Why tracking your cargoes is important?

As demand increases, notably through e-commerce and with the increase in transport costs, all operators are compelled to find solutions to maintain their operational efficiency while respecting increasingly tight delivery times. All the above having an impact on profitability which intensifies the pressure to find ways to ensure the integrity and quality of goods throughout the supply chain.

In order to mitigate the global supply chain risks, many solutions offer the opportunity to modernize processes and improve performance. The implementation of an electronic cargo tracking system provides an effective way to stay in control of the entire supply chain while increase visibility.

We have identified 5 key reasons to set-up a solution allowing to track all goods and commodities all along the supply chain.

• To ensure traceability
• To respond to customers’ expectations
• To increase security
• To retrieve data from the field and learn from it
• To guarantee the quality throughout the supply chain

To ensure traceability

Traceability has become an important element in recent years for manufacturers, consumers and government agencies. Whether it is for security reasons, like it is often the case in the food and pharmaceutical industries, or simply to improve operational efficiency, tracking cargoes can take your supply chain to the next level and bring many benefits.

It provides the opportunity for companies to improve their quality control which will eventually help reduce costs (e.g., claims) and ensure that the necessary regulatory requirements are met.

By receiving real-time information on the status and location of the goods, valuable information about the provenance and journey of products. Additionally, it allows to strengthen customers trust which takes us to the second reason why you should start tracking your goods.

To respond to customers’ expectations

In today’s world where information is available almost instantly, more customers expect to be informed of any change in the delivery status and have access to key notifications such as the estimated time of arrival (ETA).

The cargo tracking system offers several options to comply with the context and can for instance provide accurate data about the real-time location of goods or even estimate their time of arrival. All this information can be made available to customers via a customer portal or web app.

At the end, by promoting greater transparency, you can increase customer loyalty, customer experience and reduce reputational risk while improving brand reputation.

To increase security

According to the recent BSI and TT Club Cargo Theft Report 2021, Cargo trucks are particularly targeted and account for most theft incidents (see graphs below) while the most stolen commodities are food and beverage. These statistics highlight how critical it is to proactively implement countermeasures aimed at mitigating the risk without disrupting the whole supply chain.

Undoubtably, the ability to monitor and secure cargoes is one of the most efficient mean to help maintain cargo integrity, lower cargo theft risk and protect profitability.
A wide range of tamper-proof devices are available adapted to the context, transportation mode or type of goods. They secure all elements such as container doors, manholes or fuel tank valves and report any violation of the security status.

To guarantee the quality throughout the supply chain

Quality problems are often synonym of loss of profitability and can lead to costly claims. In some extreme, extend it can also raise issues of food security. For that reason, it is a critical topic which encouraged many companies to invest in order to guarantee quality all along the supply chain.

Today, advanced solutions make possible to combine security with quality by reducing fraud while guaranteeing the integrity of the transported products. This is the case of e-seals equipped with sensors that measure humidity or temperature or detect a change in light conditions.

To retrieve data from the field and learn from it

As mentioned before, implementing a tracking system can give you access to lots of data allowing you to enhance your customers’ experience or to efficiently monitor your cargoes until destination.

Analyzing the data received from the field can generate many more benefits, ranging from an overall improvement of your logistics to a decrease in the number of delays and claims. Eventually, learning from your data allows you to implement cost-effective changes and transform your supply chain to achieve smarter operations.

For instance, Cotrack® integrates many KPIs allowing day-to-day operators to quickly react in case of abnormal activity but also decision makers to take long term decisions based on relevant and up-to-date information.

While embarking on this journey can seems like a challenge, over the years cargo tracking has been an essential element of the trade industry. Cotecna has been working in many countries to maintain the integrity of cargoes until destination and ensure the highest level of security. Our tracking solution Cotrack® is specifically designed and developed to enhance our customers’ capacity to better monitor and secure cargoes, efficiently combat fraud, and facilitate trade.

For more information about Cotrack®  our Cargo Tracking Solution or to request a demo please contact us at governments@cotecna.com

About Cotecna

For over 50 years, we have been supporting agriculture, food and pharma, minerals and metals, and consumer products supply chains all over the world. We provide testing, inspection, and certification services to help our clients navigate evolving regulations, ensure product compliance, and support their sustainability journey.