There’s no stopping or even slowing down the rate that the world is digitalising! You’ve either got to get with it or get left behind. This is especially true in the logistics industry, which has become more reliant on technology since the Covid-19 outbreak. With more tasks going digital, some roles might seem redundant, but this is not always correct. We’re shedding some light on why you need a freight forwarder in this increasingly digitalised world. 

What is a Freight Forwarder? What do they do?

A freight forwarder is a person or a service provider (such as a travel agency) that ensures a shipper’s goods arrive safely at their end destination within a certain time frame. Although the freight forwarder does not actually move any of the goods themselves, they do facilitate the movement of the goods through all the various points along the journey to their final destination. 

Why is it necessary to have a Freight Forwarder?

One of the key roles of a freight forwarder is to act as an advisory partner to the customer (often the shippers) who want to focus on their core business. They want to make sure that they sell whatever their merchandise is and leave the rest to the forwarder. Freight forwarders have real industry experience. Because of this, they can provide expert knowledge to shippers that can help them get their goods safely to their destination on time and within budget. 

Digitalisation and Freight Forwarders

New technologies continue to change the logistics landscape, and it is always amazing to see how humans and tech work together to create more efficient systems. In saying this, is freight forwarding something that can be digitalised? Freight Forwarder, Carl Larsson, doesn’t think so just yet. 

“There are still people involved in so many parts of the chain, so fully digitalising a forwarding service will be difficult. Because when something goes wrong – which does happen from time to time – you want someone to “hold your hand”.

With a digital procedure, you don’t have anyone to call when you need advice. And then there is also the part of what makes really good logistics: The understanding, knowing, supporting, and challenging the customer, which is so important in order to find the best solution based on the shipper’s needs,” he explains. 

There are still many ways to digitalise your business to make your supply chain more efficient and make your freight forwarder’s job easier. One of these ways is by using TSI’s Digital Control Tower. Find out more.