DACHSER Thailand presented speech at GTCC webinar

DACHSER offers daily air freight service from China and Hong Kong to Frankfurt

Starting from January 2023, DACHSER continued to offer its customers reliable and consistent air freight service on a daily basis from Shanghai and Hong Kong to its Frankfurt Gateway. These frequent and direct services are best suited for time-sensitive shipments.

Statement on the current situation in regard to the spread of the COVID-19 virus

With this announcement, DACHSER is providing information on action to be taken to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus (also known as the coronavirus) within the DACHSER organization and in regard to the current status of operational activities as well as any possible impacts on our customers’ shipments.

In view of the current situation, specific guidelines for conduct and precautions have been rolled out within the global DACHSER organization. The actions to be taken include the establishment of a central reporting management system, regular assessment of the situation, and definition of additional action according to the situation. The relevant activities were also expanded and intensified on the basis of the existing hygiene management in the various areas (human resources, operational, and process hygiene).

In addition to these actions taken internally, DACHSER is complying with all current official regulations and taking appropriate precautions. In the event of restrictions applicable to individual locations, action plans are ready to be implemented in order to ensure that our network can continue to operate.

To enable a smooth process, we depend on being able to work together with all parties involved in the supply chains, including cooperation with truck drivers so that they will also be able to comply with increased hygiene regulations. We also fully integrated the drivers into our hygiene management and provided hand disinfectants at all locations.

We are doing everything possible to maintain our customers’ supply chains and prevent delays in shipments. If supply chains are to be affected in any way by checks, controls, flight cancellations, or the like, we will work to find alternative ways to ship the goods. We would also like to point out that the delivery times for consignments could be extended. However, the measures we have taken so far make us feel well equipped to deal with the current situation.To make this possible, it is essential that we maintain close coordination with our customers.

If you have any questions about your freight, please get in touch with your local point of contact at the respective branch of DACHSER.

Golden Week 2023 in China

During September 29 and October 6, most business and factories in China will be closed. The week-long holiday in one of the world’s most important economies poses an impact to the international supply chain. Start to prepare now to minimize the possible disruptions.

Golden Week is a 7-day or 8-day national holiday in China. Every year the Chinese celebrate the establishment of the People’s Republic of China on October 1. This year, Mid-Autumn Festival falls on September 29 and will combine with National Day Golden Week for a long, 8-day holiday from September 29 to October 6. Traditionally, Chinese people used to take the opportunity to travel for leisure and visit their families in other parts of China.

DACHSER in China, like many other businesses, will be closed during the Golden Week and resume normal operations on October 7.

Most businesses and factories will be closed during the week-long holiday, meaning that production will be at halt. Airports and seaports will keep operating but with reduced manpower due to low production volume from factories. Normally government institutions such as customs offices will be closed from October 1 – 3.

Since China, one of the world’s biggest economies and production countries, will come to a standstill for a whole week and factories may not run at full capacity as soon as the official holiday ends, the plunge of production volume would have an impact to the worldwide supply chain.

While we try our best to minimize any possible interruptions to your supply chain, you can also help us by considering the following:

• Communicate with your suppliers and customers to make arrangements for sufficient stock and manage expectations
• Discuss your planning with us and prepare an accurate shipment forecast for long-term planning, so we can offer you the most suitable solution that fits your budget and schedule
• Place your booking earlier and pay attention to the cut-off dates.
• For sea freight, it is recommended to book 4-6 weeks before the start of holiday
• For air freight, it is recommended to book 1-2 weeks before the start of holiday

If you have any questions, please get in touch with your usual local DACHSER contact who will be happy to assist and plan the next steps with you together.

Rising case numbers in China: impact on operational activities

Last weekend, several major cities in China reported an increased number of COVID-19 cases, which led to intensified measures. This has an impact on DACHSER's operating activities:

Shanghai

As the epidemic has reached significant levels in Shanghai districts, rigorous actions have been taken, including massive COVID-19 testing and a lockdown of affected communities and residential areas. Airports, seaports, warehouses and depots are operating as usual, subject to the following:

• Due to the aforementioned measures and quarantine regulations, Shanghai is currently experiencing a significant shortage of workforce in all sectors, including administration, warehousing, and driver personnel.
• Neighbouring cities to Shanghai, including Suzhou, Taicang, Kunshan, Changzhou, Suzhou, and Hangzhou, are imposing restrictions on trucks coming from Shanghai and drivers must present a negative test result. Therefore, it is expected that pickups from and deliveries to Shanghai will become more difficult in the next 1-2 weeks.
• At this stage, we have not received any carrier announcements about vessel omissions. All barge operators are performing at normal levels, to ensure the connection to mother vessels in Shanghai. However, as the situation is developing rapidly, carriers may react accordingly if the driver shortage or truck restrictions lead to a serious container bottleneck.
• The locations of DACHSER in Shanghai, including the downtown office, the PVG Airport office, and the Huaqiao Warehouse, have established special working arrangements since March 14, whereby employees alternate between working from home and the office.  The local contact at DACHSER can be contacted through the usual communication channels.

Shenzhen

The authorities of Shenzhen city are implementing a lockdown from March 14 until March 20.  Precautionary measures include COVID-19 mass tests, suspension of public transport, shutdown of shops, production and business activities. Staff are only allowed to work from home.

• The airports and seaports are operating as usual. The air and sea freight operations of DACHSER are not affected. However, similar to Shanghai, there may be staff shortages at certain facilities such as customs due to COVID-19 testing and quarantine.
• Production and manufacturing facilities will be suspended temporarily, which will lower demand for air and sea freight. However, this may have a more far-reaching impact on the supply chain in the near future.
• Most of the warehouses stopped their operations until further notice.
• Sea freight LCL-CFS bonded warehouses are closed until further notice and shipments from Shenzhen are currently on hold. We will contact you directly if your shipment is affected.
• Local trucking within Shenzhen is not subject to any restrictions, and trucking companies are still offering their services, but the industry is facing the problem of a driver shortage due to lockdown and quarantine regulations.
• Truck services to and from Shenzhen is restricted.
• Cross-border trucking between Shenzhen and Hong Kong for non-essential goods is basically suspended. Transport of general cargo (commercial) is most likely to be arranged via feeder services.
• DACHSER employees in Shenzhen work from home and can be reached by email or mobile phone.

Dongguan

The authorities of Dongguan city announced a lockdown, effective from March 15 until March 21. Similar to Shenzhen, precautionary measures are implemented, which include COVID-19 mass tests, suspension of public transport, shutdown of shops, production and business activities, and staff are only allowed to work from home.

• Production and manufacturing facilities will be suspended temporarily, which will lower demand for air and sea freight, and bring substantial consequences to the international supply chain.
• DACHSER warehouses (bonded and non-bonded) in Dongguan are closed and resume operation after the lockdown is lifted.
• DACHSER employees in Dongguan work from home and can be reached by email or mobile phone.

Other major cities in China are mostly normal in terms of daily life and business operations despite some of them reporting a small COVID-19 outbreak.

DACHSER cooperates closely with all relevant parties to ensure that all shipments are handled properly. Local representatives at DACHSER will be happy to provide information about shipments and possible alternatives.