Shipping and receiving delays can have a significant impact on your transportation management and customer satisfaction. They can increase your costs, damage your reputation, and disrupt your supply chain. In this article, we will explore some of the common causes of shipping and receiving delays and how you can avoid them or mitigate their effects.
One of the most unpredictable and unavoidable factors that can cause shipping and receiving delays is the weather. Extreme weather events such as storms, floods, snow, or heat can affect the transportation infrastructure, the safety of the drivers, and the availability of the vehicles. To avoid weather-related delays, you should monitor the weather forecasts and alerts, plan alternative routes or modes of transportation, communicate with your carriers and customers, and adjust your delivery windows accordingly.
One of the reasons for shipping delays is non effective communication (alerts) on the status of shipment. Effective communication helps escalate potential blockers in the cause of moving shipment from one location to another (port to warehouse or as case may be) Also, proper documentation is important to avoid delays of shipments.
Another factor that can cause shipping and receiving delays is the customs clearance process. Depending on the origin and destination of your shipments, the customs regulations, documentation, fees, and inspections can vary and affect the transit time. To avoid customs-related delays, you should ensure that your shipments are properly labeled, classified, packaged, and valued, that you have all the required documents and certificates, that you comply with the customs laws and regulations, and that you use a reliable and experienced customs broker.
To have a smooth customs clearance, it is important to have all the papers like invoices, and bill of lading. They should match with each other A lot of times pro-forma invoice can have a different list of items from what is loaded in the trailer so a good robust system is needed that does not miss printing all details.
A third factor that can cause shipping and receiving delays is the inventory management. If you do not have enough inventory to fulfill your orders, or if you have too much inventory that takes up space and resources, you can face delays in your shipping and receiving processes. To avoid inventory-related delays, you should implement an effective inventory management system that tracks your inventory levels, demand, lead time, and replenishment frequency, that optimizes your inventory turnover and storage, and that alerts you of any potential shortages or surpluses.
A fourth factor that can cause shipping and receiving delays is the human errors. These can include mistakes in the order entry, picking, packing, labeling, loading, or delivery of your shipments, as well as miscommunication, misunderstanding, or negligence among your staff, carriers, or customers. To avoid human-related delays, you should implement quality control measures, such as barcode scanning, verification checks, feedback loops, and training programs, that reduce the risk of errors, that identify and correct them quickly, and that improve the performance and accountability of your team.
A fifth factor that can cause shipping and receiving delays is the unexpected events. These can include accidents, breakdowns, thefts, strikes, protests, pandemics, or any other unforeseen circumstances that can disrupt your shipping and receiving operations. To avoid unexpected-related delays, you should have a contingency plan that anticipates and prepares for possible scenarios, that allocates resources and backup options, that communicates with your stakeholders, and that adapts to the changing situation.
A sixth factor that can cause shipping and receiving delays is the customer preferences. Nowadays, customers expect fast, flexible, and convenient delivery options, such as same-day, next-day, or time-specific delivery. However, these options can pose challenges for your transportation management, such as increased costs, reduced capacity, or limited availability. To avoid customer-related delays, you should balance your customer expectations and your operational capabilities, that offer realistic and transparent delivery options, that communicate with your customers, and that provide tracking and notification services.
Poor or no direct voice communication with a truck drivers who actually have the inventory on their trucks. This is from the implementation of overly complicated communication systems. Combined with the lack of teaching and training for the people in the trucks, and the warehouses You gotta talk to people it’s really that simple
Warehouse Management System Product identification and traceability - easy to locate according FIFO Observe “start - end” in stock modules for piling and extracting of items. Control over non conforming products - to avoid erroneous picking of defective items. Complete signages and markings in warehouse traffic zone, drive ways, loading and unloading areas, and stock modules. Minimize, if not eliminate, detailed quality inspections upon receiving of items by conducting process inspection and compliance sampling at source to pre-qualify the items according standards specifications.