For several years, Givaudan has been one of the regular clients of Special Cargo Services. This involves preparing shipments of flavorings for air transport from Schiphol. How did this wonderful collaboration come about? Reza Karamat Ali of Givaudan talks about Givaudan’s logistics and the role of Special Cargo in this world of flavorings.
In Naarden is located Givaudan’s Dutch branch, a Swiss manufacturer of fragrances and flavors. The flavorings produced here are semi-finished products intended for beverage manufacturers worldwide. These transports often fall under the international regulations for the transport of dangerous goods.
Safe transports
Reza Karamat Ali is the Coordinator of Transport & Packaging at Givaudan Netherlands. His responsibilities are twofold: as an ADR safety advisor, he ensures that all transports to and from Naarden take place as safely as possible. And he is responsible for the correctness of the invoicing of these transports. “And there are quite a few of them. Every day 7 to 8 truck shuttles head towards Hilversum, to Givaudan’s warehouse. A regular logistics provider of ours handles this. In Hilversum, our employees prepare shipments for transport by road (ADR), by air (IATA), or by sea (IMDG).”
Distribution
A logistics provider then picks up the cargo and transports it to Schiphol or to the port of Rotterdam, for shipment to different continents. Within Europe, distribution mainly takes place by road. “And of course, there are just as many flows in the opposite direction: with raw materials being transported from other parts of the world to Hilversum and Naarden. So, you do the math!”
Master data
Reza spends a lot of time on the computer for his job: he checks everything based on data from Givaudan’s ERP (enterprise resources planning) system. All orders are entered into this system, provided with so-called ‘master data’: the company data of the customer, but also a lot of information about the shipment: the substance data (for example, UN number, hazard class), the quantity, the selected packaging, the chosen modality (ADR, IATA or IMDG), and much more. This way, he can track the shipment from the moment it leaves the factory to its destination. “And the nice thing is: the system is designed in such a way that certain errors are intercepted: if you enter an impossible packaging, you get an error message and cannot continue entering data,” explains Reza.
”If shipments are stopped, they must be returned to the factory and repackaged. That’s complex, expensive, and takes too long for the customer”
Special Cargo in the picture
Givaudan has its shipments transported worldwide by various logistics providers. For air freight, that is DHL. And DHL contracts other parties, such as Special Cargo Services for shipments that go from Schiphol to all other continents. The dangerous goods specialists at Special Cargo ensure that shipments are checked before they go to the air freight handler, Reza explains. “This is how Special Cargo came onto our radar. In the past, there were often ‘stops’ for shipments: they were then stopped at the handler because they did not comply with the (IATA) regulations. Those shipments then had to be returned to our factory and repackaged. That’s complex, expensive, and takes too long for the customer.” He continues: “Since we started collaborating with Special Cargo, we have had far fewer stops. The dangerous goods experts at Special Cargo are, of course, specialized in this work. So, we are very happy with them.”
E-recognition
Special Cargo Services holds the E-recognition status. This means that the company is authorized to act on behalf of another party as the sender and packager of dangerous goods. In Givaudan’s case, this involves checking the transport documents, packaging, and labeling. And if any of these matters do not comply with the (IATA) rules: ensuring that the shipment does become compliant. For example, by transferring a liquid to another jerry can. Special Cargo also handles transport from Givaudan to their location in Oude Meer, and the subsequent transport to Schiphol. This takes place almost daily.
Emergencies
Special Cargo has also become a regular service provider for Givaudan for ’emergencies’, Reza says. “If a shipment of dangerous goods is rejected at Schiphol, we always call on the expertise of Special Cargo. They can always resolve such issues quickly and professionally because they have a location near Schiphol. And of course, because they know exactly what to do.”
Training
Givaudan also hires Special Cargo to train its employees. This mainly concerns training for air and road transport of dangerous goods, Reza explains. “All the people on our transport planning must be IATA certified. As a company, you always have to remain compliant.”
Special Cargo solves it
“We are really very pleased with the services of Special Cargo. They complement our organization in our service to our customers. For them, speed and compliance are crucial. And we can’t handle these issues ourselves as well and as quickly. So, if we have an exceptional case, we just make a call, and Special Cargo Services always solves the problem proactively and quickly,” Reza concludes.
