Highlights:
- 9 crates of vehicle side panels that weigh 3 tons from Brazil to Detroit…
- Planning, Packing, Documentation, Timing
- “It takes an international team effort to ensure the success of every global shipment”
Challenge:
How do you get from Bahia, Brazil, to Detroit?
If you’re moving nine crates of vehicle side panels that weigh three tons, as ICAT Logistics Detroit did in August, the answer is: Very carefully.
That’s because moving such heavy material 6,000 miles isn’t only about getting the right trucks and airplanes
Solution:
It’s about planning. In Brazil, and wherever ICAT ships industrial materials around the world, the company maintains a close working relationship with the agents who follow their clients’ cargo through customs and who worry that every aspect of the process has been handled beforehand. The team cuts no corners; its preplanning is as extensive in detail as the shipment itself.
It’s about packing. The cargo, traveling first by truck from Bahia to Sao Paulo in early August, could arrive dented, bent, or creased if not packed properly. That’s why ICAT repacked the panels using VCI paper (volatile chemical inhibitor) to protect the pieces from humidity and corrosion, desiccant bags to absorb moisture and maintain dryness, and then wrapped each piece with plastic to protect the panels from scratching and denting. Once the panel sets were secure, they were packed in heat-treated wood crates held together with 4-inch screws (nails can loosen during shipments).
It’s about documentation. The panels could have arrived late or over budget if they had been held up at customs because of insufficient or inaccurate documentation. That’s not unusual for goods imported from Brazil where a number of government agencies oversee the shipment of goods in and out of the country. With ICAT Logistics Detroit’s guidance, all the documentation was prepared and accepted.
It’s about timing. The manufacturer needed them by Monday, August 22 to fit into a production schedule. Thanks to proper planning, packing, documentation, and oversight, the materials arrived safely on time and schedule.
Big Picture:
If this process sounds exacting, it is. The ICAT Logistics Detroit international team has learned that taking shortcuts with any shipment can cause extra time and expense in the long haul.
“Our shipment was successful, arriving right on time,” said Neil Clavano, International Operations Specialist and team leader on this project. “We planned for every contingency because we knew how important it was that these parts arrive in time to fit our client’s production schedule.
“It takes an international team effort to ensure the success of every global shipment,” he said, “and we know from experience that we have the right team in place to make it work.”
That’s why more and more international industrial shippers are calling on ICAT Logistics Detroit.
We’re your custom shipping resource. Solutions to our customers’ most challenging issues are derived from decades of success in global logistics.