In evaluating shipping challenges in 2022 including the ebb and flow of the supply chain, PrimeAir is constantly evaluating how to assist its customers in doing business more efficiently. That’s why I am excited to share with you that we have launched a new onboard courier service – a ‘hand-carry’ resource – to assist local freight forwarders in Colombia and Ecuador.
This premium business service will help freight forwarders get their time-critical shipments where they need to go quickly and with a personal touch – quite literally. While this onboard courier (OBC) service is a commonly used option in Europe and the U.S., it’s a fairly new concept for some small and mid-sized freight forwarders in other parts of the globe including many regions of South America.
What’s making this possible is an agreement we entered earlier this year with Time Critical Solutions Worldwide (TSC Worldwide), a privately owned, independent Dutch company, based at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. So, we are now offering freight forwarders the onboard courier or “hand carry” services to/from Colombia and Ecuador.
Typically, automotive, transportation, pharmaceutical, oil, and manufacturing businesses may – from time to time – face a broken machine that will cause major production delays at a very high cost. Getting the right spare part to where it needs to go is critical.
PrimeAir, which can now tap into “ready to go” couriers in the U.S., the Netherlands, China, and elsewhere, expects the hand-carry option to be useful for transporting all kinds of spare parts, medical samples and other items into and out of both Colombia and Ecuador.
It doesn’t matter if the final client is an importer or exporter, the onboard courier service will solve the problem in the fastest way possible. It’s important to look at the “big picture” when considering the typically higher cost of the hand-carry service, versus normal shipping options.
Bottom line? We believe this new onboard courier service may be the most cost-effective option for freight forwarders to suggest to their clients in certain circumstances. For example, when the spare part being shipped is desperately needed to fix manufacturing machinery, the time saved in the end – by getting production back up more quickly – will more than make up for the onboard courier service price.
Or, when an airplane is parked on the ground day after day because it needs repairs, that’s a financial drain too. It’s not always about shipping an entire engine – sometimes, it’s about just one specific small component that can fit inside a suitcase, to travel speedily with a logistics courier service, thus getting the plane back in the air quicker.
At times, the decision to use a hand-carry service is also about more than cost. It’s about the value of human life. In a medical setting, if a highly sophisticated MRI unit goes down because it needs a key component replacement, that could impede a prompt life-saving medical diagnosis. Quicker transport via an onboard courier service could get the MRI back in service to help save lives.
In general, with the new service, PrimeAir – using TSC Worldwide’s courier – accepts carry-on, checked in and excess baggage including DGR (dangerous goods) and temperature-controlled items in accordance with airline guidelines.
Our PrimeAir team on the ground is always available to talk with any freight forwarders about this new logistics courier service and how it could help your business. In essence, PrimeAir is TCS Worldwide’s agent on the ground in Ecuador and Colombia, with a liaison office in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Again, the goal, is to provide more options for freight forwarders – helping them to serve their clients during the ebb and flow of 2022 and beyond. For more information or to set up a shipment, contact us via email at ecuador@tcs-worldwide.com or colombia@tcs-worldwide.com.
Roger Paredes
CEO Prime Group