-
1 电子教材
-
2 学习视频
-
3 拓展学习
Text
Freight forwarding industry（货运代理行业）is an intermediary（中间的）service industry between businesses（商贸公司） and transport companies（运输公司）. A freight forwarder, forwarder, or forwarding agent, is usually a company that organizes（组织） shipments for individuals（个人）or corporations（公司） to get goods from the manufacturer（生产商） or producer（生产者） to a market, customer or final point of distribution（配送点）.
Forwarders contract with（与……签合同） a carrier to move the goods. A forwarder does not move the goods but acts as（担任……角色） an expert（专家）in supply chain management. A forwarder contracts with carriers to move cargo ranging（在……变动） from raw agricultural products（初级农产品） to manufactured goods（工业产成品）. Freight can be booked on（预定） a variety of shipping providers（提供者）, including ships, airplanes, trucks, and railroads. It is not unusual for a single shipment to move on multiple（多种的） carrier types. International freight forwarders typically（通常） handle international shipments. International freight forwarders have additional expertise（专业知识） in preparing and processing（处理） customs and other documentation and performing（执行） activities pertaining to（与……相关） international shipments. Some forwarders handle domestic（国内的） shipments only.
Companies in this industry provide freight forwarding and customs brokerage（经纪） services. Major（主要的） companies include Fedex trade networks, UPS supply chain solutions and Sinotrans.
Demand is driven by domestic manufacturing output（输出） and levels of international trade. The profitability（盈利能力） of individual companies depends on（依赖于，取决于） efficient operations, extensive（广泛的） relationships in shipper and carrier networks, and industry expertise. Large companies have advantages in account relationships（客户关系） and access to（接近） advanced logistical technologies.
Unlike fully integrated（整合的，综合的） carriers that own truck, rail, air, or ocean assets（资产） and transport cargo, freight forwarders usually arrange the transportation of goods without owning any transportation equipment（设备） or handling the cargo. Customs brokers add another layer of expertise by facilitating（促进） the clearing of goods through international customs barriers（海关壁垒）. Most companies specialize in either freight forwarding or customs brokering, though they can provide both.
