?

In recent years, communication has been one of the most challenging aspects of supply chain management. Jam-packed ports, congested logistics hubs, and unpredictable labor conflicts have sent shippers scrambling to get supply chain stakeholders the latest information. Despite shippers’ best efforts, however, outdated, manual communication methods have often proved inadequate to the demands of a dynamic logistics environment. 

With a container tracking system, shippers can access fully-integrated communication assets, including automated notifications. Integrated communication means that shippers can communicate status updates and exception alerts to stakeholders within an ocean container tracking software interface, allowing for unprecedented ease in communications. In times when a fast-paced logistics environment is outpacing even the savviest of shippers, automated exception notifications communicate supply chain updates.

Is There Valuable Visibility in Volatile Times?

While shippers have grown used to the “blue dot” school of ocean container tracking, many are realizing the inadequacy of the current standard. Despite the benefits of the blue dot–a rough estimate of container location–it fails to convey the full complexity of a container journey, leaving shippers vulnerable to unexpected exceptions and repeat lapses in performance.

Shippers can harness the ocean container tracking analytics they need to move beyond the blue dot by using a ground-level container tracking system. With detailed visibility, shippers can examine past performance for optimization opportunities, providing logistics stakeholders with ever-improving performance. 

Is Supply Chain Collaboration Streamlined?

Supply chain collaboration is critical to surviving a dynamic logistics ecosystem. However, outdated ocean container tracking systems often silo shippers, leaving them isolated from their logistics stakeholders and leading to increased exceptions, delays, and inefficiencies. With adequate ocean container tracking software, shippers can take advantage of the full range of benefits offered by tech-driven supply chain collaboration.

By investing in shipping container management software, shippers can go into supply chain collaboration efforts with complete confidence. With accurate ETAs, automated notifications, and intermodal visibility, shippers can provide their logistics partners with the most accurate, detailed, and standardized information available.

Can Customers Take Ownership?

While ocean shipping container tracking software may provide businesses with unprecedented ocean container tracking visibility, for customers looking to create a cohesive brand experience, third-party ocean container tracking can prove disconcerting for clients. Surprising links to third-party ocean container tracking sites, mysterious emails from third-party ocean container tracking providers, and cumbersome communication with ocean container tracking providers can make clients think twice before partnering with a business or platform. 

By partnering with an API-equipped ocean container tracking software provider that offers customer white-label support, shippers can access the latest in ocean container tracking software while maintaining a cohesive, confidence-inspiring experience for their clientele. 

For Industry Leading Ocean Container Tracking, Shippers Choose Ocean Container Tracking Software From OpenTrack 

Faced with an unpredictable supply chain and an ever-growing number of threats, shippers are turning to ocean container tracking to bolster resiliency and prepare for what comes next. With ocean container tracking software from OpenTrack, shippers can access a broad suite of ocean container tracking assets.

• Automated Exception Alerts to ensure that logistics partners remain in the know. 
• Real-Time Ocean Container Tracking Software integrated into an existing tech stack means that shippers can improve supply chain resiliency without overhauling operations.
• Streamlined API means that shippers can harness the power of scalable ocean shipping container tracking software to grow alongside operations. 

Book a demo with OpenTrack today, and see how ocean container tracking software can improve your supply chain resiliency. 

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