Today more than ever, logistics is vital. During this COVID-19 crisis, time-critical shipping isn't going to just stop. Your shipments still need to be handled correctly. Through working in the industry for so many years, I have seen the following as consistent pillars of conversation.
APIs are so boring to talk about….yet vital to time-critical shipping.
Disclaimer: Bill Hale Combat Veteran, Operations Specialist, serving between 1989-1994 veteran of the United States Navy. This article was written in 2018 regarding communications in the time-critical logistics industry and should not to be interpreted as political or social commentary related to current or past events.
If you’ve ever had the opportunity to listen to the succinct communication between carrier operations and the aircraft in flight, it’s quite an experience. When a fighter jet is on approach and “in the groove” (i.e., 15-18 seconds to touchdown) to an aircraft carrier the Landing Signal Officer (LSO) onboard will say to the approaching aircraft, “Call the ball.”
The vast majority of Internet surveys surrounding supply chain and logistics report that visibility is an essential aspect for stakeholders. However, we continue to accept the industry’s antiquated response to our most crucial need. Even in the most time critical logistics situations (next flight out and on-demand), shippers endure the fact the vast majority of forwarders only provide two data points: when the shipment is picked up and when it has been delivered. This might be acceptable if the delivery is on time (and if it’s the 90s). But, what happens during transport? And, what about the stakeholders who need visibility into their shipment during transit?
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