Kerry-Apex Thailand Boosts LCL Service to Meet Rising Demand

Kerry-Apex Thailand is expanding its offerings with its new Less-than-Container Load (LCL) service. Responding to shippers’ needs for improved cargo transportation to the US, Kerry-Apex now provides a competitively priced LCL solution with comprehensive value-added services.

Kerry-Apex Thailand, a leading Thai NVOCC operator, has been growing organically in the Transpacific trade sector for over a decade. The company serves the Thai logistics industry with its specialization in resilient connections between Thailand and the US, customs clearance, and other import-export-related services. However, after recognizing local shippers’ shifting needs for LCL services, it saw an opportunity to bolster its offerings in this segment and turn LCL into one of its central business units to accommodate its customers and provide a more complete and effective service overall.

To provide more information about the background and direction of Kerry-Apex Thailand’s LCL Business Unit, Ms. Umawan Vhanviroon, Export Documentation Manager, and Ms. Santana Chumwisut, Senior Customer Service Manager, Kerry-Apex Thailand, explained more about the company’s LCL service, and how it can respond to the needs of customers more adequately than ever before.

Breaking through to a new segment

LCL services help customers who do not have a large quantity of cargo to fill an entire shipping container. By sharing space in a container with other shippers sending cargo to the same destination, the container can be filled and shipped via a liner or service provider’s network, either by sea or land transportation.

Kerry-Apex Thailand’s LCL service offers a shipping route between Thailand’s Laem Chabang Port, the country’s main ocean gateway, and Los Angeles or Long Beach in the US. In addition, the provider offers a weekly direct shipping service with a 3-week lead time to destinations across the US via its drop-off center at ICD Lat Krabang.

“Our customers entrust us to transport LCL cargo to several locations in the States. The service is suitable for shipping sample products, products under trial and development, or cargo that needs to be shipped regularly in a small amount, e.g., electronic parts. These types of cargo are regularly shipped in small quantities so we can offer a reasonable and competitive price,” Ms. Vhanviroon said.

The Competence

As a leading Thai transport service provider with networks connected to the US, Kerry-Apex Thailand built up its LCL service around its core expertise to provide a more comprehensive service to its customers. The new service segment covers both port-to-port and door-to-door types of transport services.

“Typically, customers who want to use our LCL service can drop their cargo at ICD Lat Krabang; then, we will load the cargo into a container and seal the door. The container is then transported to Laem Chabang Port and shipped to the destination ports. However, we can arrange doorstep pickups for anyone who does not have access to a truck. Collecting and consolidating cargo from various locations can also be arranged according to customers’ needs. Once the container arrives in the US, cargo can be distributed to destinations via Kerry Logistics’ Network,” Mr. Chumwisut explained.

Kerry Logistics Network has a network of offices in the US in Burlingame and Los Angeles in California, Chicago in Illinois, Seattle in Washington, Miami in Florida, New York in New York, and Houston in Texas.

Kerry-Apex Thailand also has many auxiliary services, including ocean shipping insurance, fumigation, customs clearance, warehousing, and cargo tracking. Customers who want to use the Online Tracking function can notify the sales representative to have a customer account registered and reap the benefits of the service.

Expertise Leads to Opportunity

Setting aside its solid US network of transport services, Kerry-Apex Thailand is considered one of the leading NVOCC operators in Thailand, specializing in customs clearance procedures and is very knowledgeable in US transport rules and regulations. Moreover, it is adept in US export documentation such as Automated Manifest System (AMS) and Importer Security Filing (ISF 10, 5) for the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

“We have experienced operation and documentation teams who understand how to handle all the red tape,” said Ms. Vhanviroon. “Plus, they know how to handle any unexpected occurrences, so our customers can rest assured that their cargo will arrive without any regulatory problems,” she added.

From June 2022, Kerry-Apex Thailand has been granted an Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) status from the Thai Customs office. The achievement benefits Kerry-Apex’s customers by allowing faster customs clearance procedures both in-bound and out-bound, including prioritized cargo release, even in the event of a disruption in international trade or natural disasters.

“Kerry-Apex Thailand would like to thank our customers for their support that contributed to establishing our LCL Business Unit and keeping us at the front line of Transpacific trade. We look forward to serving you with our quality LCL service and expanding our network coverage. Furthermore, to realize excellent customer satisfaction,

we are working hard to keep a high standard of transportation services, and we will listen carefully to our customers’ changing needs and alter our service accordingly,” Mr. Chumwisut said.

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