Panalpina expands exclusive LCL ocean freight offering

Less than Container Load (LCL) services are an important tool for shippers to optimize their international supply chains. Therefore, expanding and improving the global LCL network remains a key priority for Panalpina. Panalpina’s latest LCL offering now includes four sailings per week from Shanghai to Singapore, an industry first, and two new exclusive services from Egypt to Singapore and from India to Switzerland via Italy.

The latest additions to the global LCL network provide Panalpina’s customers with more options to transport their goods efficiently throughout the world. The Shanghai to Singapore route has increased in frequency and is now available four times a week, while Egypt to Singapore and India to Switzerland via Italy run once per week. “We want to make it easier for our customers to do business globally. These solutions are unique to Panalpina and they showcase how we constantly upgrade our LCL network,” says Clas Thorell, global head of Ocean Freight LCL at Panalpina.

The Shanghai to Singapore service is geared towards the technology industry. Because of short lead times of just seven days from port to port, and the unparalleled high frequency, this service provides a strong alternative to air freight.

The launch of a weekly service from Alexandria, Egypt to Singaporefollows Panalpina’s acquisition in 2015 of its former agent Afifi in Egypt. This service connects Panalpina’s local and international customers in Egypt to the company’s LCL network via the Singapore hub, thereby opening up markets in Asia and beyond.

The third exclusive LCL offering recently launched by Panalpina, consists of a weekly service from Nhava Sheva, India to Basel via Italy. It is the only direct service to Switzerland in the market that enters Europe through a southern port. Traditionally, LCL shipments from the west coast of India to Switzerland are routed through the ports of the Hamburg-Antwerp range, but with this new service, consolidated containers move from the Port of La Spezia in Italy by railway to Basel. As a result, transit time is reduced by ten days, which is particularly interesting for Panalpina’s Swiss customers in retail and fashion, but also for customers in the technology, machinery and other sectors.

“The journey between container freight stations now takes 22 instead of 32 days. That is simply not possible when entering Europe through one of the northern ports. Depending on the cargo, the new southern route may also prove to be a cost-effective alternative to air freight,” explains Thorell. There are environmental benefits too. The new route cuts the final European ocean leg, which reduces total CO₂ emissions by up to 27%.

Panalpina continuously expands and optimizes its global LCL network, and in 2015, 20 additional services, focused on Intra Asia, Asia to US and Latin America to Europe were launched. Panalpina today offers approximately 500 LCL services in total.

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Notes to the editor:

Optimized logistics spend, more flexibility, reliability and improved supply chain

Panalpina is one of the world’s leading LCL service providers. LCL offers the possibility of consolidating multiple consignments from multiple customers in one Full Container Load (FCL). Customers can ship low volumes without having the cost commitments of a full container. Hence, LCL gives customers with lower volume shipments access to the economies of scale in ocean freight that are normally restricted to full container movements. Panalpina’s global LCL network consists of numerous direct LCL services and strategically located hubs. Customers benefit from an optimized logistics spend, more flexibility and seamless door-to-door services with the highest level of schedule integrity and reliability in transit times.