Buyer's Consolidation
AI-driven consolidation reduces ocean freight spend by 10% or more
Optimize your ocean shipping with our buyer's consolidation process built around Flexport's cutting-edge machine learning algorithm for supply chain optimization. We automatically review every booking you place across full container and less than container loads to suggest Buyer’s Consolidation container options to save you money. By combining shipments from multiple suppliers into fully utilized containers, we save companies 10% or more on their overall freight bill without slowing down their supply chain.
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A smarter way to optimize
Buyer’s Consolidation maximizes your container utilization by grouping multiple suppliers together, all under a single consignee. Doing so limits the use of 20-foot containers and LCL shipments—and reduces freight costs, your carbon footprint, destination labor costs, customer inventory levels, and material costs.
Automated planning and approvals
Replace spreadsheets and email threads with our proprietary online planning technology. By digitizing your planning and approval workflows, you can reduce lead times, boost accuracy, and communicate with stakeholders in real time. Run the best scenario by configuration; customize automatic alerts and exception tasks; and configure container usage, threshold settings, and other metrics, with the ability to automate final approval before shipping.
End-to-end insights and control
Bridge critical data gaps with end-to-end visibility. Get insight into shipments at the PO/SKU, booking, and container levels, complete with highlights, milestones, and load plans. Along the way, build data visualizations of utilization, transit times, and cost savings—all while generating and scheduling metrics reports for optimal visibility and decision-making. The best part? Do it all in one place—on a powerful, easy-to-use dashboard.
10%+ Reduction in ocean freight spend driven by our machine learning based consolidation algorithm
252+ Buyer's Consolidation customers served.
SERVICE OFFERINGS
A powerful alternative (or complement) to LCL and FCL
Consolidated shipping volumes can dramatically reduce the unit cost of each cubic meter. Compared to LCL, Buyer’s Consolidation saves approximately 15-25% from container freight station (CFS) to port, subject to freight market tendencies, and can save up to 35-55% from CFS to door, depending on the delivery distance and number of shipments to be consolidated. And if you’re dealing with low volumes or tight timing, we’ve got you covered. Use our online planning feature to switch to LCL or air—and generate new rates and transit times in the blink of an eye.
VALUE ADDED SERVICES
A best-in-class infrastructure system at origin
Flexport offers more than 230,400+ square meters of CFS capacity spanning all major Asia-Pacific export markets. Each CFS is equipped with robust security and access control measures, including C-TPAT-certification for maximum cargo security within storage, HD CCTV surveillance of all critical areas, and advanced fire safety apparatuses.
VISIBILITY
Service tailored to every need
Choose from a wide range of CFS value-added services, including palletization, sorting, pick and pack, labeling, slip-sheeting, repacking, garment-on-hanger (GOH), and quality checks. Each service can be customized as needed. Additionally, leverage powerful product combinations: by bundling Buyer’s Consolidation with Order Management, for example, you can manage your consolidation flow with full visibility at the order and SKU levels. Or bundle Buyer’s Consolidation with Booking Management to move freight with both your BCO carrier and Flexport, assigning Flexport as the single-origin consolidator to streamline the process.
Blog
Unlocking Savings and Efficiency: How Flexport’s Buyer’s Consolidation Service Transforms Ocean Freight
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Flexport Buyer’s Consolidation?
Buyer’s Consolidation is a logistics service that combines multiple smaller orders from different suppliers, often in the same origin country, into one full container load (FCL) shipment. This maximizes container space, reduces freight costs, and streamlines customs clearance. It’s most often used with ocean freight FCL shipments, but Flexport can advise on multimodal solutions that may also consolidate goods across modes.
How does Flexport Buyer’s Consolidation work?
Flexport collects purchase orders from your suppliers, coordinates pick-ups to a consolidation warehouse, and loads them into a single container bound for your destination. You can track every purchase order and the full consolidated shipment in the Flexport Platform.
What are the benefits of using Buyer’s Consolidation?
- Lower freight costs per unit by shipping full containers instead of multiple smaller shipments
- Fewer shipments to track and manage
- Reduced customs clearance complexity
- Improved scheduling and reliability
- Lower environmental impact per unit shipped
Who should use Buyer’s Consolidation?
It’s ideal for businesses importing from multiple suppliers in close geographic proximity that want to optimize shipping costs and efficiency.
How much does Flexport Buyer’s Consolidation cost?
You can talk to our team of logistics experts for quotes and personalized service. Contact us today.