With the change in hour last weekend signifying the end of British Summer Time, we know it is only a matter of weeks before winter is upon us. Winter weather can have a surprising impact on the productivity of all parts of the supply chain. At PFE we know to expect bad weather to occur sometime this winter and we will be well prepared for the consequences.

The Impact of Bad Weather

Weather can be an issue for the logistics industry with severe and sudden weather changes causing delays and disruption to freight movement planning.

Sea Freight

Extreme weather disrupts shipping in all sorts of ways. Storms can affect a ship’s routing, delays on passage and for smaller ships the need to seek shelter. All of which can result in delays to shipments and a risk to the safety of cargo.

Storms can affect a ship’s routing meaning the potential for delays in port, ports being bypassed and missed connections. The knock-on effect is then at the arrival port where resulting congestion creates further challenges particularly with feeder vessel connections.

Modern vessels, while being better placed to withstand rough conditions, are certainly not immune from bad weather and can become impacted.

Air Freight

Winter will also have a surprising impact on the productivity of UK airports. Poorer weather and darker evenings reduce the speed at which cargo is unloaded from aircraft. In a market where time is vital, losing just one hour can cause huge problems.

Bad weather factors will ultimately cause more cargo to be offloaded from booked flights especially from the cheaper airlines in the market, where service integrity is less important to them.

Road Transport

Extreme weather will inevitably have a negative effect on the UK road network causing extra congestion, particularly on the major haulage routes. The same will occur on major routes throughout Europe if bad weather is experienced more further afield.

PFE’s Response to Bad Weather

During a period of bad weather, you can expect the following higher levels of customer service from us:

  • We will send notification of possible weather-impacts via email
  • We will share information about cancellations or changes to schedules
  • We will propose new solutions or contingency plans for shipments
  • We will provide updates on shipment status via PFE Vision

Bad weather is a fact of life and we understand that severe weather events create uncertainty in the supply chain. We have the knowledge and expertise to help you effectively plan and respond to any bad weather situation.

 

Image accreditation: “Great fall” by  Anders Printz  via flickr /  CC BY 2.0  / Image resized from original.