International Forwarding Association Blog » International freight services
International freight services
If you are specializing in freight management and logistics, chances are you are faced with all kinds of expenses associated with storing and moving cargo, including fuel, warehousing, insurance, and labor costs. With inflation and ever-increasing prices, international freight forwarders are forced to optimize supply chain procedures to reduce costs. While improving your bottom line may look like a challenging task, here are some costs to account for and some tips on how to keep expenses down to grow your business. Shipping Costs to Account for Shipping costs are paid to a range of businesses, including freight brokers,… Read more
The past couple of years have brought a lot of uncertainty, supply chain disruptions, and volatility around the globe. Capacity management issues, along with attempts to hedge against freight rate decreases pushed prices up at a time when consumer demand skyrocketed mid-2020. Two and a half years into the Covid-19 pandemic, freight rates are slowly stabilizing, albeit on some routes the rates are still 400 percent higher than in 2019. Ocean Freight Rates Global ocean rates dropped 6 percent, mainly due to freight decreases on European, US West Coast, and ex-Asia routes. Asia – US West coast rates… Read more
International shipping offers businesses the chance to enter new markets and reach more customers. However, it is important to understand the regulations and procedures for importing and exporting, and it is equally important to secure the right shipping documents. You should be prepared to provide details about your business, shipment, country of origin and destination, and the reasons for shipping. In some cases, you will also need to obtain permits and proper licensing for your shipment. There is a wide variety of documents that you might need to present to comply with legal requirements and import and export regulations. Some… Read more
There is a variety of ways to manage the flow of goods and ship cargo from place of origin to a distribution center or point of consumption. The choice of shipping method depends on the type, dimensions, and requirements of cargo to be moved, whether supplies, equipment, raw materials, and goods. Shipping is a complex process that involves a number of steps, from packaging and loading, to shipping, warehousing, and securely managing data. Historically, European logistics providers used one mode of transportation, be it shipping containers by sea or moving goods by trucks. With time, the demand for intermodal freight… Read more
Shipping alcohol is legal in the EU but the packaging requirements are different for large loads and small amounts. While small quantities can be mailed in a package, larger loads require van or pallet delivery. Small Amounts For small shipments or to send as gifts, each bottle must be placed in a plastic bag and then into a bottle box. Adding foam or bubble wrap to the bottle box helps protect shipments against damage. Bubble wrap is used for extra cushioning when fragile items are transported. When sending bottles together with other items, adding bubble wrap to fill the empty… Read more
Moving cargo in a cost-efficient, quick, and safe manner is essential for economic growth, national distribution networks, and global trade. Intermodal transport in Europe combines maritime, rail, road, and air transport to account for factors such as delocalization and concentration of heavy and light duty manufacturing facilities and other processing and manufacturing sites. Road Transport in the EU Road transport accounts for over 75 percent of freight transport within the European Union. Road transport rates are the highest in Luxemburg based on population size, followed by Lithuania. In terms of national road transport relative to foreign road networks, countries… Read more
European freight forwarders face multiple risks and challenges when shipping cargo by air, including weight and size limitations and cost. At the same time, there are many advantages to air transport, including quick transit times, shipment tracking, and low risk of damage, loss, and theft. Pros for Forwarders One of the main benefits for logistics services providers is the high level of safety and security associated with air transport. The obvious reason is the tight safety controls over air freight. As per EU standards, all cargo shipped by air must either be delivered through a secure supply chain or screened… Read more
Logistic services providers move different types of freight, from oversized cargo and dangerous goods to standard and special goods. Different modes of transportation are used depending on the class assigned, including air, sea, inland waterway, rail, and road. Dangerous goods Dangerous goods fall in different categories, including corrosive substances, radioactive material, and infectious and toxic substances. Other classes include organic peroxides and oxidizers, inflammable solids and liquids, explosives, and gases. The transportation of dangerous goods is regulated under domestic legislation and European regulations, directives, and agreements. Different directives have been adopted to regulate the classification, certification, labelling, and packaging of… Read more
The International Forwarding Association follows the logistics and supply chain trends closely so that the forwarders throughout Europe from IFA can react to the new tendencies and meet the new demands of all customers in a timely manner. Here are some of the main trends which the international freight forwarders association has been following in 2018, and the predictions about the upcoming tendencies in the supply chain sector for 2019. Storage and distribution automation and warehouse robotics With the rapid advancement of technology and robotics, it comes to no surprise that more freight forwarders are implementing advanced warehouse and distribution… Read more
The forwarders throughout Europe who are members of IFA have years of experience in providing cold chain logistics as part of their international freight forwarders services. Our freight forwarders network offers a number of cold chain solutions which ensure the integrity of the entire cold chain. These services include cold chain packaging, cold chain transportation, cold chain management, cold chain distribution and cold chain international freight forwarding. What is a cold chain? The European logistics network offers a reliable number of cold chain related services, to ensure that the entire cold chain is uninterrupted. The cold chain is provided… Read more
