With rising costs, volatile diesel prices, road safety issues, and increasing service demands, the relationship between cargo owners and transport companies has ceased to be merely transactional and has become a strategic alliance .
During the panel “ Perfect Storm: Transportation Competitiveness vs. Availability and Service Level” , organized by the National Council of Executives in Logistics and Supply Chain (ConaLog) , specialists agreed that, in the face of current pressures, the key is not to reduce rates, but to find efficiencies that allow preserving service and profitability .
Francisco Rodríguez, Logistics Director at Colgate-Palmolive , explained that, from the perspective of a company like Colgate, the indicators are grouped into three main blocks: service, costs, and planning.
“The most important indicator for the company will always be sales. In logistics, we focus on how well we serve the customer, what our cost is, and how accurate our planning is,” he said.
For his part, Pablo Ocampo, CEO of Grupo MexAmerik , emphasized that for a transportation company, asset productivity is essential.
“We need the units to be running fully loaded. Profitability is linked to reducing empty kilometers and controlling costs, with diesel being one of the most important factors,” he commented.
Alejandro Hernández, an independent consultant, added that asset utilization and waste elimination are fundamental.
“We need to focus on the cost to serve per customer, per channel, and per product. Not all services require the same infrastructure or the same level of attention,” he said.
Long-term relationships, the formula for ensuring capacity
Rodríguez explained that Colgate has evolved from a transactional model to one of collaboration with its logistics providers.
“We want our partners to make money. We share information and visibility so they can better plan and manage their resources,” he emphasized.
Grupo MexAmerik, which has a 28-year relationship with Colgate, seeks to balance high and low seasons through a diversified portfolio of clients.
“What we are looking for are business partners with whom we can work hand in hand and generate value,” Ocampo stated.
Based on Sony ‘s experience , Alejandro Hernández explained that having a supplier segmentation strategy ensures availability.
“I had carriers A, B, C and even new players that I was developing. That combination is what allows you to not run out of transport,” he commented.
One of the main topics discussed was the increase in the price of diesel and its impact on tariffs.
For Pablo Ocampo, fuel represents between 30% and 40% of the income from a trip.
“There is no legal way to absorb such a sharp increase without making adjustments. A company that fails to do so is destined to disappear,” he warned.
However, the panelists agreed that the cost should not be analyzed solely from the perspective of the tariff .
“When a carrier demonstrates to us, with data, that a customer takes 48 hours to unload a unit, the conversation stops being about price and becomes a discussion about efficiency,” Rodríguez explained.
Reducing loading and unloading times benefits everyone: it improves asset utilization, reduces costs, and raises the level of service.
“I prefer to adjust the price a little to ensure service rather than face spot rates or run out of capacity when the customer needs me,” added the Colgate-Palmolive executive.
Alejandro Hernández pointed out that there are also alternatives such as making advance payments to suppliers or even sharing capacity between companies.
“With Sony, we were able to share rides with other companies to make better use of space and reduce costs without affecting the service,” he said.
Technology and security
The panelists agreed that digitization and information analysis are fundamental to facing disruptions.
Ocampo highlighted that the integration of GPS, telemetry, cameras and control towers allows for a response to road closures, robberies or incidents.
“Travel isn’t perfect, but we can measure incidents and work continuously to minimize them,” he explained.
Rodríguez added that dashboards and analytics allow for healthier conversations with clients and internal departments.
Road safety was also part of the conversation. Francisco Rodríguez summarized the strategy in three pillars: prevention, intelligence, and technology .
“We need to identify the highest risk points and work with information to reduce exposure,” he explained.
Pablo Ocampo emphasized that long waits at toll booths and distribution centers represent critical moments.
“We can’t control everything, but we can plan better and avoid being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he commented.
Alejandro Hernández added that many robberies originate from information leaks.
“We need to map who has access to the data and avoid sharing unnecessary information. Many thefts are planned,” he said.
The participants also called for consideration of the human factor.
“An operator is a person. You can’t ask them to travel 600 kilometers without stopping. You have to make travel plans and define where they will stop safely,” Ocampo pointed out.
4PLs still face challenges in Mexico
Opinions on the role of 4PL logistics operators were diverse.
Rodríguez explained that Colgate uses this model in the United States, but he believes that in Mexico there are not yet sufficient capabilities to replicate it throughout its operations.
“We review it every year, but it’s not the right time yet,” he said.
Hernández shared that he has had both successful and unsuccessful experiences with this type of scheme.
“You can’t hand everything over to a single player. The important thing is to identify where it adds value and where it’s best to maintain direct relationships with the transport companies,” he commented.
For the participants, the logistics function has gained importance within organizations.
“Years ago, these decisions were made at a different level. Today, when there is no transportation, the issue reaches senior management,” Pablo Ocampo pointed out.
In an environment that participants described as a “perfect storm”, competitiveness will not be achieved through price wars, but through long-term relationships , transparency, information sharing and a joint search for efficiencies between shippers and carriers.
Comment and follow us on LinkedIn: @Jennifer Galindo / @GrupoT21
