Gefco air charter containersAutomotive transport and logistics provider Gefco has set up a dedicated mission control centre in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, to manage emergency shipments worldwide within its freight forwarding business line.

The French company claims the 24-hour service has already proved a success, after organising a charter flight, obtaining the necessary permits and delivering an urgent consignment from the Czech Republic to the US within 48 hours of the request. The move saved the client extensive costs from a potential manufacturing standstill, said Gefco.

“The mission control centre significantly enhances our credentials in the time-critical solutions arena,” said Klaas Sybrandy, who is global TCS (time-critical solutions) director at Gefco freight forwarding.

Urgent consignments will be monitored closely by the centre’s team to ensure the fastest possible solution for every planned and unplanned emergency shipment, he added.

The service is designed to provide an immediate response to customers’ time-critical requirements, offering worldwide delivery via air freight with full visibility throughout.

The Amsterdam centre is led by Vincent Karbet and Chantal van Loen, who have extensive TCS experience. Karbet has worked in the international freight forwarding industry for more than 15 years, including executive roles with DHL Same Day; while van Loen was responsible for TNT special services in the Netherlands for more than 10 years.