Under the banner of the Orange Dragon

Including China as one of the GW home markets may be risky – but from a geographical point of view, it makes sense. After all, the company has long-standing close ties with this Middle Kingdom. In March 1978, the then manager of the Air & Sea division Paul Senger-Weiss travelled to China for the first time. In 1991, GW opened its own branches in China – a forerunner among European forwarding companies. Today, more than 270 employees work here at 16 different sites. This powerful economic nation continues to play a very important role for GW customers as both a purchasing and sales market. A few years ago, economic activity in China took place virtually exclusively on the coast and in Hong Kong. Rising labour costs in the ”boom regions” and political decisions have now triggered a change. ”A definite relocation has been evident recently” says Walter Daum, Route Manager for China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. ”This is taking place from Hong Kong to South China in the Guangdong province and from the coastal regions to the inland areas”.

A powerful network
These developments were identified early on and incorporated into the strategic site planning by longstanding manager for China Walter Schneider and his successor Yongquan Chen, who took over the role in 2008. Over the last few years, the company has built up its expertise about the inland cities of China. According to Walter Daum, ”We have our own offices in Guangzhou, the capital of the Guangdong province, in Chongqing, an economic centre for the automobile industry and heavy industry and in Chengdu and Xian”. This has enabled the logistics company to keep one step ahead of its competitors. ”Transport in the metropolises of Shanghai or Dalian is no longer subject to challenges. The further we move into the inland areas, the more important a good internal Chinese set-up becomes in order to guarantee cost efficiency and minimise the risk of damage”. Given the developments taking place in China, the Air & Sea Management have decided to operate under the banner of the ”Orange Dragon” again during the second half of 2009.

Best service provider for China
It was 3 years ago that GW welcomed in the year of the dragon with its ”Orange Dragon” campaign: the offices in WeissLand and overseas all pulled together to increase customer loyalty and inspire new customers. These joint activities were successful. A 22 percent increase in consignments brought with it valuable gains in market share and enabled GW to establish its reputation as the best service provider for China. An innovative goods collection system was implemented which has since been optimised and expanded. ”In China, package freight consignments are bundled together and shipped directly to numerous destinations in WeissLand via regular consolidated containers” explains Daum. ”This enables us to create better conditions for customers and shorter transport times while also minimising the risk of damage”. As part of its new version of the company campaign, GW will be pursuing the same goal of securing market leadership in transport and logistics as well as creating an increased presence on the Chinese market. Weiss-Röhlig China needs to become a ”genuine” Chinese player which increasingly generates orders on the local market. ”There are also opportunities in terms of imports to China, the project business and the logistics solutions field” says the Route Manager.

Know-how transfer
The Chinese market is very competitive. Numerous transport and logistics companies now operate in the Middle Kingdom. It is difficult to stand out from competitors through the range of services alone. Walter Daum explains the great advantage held by GW: ”Unlike our competitors, we concentrate in particular on the ties between China, Hong Kong and Taiwan on the one hand and our European domestic markets on the other”. The usual high level of GW service is also offered in Asia – a great deal of emphasis is placed on quick decisionmaking processes. To ensure that this service level remains high, employees from WeissLand are constantly exchanging information with the team overseas. ”Many of our European employees have a very strong link with the Asian markets and vice versa” says the Route Manager, who himself regularly visits Asia in order to support customers. ”We are on hand with help and advice for customers settling in China, establishing contact with business partners or re-organising their logistics”. GW pursues the same strategy on both continents: the aim is not to see individual products but rather to compile comprehensive individual packages. Logistics solutions are becoming more important than ever in China as the growing demand shows. Walter Daum is convinced that the ”Orange Dragon” campaign, which will run from 1 July to the end of the year, will create the best overall conditions for this strategy.

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