Sea-Air Combined, the service pioneered by TNT Freight Management, is being taken to the next level with a focus on best practice, new destinations and new shipping lanes. Martin Atack, the new Global Director of Sea-Air, explains how a recent mission impossible for a Japanese car manufacturer was made possible and how it points to the future of the Sea-Air service offered by TNT.
When executives from the car manufacturer got in touch with TNT Freight Management in April this year, the motor company was in dire straits. They were experiencing major delays in the delivery of car parts from Japan to their brand new production line in Brazil, which threatened the roll-out of a new car model in the region. Some 735 tonnes of parts had to get to another continent by June 18.
“We knew we could make their deadline by combining sea and air transport. This was more difficult to plan, but more cost efficient for the client than air transport alone,” says Atack. Over the next few days Atack and his team secured cargo space on ships from Tokyo to TNT Freight Management’s Los Angeles hub. They also booked several dedicated Boeing 747 charter flights from LA to Brazil.
Jigsaw puzzle
Due to the short timeframe and the amount of gods to be moved, the load plan and the type of packaging changed several times. The cargo was to be sent from Japan in two orders, and the flights from LA were booked on eight planes from four different carriers. “Our office in LA did a terrific job. It was just a matter of putting the jigsaw together,” says Atack with a sense of understatement.
Despite the pressure and frequent changes, the parts arrived in Brazil between June 12 and June 18 as planned. “It was an expensive operation and there was a great deal at stake, but there was no room for delays. We had promised the client we would get the job done,” says Atack.
Resetting the gears
The success of the assignment shows the value of Sea-Air service to customers and its potential for future growth. Air transport is quick but expensive and sea transport is affordable but slow, but when combined customers can reduce the cost of transport by 50% and still keep their business running. “Sea-Air can accommodate anything from a package weighing 10 kg to project cargo weighing several hundred tonnes. There is potential out there for much larger shipments, which are traditionally earmarked for sea transport. Sea-Air can be a viable alternative,” Atack says.
TNT Freight Management serves clients from the time-sensitive fashion and computer industries. One of the clients is a major high street computer supplier, which transports 20 million kilos of computers out of Asia each year by airfreight. “By using Sea-Air, they save 2 to 3 dollars a kilo. Now, they have geared up production to allow for transport time and 10% of their computers are leaving on fixed, dedicated sailings utilising our sea-air service”.
TNT Freight Management has built up considerable expertise in Sea-Air over the past 20 years. It only works with prime carriers, it can guarantee capacity during peak times, it secures top storage on vessels and it has enough volume to avoid co-loading. It has also developed a system whereby only one document is needed to move cargo from Asia to its destination via TNT Freight Management’s Dubai or LA hubs.