The Philippines’ rainy season begins in June, together with seemingly endless downpours, floods, and consecutive typhoons. Given those consequences, your company can plan how to deal with inclement weather as early as now. This includes ensuring that your logistics won’t fall apart because of a storm in the near future.
Wondering how exactly you can prepare your logistics for unpredictable weather conditions? Here are 7 logistics solutions for inclement weather, which can all prove invaluable when the rainy season begins.
Handling Inclement Weather: 7 Logistics Solutions for the Typhoon Season
1. Plan Shipping Schedules in Advance
One way to handle inclement weather is to avoid it completely. If you have the resources for it, try moving your shipping dates so that they won’t be affected by storms. You’ll be surprised at how road conditions in the Philippines can improve after delaying shipments by just one or two days.
You may also carve out longer lead times for additional leeway. Discuss viable options within your team, and you can gain a better grasp of crucial timing requirements for your shipments.
2. Prepare Your Forward Logistics
Does the forecast look bad for the next several days or so? Pre-order and stock up to handle the increase in demand, especially if your company deals with food or portable electronics. If you have multiple facilities throughout the Philippines, you can also redirect inventory away from facilities that are in the storm’s path. This might increase transportation costs, but it’s better than being crippled by massive product wastage.
3. Provide Fast Updates
Do not underestimate the ability to provide fresh notifications to customers and relevant organizations in the Philippines. You can give customers and even government agencies a heads-up about, say, fluctuations in product volume. This is also very important for broadcasting information about ongoing preparations and surpluses in supply.
4. Switch to Direct Store Delivery When Needed
If the weather is bad enough, you can opt to bypass your distribution centers and bring goods directly to retail stores. For example, companies that manufacture flashlights or shovels can place orders and bring the bill of sale to a customer’s address. This eliminates any extra steps which you won’t have the resources for during inclement weather, such as reroutes. It can also help you compensate for delays.
5. Clear Critical Zones
Your logistics will go to waste together with your products if your shipments fail to make it to their destination because of traffic. And even after that, it can be a serious inconvenience if you only have a car’s width of space to move through. Plan how to clear docks, parking lots, and other important areas to prevent bottlenecks and other delays.
6. Be Flexible
If the weather is especially bad, you may be faced with the news that your current routes in the Philippines are congested. You’ll need to adjust in this situation. Route optimization software will be of great use, helping you find alternative routes in real time. It’s also a good idea to have your transport management system reviewed before the Philippines’ rainy season rolls in.
You may also want to consider other modes of transportation, as some will do better than others in inclement weather. The right alternative can help you make up for lost time, even if it costs a bit more than usual.
7. Keep Everyone On Board
Make sure that everyone in the company, from C-level executives to salespeople, is informed about your plans for this year’s rainy season. The last thing you want is for service failures and unmet expectations to further complicate logistics during a storm.
ALSO READ: Everything You Need to Know to Pack Your Cargo Properly
Pay attention to forecasts and plan well in advance, and your company will be armed with the right logistics solutions for inclement weather. Your customers and other business contacts in the Philippines will appreciate your storm-readiness when it’s needed the most.
Not sure how to start your preparations? Feel free to consult with the industry experts at WSI. With over twenty years of experience, Worklink is ready to help you come up with logistics solutions for inclement weather. Expect no less from one of the Philippines’ reliable B2B courier companies. Contact us today for inquiries!
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