How to become an importer of goods from China? How to leverage the huge potential of local production for business? Many Polish entrepreneurs are deterred from importing from China by a lack of market knowledge, formal barriers, and concerns about low product quality. It turns out that the key to success may be using the services of a specialized logistics operator.
Trade between Poland and China has been growing steadily for over a dozen years. More and more entrepreneurs from Europe, including Poland, are deciding to import Chinese goods, which remain very attractively priced due to low production costs. However, how can one ensure their safe transport and reasonable distribution in Europe? It is undoubtedly worth establishing cooperation with an appropriate logistics operator that has experience with Far Eastern markets.
Dachser Air & Sea Logistics – more than just transport
Dachser is one of the few logistics operators that knows both the Asian and European markets perfectly. It has been operating in the Far East for many years, serving companies from industries such as automotive, renewable energy (solar and wind systems), electronics, DIY, chemical, and medical. Thanks to Dachser and its contract logistics offer, knowledge of local markets, and the use of a uniform IT system worldwide, international trade becomes easier.
Dachser Air & Sea Logistics provides freight consulting as well as air and sea transport. The operator consolidates shipments from various regions of China, which are then transported by sea or air to Europe and distributed through a dense network of branches. The operator’s support does not end with the reliable and safe delivery of goods; it can also include a range of additional services provided in Asia or at the destination. This can include, for example: importing product samples, supervising order fulfillment, quality and quantity control, and customs clearance. For each entrepreneur, the operator prepares an individual cooperation model that takes into account their requirements and the specifics of the industry in which they operate.
Importing product samples
The product offer presented on a website does not always match in quality what a manufacturer from China wants to deliver. Therefore, before an entrepreneur decides to order a larger quantity of products, Dachser proposes the delivery of product samples, e.g., from different manufacturers or from different regions of the country. The operator then handles the entire logistics of the venture, and the entrepreneur makes the final choice of the contractor.
Supervision of order fulfillment
Dachser handles the control of the entire supply chain, from the manufacturer to the final recipient. The operator uses a single IT system to manage transport worldwide, so the shipment has one number, regardless of the country it is in or the means by which it is transported. This streamlines not only its delivery but also status monitoring in real-time.
Quantity and quality control
With Dachser, an entrepreneur does not have to worry about whether the shipment will contain what they ordered. The operator’s employees can thoroughly check the shipment before dispatch, both in terms of quality, according to previously established guidelines, and quantity, i.e., simply counting whether the amount matches the order.
Customs clearance
Dachser also offers support in the field of customs clearance, handling all formalities related to shipping ordered goods to Europe, and providing the required documents. The entrepreneur does not have to worry about the formal side of transporting their goods.
– Thanks to our 3,273 employees in 141 branches, we know the specifics of each of the local markets perfectly – says Robert Pastryk, Managing Director of Dachser Air & Sea Logistics in Poland. – The consulting we provide concerns not only logistics related to the distribution of goods; it happens that we can evaluate our clients’ individual contractors. Our long-term presence in Far Eastern markets has given us vast knowledge and experience, which we are happy to share with our clients.
Chinese exports
According to China Custom Statistics, the total value of Chinese exports in the first half of 2011 amounted to 874,298,541 thousand USD, including 164,481,427 thousand USD to European Union countries and 5,075,285 thousand USD to Poland (which represents a 14.4 percent year-on-year increase). Goods imported to Poland were mainly textiles, optical, photographic, and medical equipment, metals, various production materials, and transport equipment. Poland is the largest recipient of Chinese goods among Central and Eastern European countries.