INTEGRATED FORWARDING, a concept that does not comprise single, isolated services but covers integral, made-to-measure solutions, able to adjust a service package to the client's requirements, has been introduced as a given article by the international company, Panalpina.
With this, Panalpina's position is in between the integrator and the traditional forwarder/consolidator. The company combines the advantages of those two concepts to provide reliability and guaranteed service to the integrator with the market flexibility of the forwarder.
Patrick Lacroix, m d of the company's South African operation, points out that instead of basing the service on the regular passenger airlines, Panalpina has adopted a worldwide operating hub service using cargo dedicated aircraft.
Thus instead of becoming a carrier, Panalpina buys the necessary cargo capacities from top-rated cargo airlines. This, he says, is the only way that efficient transport capacities between the required destinations and to the required deadlines can be provided.
The company offers similar services in the sea freight area.
With offices in 66 countries, Panalpina's South African service from Europe operates at present on a weekly cargo flight from its Luxembourg hub, but can handle orders from any part of the globe's six continents, often with pallet-filled door-to-door operations, which means no additional handling of the cargo from point of origin to final destination. The filled pallet is sealed at the factory and opened at its final destination.
