DHL Global Forwarding, the air and ocean freight specialist of Deutsche Post DHL Group, recently launched Ocean View, a new online platform that allows shippers to track their ocean freight shipments and therefore improve end-to-end supply chain planning.
Ocean View consolidates information from DHL’s Transportation Management System, the ocean carrier and the vessel itself for real-time visibility of ocean transport. It also provides a forecast on future milestones as well as a notification feature in case of route changes or delays. Also, Ocean View does not need any devices to be installed on the container, which makes it simple to implement.
“Providing our customers with easy access to track their shipments is a vital necessity for all shippers,” said Andreas Krueger, head of ocean freight at DHL Global Forwarding, Americas. “At DHL Global Forwarding we work to ensure service excellence, timeliness and quality, and with our new Ocean View online platform, customers are able to view immediately any changes or deviations in their shipments that at times may occur in transit, while proactively planning for those exceptions.”
Ocean View provides end-to-end near real-time shipment status including hourly updates on the shipment’s location at sea. Its user interface gives an iconized overview of all shipments and milestones with the option of viewing detailed shipment milestones during transit and activating a preference-based alert function. Additionally, the tool can forecast the freights’ journey, enabling proactive solutions and scheduling. Changes in arrival times become visible beforehand, which supports the overall planning of end-to-end supply chains and ultimately reduces costs.
“A survey recently conducted by our Global Forwarding team confirmed again that low visibility and transparency is a major issue for customers using door-to-door ocean transport,” said Andreas Boedeker, global head of ocean freight at DHL Global Forwarding. “With Ocean View we created a user-friendly application increasing visibility and thereby improving the control of the overall supply chain for our customers.”
Ocean View is a web-based application, avoiding any need for local software installation or intensive staff trainings. No other tracking device needs to be installed on the container. However, if necessary, Ocean View can be combined with DHL Ocean Secure, where security devices are fitted to containers that can monitor temperature, humidity, shock or lighting as required. The platform is available to all DHL Global Forwarding customers.
For further information, go to www.dpdhl.com.
