International freight forwarder Tigers has launched a new service linking the UK and the EU with a virtual warehouse and physical transportation to help customers minimise post-Brexit supply chain disruption from January 2021 onwards.
The DPDgroup subsidiary said its Virtual Logistics Facility means that goods can be physically located between the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK) for ease of last mile delivery, with the online solution providing full visibility, inventory control, and a single tariff in a single place.
Goods can be stored at the company’s facilities in the UK or the EU, will be transported by linehaul between the facilities, and will then be delivered to recipients in the UK or in EU member states.
Tigers’ facilities in Thurrock, UK, and Rotterdam, the Netherlands, have been designed for omnichannel fulfilment, offering sustainable e-commerce products and low-cost last mile B2B and B2C solutions across Europe.
Tigers said the linehaul solution is a further addition to its Virtual Warehouse, powered by its SmartHub:Connect (SHC) freight and e-commerce portal, to bring together the entire supply chain from shipping to warehousing and last mile.
Two supply chain boxes instead of one
“From January 2021 we will operate a linehaul between the UK and EU for goods which have been consolidated at customers’ sites, for either B2B or B2C business to serve their end customer in the EU as usual from the UK,” explained Shahar Ayash, Tigers Regional Managing Director, Europe.
“Moving from a ‘one box’ supply chain concept serving the EU and UK to a ‘two boxes’ supply chain brings benefits, such as simplistic VAT for B2C, speed to market, and last mile cost reduction in a post Brexit environment,” he pointed out.
But he admitted: “On the other hand, there are other complications, such as cost, and control of the split inventory.”
Ayash continued: “Some businesses are just not ready yet to open a second location and for them we developed our transportation solution so they can continue to serve the EU from the UK and vice versa while adopting their supply chain to the new terms and conditions post-Brexit.”
UK-EU export/import clearance
Sharon Page, Director Freight Forwarding at Tigers, explained: “We will prepare an Export Declaration and Transit Document for the goods to be exported to the EU, which we will then transport to Rotterdam where we facilitate the import clearance process to Customs-clear the goods into the EU. Once import clearance is released, we will perform a cross-docking function to ensure safe final mile delivery throughout Europe.”
Tigers has Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) and Authorised Consignor and Consignee status, meaning customers benefit from a lower rate of compliance inspections, a reduction in the number of Customs control checks, and simplified documentation for imports and exports.
In addition, the company is offering customers either limited fiscal representation if they have a European entity that sells their goods locally, or general fiscal representation to avoid the need to have a European entity to continue selling and meeting all local regulations.
Tigers, which is majority owned by GeoPost/DPDgroup, specialises in tailored supply chain solutions, e-fulfilment, and transportation by air, sea, rail and road. The Hong Kong-based company, with 70 offices in 11 countries, has 32 omnichannel distribution hubs supporting customers in the healthcare, technology, fashion, automotive, wine and perishables, and outdoor and active lifestyle sectors, amongst others.
