TSL has extensive global expertise in helping companies get the most out of their chosen freight companies. Our unique assessment process will find your opportunities for improvement, both externally (how to buy smarter) and internally (how to ship smarter).
Buy Smarter. Over the years, we have collaborated with customers to develop carrier selection and negotiation processes considered leading edge in the industry. We adapt our proven software and formats to accommodate your requirements and business style for specific modes of transportation in the Americas, EMEA (Europe Middle East and Africa) and APR (Asia Pacific Region). Our clients always choose which carriers to use based on the data (TSL does not have a vote).
Ship Smarter. Once your carriers are selected, Transport Solutions can work with your staff to support implementation. This helps our clients begin to realize benefits sooner and more comprehensively. Even if you buy well, you can still be wasting significant dollars. TSL can support development of routing guides, mode service utilization, and analysis of usage patterns to improve your shipping IQ.
Multi-company or Multi-division Support – TSL has special expertise in managing multi-company or multi-division freight service provider selection processes (see LSA).
We assist companies in evaluating their current and potential site location networks in the Americas, APR and EMEA. A variety of “what if” scenarios can be evaluated with precision. We have a clean and clear approach to quantifying relative cost and service considerations for transportation. We can readily pull other factors into the model as well. Our methods are down-to-earth and more cost-effective than our clients typically expect.
For example, in the maps below, we have displayed outbound shipment volumes by destination clusters for a hypothetical company doing business globally. The two colors identify prepaid and collect shipments. The mapping process allows TSL clients to intuitively evaluate distribution network options. TSL uses supporting analysis to generate quantifiable comparisons.
We use historical data and our library of worldwide freight rates to perform analysis of how competitive your rates are. We have a broad- based collection of actual rates as well as a good understanding of all the parameters necessary to make apples-to-apples comparisons. Rate-to-rate comparisons are not really accurate unless you understand how they are applied, which varies significantly in the freight arena. This service is relatively inexpensive, given the big value it provides.
TSL can generate highly customized analysis and report formats to help you monitor actual transport cost levels. We use a variety of source data ranging from billings to carrier data to your internal system data files. We will work with you to develop a means of tracking volumes, costs and other metrics for graphic display of resulting trends. This means you will always be on top of your business. You can be in an informed position to make procedural corrections and communicate with finance, other internal groups, or carriers seeking to make quotations, etc. The skill set to create and update these types of specialized displays is not always available in house. Our highly trained TSL staff will make sure you get the reports from an independent objective source dependably and at the agreed time each month or quarter.
Transport Solutions knows a lot about freight payment companies because we operated one successfully for about 18 years before divesting in 2006. We have the inside track on pricing, services, who the reputable players are and how to ensure quality. We are especially adept at making sure the data captured can be databased and used for data mining.
Audit and cost center coding are the two main functions provided by freight payment companies. TSL will make sure you know how to evaluate prospective suppliers’ ability in this area. Most freight payment companies are not truly strong with international transactions. We will ensure this is handled well on your behalf.