KOTN has quickly become renowned as an international clothing company.  The company features hand-made garments with an ethical focus on sourcing, supply and business practices.  Just as they were starting to break through in the Canadian market, disaster struck.  A critical shipment had been delayed and KOTN called on Sealion’s dedicated Air Freight team to find an International Shipping solution for Christmas.

In a good year global supply chains are difficult to navigate.  KOTN’s team had done everything right – until a security issue on the route caused massive Cargo chaos.  If you’re in the Air Freight business, you know CAI-FRA-YYZ and CAI-YUL-YYZ routes and how unpredictable they can be.  KOTN reached out and Sealion’s Toronto Air Cargo Team got down to work.

Dedicated air-freighter services like Cargolux were the only carriers available – and the cost to ship was exorbitant.  Sealion’s International Cargo Team couldn’t use Ocean Freight Services because of the time crunch.  So how did we get KOTN’s critical air shipment to Canada on time?

Sealion’s Air Freight Team Gets Creative

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KOTN’s ethically sourced essential clothing pieces are built with the highest quality Egyptian cotton.  Rami and his team genuinely personify KOTN’s values.  From investing in local Egyptian schools to buying directly from small family-owned farms, KOTN’s impact is more than just high quality clothing.

Sealion knew we had to go the extra mile to help KOTN’s mission.  Our Air Freight team recognized an out of the box solution and ended up creating an air-bridge with a partner in Morocco.  The goods landed in Morocco, were cleared by Customs, re-export documentation was granted.  The shipment was on its way to Pearson within 18 hours of leaving Egypt. 

There was only one problem left: the re-routing through Morocco meant the flight would arrive on Christmas Day. Understanding the critical nature of the shipment, the Sealion team once again rose to the occasion.

Within hours of the cargo leaving Morocco, Sealion coordinated for our pick-up team to be ready at YYZ.  Jose, Christopher, and his seven-year-old daughter, Josie, donned Christmas elf hats and awaited the aircraft at Air Canada’s Cargo Terminal.  While our Customs Clearance partner verified the goods in flight, the Christmas Crew was ready on the ground to unload.

The plane touched down and our dynamic team sprang into action, inspecting and ‘hand-bombing’ the 53 cartons into a trailer with Christmas Cheer.  A celebratory honk from the truck driver meant the last leg of KOTN’s Christmas shipment was underway.  A mere hour later and the precious cargo arrived at KOTN’s Warehouse in time to hit virtual store shelves on Boxing Day – Canada’s traditional day after Christmas shopping date.  Thousands of KOTN customers got to enjoy cozy, high quality essentials – you can too, right here.  Our friend Rami and his team?  They were finally able to breathe again.

Sealion has an international shipping network of agents on every continent. Even when companies like KOTN are in a bind, we can deliver critical air freight shipments to Canada on time – even during great uncertainty.  Whether it’s Christmas or a seasonal product launch, our Air Freight team is ready to soar into action.