Move the needle for your business with expert automotive supply chain management

AIT’s automotive logistics experts in Germany were proud to sponsor Team Sonnenwagen Aachen‘s participation in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge 2023, an emissions-free 3,000-kilometer race across the outback of Australia.

Our professionals handled the shipment of the team’s solar-powered car from Germany to Australia in time for the race, with a multimodal solution that included ocean freight services for the car’s supporting equipment and an air freight shipment for the vehicle itself.

Although the team faced disappointment during the event with a rollover, we were all very thankful no one was injured. There are setbacks on every path to innovation, but AIT is confident there’s more success down the road for Team Sonnenwagen. 

When conventional, one-size-fits-all LTL shipping left an automotive parts manufacturer in search of a solution that would cut transit time and increase attention to product integrity, AIT’s experts delivered.

The AIT automotive logistics team arranged a customized “milk run” plan using Sprinter vans to efficiently pick up weekly shipments from multiple U.S. East Coast locations. 

After arriving at AIT-Chicago’s warehouse, they consolidated the smaller loads into a single, dedicated truck for delivery to the client’s plant in Hermosillo, Mexico. Not only did this solution reduce transit times and hold down costs, but with fewer touches, it also reduced the risk of damage.

When a leading raw materials supplier for the automotive industry ran up against severe pandemic-related ocean delays while attempting to move 35 tons of steel coils and blanks from Asia to Mexico, other forwarders declined to take on the challenge. 

But AIT’s experts helped the shipper pivot from ocean to air freight by securing capacity for the critical cargo – with some of the coils weighing as much as five tons each – utilizing four different airlines for on-time, seamless delivery.