Case studies and worked examples
How We Approach Real Freight Problems — Worked Examples
Illustrative case studies showing the decisions, trade-offs and sequence behind different types of shipment. These are worked examples of our method, not accounts of specific client engagements — and we say so plainly rather than dressing up marketing copy as evidence.
A note on honesty
What these are, and what they are not
A great many freight websites publish case studies that cannot be verified, testimonials that cannot be attributed, and statistics that cannot be sourced. We would rather not. Commercial freight arrangements are confidential, and we do not publish client names, volumes or rates without written consent.
- These are illustrative worked examples built from the types of problem we handle, showing the method and the reasoning
- No client is identified or implied, and the figures are indicative rather than drawn from a specific engagement
- Where we publish a genuine case study it will be labelled as one and published with the client’s consent
- If you want references, ask us — where a client has agreed to act as one, we will put you in contact
- If you want your own shipment modelled like these, send us the details and we will do exactly that
Worked example 1
The importer who was quoted a cheap rate and paid for it twice
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Scenario | Homewares importer, first container, buying CIF from a Chinese supplier |
| Cargo | One 40ft high cube, mixed homewares, moderate value |
| The trigger | Supplier quoted an all-in CIF price that looked far cheaper than the FOB alternative |
| What went wrong | Destination charges from the supplier’s nominated agent were invoiced on arrival and were not in any comparison |
| Outcome of the review | Moved to FOB on subsequent shipments with the Australian charges quoted up front |
The problem
Under CIF, the supplier controls the freight and nominates the forwarder. The importer sees an attractive-looking landed number for the ocean leg and no visibility of what happens after the vessel berths. The nominated agent at destination then invoices terminal handling, documentation, delivery order and administration charges that the importer never agreed and cannot negotiate, because by then the cargo is under that agent’s control. The freight was not cheaper. The invoice was just split in two, and only the first half was shown at the time of the decision.
What we did
- Compared the CIF arrangement against an FOB quote on a genuinely like-for-like basis, with every destination charge itemised
- Established the tariff classification and confirmed the applicable duty rate before the next order was placed
- Checked ChAFTA origin eligibility and told the supplier exactly what documentation to provide
- Moved subsequent shipments to FOB so the ocean leg and the Australian charges were both quoted up front
- Modelled container utilisation against the carton dimensions and identified a carton change worth several percent of the freight cost per unit
Why it worked
Nothing clever happened here. The value came from insisting on a like-for-like comparison, which is the single most useful thing an importer can do and the thing a supplier-controlled arrangement makes impossible. See FOB versus CIF and freight costs explained.
Worked example 2
A breakdown part, a remote site, and why the flight was the easy bit
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Scenario | Mining contractor, unplanned equipment failure, production circuit down |
| Cargo | One crated component, approximately 180 kg, from a European supplier |
| Constraint | Cost of downtime per hour far exceeded any conceivable freight cost |
| Complication | Site was several hundred kilometres from the nearest capital city, with restricted receiving hours |
| Approach | Air freight, clearance prepared before arrival, road leg booked in parallel |
The problem
Urgent mining parts fail on the ground, not in the air. A component can fly from Europe in two days and then lose four days in a capital city because nobody booked the road leg until the freight arrived, or because clearance started after the aircraft landed rather than before it, or because the truck reached the gate outside receiving hours and waited overnight. The freight decision is the simple part; the chain around it is where the time goes.
What we did
- Booked the fastest realistic routing rather than the fastest theoretical one — fewer transfers, more certainty
- Obtained the commercial documents from the supplier while the goods were still being crated, and prepared the import declaration in advance so release could follow arrival immediately
- Pre-classified the component so no tariff question arose at an inconvenient hour
- Booked the road leg at the same time as the air leg, with the truck type, site induction requirements and receiving window all confirmed
- Confirmed who at site was authorised to receive it and what equipment was available to unload
Why it worked
Because the customs entry and the road leg were prepared in parallel with the flight rather than sequentially after it. On urgent freight, almost all the recoverable time sits in the steps people treat as sequential. See mining freight and air freight.
Worked example 3
Dense cargo, an overloaded container, and a truck that could not legally move it
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Scenario | Tile and stone importer scaling up from LCL to full containers |
| Cargo | Porcelain tiles and stone slabs, very high density |
| The plan | One 40ft container to minimise freight cost per square metre |
| The problem | A 40ft filled with tile would exceed the container mass limit and Australian road mass limits |
| The answer | Two 20ft containers, with a loading plan checked before booking |
The problem
Nominal container capacity is a volume figure, and dense cargo does not reach it. Tiles, stone, pavers and fixings hit the container maximum gross mass at roughly a third to a half of the available cube. An importer optimising on cubic metres will plan a 40ft load that cannot lawfully be lifted, cannot lawfully be carted, and will be rejected or re-worked at the terminal. In practice Australian road mass limits usually bind before the container limit does, so the problem surfaces on the transport leg rather than at sea.
