China and the U.S. both figure in GEODIS’ announcements last week. From a Center of Excellence to airport gateways for expanding parcel service networks, to certified headquarters and a performance excellence award, GEODIS continues to move more than just cargo.
A couple of weeks ago, CFG reported that Cainiao was establishing a cargo center at Shenzhen Airport. This week it is GEODIS that has undertaken to redevelop its Center of Excellence there. Did you know that Shenzhen has been China’s unbeaten number one export region for the past 30 consecutive years? In 2022, its exports totaled USD323 billion, and it continues to see annual growth in double-figure percentages. Smooth supply chain operations are imperative, therefore, so GEODIS’ commitment to redeveloping its Center of Excellence (CoE) in Shenzhen, is money well spent when it comes to supporting the Chinese market and its customers in managing their end-to-end supply chains.

Honey trap for talent
“An immediate goal is to ensure the continued attraction of passionate and diverse groups of supply chain professionals to accommodate customers’ growing demands and achieve GEODIS’ own
growth ambitions. The aim is not just to attract, but also to retain these skilled people by improving the collaborative workspace in which teams can exchange great new ideas that can benefit all
customers in the present and future,” is GEODIS’ own press explanation for the Center of Excellence upgrade. On account of its business status, Shenzhen is highly attractive to skilled
people.
The Center of Excellence is part of GEODIS’ Supply Chain Optimization (SCO) offer launched 14 years ago. It supports global customers in sectors such as high-tech, retail and healthcare, which
have their manufacturing locations or hubs in mainland China, with the optimization of operational processes, supply chain control, improved resiliency, and faster decision-making.
Smooth operator in Shanghai
GEODIS’ Shanghai headquarters recently received an official local Government certification noting it as 'as one of twenty newly recognized ‘Regional Headquarters of a Multinational Company', and
the only one in the Jing’an district of the city. Because of this, GEODIS can now count on local government assistance when it comes to trade facilitation, talent introduction, and service
support.
Onno Boots, Regional President and CEO, Asia Pacific and Middle East underlined: “As a result of the good standing GEODIS has in China, our customers’ business continues to benefit from the
increased ease of doing business with us there. A further advantage is GEODIS having Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) status granted by the local Shanghai customs department, which certainly
enables us to deliver a further expedited service to our customers, for contract logistics.”
Well-performed
Recognition also came in another part of China, this time as an award: “further north in the province of Henan, GEODIS was celebrated by the Zhengzhou Airport Authority with an award for
performance excellence in 2022. The airport was utilized throughout the year to transport significant tonnages via GEODIS’ branded freighter operation there.” It doesn’t clarify what those
tonnages were, but no doubt they, too, are on a growth path.
Meanwhile, gateways open in the U.S.
Over on the other side of the planet, GEODIS’ focus was on its small-parcel services. It announced the opening of two new airport gateway facilities in the United States: in New York (JFK) and
Los Angeles (LAX). They are part of its expansion strategy for its direct-to-customer cross-border delivery service: GEODIS MyParcel. 26 EU countries, plus the UK and Canada are served by GEODIS’
small parcel delivery service out of the US. It is looking to increase capacity and speed at a competitive cost, to better serve growing global cross-border e-Commerce growth. The two newcomer
airports join the product’s initial gateway since 2020: Chicago O’Hare Airport (ORD). “The added gateways will also support GEODIS MyParcel as it continues to expand into new geographical
areas, including Australia, New Zealand and Mexico, in the near future,” the release reveals. Together, the MyParcel gateways provide 42 weekly flights via Europe-bound passenger flights or
GEODIS’ own leased A330-300 full freighter aircraft into Amsterdam and London Stansted, from where shipments are trucked directly to the customer’s doorstep. “GEODIS MyParcel offers delivery
in 2-7 days from the U.S. to end destination.”
Continuously expanding
Michael Lamia, Senior Vice President of GEODIS MyParcel and GEODIS eLogistics, stated: “Our new gateway facilities at JFK and LAX are the latest example of how we are continually expanding
GEODIS MyParcel’s reach and capabilities to best meet today’s evolving, complex and increasingly interconnected global market. Ultimately, one of the major benefits of GEODIS MyParcel is that it
seamlessly integrates with our company-wide end-to-end logistics solutions to support brands of all sizes on their international e-Commerce journeys. Our gateway expansion offers customers a new
way to unlock cross-border e-Commerce potential by reducing total time in transit and costs to key global markets.”
More for your buck
Not just speed and frequencies, but GEODIS MyParcel also covers “HS classification, before and after check duty and tax calculation, a total landed cost guarantee, reporting, duty and tax
payment to tax authorities, customs clearance and last-mile delivery.” And all that for a clear, upfront payment.
GEODIS appears to be on the right track to keep pace with the world’s fastest growing commodity.
Brigitte Gledhill
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