Challenges in the pandemic

Two years of experience with a pandemic have shown us, on the one hand, that working from home can be more productive than being present in the office and, on the other hand, that the variety of cross-border transport can pose more challenges than one would have imagined.

Whether traffic jams in the ports, which by the way continue to this day, or delivery bottlenecks due to border controls or travel restrictions; The media repeatedly reported that certain consumer goods were not available and consumers experienced this themselves in the supermarket. One only remembers a lack of toilet paper, pasta or flour. Currently it is sunflower oil, which is either not on the shelf at all or can be purchased at competitive prices.

The best prerequisite for overcoming these challenges are perfectly developed networks between the client and the logistics service provider as well as passionate and motivated people who ensure #smoothlogistics. This minimizes waiting times and downtime. Home office is very beneficial in this context, because working from home guarantees the necessary concentration when creating, for example, offers or the flexibility to reach customers in other time zones early in the morning or late in the evening.

In our team, the home office has been seen as extremely productive, because all colleagues enjoy working in the comfort of their own home, even beyond the legally required hours. A rotating presence in the office also ensures that colleagues do not “draw apart” and can regularly do work there that is not possible in the home office.

EU transport and delivery bottlenecks

Now the EU wants more influence in the event of delivery bottlenecks so that they can no longer occur. This impact should be taken care of by an “emergency instrument”, which is used depending on the color of the traffic light. If it is “green”, national early warning systems should be established; if it is “yellow”, the EU Commission should be given the opportunity to intervene in supply chain management by lifting restrictions, for example import controls at the border. In a “red phase”, the EU Commission can even require companies to accept production orders that these companies would not have accepted under “normal” circumstances.

"Green"

Early warning systems always make sense because they enable a quick reaction to the discovery of irregularities. However, it is unclear what the early warning systems should look like and what criteria they will be based on. It is also planned that this transnational early warning system will be co-designed by all EU member states. Anyone who has followed the EU's efforts to launch a mobility package will be able to imagine how quickly an agreement on a uniform warning system can be reached.

Many customers trust the OCS Spedition team because they know that a functioning quality assurance system has already been established and that customers can receive regular updates on the whereabouts of their goods.

"Yellow"

The advantage of limited border controls in the “yellow phase” is obvious: fewer controls mean fewer waiting times at the borders and speed up transport to the destination. The disadvantage of a lack of controls is also the increasing smuggling, be it of illegal goods or, unfortunately, of people. Just think of the Eurotunnel , where many refugees try to get on the trucks so that they can come to Great Britain.

This can sometimes be remedied because reliable transport logisticians know the weak points on the route and can give their drivers precise driving instructions. This means that the goods reach the recipient safely and this strengthens the trust between the customer and the transport logistics provider.

"Red"

The EU Commission's last resort in the “red phase” should be the production obligation. This means that production facilities should be forced to produce missing, important consumer goods. For example, a brewery could be encouraged to produce disinfectants instead of beer, because in this case beer is a good that could be dispensed with. Approval procedures can also be shortened. It could look similar in logistics. A transport logistics provider would then be required to only transport certain goods because they are currently classified as important.

Many people certainly want a leaner administration or less bureaucracy and because shortening procedures means that results can be achieved more quickly, this is an advantage that should not be ignored. However, since every EU member state has a right of co-determination, this measure is unlikely to be implemented quickly. It is also not yet known whether a two-thirds majority is required to make a decision or whether a simple majority is sufficient. Intervening in production in the event of delivery bottlenecks secures the supply of essential goods in the short term, but goes against the idea of ​​free trade and globalization.

Many companies have already streamlined their processes because, in times of the Internet and online tools, it is very easy for customers individual offers .

Since we love the challenge, we are excited to see what tasks the EU Commission has in store for transport logistics in the future.

outlook

In summary, the EU's desire for more influence is a controversial issue and there are still some details that need to be worked out before this proposed law can be passed. Experience has shown that this is unlikely to be implemented quickly, as many different state governments need to achieve unity.

No matter what issues await us in the future, our customers can be sure that we will always be committed to #frictionlesslogistics .