Transportation in times of COVID-19 - Interview with our logistic team
01.07.2020 / L. Bader
COVID-19 has impacted – and still is impacting the whole world in numerous ways. While many countries and regions are getting back to normal life – some things still don't work as they used to. One hot topic is still transportation. So we talked to our logistic department and asked them about the aftermaths of COVID-19 regarding the transportation.
Do you still feel the aftermath of the lockdown in China when planning your transportations?
Fabienne:
Well…yes. Some transportations still need more time than before. Sometimes you just need to have more patience than you've had before. But that's understandable, since it's caused by a Virus. And that's something with its own dynamic.
What about the prices for transportations?
Claude:
The prices for air – and sea freight have raised after the lockdown in China.
How did you handle the delays in general?
Fabienne:
Most of our transportations that were planned for sea where shipped by air in the end. Of course we also had a lot of contact with our suppliers to manage this situation together.
I guess that some suppliers worked over time to manage all the orders that were accumulated over the lockdown time?
Claude:
Yes, some factories in China worked overtime to manage their pile of orders for sure. At the time of returning to their work, a lot of suppliers faced problems related to their capacity as they had to catch up backlog orders and new orders at the same time.
What was the biggest challenge for you during that time?
Fabienne:
It was and is still a time where you have to keep several things in mind at the same time. But most importantly it's essential these days to have good planning – and that also requires close communication with the suppliers in China. Moreover, sometimes you have to ask for patience. And that's not always easy!
What about you Claude?
Claude:
It was certainly a time where you had to make more pressure than before. Also the reliability of all kinds of information was tricky during these days. You could never know if another lockdown would happen. And that could have worsened the situation at any time. Luckily China stayed stable – while Europe faced their lockdown.
What is the situation right now?
Fabienne:
The prices are slowly decreasing again, but the delivery times are still longer than before. But in the end we still have enough options to realize the delivery dates of our customers.
What kind of options do you have?
Claude:
As Fabienne mentioned previously, some shipments can be switched to air. That saves up a few weeks already. And luckily we always plan with a buffer of one to two weeks, depending on the time pressure. In some cases, that can save the day!
What would you suggest your customer to do at the moment? Even after the crisis seems over.
Fabienne:
I would suggest every customer to order as soon as possible and to time a buffer as well. Moreover, it's essential to stay in close contact with us.
What if a customer faces delays in their project due do COVID-19?
Claude:
That's not a problem at all. Some customers need their goods earlier – some want to postpone delivery dates. I don't know how, but it's in balance almost every time. In this case, we can switch an air freight spot from someone who wants a shipment later for someone who needs it earlier. All in all, the key is close communication during these times.
Thank you for your time!
Do you have further questions on your deliveries? We are looking forward to hearing from you!