Air Freight Vs Ocean Freight - 3 Keys to Choosing Your Delivery Method
Whether you are shipping goods or starting an exciting life
adventure as an expat, the decision between air and ocean freighting is
crucial. Here are three keys to choosing your delivery method when deciding
what's best: an air freight forwarder vs. ocean cargo shipping.
Air Freight Vs Ocean Freight - 3 Keys to Choosing Your Delivery Method |
1. Cost
More likely than not, cost is going to be your deciding
factor and determining resource no matter what you read in this article. As an
individual moving internationally, you very likely will have a budget you need
to stick to, even if your employer is paying for your move. As a business,
anything that eats into your profit must be remedied. Higher costs tend to correlate with more reliability, better customer service, insurance coverage, and brand protection. Lower costs tend to correlate with delays, surprise fees, damaged cargo, no insurance coverage, and risk of hurting your brand promise. So naturally, the method
you want to choose, all other factors being equal, is cost.
But, that is assumes equality of other factors, which is not
always the case in the real world. In order to help you make an educated
decision, it is a good idea to study how carriers charge for shipping. Airfreight companies charge by weight, since the more a shipment weighs the more
fuel is required to get the plane to its destination. Customs brokers charge by
standard shipping container rates. While weight is a factor, volume tends to be
the most expensive variable of shipping costs.
In general, the larger and heavier the shipment, the cheaper
it is to ship by sea. As shipments get smaller, the margin diminishes and
eventually air freight will be the least expensive option.
2. Shipping Cycle Time
If you are looking for the fastest shipment possible,
naturally, premium freight services via air freight is the best option. By law of business, time is money.
If you are shipping time-sensitive products, the improved time of arrival can
potentially justify the added expense of air freight. While air freight can
take a day or two, sea freight can take a few weeks or a month to finally reach
it's destination.
However, technology continues to improve and ships are
becoming faster. Canals make it easier to create shorter shipping routes. Some
ocean freight shipments have crossed oceans and arrived for delivery in as
little as eight days time.
3. Reliability
Reliability is a characteristic we value highly in business,
products, and even other people. There is much to be said for the peace of mind
you get from knowing that your products will arrive on time, in mint condition,
every time. Despite the relative industry history that ocean cargo has over air
freight, air freight tends to be the champion of the reliability category.
While many of us may have experienced flight delays due to
weather, airlines are relatively good about staying on schedule. This kind of
rigor is not shared by the ocean cargo industry. Ocean carriers are notorious
for their "it gets there when it gets there" mentality. Carriers
don't think twice about being a day or two off schedule. If this could make or
break your business, an air freight forwarder is definitely the best way to go.
Read more about Packair's freight services - If you need further assistance in determining which shipping method is the best fit for your business, contact Packair at (310) 337-9993, or fill out this quick shipping quote form.
Comments
Post a Comment