For production to continue, the manufacturer required daily collection of parts, from up to 30 UK and EU suppliers. Due to the ever-changing schedules, there was limited knowledge of parts quantities, packaging dimensions and some supplier locations, making this challenge seem impossible.
COVID-19 closures had altered the operating hours for many suppliers which limited collection times. Plus, new air freight plans were issued daily, requiring a rapid and accurate turnaround of customs paperwork, export declarations and clearance.
As soon as the manufacturer requested assistance, Priority Freight assigned a team of experienced planners from within various areas of the business to oversee the project.
The logistics solution included 40 special rush shipments per day by road and, to help speed up the supply chain, required multiple air charters to match changing consignment sizes and weight.
Over the course of the project, more than 100 aircraft were chartered, ranging from multiple Antonov-12s, Boeing 737 freighters, the new-to-the-market A321 freighter and the fast-loading Ilyushin 76.
The expert team worked 24/7 over two weeks to:
- Oversee the door-to-door transport of 250m3 or 50,000kg of air freight per day
- Negotiate special operating hours at airports that would ensure the deliveries arrived on time (most airports operated limited opening hours due to the COVID-19 pandemic)
- Liaise with handling agents to plan vehicle offloading, aircraft pallet building and aircraft loading distribution
- Help ensure permits were granted by the relevant Civil Aviation Authorities due to new Brexit aviation rules between the UK and EU
With around-the-clock responses and time-critical logistics expertise, Priority Freight delivered all shipments in time and helped the automotive manufacturer avoid downtime that would have cost €150m per week in lost revenue.
