AIS

Metro launch enhanced tracking tool as on-time ship arrivals hit six-year low

Jan 27, 2022 | , , , ,

With global shipping schedule reliability at a six-year low and just 33% of ships arriving on time, during a chaotic year for container shipping, Metro Shipping is enhancing its MVT supply chain platform, with even greater scrutiny of real-time vessel tracking.

The ability of vessels to hit their port berthing window impacts shippers and other carriers that have goods or equipment tied up on the ocean voyage, with ripple impacts along the extended supply chain.

Metro’s new ‘Vessel Tracking’ tool links directly with (AIS) transceivers on ships carrying Metro cargo, to follow real-time progress and detect any ETA change or arrival at POD

The busiest trade lane, the eastbound trans-Pacific to the US West Coast, remained the most under pressure, with on-time performance at 10.4% for November, a slight improvement from October, with an average delay of just over 13 days from Asia in November, which is double the average delay seen a year ago.

Asia–US East Coast services had the seventh-lowest reliability among container trade lanes, Sea-Intelligence data shows, reaching 18.7% in November, up from 15.5% in October. Ships arriving on the US East Coast from Asia were delayed between eight and nine days, also double the level seen in November 2020.

The Asia-North Europe trade lane saw schedule reliability hit 24.5% in November, down from 43.5% in November 2020, while the Asia-Mediterranean lane sat at 22.3% voyage reliability.

On-time performance varies widely across carriers, as ships have faced delayed berth calls and long waits at anchor due to heavy congestion across many ports globally, forcing carriers to make last-minute adjustments to try to return ships to schedule, which has affected reliability.

BBC warn that shipping delays could continue well into 2022 - READ MORE

The 2M Alliance showed the highest schedule reliability, with 46.3% of Maersk vessels hitting their berthing window, Hamburg Süd hit 40.4% and Mediterranean Shipping Co achieving 32.4% on 2,555 voyages during November.

Ocean Alliance members, though, saw generally worsening reliability, with CMA CGM drop 3.7% to 27.9% across 3,352 voyages and Cosco Shipping reliability fall to 20.2% for November on 2,863 voyages.

Don’t forget the statistic of 33% on time arrivals relates to all global container vessel movements – it is not route specific. Deep-sea and, in particular Asia/ Europe/ Asia schedules would actually fall significantly below this figure, with some quoting the majority of vessels arriving off schedule, on the longer haul lanes.

With our enhanced tracking tool, you can ‘see’ the delays and issues, so you can plan and communicate this within your business and to end clients. This is our objective – an early ‘warning system’ that allows you to adjust your supply chain accordingly. It is expected that vessels will continue to be delayed for the foreseeable future and maybe the whole of 2022.

The MVT 'Track Your Vessel' module automatically follows all ships carrying containers with our cargo on the water. The module instantly detects an ETA change or an arrival at POD and automatically updates the MVT platform.

If the ETA change is +- 7 days, the relevant Metro operations team is sent a message by MVT, to advise them that a significant change has occurred and remedial action may be required.

Our technical solutions team are constantly innovating and evolving the MVT platforms to ensure that, whatever the challenge, our customers' products are in the right place, at the right time. 

Creating unique technical and operational supply chain solutions, to address each customer’s unique situation, is what differentiates us and has provided the platform for over four decades of sustained growth.

For further information on our MVT platform and to discuss how we can enhance your supply chains, please get in touch with Eilliot Carlile,  or your usual Metro team account manager, who will advise the options available, to ensure that expectations are met despite market impact.

factory worker with tablet

Telling us what you need – we are the ‘solution’ not part of the supply chain ‘problem!’

Jan 27, 2022 |

Delivering great service and exceeding your expectations is our continuous focus and commitment, but we need your feedback to give us the insights and understanding to drive future initiatives and remain a totally customer orientated business. Hopefully you will agree – we do this rather well and always proactively.

