Nearly 90% of global trade relies on container shipping, underscoring its critical role in the worldwide economy. However, the industry faces a significant challenge: yearly, over 1,500 containers are lost at sea. This impacts the supply chain and contributes to substantial financial losses, environmental damage, and operational inefficiencies.
In 2023, the situation improved dramatically, with only 221 containers lost at sea, marking a significant reduction.
This article explores why container trace is vital for supply chain efficiency and how the latest technology is driving real-time visibility
What is Container Trace?
Container trace enables businesses to monitor container movements in real time, ensuring timely deliveries and reducing disruptions. This level of visibility is essential for maintaining an efficient and cost-effective supply chain.
Traditionally, container tracking relied on manual updates from carriers, freight forwarders, and port authorities. Shippers had to depend on fragmented systems, checking multiple sources for container status updates, which often resulted in inaccurate delivery estimates and operational inefficiencies.
Modern tracking solutions like Vizion eliminate data gaps by integrating AIS, vessel schedules, port & terminal data, customs data, and carrier data to provide continuous, real-time updates.
Also read: How to Track a Container: A Detailed Guide
Challenges in Container Tracking & Supply Chain Visibility
Tracking containers efficiently is crucial, yet several challenges limit supply chain visibility and increase costs.
- Data Gaps & Inconsistencies – Many carriers provide delayed or inconsistent tracking updates, leaving businesses with outdated shipment information. Without accurate data, supply chain teams are forced to make decisions based on guesswork.
By aggregating real-time AIS and port data, Vizion ensures businesses always have up-to-date shipment locations and ETAs
- Manual Tracking Processes – Many logistics teams still rely on outdated tracking methods, requiring frequent manual follow-ups with carriers. This not only wastes time but also increases the likelihood of costly errors.
Vizion eliminates manual tracking with automated notifications and proactive alerts, ensuring real-time updates without constant monitoring.
- Port Congestion – A lack of real-time updates makes it difficult for businesses to adjust routes when delays occur. Port congestion leads to extended wait times, missed delivery windows, and increased operational costs.
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Key Benefits of Using Vizion’s Container Trace Solutions
Vizion’s container trace solutions provide powerful tools to simplify logistics and improve container tracking accuracy. Here are some key benefits:
- Eliminate Manual Tracking – Reduce time spent following up with carriers and gain instant access to real-time shipment data.
- Prevent Hidden Supply Chain Costs – Avoid unexpected demurrage and detention fees with automated milestone tracking.
- Improve Customer Satisfaction – Provide clients with accurate ETAs and proactive updates, reducing uncertainty.
- Minimize Risk & Improve Planning – AI-driven analytics help businesses identify delays before they happen and optimize logistics.
Also read: What are the Available Supply Chain Visibility Solutions or Software
How to Implement Vizion’s Container Trace?
- Connect with Vizion’s API (or see a map on their user-friendly interface – Simple integration for fast deployment.
- Access Real-Time Tracking Data – Monitor shipments from origin to destination (and inland via Class 1 Railways
- Automate Alerts & Insights – Set up proactive notifications and dashboards.
- Optimize Operations with Vizion’s Predictive ETA – Coming March 2025.
Companies across the logistics industry have leveraged Vizion to streamline container tracking. Here’s how Alcon Logistics improved efficiency with real-time tracking.
Case Study: Alcon Logistics – Alcon Logistics integrated Vizion’s API to gain instant container visibility, reducing demurrage fees and improving resource planning. This automation streamlined operations and enhanced overall supply chain efficiency. (Read More)
Conclusion
In a fast-moving supply chain, container trace is critical to reducing uncertainty, avoiding costly delays, and improving operational efficiency. Without it, businesses risk disruptions, unexpected fees, and inefficiencies that impact profitability.
Here’s what you can expect from Vizion:
- Real-Time Container Tracking: Gain access to the most complete, standardized, and detailed container tracking events via API or user interface with real-time container tracking data.
- TradeView: Monitor the live flow of any company's shipments 30 to 90 days before arrival to destination and analyze trends across 10 years of historical supplier, product, and logistics movement data. With 900 million shipment records, 140+ attributes per shipment, coverage spanning 190 countries, and comprehensive HS code data, TradeView empowers data-driven decisions that optimize global trade management.
- Logistics Performance Hub: Access a comprehensive suite of global logistics datasets, including Port Performance, Port Activity, and Port Pairs, to analyze shipping trends, port throughput, container dwell times, and real-time port activity, enabling smarter decision-making about containerized freight movements.
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