Beijing is the second most populous city in China, after Shanghai. It serves as the country’s largest political, educational, and cultural center. Important railway lines and highways intersect here. Table 1 provides the basic economic indicators for Beijing for the years 2006–2008.
Between 2003 and 2007, the level of investment by foreign enterprises increased from 147 million USD in 2003 to 566 million USD in 2007, which demonstrates the enormous interest in the Beijing market.
Regarding infrastructure, Beijing is currently surrounded by five ring roads and nine expressways (six are under construction), connecting the city with other regions of China. Beijing is also an important railway hub (China National Railway). International railway lines also pass through the city (including Moscow [Russia] – Pyongyang [North Korea]). A railway line to Kowloon in Hong Kong also originates here.
Beijing has an international airport (Beijing Capital International Airport – BCIA), which handles almost all international and domestic arrivals to and departures from the city. It is also China’s main airport. The city center is connected to the airport by an expressway. Beijing Capital International Airport handles both passenger and cargo traffic. Data regarding this traffic in the years 2007–2008 (broken down by month) are presented in Figures 1 and 2.
Schenker BITCC Logistic was established in 2003 as a joint venture with the Beijing International Technology Cooperation Center. In addition to a license for international freight forwarding and transport in China, the company also received a concession for customs clearance, operating a customs warehouse, and providing road and air transport services. Schenker provides transport and logistics services without additional subcontracted parties.
The main goal of BITCC is to maintain an upward trend in economic integration and internationalization. The enterprise is constantly expanding its scope of operations and cooperation with various companies. It implements its policy through long-term partnerships and strategic cooperation with international enterprises (Siemens China, JVC Company Japan) and universities. The Chinese branch of Schenker – Schenker BITCC Logistic (Beijing) Co. LTD – opened a logistics center in Beijing in 2005. This is the first joint venture in Beijing with a majority foreign stake (Schenker’s share is 70%). The center is located next to Beijing’s main airport. It offers multifunctional facilities on 13,000 square meters of warehouse space, with 10,000 pallet spaces and 13 loading docks.
Equipment and additional services of Schenker BITCC Logistic include: 2 forklifts (Jungheinrich), barcode scanners, 9 container docks, cargo lifts, 3 trucks, an electric picker, a 24-hour monitoring system (CCTV outside and inside the building) and security, warehousing services (including: free warehouse and customs warehouse, picking and packing, quality control, real-time reporting, value-added services), supply chain management, purchase order flow, consolidated export, international hub, domestic distribution, IT support (HTS WMS, EDI interface, stock status reports available online, ability to track cargo route online (tracking and tracing)).
The center offers air and sea freight services, as well as land transport services. The facility is the most modern center in China, providing the best logistics solutions to customers, primarily focused on the electronic technology production sector, as well as the automotive and high-tech industries. By opening the BITCC center, Schenker offers its customers full access to the rapidly developing Chinese market.
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” 2/2010.