Sealion Cargo became a leader in large air export
Sealion Cargo has been a proud member of the EAA since 2019, representing Canada. Since then, we’ve grown a great deal individually and in partnership with our EAA colleagues. We’ve surpassed 25 team members (and 16 languages) at our Toronto office and are now committed to further expansion of our east and west coast teams, as a part of our growth strategy.
Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, several Canadian Forwarders witnessed a dramatic reduction in volumes and reduced headcounts as a result. Our Go-Fwd Committee decided to focus on building skills, capacity and attracting talent in new areas. Among various initiatives, an Air Cargo project was launched with the goal of seeking IATA accreditation, moving from 80% co-loaded bookings to the majority being carrier direct, as well as doubling both bookings and volume year-over-year.
After three months, Sealion Cargo reached its annual target. And, that was prior to embarking on our single largest project to date; which involved a charter of several aircrafts including AN-124, IL-76, and B777.
A year later an unanticipated success took place, Sealion Cargo has moved over 1.2 Million KG of Chargeable Weight (CW) from July 2021 to July 2022.
“SEALION CARGO has in the one year since they were appointed as an IATA agent here in Toronto become a leader in large air export project work from across Canada.
We continue to work closely with them and have enjoyed a strong working partnership and value their contribution by adding to the payloads of the 13 weekly flights of Turkish Cargo passenger and freighter flights from Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal”
What made this project successful? The short answer: Exceptional customer service. This rapid growth in Air Freight would never have been possible without a core customer base that had already received exceptional service on ocean bookings. This was the foundation for trusting us with their air freight bookings. Of course, our Account Managers were also proactive in helping our clients optimize their strategies considering spikes in both production lead and containerized transit times. For several customers, this meant introducing an element of Air Freight to their supply and sales channels for the first time!
While our mid-term goal is to master ready-for carriage handling in YYZ and YUL. Today, we rely on strong partnerships with terminals for PMC build and breakdown, as well as cargo screening. In the upcoming year, we plan to continue to invest in Air Freight-related abilities.
Sealion Cargo is excited for what’s to come and to continue building a strong customer service-based team to ensure our continued success.
