ODMA Member Bulletin – Navigating Freight & Tariffs
ODMA Member Bulletin – Navigating Freight and Tariffs
The aim of this bulletin is to assist in reducing freight costs and improving freight services to ODMA members and Optical Practices alike to benefit the whole optical industry.
Please find following –
An update on ODMA’s liaisons with TEAM GLOBAL EXPRESS (Formerly known as Toll)
What we are currently doing to help you manage freight costs and services
Further sources of information on freight and tariffs
ODMA’s Liaison with Team Global Express for ODMA Members Benefit
It has been some time since any updates were provided by Team Global Express on their services and pricing deals for ODMA members and so over the past months, ODMA has been in touch with Team Global Express to gather an information update.
ODMA can now confirm we have had success in gaining an assigned Optical Account Manager for any optical industry member wanting to liaise with Team Global Express – our Account Manager has supplied their bio and contact details below for your reference
TOLL has changed ownership and is now known as Team Global Express – they are now Australian owned via private equity with contact centres based in Sydney and Queensland
Team Global Express’ air and road businesses are now run separately
I raised the concern expressed to me over talk of Team Global Express not intending to continue providing 500g satchels – it seems the reasoning behind this is given two challenges Team Global Express faced – firstly some businesses were using the satchels but then sending them via other carriers given they were not pre-paid and also Team Global Express’ automated reading system was having trouble with the satchels given they were not padded and hard to scan. We are advised that if you do not have access to 500g satchels then you should use padded satchels and 1kg as these will not see you incur any additional charges
Team Global Express have confirmed that on staff they have team members with medical products specialist knowledge
When I raised the challenges many of you are facing with regard to shipments and the invoicing of tariffs given the tariff concession order revocation last year, Team Global Express advised that they offer the service of team members to assist with liaising with shippers to ensure correct codes are applied plus there are options to have standing order paperwork in place electronically via their portal MyTeam Global Express
Bulletins are produced daily internally for Team Global Express teams to share information on such things as the value and performance of overnight service as compared to express for instance. This information will now be passed to ODMA so we can pass on any relevant updates to the industry.
TEAM GLOBAL EXPRESS Account Manager for the Optical Industry
Roshni Howard
Business Development Executive
Team Global Express
Mobile Number: 0484 241 457
Roshni.howard@teamglobalexp.com
Roshni is a veteran in customer service with over 30 years experience in the medical and telecommunications industries. She is passionate about building strong relationships and making a lasting impact.
General Tips from ODMA:
Get paperwork in order and utilise the services of a customs broker if need be - ultimate responsibility lies with the Importer/Shipper to contest any matters with Australia Border Force
Itemise on your commercial invoices the different compositions of plastic versus metal to ensure correct tariffs are applied
Refer to your shippers website for Covid related updates to see any changes to transit times for international freight
If you are shipping internationally then often that business can be used to negotiate a better deal for your domestic freight through the same carrier
Some freight companies will charge higher rates however their services and product offering may end up saving you money
The freight forwarder can hold the Certificate of Origin paperwork on the importers behalf as a standard reference document
Australian Border Force require a Declaration of Origin (DOO) and this must originate from China or other country where tariffs do not apply due to current free trade agreements
A tariff number is not a requirement to ship to Australia however they can help with the faster processing of shipments and a more accurate calculation of duties payable in the destination country
What we are currently doing to provide assistance with freight costs
ODMA has provided a survey for suppliers and distributors to provide insights on their freight needs and volumes to assist with future negotiations
ODMA has requested from Team Global Express updated rate information to share with members – of course this is just a starting point and each business will negotiate their own deal dependent on volume and service requirements. Once received, this will be placed on the member area of the ODMA website and a link emailed to all ODMA members
Fuel Surcharge update – please see below the latest communication from Team Global Express in an effort to reduce the burden of rising fuel costs
Dear Valued Customer,
At Team Global Express we are always looking for ways to strengthen our commitment to our customers and provide greater consistency in how we support you.
As the cost of fuel continues to fluctuate during this difficult economic period, we are standardising the fuel surcharge to simplify how we pass on fuel costs to our customers. This includes updating some of the components in our fuel surcharge and refreshing the baseline date at which our pricing and fuel will be reset.
The introduction of this refreshed fuel surcharge will have a net zero impact when it becomes effective on 27 March 2023, as we are reducing the fuel surcharge by 20.42% and adjusting your rates by 18.44%. We will also be reducing the security surcharge by 1.55%. Please see an example of how prices will be reset below.
To provide greater transparency into how we calculate the fuel surcharge, we have provided the new formula:
Please refer to our website for monthly updates to the fuel surcharge.
Questions?
We’re here to help. If you have any questions, please contact your account manager or email ge.sales@Team Global Expressgroup.com. Alternatively, you can call:
• 13 15 31 for our Priority service (Option 2)
• 13 33 66 for our Standard Road Parcels service (formerly known as IPEC) (Option 2)
• 13 18 21 for our Standard Bulk Freight services (Option 1 - Road, Option 2 - Rail)
Regards,
Michael
Michael Oates
Chief Sales Officer
Sources of Freight and Tariff Related Information
We have seen our members have all sorts of challenges with COO’s issued in Hong Kong versus China, to tariffs applied to invoices that they shouldn’t be given they were billed in euros, through to tariffs being applied to whole invoices and not the plastic frame component. We are working to help ensure the planned EU FTA will serve us to again see a tariff free environment for you all. In the meantime, we hope these sources of information will help you navigate this changed landscape for those still struggling.
You can search HS Codes and information on Rules of Origin here using the Free Trade Agreement Portal administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT): https://ftaportal.dfat.gov.au/
Australian Border Force:
https://www.abf.gov.au/importing-exporting-and-manufacturing/tariff-classification/tariff-advice-system
The ABF has a webpage which links to business guides for all of Australia’s FTAs, for example, the ABF has drafted guidelines on how to apply the rules of origin for our agreement with China
https://help.readytoship.com.au/en/articles/1268060-what-is-an-hs-tariff-code-and-is-it-required-for-international-shipments
Team Global Express: https://teamglobalexp.com/
https://icecargo.com.au/customs-tariffs-in-australia/ International Cargo Express – this organisation provides a useful newsletter that you can subscribe to
You may wish to look at the EUs proposed text for its FTA with Australia and also the EUs recently signed FTA with NZ.
Regards,
Acting CEO
ODMA