Blog Archives

Happy New Year and of course, Happy Chinese New Year 2019! The Chinese New Year 2019 is fast approaching. The public holiday in China for Chinese New Year (CNY) is from 4 February to 10 February 2019 (week 6).

The TPP11 comes into force for the initial six ratifying countries on 30 December 2018 immediately lowering the 5% tariff on most goods from Mexico and Canada and providing tariff relief by eliminating 98% of tariffs in the TPP11 region with the goal that by the end of 2021 the majority of products will be duty-free under the agreement.

As of 1 January 2019, duty rates for all tariff categories covered under the ChAFTA agreement will be duty free.

In the global logistics environment, everyone is talking about supply chain visibility and control. Supply chain visibility simply means having the right information, when you need it, so you can act on it. Getting this information is a challenge, or near on impossible when you don’t have the right systems to support you.

Speed to Market has become so important that the cost to deliver has become a secondary consideration in supply chain logistics and specialist airfreight is now a critical component to delivering Fast Fashion.  However, if you don’t have a partner with super-sized red tape scissors to help you cut through the complexities of Air, then you could be putting you behind your competition.

Heavy rain and thunderstorms in recent weeks have caused havoc across China, with floods along major rivers destroying bridges, blocking roads and railways and forcing thousands of residents to evacuate. As a result, waiting times in impacted ports, including Shanghai and Ningbo, have increased considerably.

Fast food, fast internet, fast coffee … it seems everything needs to be delivered to us fast these days.  We’re moving into an age where everything is driven by speed, and the Rag trade is feeling the pressure to deliver ‘Fast Fashion’ more than ever. With tech-savvy Millennials and time-poor consumers searching for more convenient ways to get what they want, when they want it, Speed to Market (STM) has become so important that Cost has become a secondary consideration.

How do you know if your Freight Forwarder is giving you the best possible service? There are a number of symptoms of freight & logistics stress. To get to the bottom of them you need only ask a few simple questions:

Supply chains today are incredibly complex. The need for trust and confidence between the people and organisations involved has never been more important. That’s why we sought and attained Australian Trusted Trader accreditation.

Getting the right deal is based on your point of view and the importance you place on your supply chain. It depends on the nature of your supply chain, what type of service you need and the focus and attention you place on supply chain optimisation.   In short, it depends on you.

The saying “you get what you pay for” has never been more relevant than in the current market conditions. The costs and business consequences of something going wrong can far outweigh a minor saving in rates.