Broekman Logistics and Target Logistics, both IFLN freight forwarder members, are currently collaborating on a series of shipments being made between Pakistan and the Netherlands.

Broekman offices in the Netherlands in both Amsterdam and Rotterdam, and Target Logistics offices in Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore, are co-operating on the FOB transport of leather shoes flown from Allama Iqbal International Airport, which serves Lahore and the surrounding area, to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.

The business was only won after beating off tough competition through skilled negotiations, remarks Ka Shing Cheung, manager Broekman Networks and Khalid Mir of Target Logistics. Masood Ahmed, business development manager of Target Logistics, has also played an important role throughout the shipping process.

And the scope of the task is much wider than just the flights. The cargo comes as bulk, and first has to be split into the appropriate consignments. Space constraints on flights between Lahore and the Dutch capital have proved a challenge, especially with pressure from Pakistan’s mango exporters looking for space at this time of the year.

After Broekman has overseen all the required import handling and Customs clearance at Amsterdam Schiphol, each consignment must be split according to final customers, with the shoes destined for more than 30-40 different destinations across the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, including both retailers and warehouses, Cheung confirms. Broekman handling of all this is being coordinated from its new location at Oude Meer, Schiphol.

However, says Cheung, good communication between Broekman and Target, as well as with the airlines involved, have helped to overcome these challenges. A proactive approach to the supplier and client has also helped ease any issues.

As a result, six shipments of more than 30,000kg and 350 cubic meters of more than 20,000 pairs of shoes have already been flown to Amsterdam over the course of the past two months, with another five times as many to be flown over the remainder of this calendar year (there are expected to be two or three shipments each month over the course of the rest of 2018).

Cheung confirms that working with a fellow IFLN member has offered big rewards. He enthuses: “Having each other’s support is important and, as part of IFLN, both companies will work more closely together in discovering new opportunities!”

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