The pandemic severely affected the economy, and the automotive and pharmaceutical industries were among the most affected since the beginning. Manufacturers, suppliers, but also carriers and logistics companies specialized in this field had to adapt their services to the new needs arising from emergencies in these sectors of activity.
The production industries faced a significant risk due to the disruption of global supply chains and led to significant revenue losses, which negatively affected the world economy. In the pandemic, after a short period in which the industries could no longer continue their activity, there was an increase, estimated by GEFCO specialists, of over 50% in the special and Time Critical transport segment, in all business sectors, with a focus on the medical and pharmaceutical one.
Although before the pandemic the automotive companies reduced their planned annual quotas for Time Critical services, now, in the context of the semiconductor crisis and not only, led back to a more serious budgeting. Time Critical shipments can be: planned, with “just in time” delivery on fixed, regular routes, with delivery on time or adapted to unforeseen situations, which can affect the commercial chain, and TCS services are needed until the normal flow of the supply chain is restored. Such unforeseen situations can be: failure to deliver the raw material on time, technical problems of the production chain (equipment that may fail), quality problems, sudden increase in the volume of orders, etc. In the industries served by GEFCO, the failure to deliver components or raw materials on time results has losses of between 3000 Euros and 15,000 euros / hour due to rescheduling or production interruption.
“There is a misconception that special services and TCS have inaccessible prices. Of course, we are talking about a difference between a standard and a special service, but this difference comes from the different planning for each of the two solutions. In an increasingly dynamic economy, where the quick response, speed of production, and speed of delivery make the difference between TCS – special, customized solutions – and standard solutions, using a premium transportation service allows companies to provide products or services with added value to their customers. At GEFCO Romania, we operate around 6,000 Time Critical road and air transports per year with global coverage. ” said Iulia ZEVEDEI, Time Critical / Air, Sea & Rail Manager.
Crisis situations are inevitable and put pressure on the entire mechanism of production and marketing, depleting customer resources. TCS experts come to the aid of customers with the most suitable solutions and carry out complex operations that require rapid organization, various means of transport, cross-docks, customs formalities, and access to difficult / isolated / restricted geographical areas, change of plan during transport (transshipments, deliveries to the nearest airports to change the type of transport from road to air).
Currently, there is a return to pre-pandemic transport volumes, driven by both increased customer demand and the geopolitical context. As the number of deliveries increases, so does the demand for TCS solutions. GEFCO offers both the means of transport and the complex mechanism represented by the GEFCO Special / TCS network throughout Europe, together with all the fleets that are available and the know-how acquired over the years of experience. In order to be able to respond to customer needs, GEFCO together with its partners manages to bring innovative solutions to the Romanian market, regardless of the type of transport.
