IFLN News 2016
IFLN Partners Lead Intercontinental Shipment to Success
IFLN Members, Broekman Logistics, Netherlands; Integra International, Spain; and J&Y Freight Forwarding, China, are co-operating closely on the handle of shipments from China to two different locations in Europe.
Broekman Logistics in Rotterdam is organizing the shipments for a Dutch customer, Cew Beheer, in Enschede. Cew Beheer trades in ceramic tiles and related lifestyle items. It buys the raw materials, which are extracted in China and subsequently manufactured into high-quality tiles for kitchens and bathrooms. Broekman handles the materials’ shipment to Rotterdam and its client. Fellow IFLN forwarder J&Y Freight Forwarding (Shenzhen) handles the local land-based transport of the cargo from the city of Kaiping in Guangdong province to the local port, as well as all the required export documentation. From there, the consignments are shipped to the Dutch port of Rotterdam, where Broekman takes over. While the two IFLN cargo agents have a long-standing relationship handling these shipments, just this year so far, Broekman has already handled 700 TEUs’ worth of ceramic tiles.
In a related development, a trial shipment of materials has been shipped to Spain, where the consignee is testing the solid surface sheets. If they are satisfied with the quality of the product then more shipments will follow, explains Frenk Snoeck, branch manager ocean freight at Broekman Logistics.
J&Y handled local transport and the booking of the cargo for shipment to Spain, while another IFLN freight forwarder – Integra International – handled the cargo’s entry into port, Customs clearance and trucked delivery to the final destination and Broekman’s Dutch customer.
Reliable Partnerships
Complementing the ongoing shipments to Rotterdam, “This first shipment to Valencia has been successfully completed, due to the excellent co-operation of our IFLN partners,” says Snoeck. “And the shippers expect to increase its volumes in the future, not only to Spain but also to other European countries.”
“It was very easy to set up the co-operation with our IFLN partners, as we already handled other shipments for other commodities. We are trying to get more business for each other and keep the customer satisfied by using each other’s excellent services,” Snoeck adds.
Lynette Song, J&Y’s Agency Department manager, is equally enthusiastic. “We meet most of our IFLN partners every year. We are just like old friends, knowing each other very well, so when we need some help, we will just drop off an email, and we're quite sure that we will get the quick response, and get the information we need. This helps us to secure more orders, and presents a good image to our clients,” says Song.
“Being a part of the IFLN network, we're big and strong enough to handle the big companies, but also we're able to care for the small companies as well, because we're such a flexible and strong network,” Song adds.
Overcoming Challenges Due to Hanjin’s Bankruptcy
“We have worked closely in collaboration with both J&Y Freight Forwarding and Broekman Logistics,” observes Lydia Sanchez, international business supervisor at Integra International. “First of all, we have to say that it has been a pleasure to work with both of them. Their professionalism and commitment have been very helpful on a shipment that became a little bit complicated.”
Sanchez explains, “At the beginning, it seemed an easy job; we had to take delivery in Barcelona port of six twenty-feet containers containing a non-hazardous substance called prilled urea. Our areas of responsibility were the reception of the cargo in Barcelona, handling, import documentations, Customs clearance and delivery.
“But the troubles came due to Hanjin’s bankruptcy… and the cargo was discharged in Valencia instead of Barcelona. Once there, we couldn’t move the containers, unless we paid some handling charges in advance. The problem was that both Hanjin and Valencia port were demanding these payments. So, in addition to paying in advance, we had to pay double! Thanks to the persistence of our operations manager, Maribel Molina, who spent a lot of time and calls trying to fix the problem, the port authorities became aware of these troubles and helped us to fix them,” says Sanchez.
“Thus, once we had the containers, we had to move them from Valencia to Barcelona, incurring additional charges. But the client received its cargo and, throughout the processes, J&Y and Broekman demonstrated their enormous patience and disposition to collaborate,” commends Sanchez.
“It is in these sorts of complicated situations that you really appreciate the professional capability of a partner,” Sanchez points out. “That is what IFLN offers: reliable partners and successful business, even when things become complicated.”
Song reiterates this thinking. She says, “We feel like we're trusted, and also we trust them, so when we have some issues or any misunderstanding, we can easily work it out as we're in the same network; we benefit a lot as a result.”
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