National Day Golden Week Holiday in China

During October 1 to 7, most businesses and factories in China will be closed. The week-long holiday in one of the world’s most important economies poses an impact to the international supply chain. Start to prepare now to minimize the possible disruptions.

• What is Golden Week?

Golden Week is a 7-day national holiday in China. Every year the Chinese celebrate the establishment of the People’s Republic of China on October 1. For this occasion, there is a week-long holiday extended from October 1 to October 7. Traditionally, Chinese people used to take the opportunity to travel for leisure and visit their families in other parts of China.

DACHSER in China, like many other businesses, will be closed during the Golden Week and resume normal operations on October 8.

• What will happen during Golden Week?

Most businesses and factories will be closed during the week-long holiday, meaning that production will be at halt. Airports and seaports will keep operating but with reduced manpower due to low production volume from factories. Normally government institutions such as customs offices will be closed from October 1 – 3.

Since China, one of the world’s biggest economies and production countries, will come to a standstill for a whole week and factories may not run at full capacity as soon as the official holiday ends, the plunge of production volume would have an impact on the worldwide supply chain.

• How to minimize the impact of Golden Week?

While we try our best to minimize any possible interruptions to your supply chain, you can also help us by considering the following:

• Communicate with your suppliers and customers to make arrangements for sufficient stock and manage expectations
• Discuss your planning with us and prepare an accurate shipment forecast for long-term planning, so we can offer you the most suitable solution that fits your budget and schedule
• Place your booking earlier and pay attention to the cut-off dates
• For sea freight, it is recommended to book 4-6 weeks before the start of holiday
• For air freight, it is recommended to book 1-2 weeks before the start of holiday

If you have any questions, please get in touch with your usual local DACHSER contact who will be happy to assist and plan the next steps with you together.

Incoterms 2020

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) will soon release the new Incoterms 2020, providing certainty and clarity to businesses trading across borders. The new Incoterms will be effective as of January 1st, 2020.

Every 10 years, the International Chamber of Commerce evaluates and revises the International Commercial Terms, better known as Incoterms, as a means of creating greater uniformity and effectiveness across the shipping industry. The latest version, Incoterms 2010, will stay in effect until January 2020.

What does "Incoterms" stand for?

It is an acronym standing for international commercial terms. Incoterms is a trademark of the International Chamber of Commerce, registered in several countries.

The Incoterms rules feature abbreviations for terms, like FOB (“Free on Board”), DAP (“Delivered at Place”), EXW (“Ex Works”), CIP (“Carriage and Insurance Paid To”), which all have very precise meanings for the sale of goods around the world. These terms hold universal meaning for buyers and sellers around the world.

The main Incoterms changes that are being considered are: 

• The removal of FAS (Free Alongside Ship) as it is being used infrequently;
• Separating FCA (Free Carrier) into two separate Incoterms: one for road delivery and one for maritime delivery;  
• The committee is also considering bringing back the terms FOB (Free on Board) and CIF (Cost, Insurance, Freight), instead of the FCA and CIP (Cost and Insurance Paid to) used for non-container shipments.
• There is also a debate about the creation of a new Incoterms called CNI (Cost and Insurance) to bridge the gap between FCA and CFR/CIF (Cost and Freight/Cost, Insurance, Freight). Currently, FCA includes the cost of international insurance on account of the seller-exporter, while CFR/CIF does not include the cost of freight.
• Lastly, to alleviate questions surrounding the party responsible for paying Customs fees, the ICC will evaluate the creation of 2 Incoterms to replace DDP (Delivered Duty Paid).

Other issues and updates being evaluated during this round include:

• Transportation security
• Regulations on transportation insurance
• Relationship between the Incoterms and the International Sale Contract

We will provide another update once the official Incoterms 2020 rules have been announced by the ICC. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Behind the scene: Gerd and Gerda at Career Forum

Our company’s mascots Gerd and Gerda made their first public appearance in Asia during the Career Forum on November 3 in Hong Kong. The mascots welcomed visitors at the DACHSER booth and brought the whole event to life. “Who are the professionals behind the costumes? How did they find the experience to be Gerd and Gerda,” many visitors wondered? We spoke to Eddie Ng, Sales Manager Air & Sea Logistics Hong Kong and Kelvin Cheung, Controller Air & Sea Logistics Asia Pacific to find out more.

The will to get ahead

If Murat Kayki and his colleague Swapnali Kurale planned to meet in person, that would take time. A lot of time. More than seven hours in the air separate Nîmes in the south of France, where Kayki lives and works, from the Indian metropolis of Mumbai. They may come from different continents and different cultures, yet the two DACHSER employees have a lot in common. Both of them live and work in the city where they were born. It’s 38 years since Kayki came into the world in Nîmes as the son of Turkish immigrants. Today, he is head of DACHSER’s Nîmes and Avignon offices, and, like Kurale in Mumbai, has had quite a remarkable career.

From Head of Sales to Managing Director

Jan-Michael Beyer was appointed as Managing Director Air & Sea Logistics Thailand in April, 2019. Prior to it he was Head of Sales Air & Sea Logistics Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia.

After three months into his new position, we spoke to him about his aspirations and his career development from being a member of the sales team in Germany to becoming the leader for a country organization in Asia.

DACHSER Thailand promotes LCL services during networking event

DACHSER Thailand participated in a networking event in April which was jointly hosted by ten foreign chambers.

DACHSER at transport logistic 2019

At the leading logistics exhibition this year, logistics provider DACHSER will be presenting its portfolio of services at a 600-square-meter booth in Hall B6 from June 4–7 in Munich. As befits our theme of “Optimal Fulfillment Through Integrated Connectivity,” trade show visitors will be able to learn about optimized fulfillment solutions and integrated and digitalized processes at DACHSER.