Team Worldwide pivots to preserve perishables amid winter storms

Winter storms across the U.S., and in southeastern states, in particular, have tied up cargo shipments moving by air and truck this week. Due to the more specialized handling requirements, perishables cargo is particularly vulnerable to any supply chain disruptions caused by events like the storms, according to freight forwarders with operations in the region. [caption id="attachment_94662" align="alignright" width="450"] © Can Stock Photo / chalabala[/caption] Logistics operations across areas north of Texas and east into the Carolinas “have been hit fairly hard” while local shipments around Dallas and Houston are “completely shut down,” said Bob Imbriani, vice president of international services of Texas-based Team Worldwide, in an interview with Air Cargo World . While forwarders such as Team Worldwide seek to reroute all affected shipments, certain cargo often takes precedence in rerouting, modal shifts or other expedited services, including expedited or time-sensitive cargo and perishables shipments. “We had a perishables shipment that couldn’t make time requirements, and we rerouted it to a facility for storage at the right temperature,” said Imbriani. “We didn’t want to try to move it and have it damaged.” “Anything that’s perishable in nature is clearly the most susceptible to this,” said Neel Jones Shah, executive vice president and global head of airfreight at Flexport, in an interview with Air Cargo World . General cargo delays may slow down supply chains but won’t otherwise impact the shipment quality. On the other hand, delays for perishables shipments like food, flowers and pharmaceuticals could cause problems for the quality of the products. “If you are moving that product, and that's part of your business, you have to make sure you're prepared for these events,” Shah said. “Because, you know, there's a lot of liability associated with some of these shipments, right? There are high-value products, so that's where your disaster planning comes into effect.” See also: UPS air hubs reopen after temporary weather closure Texas has been severely impacted by the storms, with the Dallas/Ft Worth International Airport (DFW) reporting delays and cancellations from Feb. 14-16, and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) only expected to reopen after 8 p.m. CT today, after being closed from Feb. 15. Team Worldwide had more office closures and employee absences on Feb. 15-16 than ever before in the company’s history, said Imbriani. The company has seven branch offices in Texas, including its corporate office in Winnsboro Disaster planning around such a large region presents its difficulties. Operators in the southeastern U.S. are accustomed to closing operations for major storms like hurricanes, but once storms move through an area, businesses typically reopen quickly, Imbriani said. Southern states like Texas have policies in place for tropical storms but lack the support infrastructure like snow plows that northern states use to mitigate the impact of winter storms. “Normally when you see these things coming, you would try your best to route around the weather if you can,” said Flexport's Shah. The winter storms that have hit across most of the U.S., including the Pacific Northwest, northeastern U.S. and especially the southeastern U.S., have presented unusual difficulties, though. “The problem with these specific storms is they’ve been so widespread, literally stretching 2,500 miles — the ability to sort of outsmart it is just not there.”

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