Transportation from point A to point B is far more than just moving products; it also involves handling materials, packaging, controlling inventories, and managing safety. Doing this efficiently has led to new strategies, such as hybrid logistics.
Luis Anibal Mora published Logística del transporte y distribución de carga (Transports Logistics and Cargo Distribution) in 2014. In his work, he defines hybrid logistics as “systems that consist of adopting multiple channel distribution systems to reach one or more clients”.
Even though it may seem like a type of multimodal transportation, it consists of a partnership between two companies created to achieve a dynamic, solidary, and break-free logistics; as well as a philosophy that extends to their employees and technology.
These are the goals of hybrid logistics:
- Create a community of distributors through agreements and partnerships.
- Meet the needs of both manufacturers and distributors.
- Involve brokers for supplementary services.
Hybrid logistics eliminates unnecessary steps that may result in additional operating costs. Stores, warehouses, hangars, networks, systems, and staff synchronize their functions within the supply chain. Since each party knows what is going on beforehand, parcels may be tracked in real time and interruptions like traffic jams and process breakdowns may be handled better.
Thus, clients may rest assured that their logistics companies will take care of every procedure, including the management of shipments and the selection of transportation types and routes.
The following are some suggestions on how to implement hybrid logistics:
- Define and follow a time pattern.
- Let every party involved know about the merchandise and its status.
- Manage information in real time.
- Apply the same policy between one leg of the trip and the next.
- Clear the interruptions.
- Synchronize networks, systems, and technological tools.
Success Story
In 2019, a logistics company specializing in the pharmaceutical sector partnered with a global parcel company to make its supply chain more efficient. Thanks to this hybrid logistics strategy, nurses in the USA could deliver medical samples.
Even though the field of hybrid logistics is still evolving, its pioneers are intent on spreading it to other international markets. As we can see, this strategy is not just a solution for transportation, it really is a solution for customer service.
