Monday, May 13, 2024
Southeast Asia’s strategic shift

Southeast Asia’s strategic shift

Over the past one and a half years, Teleport’s strategic focus has shifted significantly towards understanding and targeting specific customer profiles as the Southeast Asia logistics provider seeks to conquer a booming regional market.

READ: Hong Kong’s digital revolution

Francis Antony, Group Head of Cargo at Teleport, says the Southeast Asia region remains the company’s primary focus, in addition to growing its routes to Asia Pacific and beyond. Noting the growth prospects surrounding the wider region, he said. “India is growing incredibly quickly. China, Hong Kong and Vietnam are all in focus.”

e-commerce expansion

As the global impact of COVID-19 unfolded, a notable shift in consumer spending habits became evident, with a pronounced surge in e-commerce. This trend has continued to be consistently on the rise throughout recent years and months.

With coverage across 160 cities, Teleport is looking to solidify its position in Southeast Asia further as the first point of contact for e-commerce volumes moving into the region, particularly from China. Francis explains that the company continues to grow its network by collaborating with more strategic partner airlines and strengthening its end-to-end first-to-last mile capabilities to deliver goods reliably the next day at an affordable rate.

Believing that moving goods should be easy, quick, seamless and, importantly, available at affordable rates, Teleport is looking to revolutionise the delivery landscape as demand for next-day deliveries soars.

A particularly noteworthy area of strength for Teleport lies in e-commerce, where the segment has established itself as a robust and vibrant market. However, this growth is wider than serving Southeast Asia alone, as the carrier has extended its reach to encompass the Middle East and surrounding regions.

“The e-commerce segment is only growing. And we are ready to meet demand,” Antony added.

Fleet development

With three Airbus A321 Freighters (A321F) in service and more on the way, Teleport is focused on creatively expanding its hybrid belly-freighter fleet. Being strategically located within a five-hour radius of most locations in the Southeast Asian region and key APAC destinations, these aircraft will provide greater flexibility across its network, optimising aircraft utilisation and tapping into specialised cargo segments.

“We can strategically dynamically plan cargo routes, offering a unique advantage that might not be available when using belly hold capacity on passenger aircraft.

“This supports our overall approach, combining direct engagement with global customers, regional dealings, network consolidation, and strategic partnerships, which has been instrumental in our success and expansion so far,” Antony added.

Powering partners

Cargo carriers don’t create demand; they follow it, supporting customers and industries with their growth. This involves having a high level of communication with all stakeholders to ensure they are connected, not just point-to-point, but most effectively and optimally.

“There is a diverse hub network in Asia, which offers great potential for more flexible solutions,” Antony explained.

“For instance, if there’s a need to transport cargo from one place to another, instead of relying solely on a direct route that you might have to use when working with passenger aircraft, we can configure alternative routes and gateways that may provide more efficient connections.

“We are continuously communicating with our partners to identify and fulfil market demand innovatively, fostering collaboration and understanding intricate demand patterns.”

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James Graham

James Graham is an award-winning transport media journalist with a long background in the commercial freight sector, including commercial aviation and the aviation supply chain. He was the initial Air Cargo Week journalist and retuned later for a stint as editor. He continues his association as editor of the monthly supplements. He has reported for the newspaper from global locations as well as the UK.

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