Apr 16 2021
Finding a reliable overseas agent is like finding a needle in a haystack
The New Silk Road may connect countries, but it does not necessarily connect people. In China, companies seem to find it difficult to find a reliable partner in Europe, and in Europe it is often argued that it is not easy to understand local business rules in China. In an interview with Taihua International Railway Division, a Chinese forwarding company, these issues are further discussed.
“We used to work with a European freight forwarder. When we first got in touch all went well, and the inquiry response was very fast. However, we could net contact them after delivery. Emails were not returned, and nobody followed up with us. Goods incurred a lot of extra costs in Europe. In order to take responsibility, we had to bear the extra losses. What we learnt is that we have to be more careful”, said Will Kong, Executive VP of
T.H.I. Group’s Railway Business Unit, when describing the experience of looking for overseas agents.
T.H.I Railway Business Unit
T.H.I Railway Business Unit is the department responsible for cross-border railway transportation under the listed company T3EX Global Holdings. Since its establishment in 2013, it has established a dense European agency network. It is the main player on the route between Zhengzhou and Europe. At the same time, they have many China-Europe railway lines in Chongqing, Xi’an, Chengdu, Yiwu, Hefei, etc, where they offer mature services.
Moreover, crises like the pandemic and the blockage of the Suez Canal have turned out in their favour. These crises have hit maritime transport hard, which has caused many cargo owners to turn to railway transportation. As a result, the T.H.I Railway Business Unit faces a luxury problem: “Our business volume is getting bigger and bigger. I hope to find more trusted overseas partners to assist in the operation of some existing or additional routes.”
Cultural differences
With the increasing number of companies and parties involved, it is not easy to find reliable agents across tens of thousands of kilometers. There are information barriers and cultural differences between China and Europe. In addition, the pandemic is still causing hurdles to international trade.
When field visits and face-to-face communication are almost non-existing, the only option is online communication. Finding like-minded partners is like finding a needle in a haystack, says the forwarder. And, it doesn’t seem to be something that can be solved easily. Read more
How to find an overseas agent?
“We started with ocean shipping in 1984, followed by air freight in 2000 and rail freight in 2013. We were the first to get on the New Silk Road. Fortunately, we started early and we have a solid resource base in the field of air and ocean shipping as an overseas agent. The resources are abundant, and some of the long-term cooperation partners developed from the warehousing business”, Kong explained.
“When we look for agents, we basically look for members of the WCA Association. They have a good reputation, this is guaranteed.” WAC Association refers to the World Cargo Alliance, which is the largest and most influential network of independent freight forwarders in the world, covering 186 countries. Only companies that meet the strict professional and financial standards within the network can join. In order to ensure the service quality of the members of the alliance, penalties and compensation options are available.
Source: RAILFREIGHT.COM