There is no record in the modern era, of such drastic changes in the logistics industry as those experienced during the Covid 19 pandemic around the world.
The social and economic impact that this abrupt brake on global dynamics generated, and the restart with extreme care and health conditions in some cases, became a historic challenge for logistics, largely responsible for the world continuing to function as as we know it.
Different strategies have had to be implemented in order to adapt to the “new normal” and guarantee the continuity of the supply chain. That is why we spoke with Dan Zonnenschein, COO of Aerodoc and with a great professional experience in regional businesses of financial services, telecommunications and logistics, to find out what challenges they have faced globally since the arrival of Covid 19.
What was the most relevant moment for the logistics industry in the Covid era?
I don’t have hard data, but I think there were different stages:
In the first stage, March / June 2020, the logistics industry and customs had to adapt. Maximum priority to the elements of prevention and medical material, customs acting with limited and limited formats and progressive reduction of passenger flights, which also generated a strong impact on the cargo business.
A second stage post June 2020, where the operation at the customs level begins to normalize, but the number of flights and freighters decreases, which makes the logistics operation more complex, costs increase and the business gradually resumes activity levels.
Entering 2021 in the northern hemisphere and as a result of the massive vaccination campaign, the economy takes a significant boost. A shortage of space begins especially on ships from ASIA and logistics costs multiply by up to 400% for certain routes, especially China – USA.
Why was logistics the protagonist in the pandemic?
Due to the need to urgently move materials that normally do not move in such quantities globally, and because the entire supply chain had to be redesigned and optimized to achieve those delivery levels.
What improved in the logistics industry when adapting to the pandemic context?
The remote work model came of age and prevailed. The need to generate business in a very complex and remote context was an important challenge, especially in the case of complex businesses at the level of logistics documentation and temporary restrictions in many customs as a result of the pandemic.
What were the biggest challenges you faced and how did you solve them?
The main challenge was internal. In a context of global uncertainty, with no record or historical precedent, a violent slowdown in activity between March and May 2020 required us to rearm the financial engineering, so that it would allow us to maintain the structure and reach the other shore. It was achieved thanks to the commitment of the entire organization, the adaptation of the structure and costs and the support of various aligned entities.
What value differential does Aerodoc achieve in this context Covid?
At Aerodoc we have always had a service culture based on excellence and on keeping the client with a high degree of visibility on their projects. We are partners of our clients. In this context, we managed to differentiate ourselves by our improvements in access to traceability and information for our clients, and by making our processes as transparent as possible. This has led our clients to fully trust our ability to operate in a highly complex environment.
How did Aerodoc react to overcome the pandemic, remote work, etc?
Aerodoc is a pioneer company in remote work. We have been working in a flexible format between several countries for 6 years. We prioritize talents, regardless of their physical location. With the arrival of the pandemic, this culture allowed us to adapt quickly and deepen that trend, keeping only essential personnel from operations in Miami and in the other warehouses with a high degree of control and hygiene standards. This resulted in a “zero cases” statistic of Covid 19 among our operations staff in Miami.
