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When a leading multinational in the extrusion sector approached Avion to assign an important export shipment by sea, it was already a very difficult period. Traffic and commercial operations at all levels were heavily affected by the pandemic.

Specialized in the design and development of aluminium extrusion plants, the company had worked with our company for quite some time, entrusting it with substantial international shipments of export goods from Italy to Turkey and the USA.

However, ordinary international shipping conditions were rapidly changing last autumn, with a great deal of pressure on transport operations and a steady rise in tariffs. The long transit times for deliveries beyond Europe were threatening the customer’s ability to be punctual in the supply of goods.

It was therefore necessary to study an efficient and economically competitive service, despite the global emergency.

The request for the international shipping of heavy loads

In May 2020, with the preparation of goods scheduled for the end of August, the customer instructed us to ship some more machinery and components from Italy for a large extrusion plant in Turkey. Since these were pieces destined for an entire industrial production line, the load was bulky and had a particularly concentrated weight (1 cylinder of 97 tons in 1 case of 591x339x393 cm, 1 extrusion crosspiece of 86 tons in 1 case of 362x306x214 cm, 1 piston of 37 tons in 1 case of 408x179x220 cm).

The solution: multimodal international transport

The transport of the plant components began with numerous truck services coordinated by the Avion land shipping department.

  • The overland shipment of the goods across the border was preceded by a precise analysis of the roadways to the port of embarkation (Venice).
  • The pick-ups were made with technical escorts for exceptional transport.
  • To optimize times, the transports were scheduled during the night.

After loading with self-lifting cranes, the goods continued their journey by sea towards the port of Shanghai, although no reassuring news came from the Chinese side regarding the arrival of the ships.

Thanks to the presence of select Avion brokers, located across Italy, our company was able to conclude the ordinary boarding of the goods, which, up to that moment, had been completely uncertain, given the scarcity of equipment.

Furthermore, the satisfaction of the producer was also secured from an economic point of view, since the offered solution did not affect any previously made agreements.

Whenever it is necessary to come up with an alternative to the pre-established itinerary or an emergency solution, Avion’s international network is ready to cope with unexpected circumstance and urgencies.