The flexibility of air freight can make it an extremely cost-effective and reliable shipping option for businesses.
Air freight is often recognized as one of the fastest and most reliable modes of shipping. In fact, companies now depend on it more heavily than ever, moving some $6 trillion in goods by air each year.
Despite its popularity, many businesses are wary of air freight, mistakenly assuming that it’s prohibitively expensive. Air freight isn’t just a premium shipping option, however. It also offers a number of cost-conscious shipping options that shippers can leverage strategically with creative logistical solutions that maximize efficiency while maintaining shipping value.
What’s Changing in the Industry
Recent trends indicate that the overall market for air freight is currently growing rapidly, with a year-over-year increase of 3.9% in global demand in August 2016, as well as an increase in freight capacity by 4.1%. In North America alone, air cargo by volume grew by 5.5% year-by-year in the same period, along with a 3.7% capacity increase.
As demand for air freight increases, more affordable options are becoming available, enabling companies to enjoy the speed and reliability of air at competitive rates. In particular, carriers offer economy services that can work on a short time frame while still maximizing the ROI. When shipping to Australia, for example, companies can pay a premium for a direct carrier like Qantas, or they can hire another airline that will route cargo through several ports before it arrives at the final destination. While transit time might increase when shipping with an alternate airline, the rate could be as much as 15 to 20% lower than shipping with a direct carrier, making it a much more cost-effective option.
Integrated Logistics
For many companies, seeing a solid return on a shipping program requires partnering with an experienced integrated logistics services provider (ISP). Unlike major shippers like as FedEx and UPS, ISPs will work closely with you to develop bespoke, value-driven solutions that leverage the full extent of their services to maximize efficiency and minimize risk.
For example, your partner might leverage its extensive global network of air freight partners to reduce travel and storage-related costs. Conversely, they could determine that utilizing multiple modes of transportation is actually the most cost- and time-effective approach for a particular shipment, and coordinate the seamless transloading of your cargo between ship, truck, plane, etc. It’s this heightened degree of flexibility that ultimately drives real value.
Why Primary Freight
For nearly 20 years, Primary Freight has been committed to delivering value and peace of mind to our clients. As an ISP, we excel at developing creative, outside-the-box solutions to complex problems, which has enabled us to remain successful in an increasingly competitive market. While we have always stood out for our air freight logistics expertise, our experienced team and considerable reach and resources allow us to offer a much wider array of services and solutions in order to meet the unique goals and considerations of our partners. Regardless of what it is you’re shipping, we’re committed to collaboration, transparency, and support from day one, ensuring your needs are met at every stage of the process.
If you’d like to learn more about Primary Freight’s air freight program — or any of our other services and solutions — please don’t hesitate to call: (800) 635-0013.