Supply chains cover the entire movement of the goods to the customers and include the transport and storage of the raw materials, as well as the forwarding and storage of the ready products. The International freight forwarders work together for creating interconnected networks for product supply and delivery which are in demand by the end customers of each supply chain. Definition for supply chain management The definition of this type of management includes the planning, the implementation and control of all activities in the supply chain. The goal is to create a competitive infrastructure for the international freight services… Read more
Proper packing of the goods prior to transporting them is essential to protect them from dust and dirt when transported in open vehicles and from damage such as scratching or breaking during the transport. There is suitable packing for different types of goods and cargo. The companies from the international freight forwarders network rely on professional packaging companies in order to provide better and more efficient services. The specialized packaging companies provide a number of advantages The companies which work in the packaging business have the necessary experience and knowledge regarding the various types of packaging used for different… Read more
Freight forwarding within the boundaries of the EU is done mainly via road transport, and a large share of these services is provided by network of freight forwarders. The service is usually combined with sea transport, intermodal combinations and by combining several types of transport. The advancements in the information and communication technologies allows for easy combination of different types of transport. More attention is being turned towards the use of rail transport. Information and communication technologies – the basic component of the freight forwarding services The advanced information and communication technologies allow for the easy access to information… Read more
The European automotive industry has a great production volume which requires freight forwarding services provided by a list of logistics companies. A large number of materials are needed for the production of automobiles, and they usually are delivered form various destination. Also, the vehicles which are already made and driven throughout Europe need various spare parts as well. The freight forwarders network takes care for all of these timely deliveries. The European automotive industry A number of European companies are engaged in the production of vehicles and of parts for them. The share of the European automotive industry is… Read more
This is a basic document which certifies the origin of the goods which are about to be exported. The forwarding tariffs are in accordance with the origin of the goods, as well as with other factors. A number of international preferences in relation to the tariffs and to the commercial requirements can be obtained with the help of the certificates of origin of the goods being forwarded by the forwarders throughout Europe. Issuing the certificates of origin of goods in the European Union These certificates are issued by the relevant organizations in each European country. Three copies are issued… Read more
The forwarding of personal vehicles is one of the main services provided by the list of logistics companies. This service, thanks to the close cooperation between the member companies of IFA provides security for your personal car or other vehicle when being forwarded from one European country to another, regardless of the season when the shipping needs to be performed. We offer to transport your personal vehicles for you whenever you are travelling from one country to another for business, pleasure or to study, as well as in the cases when you want to make a priceless gift to… Read more
When forwarding cargo within Europe, the European network for logistics strictly follows its obligations in regard to the condition of the vehicles, the qualification of the personnel and the requirements for the European logistics companies for international transportation. The intensity of the freight forwarding services has resulted in new requirements With the growing intensity of the freight forwarding services in Europe, new requirements for the logistics companies have arisen. When forwarding cargo, the effect the transport has on traffic congestion, the pollution and the occurrence of accidents must be brought to a minimum. Avoiding traffic jams and accidents… Read more
It is crucial to request insurance for the cargo being forwarded When you are forwarding goods and cargo to various European destinations, the member companies of the European logistics network offer insurance for the goods and the cargo. We want our customers to receive a full set of services to ensure that the goods are transported and also that all necessary measures are taken to ensure that the quality and integrity of the goods is maintained, as well as the possibility for receiving compensations in case damage occurs due to unfavorable weather conditions or for other unforeseen factors. The… Read more
In 2016, once again a very slight growth of the share of air transport used for freight forwarding was reported on a global level. According to the data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the share of the air freight transport used for 2016 has increased by a mere 0.5%. The reasons for the lowering of the use of air transport for the logistics services The first reason for the decrease in the use of air transport for freight forwarding is the growing capacity of the cargo airplanes for carrying cargo. This on one hand is an advantage… Read more
Currently, the European logistics association is faced with a number of challenges and difficulties. The cooperation among the member companies of IFA allows the freight forwarders Europe to cope with these difficulties and to provide competitive European logistics services. The difficulties which the international freight forwarders are facing In modern times, the main difficulties for the freight forwarders network include: Unstable currency exchange values The dangers of forwarding risky cargo due to the current situation in Europe and the big inflow of refugees Delays due to problems at the EU borders and at the European ports The competition … Read more
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