Background
We get a call from one of our automotive customers, a Tier 1 supplier, at 0245 HRS. Their plant in Alabama has shut down due to a parts shortage. Their goods are still stuck at the local ocean port with an order for examination and delayed customs clearance. At $2,000 per minute, their losses can be massive.
Procurement
We are then informed they have a supplier in Vietnam that can have the parts ready in the next 12 hours. We communicate with the supplier and acquire appropriate information about the emergency parts order. After producing a quote for our customers in less than 20 minutes, we are given the green light to proceed with the shipment.
Meeting the timeline.
- Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we had our overnight team investigate local law as in Vietnam and local entry requirements in Alabama. After a few minutes, we were already organizing a unit to pick up the 137 Boxes from the supplier in Hanoi. We had to use nine On Board Couriers for the mission due to baggage regulations on this trade lane.
We called upon our local resources to accommodate a mobile Covid testing van to wait for our team at the airport. With all flyers clear and ready to fly, we posted them at the airport, waiting for the 137 boxes to arrive.
- During our preparation for the mission, our time-critical team noticed flights into Birmingham were extremely limited. We quickly executed an option via Atlanta that could arrive a few minutes earlier at the final destination.
- Finally, the boxes arrived on airport premises at Hanoi at roughly 1640 HRS that same afternoon, and our flight out was at 2200 hrs with a quick stop in ICN airport and arrival into ATL the following day by 1000 HRS. We bundled and packed the boxes according to the airline’s standards!
- Reaching ATL was only the beginning; we had to work with the customer and our customs broker to ensure a flawless entry procedure. Atlanta is known for troublesome customs clearance and irritable customs officers.
- After an impressively quick check-in in Hanoi due to our team’s great status, we were boarding and reported all boxes had been loaded.
With live updates and constant feedback, our customers efficiently got ready in Alabama to receive these parts and prevent further production delays.
- Upon arrival in ATL, clearing immigration passport control, our couriers approached the belts to recover their boxes and head to customs; with their entries printed in hand and ready to comply, they greeted the customs officers. After a few clicks, a few smiles, and some routine questions, our couriers cleared customs and met our company driver waiting outside the airport parking lot, ready with a 24-foot dedicated truck.
Doorstep delivery
It is now 11:56 am, and our team is loading the truck to head out to our customer’s production plant. Our cutoff is 1600 hrs, and with Atlanta traffic, we are safer than sorry. After 2 hours and 45 minutes, we arrived at our customer’s facility, where their team was waiting with barcode scanners and forklifts ready to receive the order. The plant manager approached our lead courier and thanked him personally. He snaps a picture of the load, and the manager’s ID receives a signed proof of delivery, updated in our system and directly sent to our customer.
We at AGOL Time Critical understand the importance of given timeline and do everything to ensure that customers’ needs are met. If you have anything that needs to be shipped shipped overnight, contact our Time Critical Department to get a quote with in just 20 minutes.
