Dachser completes Brazil to Mexico transport

Logistics company Dachser has transported 138 US tons of oversized automotive manufacturing equipment from Brazil to Mexico.

The company’s USA, Brazil and Mexico divisions executed the project, which comprised three stages, at the height of the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic.

João Caldana, managing director at Dachser Brazil, said, “There are a lot of factors to consider when planning the movement of this type of project cargo, but we knew from the onset that the most critical element to successful and on-time transport was communication.

The cargo, which included a 125 ton compressor and 14 oversized accessory pieces, was collected from a factory located in Jundiai in the south east region of Brazil. It had to be lifted out of an 18 foot (5.5 metre) deep concrete storage pit, before being partially dismantled and taken by multi-axle platform trailer to the Port of Santos.

As a result of Covid-19, no police escort was available to assist in the transport. This meant the cargo could only be moved at night between 23.00 hours and 06.00 hours and that the 98 mile (160 km) journey to the port took a total of seven days.

Dachser, along with France-based shipping company CMA-CGM, used a container ship to complete the ocean stage of the transport. To avoid disruption with the port’s gantry cranes, a floating mobile crane on a barge was used to load the cargo into the belly of the vessel ship. The cargo was positioned on flat rack containers and a custom-built platform designed to evenly distribute its weight.

It took a total of 30 days for the cargo to complete the sea crossing. On arrival at the Port of Veracruz in Mexico, a logistics team from Dachser Mexico offloaded the cargo directly onto modular trailers for the final stage of the project – a 436 mile (700 kilometre) road journey.

The Dachser team again negotiated added Covid-19 restrictions during the transport, including a lack of support from local law enforcement, road closures and travel time limits. It took just three days for the company to deliver the cargo to its final destination at a manufacturing plant in Silao, Guanajuato, in the country’s central region. Once there, Dachser used three cranes waiting to unload it.

Edgardo Hamon, managing director, Dachser Mexico, said, “Being able to successfully execute a project of this magnitude – especially in the midst of a global pandemic – is a great accomplishment and a testament to Dachser’s commitment to meeting our customer’s needs no matter how challenging.”