443: Mastering Visibility: Insights from LogTech Live with Shippeo

Eric Johnson & Chris Mazza of Shippeo talk about visibility, how big challenges in 2024 impacted the market, & overcoming data quality challenges.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:   [06.06] A closer look at two key upcoming conferences: TPM 25 – listen out for a special discount! – and Journal of Commerce’s Breakbulk and Project Cargo. [08.19] From an Uber Freight product launch to how technology is enabling companies to pursue smaller incidents of overbilling in freight payments, Eric dives into the big supply chain news of the week. “They announced a product… which you might think looks like a product from Convoy, a company that’s now out of business, released a few years ago. And you’d be right.” [14.12] An introduction to Chris Mazza, his career journey, and an overview of Shippeo. “All of a sudden this thing called the internet happened (!), and it began to change the things ocean carriers did internally and how they began to view their customers externally.” [17.51] From the Baltimore Bridge collapse to ongoing port strikes, the biggest challenges of 2024, and how they impacted the visibility market. “At TPM last year you had Robert Gates speaking. And when you have somebody who’s basically a geopolitical and defence specialist speaking at what is arguably a transportation and supply chain conference, you know you probably have a problem.” “People are realizing that the first requirement to resiliency in their supply chain is visibility. And, for the vast majority, they do that in an older, more outdated way. They may still be relying on systems or methodologies that were developed in the 90s or 2000s.” [22.07] A closer look at visibility in the ocean and over-the-road markets, the different levels of demand and maturity, and the increasing focus on boosting ocean visibility. “We’ve seen an enormous jump in the quality of the data, but at the same time, we’ve seen a huge degradation in the underlying service. The on-time performance, the scheduling integrity – it’s not good.” [31.54] A listener question: Should we consider contingency planning as part of the visibility function? [35.55] Carrier APIs – their role in accessing the best data and the challenge of navigating multiple layers of business relationships. “APIs don’t clean data. But what they do, ideally, is provide you with easier access. The question in the market is: Are you going to get the best access to the best data via API, EDI or some other methodology?” [40.04] How visibility can be used to prevent missing shipments. [44.13] What Shippeo customers want when it comes to accessing, understanding, analyzing, and reporting their data. [47.02] Chris’s favorite musician and why. [49.18] Eric’s Dad joke of the week!   RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED:   Explore more industry news over on Journal of Commerce, and connect with Eric on LinkedIn. If you enjoyed the show, there are lots more episodes of Logtech Live With Eric Johnson to explore. You can also hear Eric on episode 238, episode 300 and episode 420.