Why is there an increasing number of companies who practice logistics outsourcing? The answer is simple: Logistics outsourcing saves you time, money and onsite manpower. When you have a dedicated team offsite to track, assess and audit your assets, you do not have to worry about bills of lading and shipping numbers piling up on your desk nor do you have to worry about your people spending valuable time assessing these bills when they could be using that time to drive your business forward. Simple, fast, efficient and highly cost effective are words that describe how the logistics provider industry will look like in a few years.

Logistics outsourcing is pretty straightforward and just like the nature of outsourcing itself, it is cutting edge and effective. Financially, it is a sound decision to start outsourcing your back office tasks. You can get a bigger team of specialists to answer freight and shipping questions phoned in by your customers if you outsource the work rather than to keep these operations onsite. You also do not have to bother yourself or your hiring department with resumes as you look for qualified freight and shipping specialists because your outsourcing partner will do the headhunting for you. In a few years, most if not all companies who are heavy in shipping and delivery will turn to logistics outsourcing for their back office needs, and maybe even storage needs. In many parts of the world, actual storage and real estate properties are being outsourced by logistics companies to cut costs and up productivity. Good companies see this trend and are jumping into it now to increase their operations.

Moving to another country can be a hassle for everyone. There are so many different things to think about. One of the most important things to think about is how you are going to move all of your possessions to your new location. Most services will offer you a pick up and drop off scheme where the company will collect your possessions, pack them accordingly, transport them to the cargo ship which will then transport them to their destination. At the destination the same company or an affiliate company will collect the possessions and transport them to their new home. When transporting cargo you need to take into account the size and the weight of everything to be transported as there are different types of containers that can be used to transport the items.

Barrels/drums are used for small items that are less likely to break and easy to pack into smaller spaces. These are usually the cheapest way when transporting items. A lot of people tend to use this way when they want to ship items to their families overseas without having to actually take the items there themselves. Small crates are the next way of shipping items overseas. These are usually used again for smaller items but are a bit more fragile and will either need the extra space or extra protection when being transported. These can be used for items such as small beside lamps, DVD players or small TV’s, vacuum cleaners, computers, coffee tables, etc, etc.

Larger crates are used for large items that need a lot of space or needs to be in a fixed position for transport because of it being fragile. Items that could be stored in a large crate could be from bigger televisions, small desks or tables, chairs, stools, or floor lamps to lawnmowers, ladders, gym equipment and large kitchen appliances. Containers are the biggest thing you can choose when shipping your possessions abroad. Containers are more expensive but they are worth it when you need to ship a lot of items. Containers do come in different lengths but the height is more or less the same. Containers can be used to house things from cars to king size beds and can fit most things that you own in them.

Companies usually charge for the transportation of your possessions by calculating the weight of what is being transported. The cost usually covers everything from labour, transportation to and from the ship and includes the shipping itself, to the hire of the crate or container itself and fuel costs. We feel that shipping overseas is the best and cheapest way of moving your possessions from where you live to your new home.