Yes, if you look at the current situation regarding the transport of overseas freight from China to Europe, you wish there was a functioning hyperloop. Or the functioning teleporter of Mr. Scott from the starship Enterprise. But first things first. I would like to give you an overview of the current status of production and delivery.
Production at the Guangdong plant in China was limited to two or three days a week during the summer. The reason was a lack of water at the power plants, so there was not enough electricity for industry and also for private households. The summer was hot and very dry. Actually, we all – including the plant staff – had hoped that this situation would end by the end of August. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Perhaps you have read it in the newspaper or heard it in a report on television. In some regions of China, it is said that they are struggling to meet the government’s targets for the reduction of CO2 emissions for 2021. And so they are now trying to avoid further emissions. By restricting electricity purchases and industrial production. Our factory is also affected by this. An economic disaster for the factory, its owner and all the workers and employees there.
For our models, this means that realisation will continue to be postponed. The DE2700 in H0 is affected, as are the EuroCity cars of the EC100and the dining cars. The latter will hopefully be delivered before Christmas. It is not foreseeable. We expect the DE2700 in spring 2022.
Transport is worth another chapter.
Until now, we were used to receiving the goods by ship within three to five weeks. In the meantime, this time is needed just to wait for transport capacity on a ship. You can confidently calculate ten to twelve weeks for transport by ship.
The situation is not much better for rail transport. Here you can calculate about eight to nine weeks of transport time. It used to be 28 days.
That leaves air freight. Do you guess? They have recognised the demand and increased the prices. Five times more than before, to put it concretely.
The factory was kind to us and sent us part of the Married-Pair wagons by air freight, the other part by rail. The models sent by rail are on their way, but as of today they will not arrive until the beginning of December. This delivery includes all the supplementary sets as well as some of the basic sets. We will deliver everything we have already received, as soon as the remaining pallets with the models arrive, they will be delivered; without extra costs, of course.
You are not enthusiastic, we are not, in the factory they are not….who is actually the winner of this situation? Strictly speaking, no one. Except the hauliers.
And when will all this change for the better? There are rumours that things could get better in the middle of next year. But we will not sit back and hope.
Unfortunately, I cannot give you any better news at the moment.
Christian Arndt