On time every time

When it comes to reaching urgent shipments to destinations as far as to the opposite side of the globe, it may appear impossible but for the well networked carriers it is both a challenge and an opportunity. And they do it on a priority to keep the trade and commerce running uninterrupted.

For shippers paying a premium on transportation, timeliness is paramount. Therefore, when it comes to reaching urgent shipments to destinations as far as to the opposite side of the globe it may appear difficult and attimes even impossible, but for the well-networked carriers it is both a challenge and an opportunity. And they do it on a priority to keep the trade and commerce running uninterrupted.
Ensuring shipments arrive on time is unarguably crucial, but becomes harder to achieve the further they travel. Healthcare supply chains, for example, are often complex and involve multiple waypoints. The key is striking a balance between value and speed. Having the option to pick up the phone and have your products in a customer’s hands within two days is invaluable in securing business which might otherwise go elsewhere. The key is flexibility to react to the situation at hand.
An absolute must in this industry is the ability to know for certain that critical and sensitive shipments will arrive on time in the exact condition they need to be. You also need to be able to assess if they have been properly stored for the duration of the journey. In recent times, a number of options have become available for this. The FedEx SenseAware® service uses sensor based technology to provide near real-time visibility on shipments in terms of location, temperature, shock, barometric pressure and exposure to light.
FedEx Express is the world’s largest express transportation company, providing fast and reliable delivery to every US address and to more than 220 countries and territories. FedEx Express uses a global air-and-ground network to speed delivery of time-sensitive shipments, by a definite time and date with a money-back guarantee.
UPS has unveiled a new express air freight service, UPS Worldwide Express Freight, for urgent, time-sensitive and high-value international heavyweight shipments. The service is an extension of the UPS Worldwide Express package portfolio.
The service allows UPS customers to ship pallets of more than 150 lbs. as easily as packages exclusively within the company’s global air network from 37 origins to 41 destination countries and territories. UPS says the service features some of the fastest times in transit in the industry, including overnight shipping from the Asia Pacific region, Europe and the Americas to the US. Two-day shipping is available to Europe from Asia Pacific, the US, and the Americas.
UPS Worldwide Express Freight service offers many of the same features as UPS’s Worldwide Express package service, including automated shipment preparation, online tracking and proactive notification technology.
“Global commerce is vital for our customers and UPS Worldwide Express Freight helps companies get to market faster, capture more business and boost their competitiveness,” said Ed Buckley, President of marketing, UPS.
“Our customers depend on the speed, reliability and visibility that UPS provides with our package express services. Customers, particularly in the industrial manufacturing, automotive, high-tech, retail and healthcare segments, have asked us for the same features for their urgent freight shipments.”
IAG Cargo has a service, what they call Prioritise, to cater to premium products and shipments that need to reach destinations within specified time limit. Speed and reliability are at the core of this service according to IAG Cargo. With shipments receiving the fastest publicised cut off and delivery times of any air carrier. “Our outstanding Prioritise service provides a simple solution for all unitised and loose cargo. We have a dedicated facility at both London Heathrow and Madrid which ensure that Prioritise freight is given preferential status at all times. We are committed to delivering what we promise and are so confident in our Prioritise product that we offer a performance guarantee,” said an official company statment.
Cathay Pacific Cargo’s Priority LIFT is a speedy service for top urgent shipments. Your top urgent cargo must travel in a time-critical manner. It is a premium express freight service that provides top priority shipment and express handling. The cargo carrier’s product is guaranteed by a 100 poercent freightage refund. The service also gets high priority access to space plus automatic instant booking confirmation for shipments up to 1,000 kg. Beside these, such shipments get top priority for load planning.
As for American Airlines Cargo, the service is called Priority Parcel Service and they offer speed and reliability in this product category. What is more important with AA Cargo’s priority cargo service is that it has a state of the art tracking for your most time-critical, high-value and temperature-sensitive shipments using industry-leading GPS and sensor tracking. With its partnership with OnAsset Intelligence FlightSafe gives you real peace of mind by providing state-of-the-art tracking on your most time-critical, high-value and temperature-sensitive shipments.
Emirate SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates, in September last year strengthened its trade lanes between Switzerland and its worldwide network with the introduction of a weekly freighter service from Basel to Dubai. The new freighter flight will supplement the existing belly-hold cargo capacity in the Swiss market provided on Emirates’ double-daily passenger services to Zurich as well as on the daily Geneva flights. Basel, the centre of the Swiss pharmaceutical and chemical industry will become the 40th European destination to join the Emirates SkyCargo network, giving a further boost to bilateral trade links already in place between the UAE and the region.
“Europe is a key growth region for Emirates SkyCargo and the new scheduled freighter service will create more trade opportunities for importers and exporters across the local markets and across our worldwide network. We are offering advanced Cool Chain and Priority products for goods under temperature requirement, oversize cargo and highly secured protect solutions for any valuable or vulnerable items. The economic region of Basel has a strong pharmaceutical and chemical industry and Emirates is offering seamless trade connections and an efficient hub with multiple flights for time and temperature sensitive freight” said Hiran Perera, Emirates Senior Vice President Cargo Planning and Freighters. 