The COVID-19 pandemic turned the public gaze towards supply chains and a previously unrecognised business sector became a household name, but after two plus years of navigating monumental challenges, supply chain executives, are faced with more challenges and need to secure their supply chains before the next shock hits.

Even as shippers try to make sense of the most tumultuous period ever seen in global supply chain management, the market is changing so rapidly that no matter how difficult the past few years have been, the future is once again taking centre stage.

Global container and air freight markets are shifting on multiple levels. Quickly moving on from the pandemic period and moving into a phase that had been expected to be a return to the pre-pandemic status quo, but is instead entirely new and unpredictable.  

Today’s supply chains are operating in a radically altered geopolitical and economic environment and a soon-to-be altered industry structure, with the impending breakup of the 2M Alliance likely to entirely transform the global container shipping market.  

Even as rates fall from their historic highs and port congestion and delays are fading, shippers need to recognise that the new era will have its own challenges, which need to be acknowledged, for the avoidance of risk.  

For the last 30+ years supply chains have been defined by opportunity to drive down cost and improve efficiency. Reliability was taken for granted and risk was an abstract that was rarely built into the business strategy and disruptive events were easily isolated, or avoided, because they were not part of the operating environment.  

All this has now changed and unpredictability has to be anticipated, even if there are no apparent triggers, because even if the industry looks normal, operational impacts will follow from a heightened perception of risk. 

This is demonstrated by the much greater than expected diversions from the West Coast to avoid ILWU labour disruption if contract negotiations stuttered or failed, as happened during earlier negotiations. 

And on top of unpredictable risk factors, shippers are balancing supply chain complexity against geopolitical demands over supply sources, but which is more resilient, having two suppliers for a critical component, or one that’s not ‘political’, It’s a really tough situation.

Metro’s MVT supply chain platform reduces the cost, time and risk of re-sourcing to new vendors and locations, with PO management, visibility and communication tools that onboard and integrate new suppliers into the supply chain.

To learn more or to arrange a demo EMAIL Simon George, Technical Solutions Director

The COVID-19 pandemic raised public awareness of the critical importance of supply chains, with the industry being recognised as ‘key workers’ throughout the crisis. And the need for efficient logistics has increased reliance on fourth-party logistics (4PL) providers to manage complex global supply chains, which will see the global 4PL market, valued at £43 billion in 2021, reach £78 billion by 2030. Or we suspect probably much more.

The Metro MVT (My Visibility Tool) platform was conceived and launched over 15 years ago to provide real-time shipment status updates and end to end control and milestone management throughout the life of a movement of product and its transit on a neutral platform. It is a cloud-based, hyper secure, 4PL solution that connects shippers to their entire supply chain, harnessing all participant entities, process and inventory data to provide complete real-time visibility, control and intelligence.

Accenture defines Metro’s 4PL solution as, “a supply chain integrator that assembles and manages the resources, capabilities, and technology of its own organisation, with those of complementary service providers, to deliver a comprehensive supply chain solution.” 

“The 4PL client achieves improved service levels, reduced costs of up to 25%, minimised asset down time and reduced supply chain risks to the business. Performance visibility, better reporting and enhanced analytics assist faster and smarter decisions.”

Metro’s cloud-based 4PL platform is entirely modular and configured to each customer’s needs and situation. It consolidates multiple data sources to deliver 4PL insight and control, for strategic supply chain management and data-driven decision making.

Each 4PL platform embraces essential data sources from key supply chain participants, with advanced drill down features and a library of added value features that support participant management, financial oversight and performance benchmarking. 

The 4PL platform is a single source for managing end-to-end logistics, with multiple participants, carriers and service providers. Shippers, manufacturers and retailers find it easier, and more profitable, to focus on their core competencies and trust the control of their transportation and distribution to an expert like Metro, with a mature and proven 4PL solution.

The COVID pandemic and the Ukraine war have revealed the vulnerabilities of complex, geographically dispersed global supply chains. Metro’s 4PL platform creates visibility and stability, to make extended supply chains resilient, even in uncertain supply and demand conditions.

And because Metro do not own assets, there are no vested interests, just objectivity to optimise operations, detect and address issues, to deliver the most efficient supply chain, at the best cost and best performance metrics.

EXAMPLE 1

For automotive manufacturers and supercar marques, the Metro 4PL control towers manages the movement of finished vehicles globally. These singular assets are often time critical and very valuable, which means the 4PL needs to be constantly scanning the market to source the right mode of transport, for time sensitive freight moves, with the optimum balance of cost, service and on time delivery, while monitoring the vehicles progress throughout its journey. Scorecards rate vendors, validate invoices and provide a monthly KPI pack. 

EXAMPLE 2

For consumer product manufacturers Metro’s neutral 4PL solution manages multiple freight forwarders, consolidating data to provide a single view of the supply chain and giving the customer the ability to replace forwarders, without the hassle of integrating new systems.

Our commitment to innovation and developing bespoke digital solutions goes back decades, with the latest generation of 4PL tools incorporating robotics, predictive analytics and AI, to minimise risk along the supply chain. The latest modules monitor and measure CO2 emissions, at consignment level, for off-setting and ultimately carbon-neutral supply chains.

For more information on the 4PL platform, or to discuss how our technology could support your supply chain, please EMAIL Simon George our Technical Solutions Director or Matt Weight.