Japan: a. hartrodt expands its own LCL network
Weekly LCL containers by direct service from Hamburg to Tokyo and Yokohama.
Due to growing demand for cost-effective less than container load (LCL) services, a. hartrodt is expanding its offering. Since the beginning of November 2023, there has once again been a dedicated Germany-Japan consolidation service with weekly, direct services. The transit time between Hamburg and the LCL hub Tokyo is 39 days, to Yokohama 41 days. "Our new consolidated container service addresses customers with general cargo to Japan," says Laura Meyn, Manager Sea Service Center at a. hartrodt in Hamburg. She particularly emphasizes "very attractive, market-driven rates" and "above-average service".
Transit via Busan to Osaka, Kobe and Nagoya
"The volume registered for the direct LCL container to Japan is steadily increasing," reports the manager. In addition, a. hartrodt serves the ports of Osaka and Kobe within 49 days in transit. "We load the goods into our consolidated container to Busan," she explains. The freight is also loaded from the South Korean hub to Nagoya, the production and goods center of the Japanese automotive and mechanical engineering industry.
Door-to-door deliveries and full-service solutions in Japan
With fixed contact persons, a. hartrodt Japan also offers on-site services from a single source. These include door-to-door deliveries with customs clearance as well as full-service solutions. " We work with long-standing and experienced partner warehouses for this," says Paolo Mazziotti di Celso, Managing Director at a. hartrodt Japan in Tokyo. The national company, which also has an office in Osaka, was founded in 1983 and has 25 employees. Depending on the Incoterms, a. hartrodt Japan also arranges local activities such as import clearance or nationwide local transportation. Driver shortages make it "sometimes difficult" to arrange the service quickly and at competitive rates. Nevertheless, the team always endeavors to find a good and reasonably priced solution.
Meanwhile, a. hartrodt's Sea Service Center is focused on increasing the volume of consolidated containers. "We are optimizing our own products and expanding them further and further," says Laura Meyn. Additional direct LCL services to other destinations are planned.