OOCL Logistics Supply Chain Visibility Takes Centerstage

PODIUM^® by OOCL Logistics is the leading technology platform that’s customized to individual customer requirements, by integrating their supply chain networks to enable complete end-to-end visibility.

U.S. consumer demand has slammed supply chains almost overnight and that purchasing behavior has not waned in more than fifteen months. Consequently, after surging in August 2020, quantities of imported goods remained elevated and abnormally stable during 2021 at those prominent levels. Between March and June 2021, U.S. retail sales, excluding motor vehicles and parts, rose 18.5% from the same pre-COVID period in 2019.

In response to this spending wave, retailer purchases, excluding motor vehicles and parts, rose an inflation-adjusted 14.8% for January through August 2021 relative to the same pre-pandemic period in 2019. The historical annual increase in retailer purchases is usually between 4% and 5%.

This consumer demand has led to import ocean container volumes being at all-time record highs. As a result, in 2021, shipped cargo has increased more than 25% from pre-pandemic 2019 levels.

The supply chain has become the hottest topic in financial markets and boardrooms, and partnering with a supply chain solutions provider that has an advanced Information Technology platform that provides visibility to the manufacturing cycle and product movement has never been more critical.

PODIUM^® debuted in 2006 and was internally developed to support customers’ international supply chains. PODIUM^® has evolved into a suite of modules running on the latest cloud-based technology, supporting over 140 OOCL Logistics offices across more than 40 countries. This suite of modules is connected to provide a completely digital experience including complete document (electronic commercial invoice and packing list) creation and validation for automated payment scheduling.

OOCL Logistics developed PODIUM^® in-house giving it the flexibility to incorporate the most advanced technology available and include customer-specific requirements without being restricted by external provider resources or restrictions. In addition, the company’s extensive experience with customers gives direct insight and awareness of what they need and want from the end-to-end supply chain technology. The Hong Kong-based company has been in international supply chain management and shipping logistics since 1979.

PODIUM^® combines operational efficiency and end-to-end visibility with predictive analytics and supply chain intelligence, providing levels of understanding to help you optimize your supply chain and customer experience.

Its process-driven approach streamlines the lifecycle of clients’ orders and defines partners’ actions along the supply chain. The PODIUM^® electronic Standard Operating Procedure and Exception Management functions store each client’s customized milestones, rules, and requirements to drive operations, enable visibility and alerts, and track the performance of vendors, carriers, and other third-party suppliers.

OOCL Logistics continues to digitize, deploy technologies, and introduce products that enable a wholly integrated planning and execution strategies ecosystem to provide and analyze every value chain touchpoint. PODIUM^® Precision is the latest technology product release that collates multiple real-time data sources to ensure OOCL Logistics PODIUM^® platform has the most updated supply chain information. PODIUM^® Precision has drastically improved collaboration, decision-making and reporting by leveraging intelligent data, automation and performance optimization techniques using multiple technologies. OOCL Logistics predictive analytics have also been a beneficiary of PODIUM^® Precision, enhancing the accuracy of all data points being analyzed.

Supply Chain-Insight is a customer favorite. It provides a compelling analysis of your supply chain in a graphically orientated data display to detect trends before they become issues, optimizing every link from production to store shelf. From purchase order to delivery, Supply Chain-Insight integrates supply chain data from across your enterprise to provide near real-time monitoring of performance accessed directly through PODIUM^®.

OOCL Logistics PODIUM^® technology is suitable for any business, regardless of size, and its industry-standard interface and data exchange compliance make it user-friendly and ready to integrate with customer systems.

By getting a clearer real-time picture of what’s going on in every step of the supply chain, users can manage and optimize inventory, spot new sourcing and market opportunities, and make quick decisions through better data and forecasting. With more competent knowledge, you too can make your supply chain a competitive advantage.