TNT Express has launched a portfolio of freight services for time-sensitive heavy shipments inSoutheast Asia as part of its €100 million investment in the region.
Available as of yesterday, the three bespoke services – Express Freight, Economy Freight andFreight Plus – will offer customers a door-to-door, day-definite delivery service based onspecified transit times schedules, fast tracked customs clearance and full track and tracevisibility, TNT announced. The three services will be available in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailandand Indonesia with immediate effect, with other markets implementing selected services by the endof the third quarter of 2008.
The Express Freight service offers fast door-to-door delivery of freight shipments up to500kg before the end of business on the next or earliest possible business day. The service coversexports to and imports from more than 200 countries worldwide. The Economy Freight product provideseconomical, day-definite (2-5 working days), door-to-door delivery for less urgent freight of up to1,500kg to more than 200 countries worldwide. The Freight Plus service covers freight shipmentsthat require special handling and customised delivery options, with no size or weight limits,delivery to airport or door, and choice of road and air transport.
The move forms part of the company’s €100 million investment over the next five years tobuild a leadership position in the region, a strategy which it announced in April this year. Thislaunch is also the first in a series of initiatives to further expand TNT’s network capabilities inAsia, leveraging on the seamless connectivity offered by its extensive road and air networks. Thesenetworks provide customers with the widest range of multimodal freight services between SoutheastAsia and Europe, China and Europe and within Southeast Asia.
Onno Boots, regional managing director, TNT Southeast Asia said: “With over 18 years ofexperience in Asia, we have built a freight service that is fast, reliable and cost effective.Compared to traditional freight forwarding, our upfront all-inclusive pricing together with ourlimited administrative requirements provide customers with greater transparency and increasedcontrol over their time-sensitive export and import shipments.”
Based on studies undertaken of regional market needs, TNT expects the take-up rate of theseservices to be high. The large demand for TNT’s freight services is mainly driven by customers inthe high-tech, equipment and machinery and healthcare sectors that are increasingly moving largevolumes of high-value goods between Southeast Asia, China and Europe. Through its global customerbase in these sectors, TNT has developed extensive sector knowledge which can now be leveraged inSoutheast Asia. Correspondingly, TNT’s freight services are set to be a main business driver forthe company over the next five years.
“When it comes to moving freight around the world, TNT’s competitive advantage lies in ourability to act as a one-stop-shop with solutions to meet all requirements, regardless of what ourcustomers are shipping. With TNT’s streamlined global operations, customers also enjoy the sameexpedited, high level of service around the clock in every country,” Boots said.
TNT said that with the biggest air and road express delivery infrastructure in Europe, itsextensive China network, and the recent re-routing of its thrice weekly B747-400 freighter flightsbetween Singapore, Shanghai and Europe, it can offer unrivalled connectivity between SoutheastAsia, China and European air and road networks.
