Case Study: Building a Strong Partnership for Long-term Growth
5 Jul 2022
Company Intro.
Founded in 1996, SAFE Boats International designs and builds highly reliable and extremely durable vessels that help keep military, law enforcement, and fire professionals safe as they carry out their duties, protect citizens and work to save lives.
Headquartered just outside Seattle, Washington in the city of Bremerton, SAFE Boats is 100 percent American owned and operated. The company’s name is a tribute to its pioneering wrap-around collar design for impact and flotation: Secure Around Flotation Equipped.
SAFE Boats is used by organizations in over 50 countries around the world with approximately 2300+ boats currently in service.
Business Challenge
SAFE Boats was seeking a door-to-door movement of a less-than container load (LCL) shipment of their patented boat collars from Bremerton, Washington to Valparaiso, Chile and was running into roadblocks. They had difficulty sourcing a logistics partner that could provide a full quote on the shipment and was instead receiving quotes from various providers on portions of the shipment and sometimes no response at all, leaving the customer frustrated and unsure of what to do next.
Initially, they reached out to Trailer Bridge’s Government Team, but due to the international needs, SAFE Boats was introduced to Director of NVOCC and Compliance for Trailer Bridge International (TBI), Emma Phillips.
The Solution
TBI took swift action by providing a door-to-door quote within 24 hours of the initial request. The shipment was awarded to Trailer Bridge and six days later, the cargo was in route to Chile – all through one point of contact.
A fairly new division of Trailer Bridge, TBI was launched to provide customers global shipping solutions from a single-source provider.
“We’re a global solution offering door-to-door service to most places in the world through one point of contact,” said Phillips. “TBI is an extension of Trailer Bridge’s reputation especially when it comes to service. We provide that ‘white glove’ attention to detail, taking every precaution necessary and delivering to or exceeding a customer’s expectations.”
Since the initial introduction, SAFE Boats has partnered with TBI, selecting the company as their first-choice logistics provider. TBI has secured seven shipments for SAFE Boats in just six months and the quote requests keep coming for various types of shipments such as air, ocean, LCL, FCL, and breakbulk cargo.
“SAFE Boats knows that they can come to us at any time, whether it be a new request or a question on an existing shipment, and they’ll get the answer they need quickly,” said Phillips.
SAFE Boats has also developed a partnership with Trailer Bridge’s domestic transportation line of service. Phillips made the introduction to Trailer Bridge’s Los Angeles logistics branch to offer LTL solutions. One of the many positives SAFE Boats says is the communication they receive at any given time. The logistics team provides real-time updates, consistent communication, and transparency – all key areas in how Trailer Bridge does business.
“A lot of this business is just providing clear and concise communication. While we always want to deliver good news, sometimes things fall out of our control and by keeping the lines of communication open, we’re establishing a level of trust,” said Phillips. “We are talking to our customers whether it’s good or bad news. They know we’re putting in all our effort to figure out what the issue is and how we’re going to correct course.”
Moving cargo from origin to its final destination with a dedicated team providing live updates, no hidden costs, and transparency are just a few of the reasons SAFE Boats continues to work with Trailer Bridge.
“Order is exactly what SAFE Boats has been able to maintain because of Emma and her amazing team at TBI,” said Brian Woeppel, Logistics, SAFE Boats International. “With the vast array of global shipping solutions that TBI offers, we have been able to sustain an orderly flow that our customers, both commercial and government, have come to appreciate and admire. Thank you TBI!”
As a logistics provider for more than 30 years, Trailer Bridge understands the complexities of moving freight. Now with a dedicated international division, we have the capability to transport shipments from sourcing market to end user, building a supply chain solution to support the growth of your business – all through one point of contact. Our advantage of in-depth expertise and relationships in this specialized market further extends the services that Trailer Bridge can offer, making it a reliable source for turnkey global logistics solutions.
