Members requiring assistance with shipments in Alexandria, Egypt are invited to get in touch with the UGO LOGISTICS team.
Key Contact Names: Mostafa Agha
Ryan Nicol, Co-Owner of AIR-SHIP INTERNATIONAL INC., COOP Toronto, recently spoke with us about the history of his company and his current and future plans for it.
Q. How different is Air-Ship International now compared to when it was founded?
A. A lot of things have changed. The only thing that has stayed the same is the commitment to our customers. When Air-Ship was founded fax machines and typewriters were a large part of getting documentation completed; now almost everything is done online and we expect responses within hours instead of days. We have modernized the business to grow and bring Air Ship to be more efficient for all of our customers and agents. The other important aspect that has changed is our ability to move large, specialized cargo which was not considered with the previous ownership group. By having our own equipment within our group of companies, we are truly able to handle specialized cargo from the customer’s door. This allows us to be more competitive along with providing a much better service than traditional non asset based forwarders.
Q. What distinguishes Air-Ship International from other freight forwarders in your city?
A. Three main things come to mind. The first would be our location. We are located right at the Toronto International Airport which allows us to expedite air shipments typically one day faster than our competition (many of the airline warehouses are right below our office). The second thing would be our ability to handle the specialized cargo mentioned earlier. High value cargo such as agricultural equipment, glass, and armoured vehicles are commodities that we are handling routinely. The third thing would be our commitment to customer service. We have built a strong team that works well beyond the hours of 9-5 to ensure that our customers are looked after. This is especially important when operating in different time zones. If something can be fixed late at night instead of the following morning you have a chance to save your customer a day or two of transit. Attention to detail on every shipment gives all of our customers the peace of mind that their shipment is being looked after. This allows them to focus on their core business instead of freight.
Q. What are the main challenges facing the forwarders in Canada at the moment?
A. The main challenge would be the shrinking manufacturing base of customers that are exporting from Canada. Since the economic slowdown in 2008, a lot of manufacturing companies have moved from Canada to other countries or shutdown completely. There has also been a lot of consolidation within industries.
Q. How is the freight forwarding industry tackling these challenges?
A. The industry has had to be flexible. With a reduced number of customers it forces freight forwarding companies to innovate and focus more on the customers they do have. The news has been getting better though since the Canadian dollar has fallen due to the drop in oil prices.
Q. What are your immediate plans for Air-Ship International?
A. Our immediate plans are to continue to focus on growth both with our existing customer base as well as through our membership in The Cooperative Logistics Network which we have found to be very beneficial.
Q. What are your longer term ambitions for Air-Ship International?
A. Our longer term ambitions are to focus on technology to further streamline our processes which will make things more efficient. We are also interested in opening another Canadian location within the next five years (likely on the west coast) to better serve our existing and new customers.
We invite all members with shipments in Toronto to get in touch with the team.
RYAN NICOL 
Members requiring assistance with shipments in Lagos, Nigeria are invited to get in touch with the TRANSOCEANIC LOGISTICS LIMITED team.
Key Contact Names: Bayo Alli
Members requiring assistance with shipments in Dubai, U.A.E. are invited to get in touch with the LINTAS FREIGHT AND LOGISTICS LLC team.
Key Contact Names: Wilson Ambooken
“Having highly experienced staff is key in this industry and each of our new recruits add their wealth of knowledge as well as professionalism to our already skilled team, it is a pleasure to have each one on board, said Loadline General Manager,” Samir Ben Mannsour.
Samir Ben Mannsour BGI WORLDWIDE LOGISTICS, a member of The COOP in Los Angeles, recently completed a the shipping of some rather unusual oversized cargo – a giant Marilyn Monroe sculpture to be installed in a Marilyn Monroe-themed shopping mall.
The sculpture, along with 2 large toolboxes for the assembly and installation, was shipped in four sections- 1 x 20′ flat rack and 1 x 40′ Open Top. The sculpture successfully made it to Dalian despite copious amounts of bureaucracy at Chinese customs.
“The toolboxes were a challenge for Chinese customs; the boxes contained both non-consumables which would be returned after installation (power tools, hand tools, chains, straps, etc.) and consumables (sand-paper, latex gloves, paint, etc.) which wouldn’t. A lot of documentation and clarification was needed for Chinese customs to allow these items through,” said Charlie Turville.
The team’s patience and due diligence in the customs process ensured a successful outcome.
We invite members with shipments in Los Angeles to get in touch with the team.
Members requiring assistance with shipments in Santiago, Chile are invited to get in touch with the INTEGRAL CHILE S.A. team.
Key Contact Names: Dalia CordovaINTERSPAN GLOBAL LOGISTICS, a member of The COOP in Birmingham UK, has given its website a full makeover, creating an easy to navigate set-up and most importantly, it can be viewed on tablets and mobiles.
Visitors are greeted by a simple yet attractive homepage which guides you to different areas of the site including history of the company, client testimonials, as well as access to useful tools such as a CARGO TRACKER.
“No longer do clients look for a forwarder in the yellow pages, this is the 21st century and it’s all about an online presence and our new website aims to put INTERSPAN GLOBAL LOGISTICS in the forefront of our potential clients’ minds,” explained Derek Bamborough, Managing Director.
We invite all members to check out INTERSPAN’S WEBSITE and those with shipments in Birmingham to get in touch with the team.
Derek Bamborough
Members requiring assistance with shipments in Tokyo, Japan are invited to get in touch with the H&C SHIPPING CO., LTS. team.
Key Contact Names: Tadahiko Horie
BUFFALO, N.Y., Aug. 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — ROAR Logistics, Inc., a subsidiary of Rich Products Corporation, has been granted a corporate customs broker license from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security and received authorization from the Federal Maritime Commission to operate as a Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier (NVOCC)
“The criteria for securing a corporate custom broker license reflects the financial strength of our organization, the integrity of our executive team and the operational expertise of our Associates to conduct Customs’ business,” said ROAR President, Robert Rich III. “Customers who experience the excellent care of our domestic freight teams can expect to have their imports and exports handled timely, in a compliant manner with the quality of service that ROAR is known for throughout the country.”
“NVOCC status allow us to leverage the volume of our customers’ ocean business as a whole, thus providing competitive service offerings normally only available to large and mega-size multi-national corporations,” said Nancy Dempsey, Director of International Operations.
The new licensing provides customers of ROAR with a diverse portfolio of international transportation services that builds upon the established domestic transportation offerings and creates additional opportunities for closer partnerships with their clientele.
Rich anticipates that the continued growth of ROAR’s international group will provide additional employment opportunities as international logistics becomes a major part of the company’s growth strategy. “International growth is key to our success. Recruiting individuals who possess the dedication to delivering unparalleled results for our customers will be key to our continued growth in both the international and domestic sectors.”
The addition of these services is part of ROAR’s long-term, global strategy and is the latest in a series of strategic initiatives undertaken by the company, including joining The Cooperative Logistics Network (www.thecooperativelogisticsnetwork.com) this past spring, and the acquisition of Legend Transportation in Phoenix, Arizona in 2014. With five offices nationwide, ROAR’s annual revenues exceeded $68M in 2014.
Charlie@bgiworldwide.com