Interview with
Ms. Judy Yu
Vice-president
CSI China: is that short for anything? Who are the owners of the company, Judy? When did you establish your company?
CSI is the abbreviation of the Founder; there isno special meaning. Our Managing Director is Mr.LiFei. Mr.LiFei established the company in 2004. It was formerly working under the “Royal Burger Group Beijing Rep. Office” and bought the CSI title in 2015. Mr.LiFei used to work as the liner manager of Sinolines China ( European—China liner service till 2003). This liner service was suspended in 2003. Mr. Li Fei left Sinolines and started the forwarding business.
Do you have experience in moving oversized and project cargoes? Could you give us some examples?
We have twenty years of experience in handling oversized/overweight cargo transportation. The cargo includes machinery / steel products /engineering vehicles (Sany/XCMG/Heli/Zoomlion, etc.), bus, cars (gasoline/ev).
We have been working for the state-owned companies who imported the production lines from European countries as well as the Investment abroad (export) by setting up the factory / construction project in Hungary, Serbia and African countries, etc.
Beijing is located inland, so I guess you mainly would be using Xingang/Tianjin as your preferred port, right? Or can you operate in any Chinese port?
Generally, the forwarder tends to work for the business near their location, but we are not working for “local” businesses and clients only. In the past 20 years, we have been devoted to providing tailor-made transportation service to worldwide clients and partners based on the cargo characteristics. There is no limitation on ports and/or routes.
We focus on very specific products, including machinery and vehicles. Both import and export under door-to-door. The route management depends on the elements such as transit time, cost preference, safety requirements, etc.
How do you feel about the service from the shipping lines nowadays? Many shipping lines also want to be freight forwarders and compete. What is the situation like in China?
Yes, I can see the same intention of carriers in Chinese markets, as the shipping lines who have the logistics departments, providing on-line service, etc.
But the logistics of carriers and freight forwarders like ourselves are different.
For one, the target clients are different. The shipping company’s logistics department provides services to shipowners while freight forwarders like us service customers such as factory and trading companies and partners, etc.
For another, the target markets are different. Shipping lines focus on the volume cargo from big companies who sign long-term contracts. They treat this part as the basic cargo. Freight forwarders, on the other hand, put their efforts on the “small” clients who have various requirements. We provide targeted service under the whole logistics chain which is flexible.
So the shipping lines logistics branch never could replace the freight forwarder.
Is customs clearance difficult in China?
I have to say that it was relatively difficult years ago, but nowadays, the customs clearance is operated via an online system. As a result, the procedure is very smooth; there is no difficulty at all.
Can you also arrange inland transport in China, and have you got any examples that you could tell our readers about?
Surely, we can.
We provide the domestic truck (standard, lowbed, hydraulic axle trailers), barge, rail, combined services, and cover whole Chinese ports and borders. We especially work the oversized/overweight pieces , such as transformers / blocks / wind towers / blades…. In fact ,we extend our inland delivery not only within China , but also via the border to Central Asian countries such as Mongolia, Europe and Russia.
How do you view the market for the remaining months in 2024?
The remainder of 2024 will be a positive time for the forwarding market per my understanding. Basically, the global container trade volume has shown a significant year-to-year increase, particularly a large number exporting containers from China to worldwide. The strong market demand supports the increase of freight costs. Plus the hard issues—container shortage, port congestion, longer transit time, narrow spaces, adjustment of vessel routes…all these factors lead to the market becoming complex and chaotic. The current market situation has impacted the break bulk, ro-ro, railway, etc., resulting in higher freight costs and increased space shortage. Those are the challenges we are facing as well as the opportunities to catch.
As the forwarder, we need to be more flexible on route management, mode of transportation, and be incisive on the local policy of different countries.
How is it best for our readers to get in touch with you?
Direct Tel: +86-10–84785536
Mobile: +86 13520785730(WECHAT)
Fax: +86-10-84785218
E-mail: judy.yu@csichina.com.cn
QQ: 2286088574
Skype: judy.yu@csichina.com.cn
