SF allies with Zhanjiang to enhance seafood industry

SF Express, China's leading express delivery company, will expand into the seafood industry with Zhanjiang, already known as the Capital of Prawns, as its jumping-off point.

A conference promoting the company's cold-chain delivery services was held in Zhanjiang on Aug 8.

Due to rising living standards, more and more customers want their aquatic products delivered fresh instead of being processed with quick-freezing technology, which affects quality.

Embracing the new trend, SF innovatively proposed a less-than-truckload cold-chain delivery mode, which puts bulk cargoes bound for the same destination in one truck able to meet specific requirements for temperature and humidity.

Aquatic enterprises can send their products as soon as they are ready rather than waiting until they have a full truck. Not only does this ability increase logistics efficiency, it also lowers costs.

Meanwhile, SF has set up more than 140 self-run or cooperative outlets in Zhanjiang, Maoming and Yangjiang, with 30 more to be established by September. These outlets will accept supplies from over 90 percent of local wharves, which increases convenience for seafood merchants.

With direct routes to about half of the first-tiered cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, the logistic giant is able to deliver aquatic products to their destination within 24 hours – far faster than its peers.

Zhanjiang SF Express Co Ltd was named a Designated Strategic Cooperation Partner Supplier by the local Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Alliance at the conference, a hint of how the new shipping practice might benefit the city's economy more broadly.