Anyone who managed logistics, transportation, warehousing and/or supply chain responsibilities in 2021 faced ongoing obstacles and is probably more than happy to wipe the past year from memory and start fresh in 2022.
The driver shortage, port congestion, rising freight rates and capacity constraints may stick with us as we move into the new year. There’s simply no magic bullet for fixing any or all of these problems, and particularly as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact countries around the globe. With new variants emerging on a fairly consistent basis, shippers should prepare themselves for another year of volatility and uncertainty.
Doing More with Less
To learn what logistics employees are concerned about going into 2022, Odyssey Logistics polled them and found out that 45% are worried about transportation capacity, 28% are concerned about gas prices and 27% are worried about the ongoing labor crunch.
Asked what their teams’ biggest advantages are in overcoming the current logistics challenges, they pointed to talent (38%), technology (21%) and communication (42%) as their most effective tools in offsetting the litany of issues that they’re dealing with right now.
From their companies, logistics employees would like to see a building out of the labor force (43%), bigger investments in technology (47%) and expanded service offerings (11%). The good news is that most current supply chain professionals enjoy their work and are satisfied with their career choices. For example, about 99% of professionals aged 30 and younger say that working in supply chain is a quality career choice, according to a Penske survey, with 58% pursuing a supply chain career due to its beneficial societal impact delivering essential goods during the pandemic.
Excited About their Work
As reported in Inbound Logistics, 95% of young professionals express excitement for their development track and training opportunities and 60% list development opportunities and work environment/co-workers as the key reasons they remain with their current employers.
The top challenges cited by shippers responding to the Inbound Logistics 2021 3PL Market Research Report include managing transportation costs, finding and retaining qualified labor, and managing ecommerce transactions and inventory. For help, companies are turning to solutions like warehouse management systems (WMS), transportation management systems (TMS), robotics, and business intelligence tools that improve the planning and execution of physical logistics and provide end-to-end visibility.
Striving to Succeed in 2022
As shippers strive to succeed in a changing, competitive world, many rely on their third-party logistics (3PL) providers and the technical solutions they offer. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of shippers responding to the report said they purchase logistics technology solutions such as TMS and WMS from their third-party logistics providers.
Knowing that freight capacity issues are going to carry into the new year, Odyssey Logistics offers a spot market tool that connects shippers with new carriers that can move their loads in the most efficient and affordable manner possible in today’s market. For companies that want to leverage more technology in 2022, Odyssey Logistics helps those organizations do more with less, remain in control of their operations, increase their transportation visibility and improve efficiencies.
Your Partner in the New Year
Odyssey Logistics resolves logistics challenges and offers adaptive multimodal logistics on a global scale. By leveraging analytics, carrier relationships, specialized assets, sustainability strategies and deep international expertise, it supports some of the world’s most complex supply chains. With unique capabilities, technologies and assets that support the end-to-end supply chain, Odyssey Logistics keeps organizations moving at full speed, even in the face of persistent market headwinds.
