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Golden Week 2023 in China

During September 29 and October 06, most business 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 or 8-day national holiday in China. Every year the Chinese celebrate the establishment of the People’s Republic of China on October 01. This year, Mid-Autumn Festival falls on September 29 and will combine with National Day Golden Week for a long, 8-day holiday from September 29 to October 06. 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 7.

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 01 – 03.
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 to 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.

DACHSER South Africa expands coastal cross-docking facilities

Cross-docking, where inbound cargo is unloaded from an incoming container, sorted and then loaded directly to outbound carriers, is an important logistics strategy that keeps supply chains moving in a productive, effective manner.  Logistics leader, DACHSER South Africa, has recently expanded its Durban operations to a new 3600sqm warehouse in Pinetown, Durban.

“The new off-loading and loading bays have increased our capacity to handle a number of containers at a time, enabling us to offer excellent turn-around times,” says Detlev Duve, DACHSER South Africa, Managing Director,  “The facility provides a dedicated central site for products to be sorted for delivery to multiple destinations in the most productive way, saving costs. Ultimately, our customers benefit from a more efficient supply chain.”

Deidre Smith, DACHSER Sea Freight Imports Manager,  says, “We’re able to consolidate shipments, or even break down larger shipments into smaller loads, for easier delivery. Storage and handling costs can be reduced as products spend less time in the warehouse. Cargo also typically reaches its final destination faster, giving our customers a competitive edge.”

Further to a spacious, well-equipped warehouse, Smith says that experienced staff and effective planning are the foundations of a successful operation. “Skilled staff are vital to the operation and management  of the warehouse.  From expert inventory control using Warehouse Management Systems,  through to our material handling equipment operators and cargo handling teams, we ensure that all our staff are well-trained and clear on the different goods and requirements of our customers.”

Smith explains that the goods that are most conducive to cross-docking are those that are in steady demand, usually higher volume, fast-moving products scheduled in regular dispatches to pre-planned destinations. DACHSER also has the experience to handle large or complex items. “Of course, the preferred cargo to handle is stackable, palletised cargo that fits neatly into racks can be easily transported, but we’ve become experts in handling the odd and awkward cargo too.  Taking care of customers cargo and avoiding damages is our top priority, and our Durban handling team has the experience to load the trucks safely and correctly.  We also ensure that the appropriate handling equipment is available when off-loading a container and manoeuvring the cargo around the warehouse.”  

The DACHSER team handles both Pre-Distribution, where goods are unloaded and despatched according to set distribution instructions, and Post-Distribution processes, usually for retailers, which entails flexible picking and packing according to demand, based on in-store inventory, sales forecasts and trends.
Duve says it is also essential to partner with reputable transporters that offer a regular and reliable service to move the goods from warehouse to customer door.    

“With all the right foundations in place, cross-docking has become part of the seamless supply chain solution DACHSER South Africa offers to our customers, which further includes contract logistics, value-added warehousing, customs clearance and customs warehousing services,” says Duve.

About DACHSER:

A family-owned company headquartered in Kempten, Germany, DACHSER is a leading supplier of logistics services worldwide.

DACHSER offers comprehensive transport logistics, warehousing, and customer-specific services in two business fields: DACHSER Air & Sea Logistics and DACHSER Road Logistics. The latter consists of two business lines: DACHSER European Logistics and DACHSER Food Logistics. Comprehensive contract-logistics services and industry-specific solutions round out the company’s offerings. A seamless shipping network—both in Europe and overseas—and fully integrated IT systems ensure intelligent logistics solutions worldwide.

Thanks to some 30,995 employees at 393 locations all over the globe, DACHSER generated revenue of 5.66 billion euros in 2019. That same year, the logistics provider handled a total of 80.6 million shipments weighing 41. million metric tons. Country organizations represent DACHSER in 44 countries.

DACHSER secures long-term air freight capacity

DACHSER Air & Sea Logistics is extending its charter program on the route between Shanghai and Frankfurt to cover the period from May 2022 to April 2024. This enables the logistics provider to continue to offer its customers reliable transport capacity. DACHSER flies a widebody aircraft between Asia and Europe two days a week, transporting 33 metric tons at a time.

DACHSER’s charter program offers the company’s air freight customers additional capacity they can rely on in their planning—especially now that the trade lanes between Asia and Europe have been hit hard by the lockdown in Shanghai as well as the war in Ukraine and the accompanying sanctions. “Our customers’ demand for charter capacity remains as high as ever,” says Timo Stroh, Head of Global Air Freight at DACHSER. “That’s why we’ve created our own transport network with regular connections between Asia, Europe, and North America: to be able to offer flexible solutions here.”

An option in challenging times

Air freight is also feeling the effects that the current situation is having on the world markets. While capacity was already in short supply before the pandemic, the situation has deteriorated significantly in recent months. The closure of airspace due to the war in Ukraine makes flights about two and a half hours longer. This means they need to carry more fuel, the cost of which has gone up and the weight of which reduces the possible cargo load.

“Operating our own charter connections opens up options for capacity and gives us a degree of independence in terms of handling,” Stroh says. DACHSER’s air freight network is also closely linked to its European overland transport network, so customers benefit from end-to-end transportation of their air freight shipments between Europe and Asia. “Even in these turbulent economic times, we stand by our own charters, ensuring predictable transport capacity for our customers.”