Maersk’s role in getting Deelite’s logistics in Chad back on track
For perishable cargo transiting from Cameroon to Chad, Maersk’s TBL solution reduced costs and expedited inland and customs procedures.
the client
Deelite is a Cameroonian importer and distributor of products, including FMCG, electronics, food and beverages, and automobiles (fast-moving consumer goods). The business also owns and operates a chain of supermarkets and shops.
The customer, whose warehousing issues in Cameroon are being addressed by the Full Container Storage (FCS) solution, and Maersk have a strong working relationship. In order to do this, storage services had to be made available when the customer’s warehouses were overcrowded.
The Maersk yard is used to store import cargo that is waiting for clearance at the port of Douala. Deelite can thus save on storage and demurrage expenses.
the difficulty
All import cargo that arrives in Douala, Cameroon, is handled by Deelite’s customs department.
The landlocked nation of Chad, which is situated north of Cameroon, will get over 5% of this shipment. Milk and fruit juice are among the time-sensitive cargo items that must be moved.
The shipping of this transit item and the border customs processing are handled by Saachi, a Deelite subsidiary.
Nevertheless, despite having a section specifically for freight going to the Chad, Deelite encountered difficulties in moving its cargo for a number of reasons:
In order to get inland services from Douala to Chad and handle customs, it had to work with several logistical companies.
Over 60 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) in transit volumes were proving to be too much to handle.
It was difficult to keep enough foreign currency on hand for border payments.
Multiple vendors were contracted to transport goods from the container yard in Chad to the customer’s location. This was ineffective and caused excessive delays.
With only one person handling the documentation for the transportation of all the cargo to Chad, Saachi was understaffed.
The answer
Maersk Cameroon provided the customer with TBL (Through Bill of Lading), an integrated solution that facilitates the transportation of Deelite’s freight through Cameroon and into Chad.
Involved were:
handling the initial phase of customs clearance and paperwork for all cargo arriving in Douala with a destination in Chad.
the movement of transit cargo through land from the port of Douala to the container yard in Chad.
Door-to-door delivery of cargo to the customer’s location from the container yard
How Maersk redirected Deelite’s Chad logistics
As a result, Deelite and Saachi were able to significantly cut costs and lead times thanks to Maersk’s TBL solution.
The journey and processes were optimized, handovers were reduced, and the customer only had to deal with one partner as Maersk’s skilled teams took charge of the majority of the customer’s logistics.
How Maersk redirected Deelite’s Chad logistics
The Maersk operation helped carry the transit cargo in just 21 days, cutting operational costs, whereas regular deliveries would take almost 4 weeks.
With the COVID-19 outbreak posing a threat to pre-Ramadan freight in 2021, Maersk stepped in to make sure that cargo to Chad was delivered in time for festival sales.
Deelite experienced difficulties with cash transfers and obtaining shipping documents on time.
Deelite contracted Maersk Cameroon to handle all of their transit volumes for the year after being satisfied with the TBL solution.
