There is an increasing need for fully functional logistics chains for food distribution. Bring Frigoscandia Supply Chain Management and local partners have 10 or so platforms all over the world, and are now opening offices in Russia and Japan.
We are investing in Russia.
Bring Frigoscandia’s investment in Russia means yet another comprehensive Supply Chain Management solution. “The aim
is to
coordinate and streamline all the logistics to do with the administrative, financial and physical flows of goods for our customers,”
says Johan Lundquist, Project Manager for Bring Frigoscandia’s SCM in Russia. Working in Russia is a real challenge. The 3PL
(Third Party Logistics) market in Russian is not yet mature. The consequence is that legislation dealing with transport is
complicated, with detailed regulations. Furthermore, Russia is an enormous country with a poor infrastructure. Few companies
can meet Bring Frigoscandia’s requirements for temperature zones, multi-temperature trucks etc. Working with a carefully selected
local partner, Bring Frigoscandia SCM has set up a logistics platform in Moscow that went LIVE in October 2008.
Comprehensive solutions in Tokyo
“Expansion in Japan presents an exciting challenge,” says Jonas Karlsson, Project Manager for Bring Frigoscandia’s investment
in Japan. As well as haulage, Bring Frigoscandia handles order management, invoicing, purchasing, inventory control and flow
optimisation for its customer there. “Our customer negotiates with food suppliers and signs contracts with them. Subsequently,
Bring Frigoscandia purchases the goods from the supplier and brings them to the warehouse in Staffanstorp in Sweden. The products
are packaged in containers and shipped to Japan. Staffanstorp looks after the dispatch of goods to export markets, and all
the documentation required for clearing customs in Japan is prepared by specialists. When the customer in Japan places his
orders, an EDI message is sent to our local partner in Japan who deals with picking and delivery to the various destinations.”
“Inventory control requires being very organised,” says Jonas Karlsson. We need to take into account things like the sell-by
date, the distance to Japan, local legal requirements, the customer’s own expansion, not to mention whether it is the peak
or low season. “This involves keeping a close eye on previous periods,” he says. Bring Frigoscandia has set up wholly-owned
subsidiaries in both Russia and Japan – essential for being able to import goods into a non-EU country.