Transworld Shipping

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP and general manager for the California operations of Sage Hill NW, an exporter of foliage products. We export to Asia and the Middle East. Our headquarters are in Washington state.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Transworld Shipping?

We needed a freight forwarding company for our Middle East market transactions. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We do freight forwarding projects with Transworld. At present, we’re in business, and they provide logistics services to us. 

What is the team composition?

I mainly work with Esther (Sales Executive). I’ve dealt with her since the beginning of our engagement. 

How did you come to work with Transworld Shipping?

We were looking for an exporter of foliage products and most of our business at that time was in Asia. This was during the 2008 Financial Crisis, so some of our businesses stopped for a bit. We looked for other markets until we found one in the Middle East. As a result, we searched for a freight forwarder that had done business in the region, and that was how we found Transworld. 

Apart from having done business in the Middle East, Transworld was also a non-vessel-owning common carrier (NVOCC), which was a bit different from a freight forwarder because they had their own house bill of lading — we liked this. Another thing that compelled us to hire them was that Esther handled everything from getting documents to setting up bookings. Ultimately, we decided to pursue a partnership with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spend between $10,000–$50,000 on their services on a per-booking basis. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in September 2008, and the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

At present, Transworld is the number one shipping company for the West Coast-Middle East region. Their services are broad, and they ship everything from electronics to agriculture. In fact, they’ve been delivering us 100 containers in one booking, which isn’t common — that’s impressive.

How did Transworld Shipping perform from a project management standpoint?

Transworld does a great job when it comes to project management. Their team has a system that addresses any issues that appear; everybody is playing their part in resolving such issues. To communicate, we used emails and phone calls. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The sheer level and size of the business that they do are impressive. They can serve bookings as small as one container or as large as 100–200 containers. Overall, they provide a broad level of services, and not many forwarders can do that. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Transworld can serve more in the Asian Market. They do well in Europe and the Middle East; they do some amount of business in Asia, but it’s where they should try to focus more. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Establish communication with someone from Transworld. From there, let them set you up with a team that can help you in different ways.