Precise industrial logistics solution yields savings, peace of mind for dairy equipment manufacturer

Published on: Oct 12, 2023

Summary

When an engineering and manufacturing company serving the food industry needed to move several oversize and overweight pieces of custom-built processing equipment from South America to a dairy plant in the U.S. Upper Midwest, they put the complex project out to bid to several leading freight forwarders. AIT’s solution was not only competitively and transparently priced, but it also convinced the customer to partner with AIT’s industrial logistics experts for several more global project cargo shipments.
 

CHALLENGE: Out-of-gauge parts, wrapping needs and a small delivery window

Weighing in collectively at nearly 118,000 kilograms (or 130 tons), each component of the dairy processing equipment making the journey from one hemisphere to the other was too large and heavy for standard container shipping. Furthermore, the customer had never wrapped a breakbulk shipment before. And, adding to the shipment’s complexity, an assembly crew would only be available at the final delivery site during a narrow, three-day window.
 

SOLUTION: Affordable, end-to-end, multimodal logistics project management

• Ocean charter management
• Cargo pick-up and drop-off via exclusive-use vehicles
• Custom wrapping services
• Cargo surveys at port of origin and destination
• U.S. Customs clearance
• 24/7, comprehensive customer support

AIT’s industrial logistics team designed two proposals to complete the move within the required timeframe. The client opted for the end-to-end plan that included a partial ocean vessel charter paired with comprehensive ground shipping services. AIT’s in-house customs brokerage experts handled the shipments’ clearance requirements.

While keeping the customer updated in real-time throughout the process via phone, email and text, AIT’s dedicated professionals managed the cargo’s custom wrapping to prevent damage. They also arranged ground transport from the manufacturing site in Brazil to the port of loading. Following the chartered cargo ship’s arrival in the United States, the AIT team executed a carefully orchestrated over-the-road trucking plan – including the necessary permits and police escorts – from the Port of Houston to the cargo’s destination in rural Minnesota. The final leg of the freight journey passed through six states and totaled more than 1,300 miles.

AIT’s manufacturing logistics experts in Brazil and the United States also arranged for strategically staggered cargo arrivals during a tight 72-hour window to support the requirements stipulated by the customer’s assembly team.

The AIT Difference Makers

• Transparent and fair pricing
• Robust ocean carrier relationships
• Expert customs management via in-house, licensed brokerage
• Proactive communication with partners in Brazil and AIT offices in the United States for 24/7 operational support
• Deep manufacturing logistics knowledge

 

RESULT: Industrial logistics expertise boosts customer’s bottom line

While other freight forwarders might have simply passed the project management along to an ocean carrier, AIT’s team of dedicated manufacturing logistics professionals delivered a seamless, cost-competitive, and successful solution for this complex breakbulk shipping and ground freight project.

Thanks to AIT’s industrial logistics teams on both sides of the equator, the customer achieved their delivery target while also saving money compared to the less rigorous options proposed by competitors.