Kuala Lumpur, 21 October 2009 – TNT, one of the world’s leading express integrators, today announces the launch of a dedicated service set to provide improved solutions for the service logistics sector in Southeast Asia. Called Storapart, this enhanced service enables customers to optimise inventory holding and transportation for critical spare parts around the region. The ‘aligned service offering’ is designed to capture more growth in the service logistics market which stands at €2.3 billion in the Asia Pacific market and around €410 million in Southeast Asia alone.
Karel van de Pijpekamp, Director of Sales and Marketing of TNT Asia said, “TNT is well positioned to tap into the growing service logistics market in Southeast Asia especially in the high-end telecommunications, industrial and electronics sector. By using TNT, customers can leverage on our extensive, secure networks and seamless distribution infrastructure especially in Europe and Asia just through one point of contact. This means improved service levels, visibility, reliability and faster response times when dealing with such high-value mission-critical spare parts.”
The growth of service logistics is attributed to several factors. Due to the current financial downturn, customers tend to extend the life span of their equipment, hence boosting the demand for after-sales support especially spare parts. Also, there is a trend towards the outsourcing of the service logistics division of businesses, especially in the telecommunications, electronics and semiconductor industry. Singapore due to its status as a regional trans-shipment hub has a 60 per cent share of the Southeast Asian market.
“In Malaysia, our strong domestic network linking all our strategically located facilities across the country – mainly in KLIA, Penang and Johor Bahru - is seamlessly connected with our international air and road network in Southeast Asia, China and Europe. We have the right capabilities to support our customers’ service logistic needs in the hi-tech sector. And our key facilities are TAPA-A certified in recognition of the importance hi-tech businesses place on security “ said Gerry Power, Managing Director of Malaysia and Brunei.
With the introduction of this enhanced service, TNT moves a step up from the traditional role of a 3PL in the aftermarket services by offering its customers overall visibility and control of its aftermarket activities through a single point of contact. TNT can act as the central control point for all service logistics, from managing repair turnaround times at the back-end to handling front-end activities such as return screenings. Equipments and spare parts are consolidated and strategically positioned in line with the customers' service contracts using a dense network of regional and national warehouses combined with forward stock locations across Southeast Asia, thereby increasing the efficiency of the distribution network. This network is manned 24 hours a day and seven days a week by a dedicated team of TNT specialists who can respond to customers’ demands at any given time. This enables a spare part or a repaired product to be delivered to its final destination within two to four hours from the time the order is placed.
Equipments and spare parts pertaining service logistics can be transported to its destinations via TNT’s integrated air and road networks offering customers the widest range of transportation services whether it is for urgent service calls (2 to 4 hours delivery) or less urgent returns purposes (2 to 4 days delivery). TNT’s air network includes TNT’s Boeing 747-400 freighter service that flies from Singapore-Shanghai-Liege (Belgium) or Hong Kong-Liege route which connects to Europe through TNT's European Road and Air network. TNT also wholly-manages a unique Asia Road Network (ARN) which spans 6 countries and 127 cities from Singapore to South China. Road transportation via the ARN is uniquely positioned to provide an economical yet day definite service for consolidated return flows.
For more than 10 years, TNT has been providing service logistics solutions to several Fortune 500 companies in Europe and AMEA and the ASPAC region. Recently, TNT has partnered one of the world’s leading telecoms solutions providers to handle its after-market spare parts operations in China, India, Southeast Asia and Europe leveraging on TNT’s extensive network and infrastructure in these areas.
TNT will be making further announcements pertaining to the service logistics market in India in the near future.