A typical day, what does it consist of for PSP Worldwide Logistics? We spoke to Jo Dixie PSP Marketing Manager

There is always such a lot going on here at PSP. Everyone gets in at about 8.30 am. Our Operations Team which consists of the Sea Freight, the Air Freight and the Boat Transportation teams start the day with a cup of tea and a team meeting. The team will go through their emails and the new quotes that have come in overnight. Some members of the team will start working on quotations, others will start calling customers, chasing up quotation requests for shipping lines and airlines.

The operations team are in charge of not only quoting potential business but also making bookings with shipping lines, airlines and road hauliers all over the world and managing the whole shipment from start to finish. PSP also work very closely with our Global Alliance of partners to ensure a seamless service. We hand pick our partners and agents as they are representing our brand worldwide and its vital that they work with the same care and attention to detail as us. We rely on our partners for up-to-date information, good communication and strong local knowledge which obviously benefits our customers.

Our truck leaves our premises and picks up freight for all of our local customers, this could be anything from pallets and crates to parcels or documents. Another PSP truck delivers bespoke packaging cases and crates that we make on site. These are necessary for all sorts of reasons, it might be that an item is very delicate, high value or it may need protection from the elements. This service is quite unique.

We also do 'onsite packing' so if there is something that is very delicate or too big to be transported without specialist packing eg large air conditioning units or flight simulators, we can send out the team to build the crate around the item before it leaves for transportation to its destination.

We also have our marine team who travel around the world to load yachts. We have our own set of fully adjustable shipping cradles to suit all shapes and sizes so the team will first assemble the cradle and then load the yacht onto it. We have all our own lifting equipment and a team of divers that check everything from the water. The process of loading a yacht is complex and takes time, good weather conditions help! We also work closely with British and European hauliers to provide UK and Europe wide road transport for yacht owners.

How many people work for PSP Worldwide Logistics?

We have 40 members of staff across 3 sites - Fareham, London (near Heathrow) and Poole. Our Head Office is in Fareham.

What sort of items do you ship?

We ship everything from important documents around the UK, 40 foot containers of engines worldwide or a deck full of yachts across the Atlantic. We also specialise in high end luxury items and vehicles. We recently shipped a Rolls Royce Ghost, a Lamborghini for some very wealthy customers. A horse swimming pool was sent to a Sheikh in the Middle East for his racing horses, a 40 metre Sunseeker, a drilling rig that went out to Singapore, wind turbines, we shipped the Great Creativity work to Shanghai (see link below), all very valuable items that need a great deal of specialist care, planning and attention. For boat transportation around Europe we can also provide a quote to transfer a vessel by road.

Did you have Security to accompany the very high value items?

We had security from pick up in secure vans with guards, the security stayed with the precious cargo until it had completed its journey.

How do I arrange to ship my boat from Plymouth UK to Plymouth USA with PSP Worldwide Logistics?

It's really easy, we have a specialised Marine Department who will talk you through everything regarding shipping you boat, large or small. The team who include Hannah and Brian will take all of the details including the length, beam, height, displacement etc and when you want to move your boat. Once we have this information we can go out to the shipping lines. If we have enough demand for a certain route we run our own vessel. For instance we send a vessel from Southampton to Fort Lauderdale and Miami boat shows every year. So if we do have a chartered vessel that will coincide with the dates that you require we would offer this as an option. We will always endeavor to find you the best transit times, routes and cost. If the dates do not suit we can amend the details to suit the customer. Sometimes we get requests for just an estimate so that people have an idea of costs, which is useful when purchasing a boat.

What is the biggest job you have every shipped?

The drilling platform was broken down into 20 containers. The most expensive would probably be a 40 metre Superyacht.

Can you tell me about a problem that you have had to overcome?

We once had a number of Sunseekers that we loaded on to a ship bound for Croatia. The ship set sail and half way down the Southampton water the crank shaft went on the vessel (these things happen occasionally) which meant that it had to be towed back to the port. Due to the contract that you are tied into when you charter a shipping vessel, legally we couldn't really do much until the boat was fixed which was looking like it could be 6 weeks or longer!! It could even have been months. We had to have much negotiation with the ships owner. All the time the customers were understandably wanting to know when they could expect the boats to arrive at their destination. We had to negotiate a cost that PSP absorbed to help get the boats removed from the vessel. We bought another suitable ship which took about 2 days to find. We managed to catch up our time and everybody was happy. This was down to sheer hard work and negotiations, when most companies would think that this was a situation that couldn't be solved. We didn't give up!

What do you think makes PSP Worldwide Logistics different from other logistics companies?

At PSP we do as much as we can in-house to save costs and time. We are constantly learning, keeping up to date with the ever-changing regulations of a global shipping market so we can advise our clients accordingly.

Our team is fully-qualified o handle fragile or dangerous goods such as paint, fireworks and batteries. These goods need to be packed differently by highly-trained specialists and transported in specialised vehicles.

We always work very hard on behalf of our customers to make sure they get the best options available for them, including the best price and the best route. We are a family business and our ethos strongly reflects that - we truly care for each and every customer.

PSP is one of the only companies that has our own freight packing service. Most other freight forwarders outsource packing but we like to do this in-house. We have invested substantial money in our own yacht shipping cradles and the tools we must have to help us stand out.

Can you tell me about your involvement with the Clipper Race?

We have been selected as official logistics partner for four consecutive races and this is the second time that we have sponsored a yacht. Our reason for doing this is that it provides a fantastic global platform to showcase PSP Worldwide Logistics in ports around the world. We can take potential clients out sailing and we are able to join in with the fanfare of the Clipper Race which includes lots of business networking opportunities.

Thank you so much for sharing a day in the life of your business Jo, we are delighted that you have joined us as a Boatshed preferred partner!

Great creativity festival link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Wo4kWUuqBQ

For a quote please click here and complete the enquiry form http://www.boatshed.com/preferred-partner/psp-worldwide-logistics/131430/

Written and Published by Chrissie Capel (Boatshed)