What we did
- Calculated the loaded weight from the actual product weight per square metre and the order quantity, before booking anything
- Confirmed the container maximum gross mass and the realistic road transport limit for the delivery route
- Split the shipment across two 20ft containers rather than one 40ft
- Reviewed slab crating and bracing, because slab damage in transit is almost always a bracing failure rather than a handling failure
- Modelled the freight cost per square metre both ways so the decision was commercial rather than reactive
Why it worked
Because the weight calculation happened before the booking rather than after it. This is the most common single planning error we see on dense cargo, and it is entirely avoidable with one multiplication. See container shipping and construction freight.
Worked example 4
A range that had to land before the catalogue dropped
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Scenario | Retailer importing a seasonal range against a fixed promotional date |
| Cargo | Approximately 60 cbm across three suppliers in two countries |
| Constraint | The catalogue drop date was fixed and could not move |
| Risk | Peak season capacity, plus a factory shutdown falling inside the production window |
| Approach | Consolidated sea freight booked early, with a deliberate air component protecting the launch |
The problem
In retail, freight that is cheaper and later is not cheaper. Stock that misses a promotional date does not sell later at the same margin — it sells at markdown, or not at all. That inverts the usual optimisation: the launch date becomes the specification and cost efficiency is pursued within it. The complication was that the production window straddled a factory shutdown, and the pre-Christmas peak was tightening space at the same time.
What we did
- Worked the whole plan backwards from the catalogue date through delivery, clearance, transit, consolidation and production to the latest safe order date
- Consolidated three suppliers across two countries into single containers at a regional hub, giving one freight charge and one customs entry
- Booked space well ahead of the peak rather than into it
- Reserved a deliberate air freight component for the launch quantity, priced explicitly as insurance against markdown rather than as a freight decision
- Built the retailer’s labelling and pallet requirements into the supplier packing instruction so no re-work was needed in Australia
Why it worked
Because the buffer was placed before the committed date rather than after it, and because the air component was priced against the cost of missing the launch rather than against another freight rate. See retail freight and freight planning.
Template
The case study template we use
When a client agrees to a published case study, this is the structure we use. It is deliberately specific, because a case study that could describe any shipment tells a reader nothing. If you are a client considering one, this is what we would ask you to approve.
| Section | What it must contain |
|---|---|
| Client and consent | Named client, or a described industry and size where the client prefers anonymity. Written consent on file either way. |
| Starting position | What the client was doing before, and what specifically was not working — with the measure that showed it. |
| Constraints | The fixed constraints: dates, budgets, site access, compliance requirements, cargo characteristics. |
| Options considered | The alternatives that were genuinely on the table, and why each was or was not chosen. |
| What we did | The actions taken, in sequence, with enough detail that a reader in the same position could follow the reasoning. |
| Measured outcome | The result against a stated baseline — cost per unit, days of lead time, demurrage avoided, duty recovered. Sourced and checkable. |
| What we would do differently | A genuine reflection. A case study with no learning in it is advertising. |
| Client verification | Confirmation from the client that the account and the figures are accurate as published. |
FAQ
Questions about these examples
Are these real client case studies?
No. The scenarios on this page are illustrative worked examples that show our method and the decisions involved in each type of shipment. They are not accounts of specific client engagements and no client is identified or implied. Where we publish a genuine case study it will be clearly identified as one and published with the client’s written consent.
Can you provide references for my industry?
Ask us directly. Because commercial freight arrangements are confidential, we do not publish client names or volumes on the website. What we can do is discuss the specifics of work comparable to yours, and where a client has agreed to act as a reference we can put you in contact with them.
Why publish worked examples rather than testimonials?
Because they are more useful to you. A testimonial tells you someone was satisfied. A worked example shows you the decisions, trade-offs and numbers involved in a shipment like yours, which is what you actually need in order to judge whether we understand your problem.
Can you model my shipment like this before I commit?
Yes, and we would rather do that than send a rate. Send us the cargo details, the origin, the delivery postcode and the date you need the goods usable, and we will build the options out the way these examples are built out — with the reasoning shown, not just a price.
Related pages
- About Moving Solutions International — who we are, how we work and what we are accountable for
- Freight forwarding — the core service these examples draw on
- Industries we serve — industry-specific freight guides
- Freight planning — the planning method behind these examples
- Freight costs explained — how to compare quotes like for like
- Get a quote — have your own shipment modelled this way
- Contact us — ask about references in your industry
- Resource centre — all our freight, import and customs guides
Have your shipment modelled this way
Send us the cargo details, the origin, the delivery postcode and the date you need the goods usable. We will come back with the options set out the way these examples are — with the reasoning and the trade-offs shown, not just a number.