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Planzer Synergistics and DB Schenker (Schweiz) take flight with medical protective equipment

From Daniel Diaz · Wednesday February 10 2021

The charter business is a rarity in Switzerland. But because extraordinary times call for extraordinary solutions, Planzer Synergistics and Schenker Schweiz AG teamed up to charter two passenger planes from China to Zurich – packed to the brim with medical hygiene supplies.

Flying freight into the country is both complicated and expensive. The charter business therefore tends to be the preserve of major airports and international airlines, multinational shippers and operators of cargo and private jets. Moreover, air freight capacities have declined massively due to COVID-19 and the slump in passenger air traffic. And with China set to celebrate Chinese New Year, most services are temporarily unavailable.

Big job on a tight schedule

That exceptional circumstances lead to top performance was impressively demonstrated by independent Swiss fourth-party logistics provider (4PL) Planzer Synergistics. The logistics provider was brought in by a company to transport an extensive order of medical hygiene and protective equipment supplies from China to Switzerland as quickly as possible for its customers. In perfect 4PL fashion, Planzer Synergistics got straight to work and brought in DB Schenker (Schweiz), an international shipping company and specialist in the charter business.

Custom full-charter solution

For urgent orders of this type, air freight is the only option. To fly such considerable quantities of medical protective supplies into Switzerland in such a short timeframe and meet the pre-arranged delivery deadlines, Schenker Schweiz AG arranged a full-charter shuttle on behalf of Planzer Synergistics. The plan involved two Airbus A340-300 passenger planes with their seats removed. DB Schenker (Schweiz) handled all the technical conditions for the transport, including booking the charter and flight plans for the two passenger planes.  

37 tonnes of hygiene products

The two planes took off from Guangzhou airport in China and carried the invaluable cargo to Switzerland in the cargo hold and passenger compartment. One day later, some 370 cubic metres of hygiene products, amounting to over 3,000 packages and over 37 tonnes in total, landed at Zurich Kloten.

Red tape not a hurdle

In the highly complex charter business, speed and flexibility are crucial, as can be seen in this example of the vicissitudes of dealing with China’s bureaucracy: just a few days before the first shuttle was set to embark on its journey, the Chinese aviation authority introduced a new form. This was immediately added to the documents that would be required to obtain a takeoff slot at the authorised airport. In other words: if the form had been incomplete or not submitted at all, the charter flights would presumably never have taken off at all – even though the exorbitant charter fees had long since been paid and the delivery deadlines in Switzerland were contractually binding.

A pleasant flight for one and all

This success story rested on the smooth collaboration between Planzer Synergistics and 4PL partners like DB Schenker (Schweiz), but also the well-executed combination of logistical intelligence, new technologies and the experience of experts.

‘As a neutral 4PL provider, we get the very best out of the market for our customers. Thanks to our network, we can not only do airport-to-airport, but also door-to-door – around the clock and around the world,’

says Michael Stoll, Managing Director of Planzer Synergistics.

In this specific case, he and his team unlocked time-critical supply chain synergies for the start-up and its customers and thereby made a valuable contribution to healthcare in Switzerland.

Planzer Synergistics Geschichte

Author

Daniel Diaz

Published for Planzer Synergistics on Wednesday, February 10 2021

Direct contact

Planzer Synergistics AG
Switzerland

+41 44 344 11 55
info@synergistics.ch

Partner Link

DB Schenker AG (Schweiz)

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