Horizon and Delver Agents Partner to Serve Arctic, Alaskan, and Antarctic Expeditions

For 15 years, Delver Agents has been the premier Ushuaia-based port agency and supplier supporting Antarctic expeditions from Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. Antarctic operators from cruise lines and fishing fleets including NASA and Metallica trust Delver for ship services, freight forwarding, and import and export services. From parkas and pistons to mobile labs and submarines, they’ve always found a way to get you whatever you need, wherever you need it, from ports throughout the Southern Cone.

Now joining forces, Horizon and Delver Agents have the global reach to serve all your Arctic, Alaskan, and Antarctic expeditions. With our combined logistics supply chains, we provide consolidated door-to-deck delivery of marine spares, hotel supplies, and food and beverages from vendors anywhere in the world.

Together, Delver Agents and Horizon offer you an integrated, end-to-end solution that streamlines your procurement operations while giving you greater transparency, security, reliability, and control of all your purchase orders.

Our teams provide:

• Personalized port services for anything and everything your expeditions need.
• Consolidation of globally-sourced spares at Horizon’s 30+ international warehouses.
• Consolidation of food, beverages, and hotel supplies in LA, Miami and Europe for Antarctic, Arctic, and Alaskan expeditions.
• Expedited import/export and customs clearance to and from South American markets and worldwide.
• Real-time tracking of all your purchase orders through Horizon WorldTrack.
• 24/7 support by Delver’s port agents and Horizon’s routing specialists.

How can the combined forces of Horizon and Delver support your Arctic, Antarctic, or Alaskan expedition? Whatever you need, wherever you need it, we’ll get the job done.

Contact us today.

Building on a Foundation of First-Rate Service

For fifty years, Horizon Air Freight has specialized in equipping our clients with high-touch customer service — paired with high-quality data analytics — to help you do your vital job more efficiently and effectively.

But we’re not resting on our laurels. Thanks to feedback from our valuable customers, this year we’ll be presenting two outstanding new technology platforms. Together, they will give you custom-designed transparency, analysis, and insight into all of your procurement activities — from the most granular to the highest level. You’ll be empowered with the real-time information your operation needs to optimize your budget spend while supporting your fleet at sea.

Here’s how we’ll do more for you than ever before.

Horizon WorldTrack Upgrades

“We’ve always believed that you need data to drive decision making in terms of value, efficiency, optimization, and planning,” says Alex Leondis, Horizon Air Freight’s Business Insights & Data Analytics Manager. Which is why, for over 20 years, Horizon WorldTrack has given customers analytics and insights into the daily status of any shipment, including warehouse arrival times and delays.

WorldTrack information can already be filtered by specifics including country of origin or destination, and give you access to relevant documentation including invoices and master air waybills. “These things are happening now,” Mr. Leondis says. “And not everyone else has it.”

But in the coming months, we’re upgrading WorldTrack to include real-time tracking information on global shipments. We’re adding more specific data points as well, along with a new and improved interface to make interpreting your data even easier.

“If you want to see, say, information from 12:12 p.m. today, you could click a refresh button, and once it loads up, you’ll have the data as of that minute,” Mr. Leondis explains.

Highly Customizable Business Intelligence Dashboards

To equip you with even more state-of-the-art business analytics for a variety of KPIs, early this year we’ll also be unveiling new, customizable, business intelligence dashboards. These dashboards will allow you to ask — and answer — even the most detailed, unique questions your business requires, including:

• What’s the cost per kilo on a particular shipment?
• Which vendors are delivering spares consistently to this destination?
• What’s the waiting time on a particular fleet — or vessel?
• Are we spending too much to cover last-minute shipments?
• How many shipments and POs are we handling — and in what cities?
• How many orders from this particular vendor have been delivered late?
• Where else can we trim costs and increase efficiency?

“We’re excited because this will allow for much more modern, analytics-based decision-making that will streamline our customers’ procurement operations while optimizing their shipping budgets,” Mr. Leondis says.

The deeper you dive into the new dashboard’s advanced analytics, the greater value it can provide you. But we know from experience that one client’s specific needs may not be the same as another’s.

“We’ll be able to get very specific and tailor to what each customer wants to see based on their unique needs,” says Mr. Leondis. “It may open our eyes to challenges not seen before, and present new possible solutions. And then we can work together to drive even more value and maximize savings.”

A Powerful Combination — Still with a Personal Touch

In order to execute on both plans, we’ve spent the past 18 months hiring and onboarding an in-house software development team — ensuring quality and consistency from early planning to smooth migration. We’ve also partnered with current clients throughout the process, utilizing questions sent to us over the years, and discovery meetings to gather their insights for optimum visualizations. You can also rest assured that after launch, we’ll continue to provide you with trusted one-on-one guidance to help you sort and display the information in whatever way suits you best.

With an updated WorldTrack system, we’re giving you real-time information that will streamline your procurement operations by greatly reducing the time you spend requesting status updates and documentation. And our new business intelligence dashboards will empower you to make cost-effective decisions on shipping, optimizing your budget spend while keeping your fleet sailing safely and on time.

