The saturation of container ships in the main distribution ports has caused delays in the delivery of products, and therefore affecting the supply chain. Due to this, some companies have chosen to use their own container ships.
According to the supply chain expert Manfred Mauricio Quintanilla Hernández, the measures adopted by Walmart, Costco, and Home Depot are a way to save delivery times and, most importantly, costs.
“With the equipment of the companies’ container ships, the delivery of products is streamlined, and the chains save up to six times the cost of what they would pay if they did it through third parties,” assured Quintanilla Hernández.
Although the havoc that COVID-19 has caused in the supply chain is expected to end in mid-2022, Manfred Mauricio mentioned that more and more companies are opting for such measures to cope with product shortages.
In addition, Manfred Mauricio Quintanilla Hernández knows that there is a great demand for products from supermarket chains and consumers, which could generate a more significant shortage for the Christmas holidays.
“Unfortunately, the shortage of transport containers and the storage centers’ limitations were added to the long list of transport problems and the lack of specialized workers. Resulting in the chaos that is very difficult to contain,” reassured Quintanilla Hernández.
Finally, Manfred Mauricio Quintanilla Hernández called for governments to work on solutions with companies to achieve minimal impact. However, he recognizes the effort of port administrators expanding working hours, including weekends.