Reimagining end-to-end solutions to emerge on top during a crisis

The customer

The customer is one of the world’s largest retailers, with over 11,500 stores across 27 countries. They employ more than 2.2 million associates around the world - 1.5 million of those in the US alone. The Covid-19 situation required them to transport personal protective equipment (PPE) urgently without damaging the quality of the cargo.

The challenge

The customer had to export PPE cargo from China to the US market quickly. The lead time of the order had to be substantially shortened to meet growing demand during the pandemic. The customer had to establish new processes to move their cargo. However, due to the volatile changes in PPE trade rules from local authorities, they struggled to make fast decisions. The customer was also exposed to compliance risks from working with less experienced logistics suppliers.

The Maersk solution

Maersk’s local logistics experts proactively coordinated with local authorities to provide the customer with the latest updates on regulations and suggested the best solutions. With our comprehensive logistics capability, including ocean, air, Supply Chain Management, CHB, and trucking, we executed the transportation and documentation of PPE cargo under low costs and high compliance standards. Maersk also collaborated with multi-tier suppliers and stakeholders to provide the customer with smooth payment, delivery, and customs processes.

The result

With our Supply Chain Management solution, the customer could manage the situation and deliver the required cargo on time. We provided the customer with some significant advantages

• The lead time on emergent PPE shipments was reduced to 30+ days from 90+ days on regular cargo.
• We offered solutions with a bundle of Maersk products that were able to provide the customer with tangible logistics savings.
• The customer experienced zero compliance issues from shipments at both origin and destination.