“We’ve been working with Maersk for over a decade now,” says Devraj. “When we started, we were simply looking for logistics services. We were shipping by air and wanted to investigate sea shipments. However, as the years have progressed, the relationship has progressed and we’ve realised that Maersk is not just a solutions provider to our business –they are a partner to us.” 

Over the past few years, Keitt Exporters has increased its shipments with Maersk from 100 containers per year to 700, and turned to its integrated logistics partner to help create a holistic approach to supply chain management. This has included consolidating services previously outsourced to multiple vendors, including brokerage, customs and inland services. 

Having an end-to-end cold chain solution and visibility of product at every step of the journey, including complete cold chain monitoring and control, has helped Keitt Exporters address challenges as and when they arise.

For example, Devraj says that the Maersk Captain Peter remote container management system ensures that, instead of shipping a container of avocados and hoping it arrives in a good condition, Keitt Exporters has real-time visibility of the container at all times. The company can also adjust variables as required, such as temperature and oxygen, to ensure product arrives in its premium form.

“We initially went into panic mode at the start of the pandemic, because we didn’t know what was going to happen with our clients’ businesses, which affects our projections,” he says. In agriculture, there’s a long lead time from planting to harvesting the product, particularly with produce such as avocados, where trees will only bear fruit after three to four years. However, Devraj says the company experienced an increase in demand for fruit and vegetables as people prioritised healthy eating.

Although airlines had reduced capacity available and foreign exchange rates fluctuated, Devraj says Maersk assisted with agile solutions to help the company manage the challenges. “There were times where our containers were not able to be delivered to their original destinations because aport was closed,” he says. “Maersk helped us to reroute our shipments to other destinations to minimise our loss. Even when the Suez Canal was blocked, they kept us updated hour by hour, day by day, and we came through it with minimal product losses.”

Global capability, streamlined business processes and a willingness to understand clients’ niche requirements are key ingredients in building an effective and long-term logistics partnership that spans continents.