.
Marc joined his father in 1976, at age 19, in what was then a one-person show. Learning from the ground up, Marc has accumulated an in-depth understanding of the logistics business. His leadership led to a global expansion across 190 countries and peak yearly revenues of over $40m.
Marc has spent the better part of his nearly 40 years in the Logistics industry focused on business development. He continues to guide Dedola Global Logistics’ sales and marketing strategy and takes a hands-on approach to Operations. He generates a customer-focused culture by emphasizing outstanding communication, thoroughness, relationship-building, team spirit, and pride in being the best. He owes his success to skillfully listening to his customers, staff, and vendors and hearing what is needed. Marc believes that there is something to be learned from everyone he encounters. He understands that each individual has needs, and by fulfilling those needs, he will create a fertile environment for success and growth. Marc lives life with a quiet intensity, integrating his spiritual practice into every endeavor.
The last two years have been extremely challenging for those relying on the global supply chain. The toy industry, which makes 86% of its toys in China, has been particularly hit by soaring freight rates and delayed shipments. Port, factory, and transportation shutdowns due to Covid in China, plus overwhelmed ports in the U.S., have only worsened things. Considering that, here are my questions:
Richard – If a toy company chooses to use your services, how can you assist them in getting their goods to market at competitive freight rates?
Marc – Dedola Global Logistics (DGL) has provided logistics services to importers for over 46 years. We represent a significant volume and have longstanding relationships with the major carriers. Our established network, range of services, and stellar reputation mean we deliver best-in-class logistics services. We find efficiencies that help our clients reduce both soft and hard costs.
DGL clients value deliverability. Our focus, expertise, and established network allow us to deliver optimal results at competitive rates consistently. And while hard costs, such as freight rates, are significant, our mission is to create value by focusing on our client’s specific needs and providing solutions that take cost out of their value chain.
Richard – What are some of the obstacles you have overcome for your clients over the last two years?
Marc – During the worst stretches of the Covid crisis, when equipment and space were in high demand and in short supply, DGL consistently secured space and equipment for over 95% of our clients. When Chinese cities and ports shut down, our presence in China and strong network of partners kept shipments moving despite the obstacles.
The domestic trucker shortage predated Covid but became acute when port shutdowns, equipment scarcity, and high consumer demand led to unprecedented port congestion. Many truckers have retired, and there weren’t enough young people joining the profession. Again, DGL’s longstanding relationships served our clients well. We’ve partnered with established short and long-haul trucking companies with ample equipment and deep benches. It was challenging, but we kept our clients’ shipments moving to their final destinations.
Richard – What advantages can you provide a client that your competition cannot?
Marc – DGL aims to optimize its customers’ supply chain and offer a critical advantage in the competitive marketplace.
We have over 46 years of experience. That experience gives our clients confidence that we can help them negotiate the ongoing chaos in the supply chain.
John Dedola founded Dedola Global Logistics in 1976, and his vision guides our philosophy to this day. He had held senior purchasing management positions in several department stores for many years. He knew firsthand what importers required and what issues they faced daily. DGL has continuously operated from that perspective, which is a significant advantage to our clients. We are not only responsive to their needs, but we also anticipate them.
Over 46 years, we have built a rock-solid shipping network. Our longevity and stability give our clients confidence that we have them covered.
DGL was an early adopter of internet technology as a critical tool, launching our first client portal, TrakIt, in 1996. We have refined and expanded our systems over two and a half decades.
Our staff knows our mission and prioritizes communication and transparency. DGL clients rely on our consistent delivery of clear communication, 24/7 availability, and user-friendly tech.
DGL helps find efficiencies that reduce hard and soft costs at the origin and domestically. We maintain an ongoing conversation with our clients and offer solutions such as tariff review, packaging optimization, buyer’s consolidations, flexible warehousing, transloading, last-mile distribution, and much more. Our clients can track all this activity 24/7 through our best-in-class cargo visibility platform, TrakItPro.
Our longevity, professionalism, focus, experience, and technology give our clients confidence. They know that we can help them negotiate the ongoing chaos in the global supply chain.
Richard – What is your prognosis for the supply chain over the next six months?
Marc – There is still a high level of uncertainty. Vessel ETDs and ETAs are moving targets, equipment is in short supply, space is tight, and domestic trucking is understaffed and overwhelmed. This kind of uncertainty was unheard of in the decades preceding 2020.
We are optimistic things will eventually normalize, but there are still many obstacles, such as delays at the port and rail, a potential trucking strike, the ongoing war in Ukraine with no end in sight, and prolonged and unpredictable lockdowns in China.
Richard – Have you seen changes in how products flow to the market over the last two years? What I mean is, have there been any new routes, has air freight increased as an option, and has “just in time” shipping given way to heavier inventories?
Marc – The entire logistics landscape changed dramatically during this period. Importers sought guidance on navigating an uncertain terrain, and many were not getting it from their logistics providers. They were understandably disoriented when the usually predictable shipping industry started to feel like the wild west.
Fortunately, Dedola’s foundation equips us for this kind of challenge. Our creativity and flexibility have been critical assets to our clients. We immediately started looking for options when ocean shipping became slow and unpredictable. Ocean carriers began offering alternatives to their “standard” service with faster transit times and more efficient routing. They were costly and hard to come by, but we recommended and secured them when they were optimal for our clients.
The demand for air freight also increased, but so did the rates. Carriers prioritized our network when booking scarce air cargo space, where speed-to-market for our clients outweighed the significantly higher cost.
We have seen some importers stepping back from just-in-time, maintaining larger than usual domestic inventories. Though it has helped counteract some of the uncertainty, today, many are burdened by that strategy.
Richard – Have you seen any shift from off-shoring to near-shoring or reshoring?
Marc – We’ve seen a small percentage of importers who have explored and made moves to modify their supply chain structure. We see no dramatic shift happening in the near term, however. It may take years for a company to reformulate and relocate its supplier relationships away from Asia to geographically desirable or domestic production.
