Air Freight Case Study
Weekly Sialkot–Frankfurt air lane for a surgical instrument manufacturer
A Sialkot manufacturer of precision surgical instruments was losing orders after repeatedly missing trade-show and hospital tender deadlines in Germany. Lonesons designed a repeatable weekly air freight lane out of SKT and KHI that cut door-to-door transit to 72 hours.
Client profile
Mid-size surgical instrument manufacturer, Sialkot
Industry
Medical devices & surgical instruments
Service
Air freight + export documentation
Trade lane
Sialkot (SKT/KHI) → Frankfurt (FRA)
Outcomes
72h
Door-to-door transit
48/yr
Consolidated departures
0
Missed tender deadlines
35%
Lower per-kg cost vs. ad-hoc
The challenge
The client was booking air freight on a shipment-by-shipment basis through multiple forwarders. Rates were volatile, cut-off times were missed, and shipments occasionally sat at KHI waiting for space. Two lost hospital tenders in a single quarter made a structured lane a business priority.
Our approach
- Negotiated block-space agreements with two IATA carriers out of KHI, with SKT feeder consolidations
- Set a fixed weekly cut-off and pre-alert workflow with the client's dispatch team
- Pre-cleared paperwork on WeBOC using standardised HS classifications for surgical sets
- Arranged German customs clearance and onward trucking through our overseas agent in Frankfurt
The outcome
Over 12 months, the client moved 48 consolidated shipments on a fixed weekly schedule with an average door-to-door transit of 72 hours. Per-kilo cost dropped roughly 35% versus their previous ad-hoc bookings, and no tender or trade-show deadline was missed. The lane now underpins the client's core European accounts.
“Lonesons turned our air freight from a weekly firefight into something we barely have to think about. Our German buyers get their instruments on the day we promise.”
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