Lowering freight costs to alleviate margin pressure for CPG companies
Consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies are facing a unique set of circumstances in the current inflationary environment. Inflation has a larger impact for the CPG industry compared to other industries given the reliance on numerous commodities (like corn and soybeans) that have seen prices increase dramatically over the past year. The inflationary pressure on inputs […]
CPG companies can benefit from real-time data to offset rising transportation costs
Inflation, inflation, inflation! Consumer packaged goods are facing inflationary pressures from all sides: Commodity prices are increasing; shortages of blue-collar workers for labor-intensive jobs; manufacturing costs increasing; packaging costs rising amid a boom in e-commerce; and transportation costs climb as capacity across all modes is historically tight. In the short-term, the rise in transportation costs […]
[WHITE PAPER] Auto manufacturers can use real-time freight data to better manage freight spend
Automobile and auto parts manufacturers have been dealt a difficult hand over the past year as the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a shutdown in manufacturing facilities, not just across the U.S., but around the world. As the world recovers from the pandemic, now numerous supply chain impacts – including a global semiconductor […]
[WHITE PAPER] Leveraging freight market data to lower automotive manufacturers freight spend
Automotive shippers are facing numerous challenges stemming from a global semiconductor shortage, inflationary pressure on numerous inputs, as well as rising freight costs that seem to be affecting every shipper across all modes. Coupled with the just-in-time nature of the industry, automotive manufacturers are heavily reliant on an efficient global supply chain. The free white […]
Freight cost management: 5 tips to get the biggest bang for your buck
Freight costs and budget adherence are among the most important and often overlooked aspects of transportation management. As the industry struggles to recover from the unprecedented global events of 2020, recognizing budget limitations is essential for industry growth and success. The costs of logistics as a ratio of total expenses are too significant to ignore. […]
What is freight market intelligence and what can it do for brokers, shippers, carriers & 3PLs
Modern supply chains are data-generating enterprises. And today’s companies have an opportunity to apply freight market intelligence tools and resources to shift the competitive advantage in their favor, overcome obstacles that arise due to industrial growth, and realize benefits regardless of their position within the market. “Knowledge is knowing what the most recent rate was […]
Let SONAR help you level the playing field!
(Photo: East Bay Times) As you probably remember, “Moneyball” tells the story of Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland A’s. After losing the 2001 World Series and also losing key players to better-financed teams, Beane came to the realization that he had to do something different to win. Oakland was and is one […]
How to use SONAR to monitor freight markets
Freight volumes SONAR’s outbound tender volume index (OTVI) measures electronically tendered truckload volumes across the U.S. Overall OTVI is indexed to 10,000 (March 1, 2018) and is the aggregated volume in 135 U.S. freight markets. OTVI is the most accurate near-time view of the full truckload markets. Freight forecasters use the OTVI index to monitor […]
Why relying only on historical freight market data provides an incomplete view of forecasted freight demand and market dynamics
There are nuances in the economy that weren’t variables a decade or even a year ago. The landscape is ever-changing despite a few core fundamentals that hold everything together. This holds true for various industries, including freight. Although historical freight market trends give a general direction of what to expect and typical seasonality, it doesn’t […]
