Industry experts anticipate heavy congestion at depots pre-holiday season, continuing through Christmas and into early 2022. The build-up of empty container stock is expected to reach critical levels making it difficult for supply chains to run efficiently during peak periods. In addition to transport costs, tolls, penalties, and waiting time, a sudden hike in demand-surge, and booking fees could overwhelm shippers and logistic interfaces on the land-side.
With empty container parks running at full capacity, a spillover is certain. This would make needless truck trips to distant depots necessary, raising operational costs and hampering productivity. Transport operators are charged a notification fee each time they return or collect an empty container. Despite drivers stuck in traffic jams for long hours, missing time slots, this fee has seen a constant increase.
Quarantine combined with peak seasons leaves logistics service providers with few alternatives as they can hit targeted departure dates only when they book well in advance — roughly 4 to 6 weeks prior. They are charged a fee on demand-surge, even as carriers limit intermodal bookings. The burden of these mounting costs often falls on them as forwarders and importers believe it is their job to avoid detentions while completing land-side tasks.
With current bottlenecks, it is the right time for the industry to collaborate and enable a smooth empty container supply chain to alleviate pressures on all actors concerned. MatchBox Exchange (MB), an open market digital platform for the re-use and exchange of empty shipping containers, tackles multiple problems at once. Its 24×7 Instant Approval feature not only minimises traffic congestion and avoids delays at the depot, but also the extra cost associated with it. Now transport operators can simply re-use their empty containers or exchange them with other parties by making an offer on MatchBox Exchange. The seamless, hassle-free platform has helped organise a previously informal process bringing structure and efficiency. A better-faster-smarter system reduces waiting time or empty containers to almost nothing. Its innovative technology eliminates the dependence on depots, saves time on tedious administrative work and long travels, fuel, and carbon emissions. By allowing trucks to free up earlier
to make more deliveries, MB offers customers an opportunity to operate in a more profitable manner.
The value MB adds to logistic operators could prove significant as businesses rush to meet demands this holiday season. Customers are encouraged to take full advantage of the MB platform and try the Cost Saving Calculator on its website matchboxexchange.com to find out how much they could potentially save on every empty container.
About Carl Marchese
Marchese is the CEO and founder of MatchBox Exchange. After spending 13 years at Australia’s leading transportation companies, he experienced first-hand the waste and cost that empty container parks add every day. Providing an easy solution to this gap in the supply chain, he launched an online platform for facilitating instant approvals for reusing and exchanging empty shipping containers.
MB has helped its customers save on costs and time and reduce demand-surge fees.
About MatchBox Exchange
An online platform that connects parties for the re-use and exchange of empty containers on the land-side. Its user-friendly interface coupled with the company’s hands-on customer service is an ideal match for logistic service providers looking to decrease costs, time, fuel, and stress.
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