Quality, efficiency, service, creative solutions and reliability are the issues that we want to measure, when we consider customer satisfaction, which is why an overall score of 92% in our latest survey is a satisfying basis to continue building on. Our desire is 100% - but even we find that ambitious.

Finding and converting new customers takes time and resource and even more of the same to develop the collaborative relationship that delivers real and consistent value. A partnership in fact as we see it, is an extension of your own business and strategic aspirations.

Our objective is to build long-term, mutually-rewarding relationships, built on understanding and respect, so that you can focus on growing your business whilst Metro manage your supply chain and logistics. And much more, whilst reducing unnecessary costs within your global freight platform.

Customer retention starts with satisfaction and a simple way of measuring this is with regular customer satisfaction surveys, that show us what we’re getting right and wrong, so we can address any shortcomings promptly, to recover customer confidence.

The customer satisfaction survey is not only an excellent tool to support customers, it can highlight issues that should be immediately addressed and help us differentiate the Metro brand from our competitors.

Consistently creating customer satisfaction helps us stand out from the competition and encourages recommendation, rather than negative feedback, which can be so damaging in the digital age.

Satisfied and loyal customers are our complete focus because your continued support has been the most important factor in our continued growth over the last four decades.

We understand how busy our customers are, which is why we make our customer satisfaction surveys so quick and easy to complete. Our latest version comprises just six questions and can be completed in just a few seconds. 

Please do take time to interact with us and provide your valued feedback – it is essential and you receive our latest 2022 calendars as a ‘thank you’ for your assistance and contribution.

SURVEY RESULTS FROM 20TH JANUARY

“It is easy to find the right contact at Metro”
90% positive rating

“I understand all the ways Metro can help me”
95% positive rating

“Metro are proactive in solving my problems”
90% positive rating

“Metro always keep me informed”
85% positive rating

“I would recommend Metro to a friend or colleague”
100% positive rating

What is your preferred method of communication”
Email 100%
Phone 50.0%
Zoom 0%
Visit 0%

As one of our survey respondents said. “In the current supply chain market communication is key.” Which is why it is essential that we have your feedback, so please do take the opportunity to share your insights.

Your views, experience and insights will enhance our logistics, freight, supply chain and technological solutions, during these challenging times. 

We will always proactively contact, call and at times ‘badger’ you to receive feedback and continue to improve our service and solutions. Review and an agile approach in a diverse and fluid logistics environment are essential ingredients for all successful organisations – and we want to be part of your solution.

Thank you for taking part in our survey and we will contact you to discuss your feedback and factor into the planning for your growth and satisfaction. It’s what we do…

ECO globe 2021

Metro deliver on ECO promise

Jan 13, 2022 | , , ,

Having conceived, created and launched the MVT Eco module in 2021 - to monitor the CO2 equivalent emissions, of each consignment we move - and committed to environmental transparency, Metro has now officially offset our emissions for 2020.

Companies’ response to climate change is arguably the most pressing issue facing society, which is why the UK government joined 38 international partners to welcome the establishment of new international sustainability reporting standards at COP26. 

Metro is among the 13,000 corporations that have committed to environmental transparency, using international sustainability reporting standards, by disclosing our environmental impact and working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, safeguard water resources and protect forests.

Metro’s MVT Eco module, which is part of our MVT suite of digital solutions and unique supply chain ecosystem management tools, monitors the energy emissions, emission costs and CO2 equivalent emissions, of each consignment we move, by every mode. Metro customers have free access, to monitor the environmental impact of their supply chains and participate in offset projects that will eradicate their CO2 footprint.

Metro partnered with environmental consultancy Comply Direct, to undertake an organisational carbon footprint exercise, to measure, target, reduce and offset our carbon footprint, across all areas under operational control within the UK. Conducted under international sustainability reporting standards, using the internationally recognised GHG Corporate Standard Protocol.

Metro is committed through our ISO 14001 system to reduce our footprint, by fully offsetting current emissions through purchasing verified carbon offsets, which allows Metro to take responsibility for the emissions already released, while taking steps to reduce emissions going forward.

