DAVIES Turner’s Express China Rail Service set record transit times on their weekly rail import service for LCL cargoes from China.
Head of supply chain services for Davies Turner Tony Cole said that while Storm Gareth recently caused port closures and delays to ocean freight transit, the Davies Turner Express China Rail ran smoothly and even delivered shipment days ahead of schedule.
“Last week, our consol box arrived and was unpacked after just 19 days, which was a record time,” Mr Cole said. “The scheduled transit time from the Wuhan rail hub to our Dartford depot is 22 to 24 days.”
Chairman of Davies Turner Philip Stephenson said, “The record transit time achieved by our overland rail service, when ocean freight shipments were being delayed by inclement weather, showed another advantage of rail over ocean freight.”
According to Mr Cole, since the weekly consol service in Wuhan commenced in November 2018, the efficiency of the service has increased bookings by 195%.
The route of the Express China Rail Service begins in Wuhan, carries containers by rail to Duisburg, Germany and transports the containers via truck to the Port of Rotterdam, where they are ferried to Purfleet, near Dartford. Dartford is the location of Davies Turner’s distribution centre.
“The more direct method of moving the container from Wuhan to the UK that we introduced in November last year enabled us to offer lower rates to the market, and reduced the possibility of delays, as well as strengthened security. The upgrade is already paying dividends,” Mr Cole said.
