The second half of this year saw Pontevedra, Spain-headquartered IFLN Network member Kaleido work closely with fellow IFLN Network cargo agent Aries Global Logistics on a series of shipments of materials – mainly valves and electrical parts – for the construction of a municipal solid waste (MSW) biofuels plan for Fulcrum BioEnergy in the US.

The materials had to be transported from Jebel Ali and Shanghai to McCarran, near Reno, Nevada, in the US. The consignments were moved on FOB (free on board) and DAP (delivery at place) terms out of – principally – Saudi Arabia and China on their long journeys to the US between July and December this year.

The cargo was not out-of-gauge but the transport did require Kaleido’s project division moving large volumes of full container load (FCL) cargo to McCarran from locations including the Middle East and China, as well as from Spanish and other European ports, via the US gateway of Oakland.

Paula Rapado, a member of Kaleido’s Commercial Department, explains that the forwarder had been in contact with the customer, a construction company, for nearly two years prior to these shipments being handled, and that the greatest challenge to be overcome was the complexity arising from the involvement of several companies from different countries in the logistics, as well as the urgency with which the customer expected to receive the cargo.

As a result, reliable and fluent communications were a must between all parties involved: shipper, consignee, suppliers and partners, Rapado notes. Co-operation with Aries was particularly critical and, she says, “Aries arranged DAP at arrival at Oakland Port and always answered to our demands in a timely and clear way.”

The US Connection

  Handling the US side of the shipping was Aries. Kaleido approached it regarding this project and, then, “We went back and forth to ensure the best rates were given to the customer in a timely manner,” observes the Aries team involved, which included Lissa Divelbiss, Peter Divelbiss, Marcus Raniag and Maria Ramirez.

“We performed the importation of the goods and then retrieval from port all the way to the customer’s dock. It was a very large shipment, but everything worked out smoothly,” they point out.

“It has been a pleasure to work with Kaleido – definitely a great honor that we were both able to secure this business together. Shippers shop around for this type of handling, and we were able to ensure that the best rates and service were provided to both shipper and consignee.”

The co-operation between the two forwarders clearly paid off then. Moreover, Rapado adds: “Currently we are working with Aries and the customer on a new shipment from Spain to McCarran involving three 40 foot flat racks loaded with oversize cargo.

 

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