I’m excited,” Leondis says, “because this depth of rich, real-time data and flexible analysis is something that the industry hasn’t had in the past. There’s a whole opportunity to grow.”

Stay tuned for more information on the rollouts. Contact us if you have questions or would like to set up a time to see how Horizon can drive value for you.

On August 7, 2021, Horizon Air Freight was honored to be featured on “Inside the Blueprint.” Airing on Fox Business and Bloomberg International, “Inside the Blueprint” is a “fast-paced series that takes a sweeping look at innovations in the commercial construction and design spaces, chronicling ideas and products that impact how we live, work and play.”

As the world’s most reliable and reputable marine freight forwarder, Horizon was delighted to be among the innovative influencers featured on this program.

With appearances from Steve Leondis (Horizon CEO), Alex Durante (Horizon Director of Global Sales), and Pixie Gibbs (Horizon Export Manager) the spot focused on how crucial the shipping industry is to global commerce, and how Horizon is uniquely positioned to assist these ships.

Crucial Support for a Crucial Industry

As the episode’s introduction overviews, 90% of the world’s global commerce and trade is transported by sea, either because flying cargo is too expensive, or because the volume is too great to send any other way. “Without these ships, the world doesn’t run,” Mr. Durante asserted.

This is where Horizon provides critical support. “Inside the Blueprint” showcases how we are uniquely positioned to provide “last mile service,” clearing customs in remote countries and delivering critical equipment on deck, with personalized service to any port worldwide. This means crucial equipment or supplies can be provided straight from the supplier to the individual vessel, keeping things running smoothly, and shipments delivered on time.

Customer-Focused Technology and Service

Our “Inside the Blueprint” episode also highlighted how Horizon’s technology has been designed to keep the customer’s needs in mind at every step throughout the entire process. Through our Horizon WorldTrack customer portal, clients can track with transparency, from time of first collection to the moment of satisfactory delivery, as Ms. Gibbs explained.

This is because Horizon stands behind its original mission to bring high-quality service at every level. As Mr. Leondis explains in the segment, Horizon was originally founded in 1971 by his father to support the Greek shipping community. But under his tenure, the business grew to an all purpose freight forward logistics company for fleets around the world. For 50 years, these ships have relied on Horizon to deliver supplies and equipment “where they need them, when they need them, no matter what it takes.”

Boutique Benefits with Better Pricing

Though our reach is wide, Mr. Leondis assured “Inside the Blueprint” producers that Horizon prioritizes quality over quantity. This allows us to not only thrive as a high-touch customer service company with boutique benefits but also provide better pricing. Horizon clients get the best pricing, Ms. Gibbs explained, because we are uniquely able to consolidate orders to be more cost effective.

Whether you’re based in New York or New Zealand, as this episode of “Inside the Blueprint” illustrates, Horizon does whatever it takes every day to ensure that vital equipment and supplies will be delivered to your vessel, because we understand what’s at stake. We also care about you and the safety and efficacy of all your people at sea. Contact us directly to discuss more how we can assist you.

Featured in “Inside Marine” (M47 issue, August 2021)

Celebrating 50 years of operations, marine logistics firm Horizon Air Freight (HAF) continues to keep the world’s shipping fleets equipped and supplied, serving more than 3,000 ships around the globe.

Daniel Barnes asked HAF’s Director of Sales, Alex Durante, about the company’s longevity, the importance of proximity, the growing impetus of digitalization within the shipping industry, and, of course, how best to operate during a global pandemic.  

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Horizon Air Freight (HAF) has reached its milestone 50 year anniversary. I imagine celebrating the company’s 50-year anniversary during a global pandemic wasn’t what you initially had in mind?!

Certainly not! However, we approached and invited this unexpected challenge to further demonstrate to our customers why HAF has been one of the global leaders in marine logistics for the past 50 years. We went above and beyond the call of duty to serve our customers, ensuring their business operations were minimally affected by all the issues that plagued the transportation industry.

There were days when most of our staff rotated 12-hour shifts to ensure our clients’ critical spares were delivered on board and on time. We thrive on these types of challenges by finding a way, any way, to always get the job done.

Horizon has reported a 99% on-time delivery rate, even through a pandemic – how did you accomplish that?

Maritime logistics is a very niche industry. Transportation providers like Horizon must have very unique skill sets to ensure the success of our clients’ missions. We execute with extreme diligence and have a wealth of experience, all of which our clients greatly depend on.

With global flight capacities cut by over 60%, getting space onboard commercial aircrafts was incredibly challenging. However, Horizon is aligned with the best partners globally, allowing us to be highly successful in accomplishing all that we do.

Horizon offers onboard delivery in over 350 ports globally, many of which are in some of the most remote and hardest to reach areas. Servicing these inaccessible ports naturally comes with a great deal of complexity and sizable obstacles, which, unlike most last-mile agents, Horizon is able to overcome.

