For SMEs and startups, finding the right logistics supplier to handle your European freight needs can be difficult. Understanding what’s important when logistics planning is the first step. But what should you be looking for when you select a freight forwarder?
Five Important Factors when Selecting a Logistics Provider for European Freight
1. Knowledge
When you’re not confident that you really know what you’re doing, selecting a provider with established industry experience can make all the difference. If you choose well, your freighter won’t just provide a useful service, but has the potential to become a trusted partner to your business. Providing advice and support where you need it.
2. Scalability
All businesses change, and it can be impossible to truly forecast your freighting needs. Working with a logistics provider capable of responding to the needs of your business – upscaling or downscaling freight movements as you need – can be integral to your profitability. All kinds of business and environmental factors (Covid-19, for instance) impact upon your supply chain. Work with a European freighter than understands that.
3. Experience
Hopefully, any freighter you choose to work with will have experience of the logistics industry. But do they have experience of working with clients in your sector? While many of the same rules apply across freight movements, every business is different. Working with a European freight forwarder that already understands the intricacies of your transportation needs can significantly smooth the process.
4. Established logistics network
Plexus Freight has been providing haulage across the UK and Europe for more than 20 years. In that time, we’ve built up a comprehensive logistics network, partnering with local providers in five countries and building strong working relationships with multiple carriers. This enables us to answer all of the varying needs of our clients, from basic door-to-door road freight, to express freight, multimodal transportation and cross-trade shipping. We can do this confidently and reliably because we have built our service over time.
5 Service proposition
Logistics suppliers take many forms. If you know that you’re only ever going to need one type of freight, then working with a specialist courier can be fine. But if there’s the potential for changing demands, express deliveries and new territories, then selecting a freighter with a broad service proposition makes clear sense. Especially as these suppliers can be better prepared in the event of unexpected obstacles. A freighter with multimodal services, for example, has the flexibility to change when union strikes close ports, or flooding closes roads.
It’s also important to take into account other service factors. These include the security measures put in place by the freighter. Whether goods can be tracked. The ease of booking and contact. Payment options and insurance.
Your choice of logistics provider can make a significant difference to the way that your business performs. While cost is always going to be a priority, it shouldn’t always be the deciding factor. Because sometimes, value and service are more closely linked than value and price.
If you’re looking for a reliable logistics provider to take care of your European freight needs, contact Plexus Freight to see how we can help.
