Removing roadblocks in resin deliveries

Engee PET Manufacturing Company Nigeria is a leading manufacturer of high-quality food-grade PET resin in West Africa. The plant has a production capacity of around 150,000 tons per annum.

In 2021, the company needed to transport resin products of nearly 250 twenty-foot equivalents (TEUs) from Jiaxing, China, to its factory in Igbesa, Nigeria. Once the cargo arrives at the Apapa port in Nigeria, it is imperative that customs clearance and inland trucking to the factory are swift. Any hold-ups would lead to delays in production and a consequent loss of business to the competition. In an intensely competitive market, any fall in market share would be difficult to regain.

Navigating poor road conditions with reliable logistics

Engee initially relied on a third-party agent for customs applications, but limited expertise in fast-track licence documentation caused delays, higher overheads, and challenges in recovering security deposits. The company also faced a complex multi-modal transport journey within Nigeria, requiring seamless coordination between trucks, barges, and ports to move cargo from Apapa to its factory in Igbesa. With poor road conditions increasing the risk of damage, Engee needed a reliable logistics partner capable of managing end-to-end transportation efficiently while also providing transit insurance to safeguard its goods.

Building a smarter inland path for on-time deliveries

To improve visibility, the Maersk team provided regular cargo updates and served as a single point of contact, while in-house experts managed customs documentation seamlessly through the Nigeria customs portal. After clearance, cargo was moved to an Integrated Container Depot, helping the customer avoid detention and demurrage charges and secure a waiver on storage fees. For inland transport, Maersk designed a tailored multi-modal solution, using multiple barges to bypass congested roads and moving 10-12 containerised trucks daily from the jetty to the warehouse in Igbesa.

Taking the shortest inland route to deliver excellence

Both customs clearance and inland transport were achieved in 14 days – 50% faster than the normal delivery timelines of 25 to 35 days. Our strategy of bundling customs services with inland transport solutions ensured the cargo moved seamlessly and reached its destination ahead of time. Meticulous coordination between the execution, vendor management and leadership teams helped achieve the requirements of the customer, who was happy with the speed and care with which the operation was carried out.