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When it comes to exporting and importing goods, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular face certain challenges. There are many questions at the heart of this: What should a company pay particular attention to? How can a company recognize good logistics providers? And who actually makes sure that goods arrive safely? Tobias Brandt, COO of NOSTA Sea & Air GmbH, provides the answers.
Exporting and importing, especially to countries outside the European Union, has become increasingly important for small and medium-sized companies in a globalized world. "At the same time, company structures are not always set up to meet these international challenges. That's why the demand for tailor-made solutions is very high," Tobias Brandt has observed.
For these tailor-made solutions, SMEs should ask their logistics providers questions. "Who has control over the transportation process?" is a particularly important question for Tobias Brandt. In the air freight sector, this starts with the consolidation of the packages. "If, for example, a logistics provider prepares the so-called " plates" or containers for the aircraft themselves, they are always close to the freight and can make it available much more quickly after arrival in the destination country," explains Brandt.
The next important question: what must a logistics provider's infrastructure be able to do? The example of the NOSTA Group provides a good answer here: "In the case of goods traffic between Europe and the USA, we deliberately operate our own warehouses on both sides of the Atlantic and have specialists on site who can provide professional advice. This combination enables particularly fast and smooth processing," reports Tobias Brandt.
Consulting at eye level can be a unique selling point of a good logistics provider and is important for efficient collaboration. But how do companies recognize this advice? "It's a good sign if the logistics provider repeatedly provides information about the steps taken throughout the entire transport process," says Tobias Brandt. In this way, potential roadblocks can be avoided at an early stage and the process can be accelerated together.
However, an ideal logistics provider not only offers customers comprehensive advice and an efficient infrastructure. They should also take a close look at transport safety. The NOSTA Group's logistics professionals understand the term to be a two-part issue: " Of course, on the one hand it means that the goods are free of damage. But just as important is the question of time security," explains Brandt.
Even if the goods are transported over several thousand kilometers on different modes of transport, nothing is allowed to be damaged. "SMEs should therefore receive regular updates on the status of the transport from their logistics providers and also be able to demand a high level of transport security from them," says Brandt.
And then there is time security, which is particularly important for global supply chains. This is where the efficient infrastructure comes into play again: "With its own warehouses, customs specialists and a first-class network on both sides of the Atlantic, a logistics provider can adapt the time sequences precisely to the customer," explains Brandt. This ultimately leads to punctual and reliable transport processes.
The NOSTA Group also follows this approach. The company even goes so far as to guarantee transit times for sea freight. With success: "Even in 2023 and 2022, when the transport routes in the US were particularly difficult, we were able to keep our promises thanks to reliable partners," says Brandt happily.
As a logistics provider, it is important to show the greatest possible flexibility and reliability at the same time. "Thanks to the high level of planning security, we could enable customers to avoid air freight, which was very expensive at the time. Instead, the goods were loaded by sea as groupage freight," explains Brandt. This reduced costs considerably.
SMEs can benefit greatly from participating in the international market. If they rely on the comprehensive expertise of experienced logistics experts, many obstacles can be identified and eliminated in advance. Solutions such as the NOSTA Greater Midwest Service for exports and imports to and from the United States are an example of a one-stop transport solution that is precisely tailored to the needs of SMEs.
