Earlier this year, Tetra Pak awarded its Lahore factory “Factory of the Year”. The selection of the award is based on a selection of Key Performance Indicators, including its shipment reliability which was 77% in Q4/2012. This was at 10% in Q1/2012.

When Maersk Pakistan started discussion with Tetra Pak in the beginning of 2012, they learnt that Tetra Pak had a KPI called “Perfect Delivery,” which measures performance by calculating 0 days deviation from the Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA). In order to meet Tetra Pak’s expectations, Maersk Pakistan needed to ensure 100% reliability of shipments; that meant delivering neither a day late nor a day early.

Previously Tetra Pak’s customers communicated shipment arrival dates based on their requirements, and the same was then communicated to Maersk Pakistan to find vessel schedules for those dates.

“It was very challenging to meet the ETAs, especially considering the schedule kept changing frequently due to various reasons at Hodeida (Yemen) and Alexandria (Egypt) ports,” Customer Relations Manager, Maersk Pakistan Arshad Ayub points out.

“We brought Tetra Pak on the Customer CARE programme and provided them customised services in order to add value to their business.” These services included sending Tetra Pak a weekly schedule for the next 10 weeks for all the ports, which they would send to their customers. The customers would then plan their shipments as per Maersk Line’s schedule.

Another step taken was proactively looking into the port situations and searching for alternatives in the case of delays.

This series of painstaking steps finally paid off as Maersk improved on Tetra Pak’s “Perfect Delivery” score, increasing from 10% in the first quarter to 77% by year end.

Suhail Arshad, Supply Chain Manager at Tetra Pak Pakistan, appreciates the effort. “In Perfect Delivery, Maersk Line played a vital role in all sea shipments. As part of your CARE customer service you have taken ownership of our shipments to meet the desired ETA. Your proactive follow-up and service has helped us in achieving our desired targets for Perfect Delivery.”

Mohammad Arslan Khan, Sales Manager for Maersk Line Pakistan, comments: “It’s always a pleasure when you get into a dialogue with a customer who not only speaks and understands your language, but pushes you to do even better. Most of our discussions with Tetra Pak revolved around understanding each other's reliability measurement criteria and working together to mutually meet and exceed the committed service levels.”

Farheen Mahmud, Customer Relations & Services Manager from Maersk Pakistan believes “Good customer service is not just about giving customers what they want, but building a better understanding of the customer business and leveraging our strengths with their needs.”

Source: Maersk Line