The projects Metro support are aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals, and include protecting the rainforest in Brazil, providing clean cooking stoves in Kenya and helping to assist the delivery of renewable energy to India, a country currently heavily reliant on coal.

We know that our actions are a small step, but if all companies took similar responsibility and action, we are absolutely convinced it really would make a difference. Many small steps will take you a long way.

In 2022 we will make further progress with additional initiatives, including EV charging points in our office car parks and the adoption of EV company cars as existing cars are replaced. On a larger scale we are working with partners that use the most sustainable methods of fuel and energy and that have adopted, and implemented, their own environmental policies and protocols to ensure that we can create some of the most eco-friendly and green supply chains from and to anywhere, globally.

The MVT ECO module is a cloud-based solution, that is available, free-of-charge, to all our shippers on their MVT dashboard, where they can view key eco statistics related to their movements, to see which areas will benefit most from emissions offsetting and where efforts can have the most impact.

To request a demo or discuss your requirements, please contact Simon George, who leads our technical solution team, or Claus Rasmussen to discuss carbon reduction strategies and the availability of offset projects.

It really does work!

Lloyds

British businesses investing in 2022

Jan 13, 2022 | ,

According to research carried out by consultancy Deloitte, the UK’s top firms will massively increase capital spending in the next 12 months, with over 30% of chief financial officers (CFO) at Britain’s premium listed firms scaling investment to capitalise on red hot domestic and foreign demand.

Deloitte surveyed 85 finance chiefs at firms which have a combined market value of nearly £500bn, representing 19% of the entire UK stock market.

CFOs seem to be looking past Omicron and plan to focus their businesses on growth in 2022, with 90% intending to expand their technological capacity in a sign that the productivity gains made by the rapid adoption of digital tools since the onset of the pandemic are set to continue.

Finance chiefs expect their gamble on investment to pay off, with 84% forecasting it will yield productivity enhancements.

This is certainly an approach that Metro, and our associate businesses, have taken, and plan to continue taking, over the foreseeable future with many initiatives and huge investment in our digital platforms. Embracing the latest technology, we continue to design, develop, create and deliver new and enhanced internal and external systems and applications.

And firms are more optimistic about operating in a post-Brexit environment. Worries that dominated the risk list in recent years – above all Brexit and weak global growth – have dropped sharply down the risk rankings.

However, Deloitte’s research indicates businesses are under intense pressure to survive amid a barrage of soaring costs and an ongoing labour squeeze, with 54% highlighting inflation as a key risk to their businesses’ performance, while 58% are concerned over persistent worker shortages.

Optimism dipped over the last month, driven lower by the threat of inflationary pressures and the hit to consumer confidence from plan B restrictions to curb the spread of Omicron.

At the same time, UK manufacturing supply chain disruptions eased in December, helping activity in the sector to expand at the fastest pace in four months. A positive indication of things to come in 2022.

Supply chains remain severely stretched, but the situation is stabilising, with vendor delivery times lengthening to the weakest extent for a year in December, which helped take some of the heat out of input price increases, and raise output across the consumer, intermediate and investment goods sectors during the final month of 2021.

The increased output was underpinned by rising intakes of new business as domestic market conditions strengthened.

With so much negative news abounding, it is heartening to see a positive business survey, that confirms some of our biggest firms will be investing for growth in 2022.

We certainly intend to continue our development, expanding our team, investing strategically and working with our network partners to grow our service portfolio globally.

Whatever your objectives are for the year ahead, we are ready to support you too, with supply chain solutions, that are designed around you and your operating environment.

We grow with our customers, by investing in our relationships and strategic partnership approach and consistently delivering the support that keeps them successful.

Metro continue, as always, to keep you updated on the current market conditions and situation and we will always have the latest news and best advice in the global logistics and supply chain environment, which is operating under new parameters in the ‘new normal’ world. Please do call us to arrange a meeting and discuss your own plans for 2022 and beyond and we will ensure that a tailored solution is designed that will ensure your business can continue to grow consistently.

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