Throughout my career, I have always worked with VIP and global clients, taking on the responsibility of managing accounts and ensuring smooth operations. When I was a Line Manager at a global shipping company, I was responsible for the account of a major industry player in Venezuela, which was crucial to the success of their business.
One day, we faced a major challenge. We had 200-300 containers of vital goods sailing on a vessel, but due to the season of hurricanes in the Caribbean, the vessel was delayed by over a week. This delay could potentially bring our major industry player's production line to a halt, which would have significant financial consequences.
As the person in charge of this account, it was my job to find a solution to this logistics nightmare. I had to act quickly to prevent any major disruption to their operations.
We negotiated with the client to determine which containers were the most critical and then worked with our team to unload 48 of them in a different port. This involved a complex process of restowing the vessel and multiple movements.
We then had to move these containers overland to another port, where we negotiated with a friendly shipping line to book 48 slots on their next ship. We also had to negotiate with an insurance company to protect these containers even when they were not on our vessels.
Finally, we managed to deliver the containers to the final destination, where we coordinated along side vessel discharge to the dock and arranged for the logistics to transport the containers to the plant.
But the nightmare didn't end there. We still had to negotiate with our major industry player for a premium payment for every container we moved to cover the extra costs incurred. Although we couldn't cover all the expenses, we negotiated with the client to include a portion of the additional costs in each container to be loaded in the future.
Through our quick thinking and effective problem-solving skills, we managed to keep our major industry player's production line running smoothly. This experience taught me the importance of being proactive, anticipating potential problems, and having a contingency plan in place to ensure business continuity. As a Line Manager, it was my job to ensure that our clients received the best possible service, and I am proud to have achieved that despite the challenges we faced.
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