Traditionally, transloading meant the transfer of goods between different modes of transportation. It could be from ships or trains to trucks and vice versa. Examples of these were cross-docking, consolidation, and deconsolidation. The process was simple on paper, but in reality, it was plagued with stress, injuries, inefficiencies, and costly mistakes.
Simply put, it was a nightmare for any supply chain or material handling operation.
However, with more technological advancements, the process began changing significantly. Today, the typical transloading process has adapted tech solutions that allow for an overall optimized process. This has led to improved efficiency and productivity.
Technology advancements have reached the point where automation is a main feature in almost every aspect of supply chain management. Like in many aspects of supply chain operation, it transforms processes for efficiency and scalability.
This means transloading facilities can accomplish much more while reducing errors and accidents typically associated with the process. Today, even though the process doesn’t seem straightforward on paper because of a multitude of tech solutions, it has been simplified.
All of that was made possible with automated solutions such as:
Using technology tools and vehicles, like automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and robots, has made the job of unloading and organizing items much simpler, faster, and cleaner. Unlike a human workforce, who might make mistakes more often, these machines help reduce operational errors.
By integrating different machines, such as conveyors and robots, you can create a system that helps simplify the sorting and conveying of cargo or goods across a warehouse.
This system is much more streamlined, which means it is set up to do just what it needs when it needs to. That translates to far fewer mistakes in order fulfillment, while improving long-term efficiency. Such a system ensures you can do so much more in less time.
Automated lifts are not new. However, they were usually limited by battery life. This means the supply chain either needed to invest in more automated lifts or use them alongside manual labor to get more out of these forklifts.
Gone are those days, though. With the new automated forklifts and the availability of battery swap stations, these batteries can entirely swap dying batteries for fully charged ones. Of course, this made them operational 24/7, leading to more enhanced outcomes.
Technology is not a new concept or phenomenon. Neither is the transloading operation. This means the transloading operations have witnessed their fair share of technology solutions. These were designed to optimize the transloading process for greater speed and efficiency.
The Internet of Things is one of the critical forms of technology solutions in logistics and supply chain operations. Because the average supply chain operation consists of different parts, processes, and people working together to achieve an ultimate goal, it can get challenging to convey relevant and valuable information on time.
The supply chain often works based on the available information on hand. When things change, and the respective stakeholders are blindsided, it messes up the entire process. This was where IoT works best, helping relay information in real time to all the parties, processes, and people responsible.
It enables visibility and, in turn, helps improve the overall decision-making process. Every party in the transloading process can record, track, and communicate information about the cargo to the relevant or interested parties. It helps manage expectations and create a seamless process where the receivers eagerly await the coming cargo.
Loading and unloading are some of the most stressful and time-consuming processes for the supply chain or material handling team. Aside from the errors and inefficiencies, it was a major contributor to workplace injuries and accidents. However, with new technology in the space, it has become much more streamlined.
So much so that you do not need as much human labor, and they do not have to do the brunt of the work. Now, you have tech experts who flipped the conveyor and gripper technology to help create solutions that simplify loading and unloading.
Examples of these are warehouse robots and automated forklifts. With these technology solutions, you can unload trailers and seamlessly transfer the goods or cargo to their right spot across the warehouse. This way, you can expect far fewer accidents and errors in the unloading process.
Recently, artificial intelligence has been all the rage. This is because it is cheaper and does more than just simplify any supply chain process. With AI and machine learning applications, you have tools that learn quickly. You can teach them what you want, and they will immediately implement it.
But unlike the human eye, they see everything and analyze it more thoroughly. In many cases, they are solely designed to focus on singular tasks, making them the ultimate efficiency hack. These applications can inspect cargo for irregularities or damages, facilitate documentation processes, and identify flaws with the transloading operation.
AI makes the transloading process across intermodal vehicles more secure and compliant.
No matter how big the warehouse may be, if not arranged properly, it could significantly limit the entire warehouse operation. With advanced warehouse management systems, this is no longer a sizeable challenge. These applications can help optimize floor space, factoring in the floor size and details of the cargo, including length, breadth, and nature, to determine floor arrangement. They also factor in the movement of such inventory across the warehouse.
For instance, fast-moving inventories will stay close to the warehouse entrance, and slow-moving inventories or more oversized cargo will remain at the back.
In the fast-paced world of logistics, the preparation and consolidation process, when left on their own, was rather too slow. And sometimes prohibitively expensive. Packaging is essential because, when done right, it could help keep the cargo secure and maximize the space of the container or trailer.
However, with the traditional approach, this could be very challenging. So, many businesses and supply chains had uniform boxes throughout the process. This sometimes made the cargo susceptible to damage and, in many cases, took up unnecessary space.
With the introduction of automation, you have solutions that could tailor each cargo packaging for the next transport leg. Some of these packaging applications also leverage AI and robotics to inspect cargo, customize repackaging for specific needs, and correctly consolidate smaller shipments into larger ones to improve the maximization of available infrastructure.
Despite the remarkable abilities of the repackaging tech solutions, they fall short in storing and retrieving cargo across the warehouse or transloading facility. This called for the introduction of a different type of tech solution. One that integrates robotics into the loading and unloading process for more efficiency.
Naturally, you want your transloading process to be as efficient as possible. This works for you because it ensures it is completed without waste, in time, and seamlessly. To achieve this, it is essential to coordinate with the transportation team.
This is why TMS was necessary. It helps streamline transloading by providing real-time visibility, optimizing routes and schedules, and automating tasks. This translates to reduced costs, improved efficiency, and happier customers for transloading facilities.
The supply chain is more competitive than ever. This means there has never been more demand for efficiency and increased productivity across the supply chain. More supply chain leaders are increasingly integrating technology and automation into their supply chain processes. The goal is to achieve an operation that is more efficient and tailored for success.
There has never been a better time to streamline the transloading process and make it as simple as possible. Automation has achieved just that for transloading operations. Through automation, supply chains and businesses now have fewer errors, accidents, and injuries in the transloading process. This results in faster operations, reduced costs, and improved output overall.
Golden State Logistics has been delivering excellence in the logistics industries and ports across LA and Palm Beach for over 25 years. With GSL, you have a company that leverages the latest technology solutions and innovations to create a seamless transloading experience.
We are leveraging these technologies to provide real-time tracking and automotive solutions across the entire transloading operation. This ensures your operations are safer, more transparent, and more productive. Get in touch with us to ship better.
Companies like Golden State Logistics are taking drayage operations to the next level, using technological innovation to improve drayage operations significantly and reduce shippers' environmental footprint.
The efficiency of port drayage operations isn't just a matter of speed; every minute saved in drayage is a minute gained in market availability, customer satisfaction, and economic vitality.
