In October 2024, Abei received an urgent notification from its logistics partner: a container ship carrying 2000 units of 120L wholesale trash bins (destined for a major supermarket chain in the Netherlands) was stranded outside the Port of Rotterdam...
In October 2024, Abei received an urgent notification from its logistics partner: a container ship carrying 2000 units of 120L wholesale trash bins (destined for a major supermarket chain in the Netherlands) was stranded outside the Port of Rotterdam due to unexpected congestion. The original delivery window—45 days from shipment—was at risk of being extended by 15 days, which would breach the contract terms and force the client to delay store upgrades across 30 locations. As a Chinese-based factory with over 10 years of B2B wholesale experience, Abei’s logistics team had anticipated such risks and established a dual-route contingency plan for European shipments.
Within 24 hours of receiving the delay notice, Abei activated the emergency response process. First, the team verified the congestion situation with the port authority (confirming a 12–15 day backlog due to labor shortages) and immediately informed the client with a detailed 《Delay Response Proposal》. The proposal outlined two solutions: 1) 80% of the order (1600 bins) would be transferred to an OA fast ship routed to the Port of Antwerp (a less congested alternative), which would arrive within 38 days; 2) The remaining 20% (400 bins) critical for the client’s priority store openings would be air freighted from Shanghai Pudong Airport to Amsterdam, ensuring delivery within 7 days. To minimize the client’s additional costs, Abei absorbed 50% of the air freight expense—valuing long-term partnership over short-term profit.
While coordinating the shipment redirection, Abei’s production team worked with the warehouse to split the original order: the air freight portion was repackaged into compact, reinforced cartons (with extra foam padding to withstand air transport) and shipped to the airport within 48 hours. For the sea freight portion, the logistics team secured a slot on the next available fast ship to Antwerp and prepared pre-cleared documents (including material safety data sheets and commercial invoices) to accelerate customs processing upon arrival. Abei also assigned a dedicated logistics coordinator to provide daily updates to the client, sharing real-time tracking information for both air and sea shipments.
The air freighted bins arrived in Amsterdam on day 7 as promised, allowing the client to complete the priority store upgrades on schedule. The sea freight portion reached Antwerp on day 36, 9 days ahead of the revised estimate, thanks to Abei’s pre-cleared documents that reduced customs inspection time by 50%. The client’s procurement manager commented, “We were devastated when we heard about the port congestion, but Abei’s quick response and dual-route solution saved our store opening plan. Their willingness to share the air freight cost showed true partnership, and their detailed tracking kept us informed every step of the way. As a Chinese factory, their logistics expertise matches their product quality.” This successful handling led the client to increase their 2025 wholesale order by 30% and sign a long-term logistics agreement with Abei.
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