Davies Turner Sees China Ocean Freight Consol Services Grow Despite Downturn

Dartford, United Kingdom, October 27, 2010 --(PR.com)-- As the UK’s leading independent freight forwarder, Davies Turner has succeeded where others have failed by building on the advantage that its unique networks give it both in the UK and China, says Phillip Stephenson, Davies Turner chairman.

He says: “Alongside our full load business, our direct consolidation services have continued to expand on the China and Far-East trade lanes, whilst many of our competitors have suffered from the downturn, because we have been able to offer guaranteed weekly departures from as many as ten Chinese ports and cities direct to the UK. Over the last few years, we have been ideally placed to win the business of shippers who are switching from FCL to LCL traffic and who are looking to reduce inventory costs and stock holdings. Another benefit for our customers is our network of over 20 branches in the UK and Ireland, which provide nationwide distribution coverage.”

Cargo benefiting from the company’s westbound consol services includes a wide range of Chinese products such as machinery, garments, and electrical goods as well as many non-retail items. UK eastbound traffic includes a growing quantity of hi-tech and machine tool components exported by British manufacturers to China as part of the drive to improve their own production and quality control.

Joint sales efforts and close co-operation with Davies Turner’s regional partners in China has resulted in consolidations building to hundreds of teu every month from China, together with the many full loads which the company also controls.

Mr Stephenson says: “Our specialist teams developing these markets have enabled Davies Turner to succeed at a time when many competitors are struggling. It’s no accident that we have seen the control of consol traffic move in our direction over the last two or three years; in fact it is a tribute to our partners in China as well as Davies Turner staff, that customers are increasingly choosing our joint services.

“We also noticed a while ago that consignees were beginning to switch to FOB to give themselves more control over all their shipment costs. Growing numbers of shippers have started looking at our partners’ exceptional spread of consolidation hubs in China, coupled with our own ability to accept more goods via Southampton and Felixstowe from which we deliver full loads direct, or in the case of groupage, distribute through our regional hubs nationwide. Clients appreciate that we offer exactly the right product mix to serve their requirements.”

Another reason for choosing Davies Turner is its ability to go beyond the quayside and give a true door-door service for customers, complete with shipment tracking, considers Mr Stephenson.

He says: “We beat the competition thanks to our service infrastructure which enables us to customs clear and undertake immediate devans/breakbulk at our own terminals away from the port. We have the premises, the handling systems and the transport network to handle such services for our customers, which allow quicker and more secure delivery times for freight and as part of our overall commitment to clients. In Britain and Ireland our nationwide operation enables us to consolidate at any one of our RDCs (or Regional Distribution Centres) to ensure rapid dispatch of the cargo for the correct Chinese destination.

“Altogether, the market has seen that, despite the downturn, we have never joined the race for the bottom by offering low rates at the expense of quality. With the further advantage of the multimodal options offered by our air cargo division, that is why customers are continuing to choose Davies Turner.”

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