Linking tourists and ex-pats to the world

Frequent travelers and relocating ex-pats, as well as businessmen who rely on imports and exports, turn to freight forwarders to bring in wares back home. Need to pick up a shipment of elephant hair bracelets from Uganda or sables from Russia, or perhaps send a toaster to Cebu? No place is too far, and no package too large or too small for Asia Cargo Container Line - rated as one of the top 10 locally-owned freight forwarders in the country today.

Brothers Armand and Richard Ng are the men behind Asia Cargo Container Line, Inc. – the new breed of super freight forwarding experts who now link the world to thousands of globe-trotters and global companies. They’re in charge of moving items to the right place at the right time –- for the right price. Armand, company GM, is responsible for developing transpacific traffic as well as the marketing and sales team of Asia Cargo, while Richard leads finance as well as developing the bustling Asia-to-Europe traffic trade.

“If someone needs to have any type of cargo – from a lone carton to hundreds of containers, delivered anywhere, including the most remote, innermost city of Africa or just somewhere in the Philippines – we’ll get that package delivered,” says Richard.

What sets Asia Cargo Container Line apart from other freight forwarders or cargo-delivery companies is its flexibility. Its pool of wellexperienced managers and staff allows it to be responsive to the price and service needs of its clients. For example, it’s handled four hundred 45x40-foot containers for just one client in a span of 3 months. (If placed end to end, this would run the length of Ayala Avenue). Asia Cargo has also handled a shipment of transformers from Korea to Cebu via Manila, each transformer weighing a whopping 25,000 kilos each — or the equivalent of about 30 elephants — with accessories totaling another 9,000 kg each, trans-shipping the transformers from the international port and loading them on a domestic vessel for the Cebu port. A regular weekly consolidation service to and from Manila also generates cost-savings for their clients.

Just recently, Asia Cargo introduced another service called “logistics distribution and supply chain management”, a cutting-edge trend in the industry today. The service basically offers to manage the flow of goods and materials for its customers — from purchasing and warehousing to inventory management and packaging. Asia Cargo for example, process an order of 2,000 African baskets and make sure that the order is delivered on the required date or even stored in warehouses for the client.

With a huge database of sales, inventory and clients Asia Cargo has to check, sustain and update its records every day. IBM — Richard and Armand Ng are quick to point out — has definitely helped Asia Cargo keep business transactions running smoothly.

“IBM is definitely the more competitive and credible brand — that’s why we chose IBM,” explains Richard. “It has withstood the test of time in terms of service. We plan to put all transactions on our server, and we don’t wang to trust just any brand of hardware. We’re actually putting a huge responsibility on IBM, because we know that we can definitely rely on the brand.”

Another venture that Asia Cargo hopes to go into is to wire-up and join the multitude of companies who have gone into e-commerce. Key to this is the computer-readiness of their company. IBM is a world leader in e-commerce-related computerization, offering a Network-to-Go System or Small Business Package consisting of hardware and sofware solutions to get small businesses quickly and cost-efficiently into the networking environment. This IBM system is available with an easy access lease-to-own arrangement that costs just under R32,000 a month, for 36 months, and with a nominal fee to be paid at the end of the term.

“I believe that the future of all business is in e-commerce, “explains Armand” Asia Cargo can definitely benefit a lot from going on-line, because then, we become more accessible to clients and business associates from all over the world.”

“We also get to cut down a lot on red tape and bureaucracy,” adds Richard. “Freight forwarding is becoming a more competitive business and going on-line will definitely help the company keep up with other multi-nationals. Through e-commerce, our transactions, especially with other countries, will be much easier and more efficient.”

A typical day for the brothers start at 9 a.m., when they walk through the office door. The morning is spent checking e-mail and faxes and conducting meetings with their managers to discuss issues and plans for action. Afternoons are devoted to client and other work-related problems. Both brothers make it a point to balance time for recreation and family during week-ends. Armand plays golf with friends and clients on Saturdays while Richard spends more time with his four-year-old son, Russel by accompanying him to his Kumon classes.

Says Armand, “We pride ourselves in the fact that we give our clients personalized service and being as flexible as possible in meeting each client’s needs.”