The Chinese New Year, which in 2023 will fall on 22 January, is China’s most important anuual festival. Like Christmas in western countries, it is traditionally a time for family reunions. Each year, millions of migrant workers throughout the country travel back to their home provinces to celebrate the festival with their loved ones. Consequently, many factories close down completely for several weeks during this major holiday.
China is the world’s leading manufacturing center, playing a vital role in global supply chains. Without proper planning and handling, this annual holiday could cause significant interruption to the availability of numerous essential products. For this reason, buyers around the world rush to get their orders completed and shipped ahead of this annual pause in production, so they can maintain their inventory levels. Factories co-operate with this schedule by ramping up production ahead of the annual shutdowns. This often leads to high demand for containers and tight supply of ocean shipping space in the weeks running up to the holiday.
Businesses seeking to ensure that their cargoes arrive on time during this period need to select a reliable service provider that offers equipment and space protection. This requirement can be secured with OOCL’s FreightSmart service. FreightSmart is an advanced one-stop online platform enabling you to book and manage your shipments with ease. With FreightSmart you can quickly and conveniently:
Make Your Booking
- Plan and book your shipment ahead, including last-mile logistics service – from anywhere, any time.
- Check availability and schedules – choose from a vast selection of service routes linking major ports.
- Receive an instant price quote, including applicable surcharges, with fully transparent pricing, rates and surcharges. Rates are locked in from the time of order confirmation.
- Get immediate booking confirmation, with space and equipment protection from the moment of confirmation.
- 24-hour cooling off period during which free cancellation is permitted.
Manage Your Shipments
- Enjoy the peace of mind of knowing where your goods are at all times through the tracking function.
- Get an update on the latest container position and be aware of potential delays caused by weather events, port congestion, or other factors so you can plan ahead.
- See an overview of all your orders and their status for efficient management.
- Buy extra DD for your origin and destination, and enjoy the flexibility to pick up and return containers to fit your plan.
Enjoy Additional Benefits
become entitled to special offers/promotions and other rewards through the PlumSmart program for frequent users. PlumSmart offers three tiers of membership depending on your usage level, giving you discounts, festive coupons and other benefits.
Why not sign up for FreightSmart now, and be sure of beating the Chinese New Year rush?