New Freight Calculator for Partner Companies

The Freight Company now offers its freight forwarding and freight agent partners new software with which they can calculate sea-air rates from Thai and Vietnamese ports via Dubai to Europe in seconds. “Interest is extensive,” according to managing director Patrick Dick, “as the rising oil price makes sea-air more attractive as an alternative to pure air traffic.”

The Freight Co Ltd (TFC), a freight forwarder based in Bangkok (Thailand) and Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), which is a subsidiary of the Four Vision Group, specialises in sea-air business via Dubai (United Arab Emirates ), amongst other things. When the oil price rises, managing director Patrick Dick registers increasing demand for the company’s services, “That is why we are currently on the look–out for an air–sea connection (and I mean air-sea and not sea-air connection) via South Korea to North America,” Dick elaborated.

Over and above this demand for this special transportation alternative rises every autumn. This is when low-priced goods need to be brought on to the market quickly, in order to benefit from the Christmas boom or the winter sales. There categories often do not warrant the expense of pure airfreight transportation-but ocean freight nevertheless takes too long.

Simpler and Faster

In order to make the sea- air business simpler, the company has now started offering exclusively for its partners in Europe-software which can calculate sea-air freight rates from Thai and Vietnamese ports via Dubai. This is of particular interest to freight forwarders and agents who need sea-air quotes immediately in the evening, and who cannot afford to wait until Asia forwarders open their offices the next day. The Freight

Company is a member of Aeroceanetwork.

The calculator is simple to use, even though sea-air traffic is complicated. The software is an Excel-based application. The freight forwarder or agent simply enters basic data such as total weight and dimensions plus the choice of the actual carrier, and the application provides the user with an all-in rate ex-FOB load port to CPT destination airport, per kg. (The ocean portion of the transshipment to the airport is mostly calculated on a pure weight basic and the final leg by air is calculated on actual or volume weight.)

Substantial Reductions

“Our calculations cover all of the major on-line airports as well as most of the off-line ones from Norway to Italy and from Portugal to Russia,” said Torbjoern Larisch, TFC’s chief representative in Vietnam.

“The benefits of sea-air traffic can be quite substantial,” added Michael Reichelt, TFC’s operations manager in Bangkok (Thailand). “With sea-air, reductions of between 40% and 60% on airfreight rates can be obtained, as well as cutting anything from one to two weeks off ocean freight transit times, depending on the destination.”

More Flexible Service

Although TFC’s sea-airfreight calculator covers only sea-air transit from Thailand and Vietnam via Dubai to European destinations at the moment, these are not the only sea-air options offered by TFC. The freight Company also has options via Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and Korea for cargo needing space during tight peak-season periods. The costs for these can also be calculated very rapidly. “We are very flexible with our various sea-air options, “added Larisch, “we have built a reputation for working very well within customers’ requirements”.

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