UWL adds Cleveland and Columbus to its Sun Chief Express service.
In June, the freight forwarder and global logistics provider UWL announced the expansion of its inland point intermodal (IPI) program for the Sun Chief Express service, which operates between Southeast Asia and the United States and Canada by way of Seattle. The service now includes access to two locations in Ohio—Cleveland and Columbus—enhancing the reach of the transportation solution.
UWL’s goal in expanding the IPI program is to provide fast, reliable, transportation with guaranteed capacity and equipment to North American retailers, fashion brands, and manufacturers in important Ohio markets. “We initially added the service in response to customer demand, and have been growing volumes ever since,” said Duncan Wright, the company’s CEO. “We’ve been working with a lot of retail goods, including furniture, apparel, tech and electronics, and some industrial consumer goods. The IPI extension will service several of those customers who need their goods to get on market shelves quickly and reliably.”
UWL is headquartered in Cleveland, Duncan noted, and Columbus “is a growing fashion hub.” According to the Columbus Partnership coalition, the city is the fourth largest U.S. metropolitan area for retail headquarters, and, with a population of two million, often serves as a test market for retailers conducting consumer trials of their new products. Columbus is a day’s drive of 150 million Americans, while Cleveland is a city with a per-capita GDP of $72,400.
“Cleveland and Columbus each serve as powerful economic engines,” said Wright. “Integrating them into our network bolsters coverage and accessibility of our transportation solutions. By expanding the existing IPI program to include Cleveland and Columbus, UWL aims to cater to the growing demand from clients for access to the Midwest, providing them with a true end-to-end logistics solution tailored to their needs.”
UWL’s inland point intermodal program, part of its Sun Chief Express service with Swire Shipping, provides direct rail connections to shuttle freight between the Port of Seattle and key U.S. Midwest locations including Chicago, Memphis, Minneapolis, Louisville, Kansas City – and now Cleveland and Columbus. UWL utilizes the Union Pacific (UP) and Norfolk Southern (NS) railroads and provides both eastbound and westbound service, both with on-dock rail at the T-18 terminal at the Port of Seattle.
Sun Chief Express was launched in April of 2022. “Since then, we have continued to build a reputation based on the speed, reliability, and guaranteed equipment that Sun Chief Express provides,” said Wright.
UWL also expanded the Sun Chief Express service into the westbound lane to provide additional capacity and equipment for Midwest-based agricultural shippers to move export products via the Pacific Northwest to buyers in Southeast Asia. “We’ve added feeder services at origin in Southeast Asia, built up an IPI network across the U.S., and launched reefer service that has provided an outlet for fruit, proteins, and agricultural exports from all over the United States,” said Wright. “Ultimately, we are developing end-to-end supply chain and logistics solutions for our clients who do business in Southeast Asia.”
UWL, a top 10 American-owned NVOCC and provider of global 3PL services, specializes in ocean transportation, air freight, project cargo, warehousing and distribution, chartering, bulk liquid logistics, and customs house brokerage. It owns a national network of distribution centers, trucking capacity, and a proprietary data management platform that provides transparency and data to customers’ supply chains.
That data management platform, known as WorldScope, provides Sun Chief Express customers with improved supply chain visibility in the form of freight visibility and analytics tools. WorldScope, which was introduced in 2020 and was built using CargoWise software, includes features such as live GPS vessel tracking, exception management, and customized reporting tools. The platform’s My Cargo dashboard gives a high-level view of current shipments, while My Alerts tracks hot shipments and alerts shippers to containers located on terminal approaching their last free day. The system also features a real-time container tracking module which allows shippers to drill down to see where key shipments in transit are located.
Over the last year, the general freight and intermodal trends show “a true correction to the pre-COVID volumes and subsequent flow of goods,” according to Wright. “The last few years have been very volatile, with dramatic pricing swings and back-ups at the ports,” he said. “It is well known that the inventory levels remained high over the past year, creating a decrease in volumes from the predominant import markets. As a result, the main line carriers are having to adjust capacity in order to better balance supply and demand.”
At this point, Wright believes that international freight has “passed the bottom of the market, and as others have predicted, the traditional peak season is likely not going to happen in 2023.” “With freight volumes down domestically as well,” he added, “truckload pricing is depressed and will continue to challenge intermodal from a pricing perspective. Given these dynamics, we don’t see intermodal outpacing domestic freight in 2023.”
As far as Sun Chief Express goes, Wright claims it’s the fastest and most reliable service to and from Southeast Asia. “We lead the industry in on-time performance, and we do not blank sail,” he said. “Customers and clients continue to express interest in the service, and given its capabilities, the new inland intermodal points, and the reliability, we feel we are continuing to add value in the marketplace and providing a service that very few other carriers can offer. We combine this premium service, together with our drayage and warehousing capabilities for a unique end-to-end service which we control from start to finish.”
With volatility and uncertainty continuing to plague freight marketplaces, services like Sun Chief Express have an important role to play for specific kinds of shippers receiving specific categories of goods. “Our place in all of this, with our premium direct service,” said Wright, “is to focus on the high valued shippers who value reliability for their supply chains. With this expansion, UWL strengthens its commitment to facilitating seamless and reliable cargo movement, offering businesses unparalleled access to manufacturers and suppliers in Southeast Asia.”
