Vanguard Logistics Services (VLS) has announced plans for a dramatic expansion of services in the Intra-Asia region.

The company already has significant coverage of Asia, but VLS intends to further develop its network to provide extensive unmatched coverage of the region.

“Today, Vanguard has over 770 weekly services in the region,” said chief executive Charles Brennan.

“We want VLS to be the most comprehensive Intra-Asia service provider with the most direct points between Asian origin and Asian destination services. This means we will provide enough services into the main ports like Shanghai, but also means the company must connect the less traversed origins and destinations like Haiphong in Vietnam to Bangkok in Thailand and Port Klang in Malaysia to Muara in Brunei.”

VLS has targeted 45 points within Intra-Asia to build the expanded point-to-point network.

“Essentially, we want to bring the service expansion strategy that we have implemented globally to the Intra-Asia service," said Owen Glenn, founder and executive chairman.

The aim of VLS is to connect these ports with direct services, all while simultaneously increasing the volume and frequency. This initiative will provide forwarders more options, for example if they miss the cut-off for a service, they will have another option soon after."

This expanding network will not only benefit customers of the organisation in the intra-Asia region, but will also assist VLS customers in other regions. For example, customers in Latin America will have access to an Intra-Asia network that gives them more direct points.

Upon full implementation of this network, VLS will have the ability to link its deep-sea traffic with the short sea Intra-Asia trade lanes, thereby further expanding its global reach.

VLS has undergone changes in management in order to accommodate the growth of this market.

Roy Chew, regional managing director of Southeast Asia, will head up the initiative at an executive level and will be based out of Singapore, given the prominence of Singapore as a hub in this region’s network.

Jeff Lee, currently vice-president of business development, will relocate to Singapore in order to fill Chew's former position of regional managing director.

Michael Sinclair, executive vice-president based out of Carson in California will represent corporate interaction with the region in the expansion roll out.

The management changes are effective immediately.

Source: Cargonews Asia