NEWS

This may be the oddest read this year but sometimes it is important to think about why you call a provider and in my opinion, price should not be the only determinant.

Invariably it is important that a freight forwarder or customs agent secures the best possible deal for his client and to compliment this a provider should be chosen that has the skills needed to handle cargo in the most competent way. We at Price & Speed have facilities on the ports with the appropriate staff to handle any situation whilst endeavouring to keeping you informed every step of the way.

Although it is splendid to grow your business but, I would guard against growing it that large that it is a race to the bottom with rates foregoing the personalised service which this competitive industry demands are a travesty. I hear many complaints of how hard it is to operate and hold their rates without a competitor coming in and undercutting them. Well let me tell you running a container depot is no different because we have the age old problem of running a competitive service with all the escalating costs required to run a large depot whilst keeping a skilled workforce needed to run it efficiently. Having said that we have striven to do the following:

Personnel

believe that the most important thing I have at my depot is my personnel from middle management down to janitors. We have strived to get the best people in the industry with the knowledge of every facet of sea and air freight; ground handling; bond and fumigation; and oversize transport container truck configurations to handle all sorts of cargo from palletised to aircraft. This takes specialised skills to sling and unload cargo correctly whether it is a Lamborghini on an air freight pallet or a 25 tonne coil on a flat rack, they all need the correct handling equipment and personnel to do the job once and do it right. I believe we have that at Price & Speed. This is our greatest asset.

Equipment

I believe P&S has set up its facility to meet every need. These include cool rooms, hardstand, quarantine and bonded licences, logistics services that can transport OOG loads, container hire and sales to assist with container site sheds and reefer cold stores or GP’s to cross dock cargo preventing demurrage charges.We also have wash bays, mechanical workshops to demobilise machines prior to exports and a forklift hire company with a wide range of forklifts from 7 tonne container friendly units through to 50 tonne tine forks for special projects. Yes, we are not just a container depot company.

We also own a Media company with several Out of Home digital billboards throughout Sydney Metro which displays ads to over two million sets of eyes a week. These billboards can be used by freight forwarders or customs agents for expansive exposure.

This diversity gives you the client a one-stop-shop which in turn gives your clients the importer or exporter a service level that you will receive from none other. Furthermore, you can go home knowing that P&S is open 24 hours, seven days a week and if you need to call us at midnight, we will pick up the phone. No other depot can offer this range of services.

Experience

Experience is not something you can buy it is earned through participation and understanding. I have been in the freight forwarding space since I left school in in 1978. My first job was with Grace Air International a small customs agency where I was a house clerk running into town clearing Bills of Lading with shipping companies and lodging entries the old way. I was a regular at Customs House opposite the Pan Am building at Qantas Drive lodging air freight. My boss was Paul Pomroy whom many of you know from Asean cargo. I learnt a great deal from Paul over the years when we took over the Wako Express Agency which brought me into freight forwarding. So, I have first-hand knowledge on what freight forwarders and customs agents expect from a depot as I have been there, and I have instilled this onto my crew at P&S.

Timelines

As you may know we are very active in fresh produce and fresh flowers. There is no greater sense of urgency than in this business and if you can get it right it brings a whole new dimension on what you can achieve in under 3 hours whether it is an import or export. We have worked hard to achieve this and the multitude of procedures that need to be done correctly first time round has flowed on to all the other procedures in both air freight, sea freight and ground handling. Every shipment gets the same level of care. I try to inspire this in my staff and I firmly believe they are up to the task.

Mistakes

If you think for one minute you can run a business without making them, you are sadly mistaken. Miscommunication in an industry that relies on communication can occur. When it does happen the mark of a good business is to fix it and come up with a procedure to ensure it does not recur. We are not perfect but when we make a mistake we come back with answers and solutions.

In closing you are probably wondering why I have taken this time to talk to you about our company. At sixty I have taken the time to look at what the Price & Speed group has achieved. The group could not have done this without key personnel, and I am very proud of what I see today. This does not happen overnight. This has taken us in excess of forty years to build this company and to get it right and we are still learning every day with the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment assisting us.

Thus, the next time you need a quote or deciding which ground handler to use, take into account that there is one company that is fiercely proud of being wholly Australian owned and which takes pride in all it does. We will treat you as family and will endeavour to provide you with an exceptional service.

Thank you for your time in reading this,

Kevin Malouf

Managing Director

On your next quote who are you going to call?