Optimising transport costs is essential to ensure competitiveness and financial growth. One way of doing this is to group different cargo from different suppliers in one single shipment. This is what is known as cargo groupage or consolidation.
Cargo groupage is one of the practices used by logistics and transport companies to guarantee swift and economical shipments. While the cost per cubic metre is higher than sending a full container with one single load, this is the best option when dealing with small loads. This means that any cargo that is not big enough to fill a container is added to other cargo with the same route to make the transport economically viable.
Even if the shipment cannot be always be shipped immediately due to having to wait to fill the container, it still normally works out cheaper than sending it by air. It is important to remember that the shipment of a 20 foot or 24,000 kg container, like the one we use at Bilogistik, is generally economic from 15 metre-square occupancy.
Greater frequency and scope
Transport companies can increase the frequency of shipments using cargo groupage, thanks to the fact that the containers are filled more quickly, guaranteeing swift delivery. This is particularly interesting for the export and import of reduced-value but high-value products, such as electronic devices such as tablets or mobile phones.
It is also an ideal service for perishable products that do not require storage while waiting for a container to be filled as well as for small and medium-sized companies that do not involve shipments of large volumes of merchandise. Groupage is essential for the growth and consolidation of these types of companies.
This combined transport of merchandise allows logistics services suppliers to increase the frequency of shipments, optimise resources (containers) and reduce costs. Groupage allows companies using transport services to send merchandise early, reduce costs and broaden their market share. Companies using this groupage service pay according to the cubic metres of their cargo.
Intermodal groupage
The groupage or consolidation of cargo is not exclusively limited to a single means of transport. It involves an intermodal service that includes sea, air and land (train and road) transport and we at Bilogistik have a fleet of trucks and a complete network of collaborators to cover this latter requirement. This also allows us to transport your cargo to any point of the globe as quickly and economically as possible, regardless of what it contains.
Groupage has certain limitations. Certain products such as those of a hazardous nature cannot be handled or be transported with other products. This therefore requires a specialised logistics operator, such as Bilogistik. We transport all types of cargo and are specialised in the transport of hazardous merchandise that require special handling. Our team of professionals can answer any query you may have in relation to merchandise groupage and can advise you on how to send your cargo, regardless of its content or destination.
