As in any field, the world of mobility is changing and evolving. If in the past a relocation contract included a closed list of benefits tailored to the employee’s status in the company, the family structure and the duration of the relocation, today companies are moving to core/flex budgets, that is, a policy that includes a flexible budget that allows the mobile person to choose which services he wants to use in his transition.
This flexibility has led to a new perception in the world of mobility and, in fact, devoured the cards. Now the carrier will have many different options intertwined and the decisions he must make will affect the entire transition process.
To understand in depth the new world of mobility, the Ocean Group publishes a series of articles, and this is the first of them.
Mobility in the New World: Chapter 1 – Shipping
In the context of objects, the options are multiple. After the process of sorting the moving objects and understanding whether the house in the destination country will be furnished or not, the mobile person can choose whether to store the contents of the apartment in Israel and rent or buy new furniture in the destination country, or send all the contents of his home. If he decides on the first option, he’s unlikely to be able to fill a container. In this case, to save costs, the ideal solution would be to share a container with other movers in one of two ways: LCL Less than Container Load.
Distribution of container in international shipping
Let’s talk about international shipping. If, for example, you have a furnished two-bedroom apartment and are interested in moving its contents overseas, the evaluator who visited you may recommend the delivery of a full container (FCL). This is the most common option in maritime shipping and the process is also quite clear.
But, what if you decided to take only part of the contents of your apartment and it’s not enough to fill an entire container?
In this case, you have two options when it comes to maritime shipping: Garofage (container distribution) and LCL. Both options are efficient and safe and, in your case, are economical (as opposed to FCL).
LCL – Distribution of container using custom crates
If you choose the LCL option, your belongings will be packed in a wooden crate (also known as lift-van), which has been customized to the dimensions of your belongings to keep them safe during transport. Usually, after packing, the international shipping company will transfer your cargo to the freight forwarder who will arrange to consolidate several cargoes in a container that makes its way to the same destination port. Upon the container’s arrival at the destination port, the maritime transporter will take care to remove your crate from the container and transfer it to a local agent appointed to handle customs clearance and transport of the cargo to your new home.
Advantages:
• A clearer schedule regarding when the objects arrive at the destination. The maritime transporter can bring cargoes together to the same destination more quickly, so the international shipping company from which you purchased the service will be able to estimate the delivery time door-to-door more accurately.
Disadvantages:
• The use of a naval expedition for the purpose of consolidating and separating the cargoes at the destination entails an additional cost.
• Packing the items in wooden crates will sometimes incur additional costs.
• When items are packaged in a wooden crate, their volume increases by 15-20% and therefore costs may increase.
Garofage – or by its middle name, consortium
When the shipping company from which you ordered the service has several shipments that are intended for the same place, it makes sense that it will team them together in the same container and save costs, both for her and her customers.
How does it work? The company will pack your belongings and store them in its warehouses until it concentrates enough orders to fill a container. Once the container is full, it will be sent directly to the destination port. Each shipment will pass customs separately and be shipped to its destination, that is, your new home.
Advantages:
• This is a more economical option than LCL, since the costs are divided proportionally according to the volume of the charger of each mobile.
• There is no need for the maritime transporter for the consolidation of the cargoes. The delegation company manages all shipping as a whole.
• Savings in the cost of the wooden crate and the volume it generates.
• The shipping company has full control over all transfers, including packaging, maritime transport and unloading the container.
Disadvantages:
• Timing. The container will leave only when it is full, so it will be difficult to schedule the timing of the container’s exit and especially the time it arrives at the destination.
In conclusion, if you are not stressed and relatively flexible in terms of times, Grophage is a cost-effective way to transport your belongings. But if you must receive your belongings at a set time, and don’t mind paying a little more for this rush, choose LCL.
And if you have read the above article and do not yet know which option to choose, our experts will be happy to assist you.
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READ MORE: New Age shipping
