Our Global NetworkSweden

A widely recognized lifestyle and do-it-yourself retailer in Nordic countries has a rapidly expanding international trade. It regularly moves sizeable volumes of merchandise into northern Europe from China and other points of origin, and it also has significant import via road from European suppliers. The company selected a range of Agility’s supply chain offerings to manage these demands. Agility implemented order and exception management controls to enhance visibility into inventory. As a result, the retailer saw distribution and cost management improvements from shipment and order due date controls, equipment optimization, and direct-to-store or direct-to-distribution center bypasses. Beyond those improvements, a factory-to-distribution center network capability boosts deliveries and scheduling. Agility also consolidates shipments from multiple buyers or vendors and provides cross-docking for goods at point of origin and destination.

Agility faced a huge and heavy challenge when a telecommunications customer required two massive drums of fiber optic marine cables to be moved from Sweden to South Korea. Together the drums weighed 112 tons. Agility gauged the feasibility of moving them by sea and air, and due to the tight deadlines, air was the best option. Agility chartered an Antonov AN-225, the only aircraft capable of carrying a load this substantial. Before being airborne, Agility moved the drums over land from the factory to Stockholm Arlanda Airport. Moving the outsized cargo on specified public highways required licenses and transport at restricted times. Agility’s detailed planning and “can do” approach, combined with the extraordinary capabilities of the giant aircraft, got the job done!

With the clock ticking on an 18-month installation schedule set by the European Union, Agility delivered and helped install a variety of safes weighing as much as 2 tons to embassy offices in capital cities around the globe. Agility activated air, ocean and road freight resources along with ground crews to reach remote locations in Latin America, Cape Verde and Ouagadougou, Africa. Precision scheduling was crucial to meeting the tight timetable; delivery of the safes had to sync with the availability of onsite installers. Agility differentiated itself from competitors by offering end-to-end services for the project. We accomplished every need, from transport to destination, customs clearance, heavy equipment procurement, workforce coordination and, finally, installation of the safes on various floors inside designated residential buildings and embassy offices.