Global shipping has been troublesome ever since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. Many drivers were already unhappy with the industry’s low pay and lack of benefits, and the sudden increase in workload was simply too much. The transportation industry still hasn’t rebounded yet, resulting in a system where delays are common. Learn what you can do to avoid shipping delays in manufacturing.

Plan for longer transit times

The first thing you can do to minimize delays regarding your manufacturing projects is to build more time into the transition periods. For example, you can allow more time for raw materials to travel from your supplier to your third-party contractor. You might consider starting shipments earlier and rearranging project steps to anticipate delays instead of merely reacting to them.

Talk to your contractors

Another way to avoid shipping delays is to choose a toll manufacturing supplier with expertise in shipping and logistics. They may know about suppliers who have better-than-average delivery times, or they might have methods for avoiding some of the worst delays in the shipping process.

Choose local partners and suppliers

By reducing the physical distance between your business and your suppliers and contractors, you eliminate some of the chance for delays. Even choosing to stay within the country can help decrease your transit times since international shipping is slower than cross-country logistics.

Make quality control overlap with manufacturing

If you’re working with third parties to manufacture products, make sure you include a quality control clause in your contract. This clause allows you to state when you’re allowed to inspect the product, either on-site or through other means. You want the ability to perform QC checks while the product is in the manufacturing stage so you can catch possible mistakes early on. This allows you to avoid getting a surprise when the product arrives at your business.

Avoiding shipping delays in manufacturing isn’t easy due to the ongoing global shipping problem. However, we believe that following these tactics will allow you to avoid the worst delays and maybe even use prolonged wait times to your advantage.