February 9 - UK-based freight forwarder Davies Turner & Co has coordinated the delivery of an entire primary school from the UK to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

Working for one of Britain's most prestigious independent educational institutions, Davies Turner is in the process of supplying the new campus in Abu Dhabi. When complete the 7-hectare site will accommodate approximately 1,600 students aged from 3 to 18 years. The largest of its kind in the Emirate, the campus will play host to some of the Gulf State's best and brightest young students.  

Davies Turner was tasked with delivering 40 x 40 ft containers packed with essential equipment for the junior school development. "The items moved have included standard boxes of pens and pencils, desks and chairs, through to grand pianos and full-size electric cookers," says Davies Turner's group chairman, Philip Stephenson.

The containers were received and packed in the UK, with 31 being handled at Davies Turner's Bristol facilities. "Each item was collated and palletised most carefully in order to get everything delivered to the UAE in the right sequence to aid installation," Stephenson continues.

The 1,700 cu m consignment was dispatched to Dubai for storage in bonded facilities at Jebel Ali, where each item waited under the supervision of Davies Turner's local partner until required on site for final installation.

"With the assistance of our partner in Dubai and Jebel Ali, Inchcape Shipping Services, Davies Turner handled all aspects of the Customs clearance proceedings, payment of duty, storage, inventory call off and final delivery to the school," Stephenson explains.

"It wasn't at first sight an easy project because the customer had understandably limited knowledge of the complexities involved in international freight forwarding or supply chain management.  However, as a team we jointly overcame all of the issues that presented themselves," Stephenson adds.

Having demonstrated its capabilities in what has been a demanding project, Stephenson believes Davies Turner is well positioned to secure further business in this field: "Education is becoming significant export area for the UK, with a number of major British schools setting up affiliates overseas. Completing this project on time and within budget shows that Davies Turner is well suited to serve this growth market."

 

 

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