Career
The transport and logistics industry is one of the spheres where the ability to quickly and calmly adjust to the changes and find a solution even in a stalemate situation is not just an important, but a key business attribute.
The Client shifted the project deadlines and the transportation should begin tomorrow or even yesterday? Experts from the AsstrA-Associated Traffic AG group of companies are well familiar with this kind od situations. Nikolay Krokun, Head of AsstrA Automotive Logistics Division, explains on the example of a particular implemented project how to respond to urgent requests and successfully perform even the most complex orders.
Our Client, the European retailer of crane equipment, gave us 5 days to prepare for the transportation. It was necessary to deliver a tower crane from Belarus to Austria and Germany. As the crane was more than 70 meters high and the weight was more than 50 tons (note: the crane is intended for construction of high-rise buildings in city areas with difficult access), there were two options: to organize the oversized transportation or dismantle the crane into regular parts.
Which option was chosen and approved by the Client?
We had no time for planning, so the standard delivery option was chosen. The crane was dismantled into 11 parts, and accordingly it was necessary to quickly find 11 trucks, 9 going to Austria and 2 to Germany. Despite the fact that Austria is not the most popular destination, AsstrA team managed to quickly find the necessary number of lorries. The main difficulty was to draw up a clear schedule of transport to the place of loading.
A crane was also needed for loading of all the dismantled parts. The continued rental of the equipment could entail additional expenses for the Client. In addition, there were restrictions in daily loading and clearance possibilities - no more than 3 or 4 cars. Therefore, the main task for us was to draw up a clear schedule for contractors and organize an uninterrupted process of loading. Within several days rectangular long parts of the crane were quickly loaded in tent trucks and secured for safety reasons.
How the legal support of the project looked like?
The sender drown up the re-export procedure for the return of customs payments. In other words, the crane was imported under certain obligations and was exported in the same way. Competent planning of the customs clearance allowed to avoid the convoy escort. From practice, you can say that this would slow the transportation process down.
The whole transportation process went off without a hitch?
Almost. At the weekend, when the first trucks arrived at the border, it turned out that the sender issued 3 trucks in one export declaration. We realized that when the customs officer by oversight closed the declaration on the first car that arrived at the border, while the other two were still moving on the territory of Belarus. Thanks to our specialists` experience and the ability to find solutions in force majeure situations, we managed to resolve the problem. All subsequent trucks passed the border in the normal mode, and the goods were delivered on time, safe and sound. We treat such “surprises” calmly and are always ready to offer our ideas to the Client in order to resolve the complex issue as soon as possible.
