Sinotrans Limited completes delivery of CIIE’s first exhibit

"Forward, forward ... Done!" With the clear and powerful instruction of the staff workers, the first exhibit of China International Import Expo (CIIE), the Biofore concept car from Finland, was parked in Zhanghuabang Warehouse of Sinotrans Limited' Huadong branch at 17:45 on Sept 11.

Thanks to Sinotrans' high-efficiency, the Customs clearance, acceptance, transport and warehousing of the concept car were completed within eight hours.

Great attention paid

The China International Import Expo, set to kick off in Shanghai on Nov 5, is not only a major measure to open up China's markets to the world and promote the common prosperity of the world economy and trade, but also an important opportunity for the innovation and development of Sinotrans Limited. As one of the designated logistics providers of CIIE, offering good services to the event is a key task for the company.

Sinotrans has paid a lot of attention to its role at the expo, setting up a guiding body and a work group that covers the divisions of on-spot operation, business operation and administrative guarantees. A coordination mechanism has been launched to advance the preparatory work. The Huadong branch of Sinotrans, the operator of the project, integrated the advantageous resources of Sinotrans, offering effective logistics services for the first exhibit of the CIIE. 

Full preparation

The entry procedures of foreign exhibits into the expo include: registration for entry, examination and approval, custom declaration of goods, customs inspection and release, exhibition supervision and follow-up disposal of exhibits. The concept car is owned by the Finnish National Pavilion and was made of biomaterials by UPM Group, a Finnish enterprise. It departed from Helsinki International Airport, Finland, on Aug 31, and arrived at Shanghai Pudong International Airport in the early morning of Sept 6 via Brussels.

After learning of the arrival of the car, the team held a meeting with Shanghai Customs and related units on Sept 7 to work out the customs clearance plan and operation process.

At the same time, the team contacted the airport to confirm the status of the concept car and made a detailed delivery plan that took into account special requirements for the car such as no use of external packaging and no proximity to dangerous goods, arranging special delivery vehicles for transport.

Customs authorities in charge of the expo issued 13 favorable measures enabling the project team to enjoy a priority declaration, a green channel for fast release. The whole entry process took only one hour.

Seamless coordination

The project team took advantage of Sinotrans' resources and tacitly cooperated with Sinotrans' subsidiaries. Sinostrans' Shanghai branch offered the delivery services while its Zhanghuabang company was responsible for warehousing. The staff working in every part of the car's delivery project showed up two to four hours in advance on standby, which was highly appreciated by the car owner.

On the morning of Sept 11, after handing in the customs clearance documents at the entrance window of Customs Office at No 1 Huaihai Middle Road, the Shanghai freight forwarder at Pudong Airport received confirmation of customs clearance and immediately started began coordinating with Eastern Airlines to handle the delivery and warehousing of the car. Meanwhile, the Zhanghuabang warehouse in Baoshan district was busy setting up the storage area and distributing personnel and machinery for it.

In order to ensure successful delivery, the project team prepared a backup plan. For example, in the pick-up section of the Pudong Airport Freight Station, they prepared two types of vehicles -- a tractor and a shock-proof wing-mounted van for dangerous goods, since the car owner and exhibitor, UPM Group, could not determine whether the car could move on its own.

After the pick-up section, the wing-mounted van loaded with the Biofore concept car ran along the beltway and then crossed the Xupu Bridge at a speed of 30-40 km/h and finally arrived at Sinotrans' Zhanghuabang Warehouse at No 4188 Yixian Road.

The second half of October is the peak time for the entry of CIIE's exhibits. All exhibits from the National Pavilion, consumer electronics and household appliances, clothing and apparel and consumer goods are to be stored in Zhanghuabang warehouse.

Great significance

As the first exhibit of the first CIIE, the successful custom clearance of the Biofore concept car is of great significance. On Sept 11, a group of mainstream media including Xinhua News Agency, Dragon TV, Wen Wei Po and eastday.com arrived at the customs clearance office and the freight terminal of Pudong Airport in advance to witness the delivery of the car. Xu Weijun, the person in charge of the delivery project received interviews with media. The major media agencies published the news on the arrival of CIIE's first exhibit in Shanghai.

About UPM Group 

UPM is a Helsinki-headquartered leading multinational corporation in the forest industry and the third largest paper and paper product manufacturers in the world. It has a history of more than 100 years. Its core products include graphic papers, office papers, paper for specific purposes, wooden products, self-adhesive label materials and RFID labels. Its other business involves forestry and energy.

Driven by innovation, UPM is leading the forest-based bio-industry into a sustainable future. Its products are made of renewable materials and are recyclable. The company has annual sales of more than 10 billion euros ($11.4 billion) and its shares have been listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange. After developing in China for 20 years, its total investment in China exceeds $2 billion. Its plant in Changshu, Jiangsu province, is the largest single investment ever made by Finland in China. 

About the Biofore concept car

The Biofore concept car weighs 1,110 kilograms and is worth 30,000 euros ($34,890). A unique treasure of the UPM Group, the concept car was created using renewable and recyclable materials and innovations from the forest industry.

Its body is made of the company's self-developed special wood composite materials. Biocomposites are used in the center console, seats and floor. The Car runs on renewable diesel, which enables it to emit 80 percent less greenhouse gases compared with those that run on fossil fuel.

The car was well received during its debut in Finland, Germany, and at an ecological product exhibition in Tokyo last December.

At the 2018 China International Import Expo, it will be displayed in the Finnish Pavilion in No 5 Hall, its first appearance in China.

(Executive editor: Hao Wen)