From working with the world’s most reliable airlines to partnering with the world’s most expedited customs brokers, all of our partners are superb at what they do to ensure the job gets done, door-to-deck, on budget, and on time!

What steps has the company taken to ensure the business is as COVID-secure as possible?

The lagging effects of COVID-19 continue to cause a tremendous amount of transportation delays. These delays require advanced planning on our part when putting together transport solutions for our clients’ air and sea freight shipments.

One of the many value-added complimentary services we provide is global management of our clients’ fleet maintenance schedules. Our clients trust us to make the best economical decisions for consolidation and delivery of their global spares. This allows us to get ahead of these unavoidable transportation delays so that such burdens do not fall on our clients. Having a partner like Horizon to efficiently execute this type of fleet maintenance logistics management is invaluable.

Horizon has introduced proprietary shipment tracking software called WorldTrack. How did that software get developed, how does it work?

Without giving away our secret sauce, I can share that, at Horizon, purchase order (PO) transparency is one of our main goals. Horizon’s WorldTrack software includes a homegrown global PO management system and a state-of-the-art shipment tracking portal.

Our goal was to empower ship owners with as much information as possible, so they have the utmost visibility into all aspects of their purchase orders and shipments. WorldTrack provides clients with complete tracking from the time a purchase order is issued to their vendor until delivery is made onboard their vessel. For every single PO issued, Horizon documents each milestone of the PO process in real-time.

Although our primary business is logistics, in many ways we become an extension of our clients’ purchasing department, at no additional cost. Many of the value-added features that our system provides our customers are designed to resolve all the day-to-day headaches that purchasing departments encounter. PO monitoring, vendor follow-up, managing past due orders, access to supplier documents, vendor compliance reports, financial reporting, etc, are just some of the ways that our system goes above and beyond what other logistics companies provide.

With global transportation costs at all-time highs, what has Horizon done to help its clients stay within budget and mitigate their operating expenses?

Horizon has over 30 warehouses for spares consolidation worldwide. This strategic investment has allowed our clients to consolidate their spares globally more than ever before. Our spares consolidation model allows shipowners to reduce the number of shipments to their vessels and most importantly, cut their logistics costs drastically.

Consolidation of spares is the most efficient way for a shipowner to operate compared to allowing their worldwide vendors to ship their orders to destinations individually. Our warehouses are located in proximity to all global areas of spare parts supply. In addition, our WorldTrack software is connected to all Horizon locations so clients receive a global snapshot of their spares inventory with just a single click.

With many companies adopting a work from home policy, how did Horizon adjust during the past 18 months? What worked well and what was implemented to help support Horizon’s clients’ requirements?

Working from home due to COVID-19 has definitely caused many disruptions in our customers’ day-to-day internal operations. These disruptions have resulted in our customers relying on Horizon’s value-added services more than ever.

Services such as PO expediting, electronic data interfacing, and inventory controls have all helped fill the huge voids from not being in the office. All of the services, software, and technology we offer shipowners cater specifically to their unique business requirements. In many ways, as I’ve stated previously, we become a complimentary extension of their purchasing and technical departments.

All of HAF’s value-added services were designed particularly to reduce the redundant, manual, and tedious tasks that purchasing and technical departments encounter. By automating solutions to these tasks electronically, we saw a huge uptick in the usage of our value-added services. I am happy to say our clients were beyond grateful and ecstatic that we had such accommodating services available to ease the burden of COVID-19 and support their business during such a tough time.

What does the post-COVID industry look like for the maritime industry? In what ways do you feel COVID-19 has forced ship owners to operate more efficiently?

It’s no secret that COVID-19 has forced ship owners to implement many changes in how they operate. Labor shortages, port congestion and rising transportation costs have caused many obstacles in their day-to-day operating procedures. One of the many ways HAF combats these obstacles and differentiates itself from other marine logistics providers is by interfacing electronically with our customers, also known as electronic data interfacing (EDI).

Our complimentary EDI services allow us to upload up-to-the-minute PO statuses, shipment tracking updates, documentation, and financial reports directly into our customers’ internal systems. Horizon’s EDI service allows for the instantaneous exchange of data between HAF’s system and our clients’ internal system so that all pertinent information is transferred and available for them in real-time. Simply put: one system, one world, one Horizon.

You’ve had a successful and interesting 50-year history — where do you see the next 50 years going for Horizon Air Freight?

Our vision for the future is the same vision that our CEO’s father initially built this company with – to always have a “We Care” mentality. At HAF, we always go above and beyond the call of duty for our customers. Our clients’ success is our number one priority. By always being there for our customers, it reassures them that they can sleep with both eyes shut at night.

As the world grows ever more connected, the importance of commercial fleets will only increase, and so will the complexity of keeping those fleets supplied and running. At Horizon, this is what we thrive on. Shipowners trust us with the critical equipment needed to keep their fleets safe, able, and sailing, and we take that trust very seriously. Ships keep moving the world, and we’ll be by their side, ready and able to help! Reach out to us directly to let us know how we can serve you best.