Shippio Launches "Pre-Departure Early Tracking" to Detect International Shipping Delays Before Departure

Shippio Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Takayori Sato; hereinafter "Shippio"), which promotes trade DX, is launching the "Pre-Departure Early Tracking" feature as a paid option on its trade platform, "Shippio Platform." This new functionality allows users to detect delays and changes in vessel schedules before departure. The feature enables users to identify anomalies in vessel schedules up to one month prior to the Estimated Time of Departure (ETD), allowing for proactive measures such as arranging alternative transportation, adjusting inventory, and communicating delivery updates. Through this feature, Shippio aims to support swift, data-driven supply chain decision-making.

Background of New Feature Development
The international logistics landscape remains unstable due to factors such as geopolitical risks in the Strait of Hormuz and the Suez Canal, and fluctuations in customs policies. Amidst these conditions, approximately half of all maritime shipments experience delays.
Early awareness of cargo departure and arrival times is critical information directly linked to preventing stockouts, production planning, sales forecasting, inventory management, and emergency transport decisions. As uncertainty rises, the impact of shipping delays and logistics schedule changes on business performance is escalating, making "how to quickly identify anomalies and translate them into countermeasures" a prominent management challenge.

Traditional automated tracking functions are primarily used to check vessel location and Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) around the time of departure, typically identifying issues no more than seven days prior. However, at this stage, arranging alternative vessels is often too late, frequently forcing companies to switch to costly emergency air freight or face delivery delays.
For instance, in daily life, checking train schedules in advance allows for changes in departure times or selection of alternative routes, rather than after boarding. Similarly, in international logistics, tracking potential delays for a June departure at the end of May enables quicker plan revisions and decision-making. This early risk detection is particularly crucial for industries like automotive manufacturing, which face stringent delivery deadlines and where air freight incurs significant costs.

Against this backdrop, Shippio developed "Pre-Departure Early Tracking" and offered it to select clients. In response to the recent international logistics environment and growing customer demand, the company is now officially releasing it as a paid option.

Overview of the New Feature "Pre-Departure Early Tracking"

Detecting Vessel Schedule Anomalies Before Departure
By understanding delays and changes in vessel schedules from one month (28 days) before the ETD, businesses can consider countermeasures like arranging alternative vessels, adjusting inventory, and notifying stakeholders before it's too late.

Advancing Decisions on Delivery Dates, Inventory, and Costs
Identifying risks before departure supports decision-making across multiple aspects, including preventing stockouts, reducing excess inventory, minimizing the need for emergency air freight, and lowering risks of demurrage (excess storage fees for containers held at ports) and detention (fees for exceeding container return deadlines).

Shifting from "Post-Departure Observation" to "Pre-Departure Decision and Execution"
Vessel movement information can be utilized not just for post-hoc confirmation of occurred delays, but as data to detect delay risks early and facilitate arrangements for alternative vessels, delivery schedule adjustments, and plan revisions.

*"Pre-Departure Early Tracking" is offered as a paid optional feature. Please inquire for specific terms of use, pricing, and coverage.

Expected Benefits: Supporting Planning and Decision-Making for "Delivery Dates, Inventory, and Costs"

Shippio views the value of tracking information in three steps: "Planning," "Pre-Check," and "Status Confirmation." By combining plan design based on actual data with early detection of delays before departure, information is transformed from mere status awareness into a tool for improving the accuracy of plans for "delivery dates, inventory, and costs," leading to the execution of robust supply chains.

Early Response to Delivery Risks
Detecting delay risks before departure allows for earlier consideration of alternative vessels, partial switching of transport modes, delivery schedule adjustments, and advance notification to customers. This shifts operations from being constantly reactive to enabling planned decision-making.

Swift Response to Inventory Risks and Reduction of Excess Inventory
By revising inventory plans based on the latest departure and arrival estimates, companies can aim to reduce the risk of stockouts while minimizing excessive safety stock.

Suppression of Additional Costs
Early identification of risks for emergency transport, hand-carry services, demurrage/detention, etc., helps suppress the occurrence of additional costs.

From "Information for Confirmation" to "Information Usable for Pre-emptive Decision-Making"

Information in international logistics has historically tended to be used primarily for "confirming what has happened." Shippio is evolving this by enabling risk detection before departure to enhance the accuracy of plans for "delivery dates, inventory, and costs," and to facilitate proactive decision-making.

By connecting the three steps of planning, pre-check, and status confirmation—through enhancements like structuring logistics cost-related data with AI-OCR and detecting pre-departure risks with "Pre-Departure Early Tracking"—Shippio aims to increase the visibility and controllability of companies' entire supply chains. The company is committed to promoting the construction of resilient supply chains that enable data-driven decision-making.

About Shippio
Shippio's vision is "Advanced International Logistics." The company is building a trade platform that enables cargo vessel tracking, quoting and ordering, centralized management of trade documents, information sharing among stakeholders, and chat communication. By leveraging digital technology to build business processes and provide operational support, Shippio is driving trade DX.
https://www.shippio.io/

Shippio Company Overview
Company Name: Shippio, Inc.
Location: 9F, BLUE FRONT SHIBAURA TOWER S, 1-1-1 Shibaura, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Representative: Takayori Sato, Representative Director and CEO
Established: June 2016
Business Activities: Planning, development, and operation of an international logistics platform
URL: https://www.shippio.io/corp/
Licenses and Certifications: Type 1 Freight Forwarder (License No. Kanjika 1714), Type 2 Freight Forwarder (License No. Kokusoukokubutsu 107), Type 2 Freight Forwarder (License No. Kokujika 386), IATA Accredited Agent
Memberships: General Member of the Japan International Freight Forwarders Association (JIFFA), holder of International Combined Transport Conditions (2013) and WAYBILL Conditions (2013) (License No. Kokusoukokubutsu 107-2)
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