The western PRD has no international airport, so shippers have relied on Guangzhou Airport as the gateway. With the Bridge and Hacis’ new depot, we expect to attract stakeholders to use HKIA now that it’s only 45 minutes away.
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Dec 2019
Hacis consults the roadmap for its future
Hacis – the value-added logistics arm of Hactl – has established a three-pronged strategy for its development over the next three years. The first element is already in place: a new Inland Cargo Depot at Zhuhai, in the increasingly-important western Pearl River Delta (PRD), in collaboration with Civet (Zhu Hai) Logistics Co., Ltd - a subsidiary of Chu Kong Shipping Enterprises (Group) Company Limited (CKS).
Since the opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) in late 2018, truck transit times to and from Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) have been slashed from 3 hours to just 45 minutes. At the same time, industry in the west is booming: Zhuhai itself is focusing on high-end manufacturing while two other western PRD cities - Zhongshan and Jiangmen - are becoming hotbeds of activity in both heavy and light manufacturing industry. This is creating growing demand for logistics support, and the area around the new bridge is rapidly emerging as a consolidation and breakbulk centre.
Says Hacis Managing Director Vivien Lau: “The western PRD has no international airport, so shippers have relied on Guangzhou Airport as the gateway. With the Bridge and Hacis’ new depot, we expect to attract stakeholders to use HKIA now that it’s only 45 minutes away.
More of the world
“The extension of Hacis RFS to the western PRD means we can better serve shippers and freight forwarders. We also enable Hactl’s airline customers to extend their reach to that area, further supporting the Hactl “World Under One Roof” concept – which allows our freight forwarders community to reach more and more of the world through a convenient single airport drop-off point.”
She continues: “The reason we chose Civet as our partner is because of its ideal location in Hongwan, right next to the HZMB. As Macau does not currently allow trucks to enter directly, Hacis’ new depot within Civet Port provides us with the ability to serve all areas including Macau itself.”
SuperLink China Direct (SLCD) services are now permitted to use China Customs’ “Quick Pass” electronic seal system, greatly reducing the need for inspections at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Port and enabling it to provide smooth and fast delivery of air cargo from HKIA right through to the Civet depot.
The new depot offers customs-bonded, and temperature-controlled storage facilities. Hacis uses a variety of truck types to meet the needs of different types of cargo: from normal box vans to container trucks, flatbeds and refrigerated vehicles for temperature-controlled shipments.
Now, we want to take greater control, promoting Hong Kong as the ideal hub for e-commerce manufacturers, retailers and platforms - supported by a Hacis one-stop package of services including export arrangements from China, ground handling and airfreight arrangements in Hong Kong, and final mile services at destination.
New, proactive stance in e-commerce
Element two in the Hacis Roadmap is an increased focus on e-commerce services. With lengthy experience in handling large volumes of e-commerce, Hacis now proposes to take a more proactive stance in promoting Hong Kong as an e-commerce hub for both outbound and inbound traffic. Says Hacis General Manager Ringo Chan: “Hacis has traditionally played the role of a subcontractor - providing warehousing, and value added operations such as pallet build-up. As a result, it has been reliant on freight forwarders and airlines to actually create new business.
“Now, we want to take greater control, promoting Hong Kong as the ideal hub for e-commerce manufacturers, retailers and platforms - supported by a Hacis one-stop package of services including export arrangements from China, ground handling and airfreight arrangements in Hong Kong, and final mile services at destination.
“We are not trying to compete with the logistics industry, but to support its e-commerce service development by supplementing the capabilities of the various operators in the supply chain, and leveraging economies of scale. We believe we are best-placed to provide this neutral, all-in-one service proposition; and, if Hacis gets the business, it will then partner with interested freight forwarders, and steer cargo onto the flights of Hactl customer airlines – effectively grouping individual small customers into one large customer, to generate synergies.”
Trucking to… Vietnam!
The final piece in the Hacis plan will cause a few raised eyebrows: the company is planning to extend its renowned RFS system to . . . Vietnam!
Hacis now plans to use its RFS to support parent Hactl’s 100+ carrier customers, by making their global airfreight services available to Vietnamese shippers and freight agents.
In part, this is a response to the recent shifting centre of gravity in Asian trade, as many manufacturing companies move their plants to Vietnam due to the trade war between China and the USA. But this rapid growth in Vietnam industry has left the logistics sector struggling to accommodate dramatic increases in the import of raw materials and export of finished product, due to still evolving direct air capacity and airport infrastructure.
The new plan is also evidence of the huge impact and potential of the ever-improving and expanding highway network that is now spreading from China throughout Asia: Vietnam is now only some 1000 km, and less than 48 hours’ trucking time from HKIA.
Currently at a preliminary study stage, the plan is nonetheless gathering momentum. Ringo concludes: “We want to give a heads-up to the industry that Hacis is actively looking into establishing this service, and we invite the industry to speak to us about their requirements. This will help us in the implementation of our plan and ensure our products bring value to the market.”
