A well-known automobile company in Germany has been ordering its electric cable in China for a long time and until now everything has gone according to plan; thus ensuring round-the-clock production. However, this time not enough cable was ordered and an unexpected production increase took care of the rest: the current stock would only suffice for, at most, one more day. The automobile manufacturer must obtain electric cable as quickly as possible, in order to avoid an assembly line standstill and subsequent costs associated with downtimes amounting to a six-digit euro figure. The order was more difficult than expected, since only a supplier in China was able to provide that specific cable. Time is limited, the route is far, the transport problem is complex – consider the several transport steps: pick-up in the Chinese province, delivery directly to the German factory and the necessary customs clearances – just the right assignment for time:matters. After all, the logistics company offers tailor-made transport solutions precisely for such particularly urgent or tricky logistics assignments. Neu-Isenburg receives the “distress call” at 22:00. The expert for courier, sameday and emergency logistics is on duty around the clock – therefore the employees are able to develop a quick and reliable transport plan within the shortest amount of time.
time:matters branch office in Asia facilitates immediate transport
The quickest alternative to smoothly manage the complex transport is through the use of an on-board courier (OBC), who can carry the shipment as hand luggage and immediately declare goods. Thanks to the time:matters branch office based in Singapore, a local OBC is already promptly on site early in the morning, by then it is 7:00 local time. The logistics expert has access to a pool of over 300 trained OBCs worldwide. The flying “body guard” immediately takes off for Guangdong, to pick up the spare parts directly from the Chinese supplier’s manufacturing facility. Then he heads directly for the airport in Hong Kong in the afternoon. The German colleagues have in the meantime organized the flight to Germany.
The goods must be declared in Hong Kong, which is no problem for the experienced OBC. The plane departs for Frankfurt on that very same day at 23:50, where it lands punctually the next morning at 8:00 local time. Customs clearance is also carried out without any complications, so that the OBC can already head to the German manufacturing facility located 200 km away at 9:30. The goods must be delivered by 11:30 at the latest, to ensure that production can continue without a considerable financial loss. This is a tight schedule, but the rental car is already waiting for the OBC and without any traffic jams and delays the time:matters courier can hand over the crucial spare parts on time. Therefore, production can continue without delay.
Always in touch: proactive monitoring ensures optimal communication
The automobile manufacturer constantly knew where the cargo was located at throughout the entire time. There was a seamless monitoring of the current status of the shipment. The on-board courier and time:matters employees in Germany constantly had contact to one another. The proactive communication is part of the standard service at time:matters.
