Freight Forwarders - Now An Essential Contributor To International Trade

What is International Freight forwarding?# The complexity involved in the freight forwarders'
Freight forwarding is a vital part of international tradejob means that there is an element of risk to do
activity. International freight forwarders are referredwith loss or damage that needs to be managed.
to as simply freight forwarders and they also calledFreight forwarders typically arrange cargo movement
as travel agents for freight, even though there areto an international destination.
domestic freight forwarders.It is becoming more and more common for
Role of Freight Forwarders in International Tradecompanies to outsource certain parts of their
# Freight forwarders are an essential contributor tobusiness, and the outsourcing of freight forwarding is
the easy running of international trade with thefreighta prime example of this trend. By forwarding cargo
forwarder responsible for choosing the right path foron time and to the right place, freight forwarders are
their customer's distribution needs.able to make a real contribution to developing the
# They help in moving goods from one part of theglobal marketplace.
world to another economically and efficiently and beWhat should be kept in mind while choosing freight
sure that cargo arriving at the right place and at theforwarders? There are certain criteria to take into
right time and thus involve a lot of management andconsideration while selecting freight forwarder
logistics skills and common sense.# Cost: Keeping cost down is always be one of the
# Freight forwarders put into the care with themost important criteria for exporting company. So
delivery of goods from one party to another, whofirst approach should be search for more than one
not often knows each other. As a result, it isforwarder. Because rate varies from forwarders
essential that the freight forwarders follow the set# Members of BIFA (British international freight
procedure and prepares accurate documentation toassociation) BIFA is a professional organization for
facilitate the transaction process.freight forwarders. To get a membership of BIFA
# It is important for freight forwarders to negotiatethere must be some regulation and standards. It is
freight rates regularly with transport providers and tonot illegal for them to operate without membership
compare the costs involved with transporting cargoand does not mean they will not able to provide a
along various routes. This helps them get the rightquality service.
balance between cost and delivery times.