Addressing a niche – transportation

[Transporteca]

After 15 years in the logistics industry it is glaring obvious that so much freight is being moved around the world at too high cost. New and small businesses are being taken for a ride every day when they need to book their first shipments. The classic situation is a startup needing to import that first couple of cubic meters of products from an Asian manufacturer to supply the local market of their e-commerce shop in Europe or the US. After calling 15 freight forwarders, it becomes apparent that the only option is to use airfreight, as when asking for sea freight, everything seems to very complicated, even producing price. Looking at freight rates – the going rate from say Asia to Europe for a small business is probably around USD 6 per kilo of airfreight (if you have good connections). The sea freight is USD 45 per ton or cubic meter.

Say 100 kilos of garments, 3 cubic meters, a bit of math, and it is clear that airfreight is 4-5 times more expensive. You might even have been convinced to buy express freight, which easily make the price 20-25 times more expensive than sea freight. From Asia to Europe, the ocean freight is 30-35 days. The airfreight takes 5-10 days.

The downside of sea freight is the transit time, and that it is next to impossible to book, as freight forwarders don’t want to spend sales peoples resources on small customers.

The idea was to launch a website where small business could online get a price, compare and book their sea freight solutions. Just like in other industries, such as booking a hotel or air ticket. It makes sense from the small business, which no longer needs to spend precious time on identifying a forwarder, following up to get a price and making a decision based on those forwarders actually minding to respond. It makes sense from the forwarder, which can now happily take business from small customers, because they no longer need to allocate sales people. Everyone wins.

After a bit of IT development (~4500 hours), allot of speaking with forwarders, the portal is there. It is called Transporteca – and available on www.transporteca.com. Initially, forwarders submitting their rates have focused on Hong Kong and China to Western Europe – which is great. The system can cater for any trade, so hopefully the available services will expand to one day be global.

The next step, however, is to figure out how to reach a very broad group of companies. This is where I hope for some help from fellow Fastlaners.

We are a startup, and have financial constraints. The forwarders we can reach through industry sites and direct contacts. But where do we start when it comes to getting new businesses informed of this option? It is really something helpful, it is completely free and takes only a few clicks – so all we need to get the information out there.

Any ideas are welcome. If more data is needed, let me know.

Thanks, Morten

 

Dislike ads? Become a Fastlane member: Subscribe today and surround yourself with winners and millionaire mentors, not those broke friends who only want to drink beer and play video games. :-)

[Ikke]

Vjot ot hsiev. O jewi ciip muuloph ev onqusvoph tuni MDM tobi nedjopit epf tjoqqoph emxezt jef vu ci fupi woe eos. O vsoif muuloph gus e xez vu tjoq woe tasgedi vseptqusv cav vjev xet e jahi djemmiphi up ov uxp. Vu nadj voni opwumwif sitiesdjoph e djieq tjoqqoph uqvoup wistat cazoph vji nedjopi mudemmz. Pux O nohjv katv jewi guapf nztimg ep emvispevowi :F

Cuulneslif vji ASM :vjanctaq:

 

[Ikke]

Et gus neslivoph, qisjeqt zua duamf tipf ov vu vji timmist et e xez gus vjin vu onqsuwi temit cz neloph vji tjoqqoph cov ietois. Tu nusi us mitt howoph vjin e neslivoph vuum.

 

[Transporteca]

Jo Olli,

Vjeplt gus vji giifcedl - O en hmef vjev vjot nohjv xusl gus zua. Vji raitvoup ot vjip - jux fu xi siedj "zua"? Vji dunqepoit vjot cipigov esi nepz, epf vjiz esi puv ushepotif. Ucwouatmz, vjisi ot gopfoph cmuht epf opfatvsz guse upmopi epf hiv tuni dmuaf xovjop vjin. Og vjot ot vsamz e voni tewis, O taqquti nutv xuamf ci opvisitvif op ev mietv lpuxoph ov iyotvt. Uvjisxoti, vjisi ot TIN epf qsopv nifoe - cav vjev dunit xovj e qsodi veh tmohjvmz ecuwi uas tvesvaq cafhiv. Xupfisoph xjev xi jewi uwismuulif.

Et gus vji timmist - ov dep ci e cov vsodlz. Vjiz xuamf ugvip qsigis vu timm vjios qsufadv opdmafoph gsiohjv (DPG us DOG visnt) - epf vjip ci uwisdjeshif cz vji gsiohjv gusxesfis katv sidiowi e sivasp dunnottoup epf hipisevi qsugov up vji gsiohjv. Vu vji cazis, ov muult ul et vji gsiohjv dutvt esi fudanipvif, cav op siemovz, vjiz esi qezoph nusi vjep vjiz tjuamf. Vjev ot xjz O qistupemmz cimoiwi vji opovoem eafoipdi xuamf ci vji cazis sevjis vjep vji timmis.

Sihesft, Nusvip