42% Transport Cost Cut with One-Stop Ocean LCL × Customs Clearance ｜ Meito Inc. Case Study
Breaking Free from Air-Freight Dependence with Ocean LCL (Consolidated) × One-Stop Customs Clearance, Cutting Transport Costs by 42%
Flow Diagram — Ocean LCL × One-Stop Customs Clearance
Switching from air freight to ocean LCL, all handled end-to-end by Meito alone
Project Overview
This customer, engaged in the import and export of devices and precision equipment between Japan and China, had long relied on air freight to prioritize lead time. However, soaring air freight rates combined with growing volumes meant that transport costs continued to squeeze their margins. While they considered switching to ocean less-than-container-load (LCL) shipping, the handling of multiple customs documents, schedule coordination, and port delivery arrangements were all fragmented, and they were concerned that this would increase their in-house operational workload.
Customer Challenges
- Soaring air freight rates pushed transport costs to 8% of sales
- Switching to ocean LCL would fragment customs documentation and delivery arrangements
- Inventory sitting in customs clearance was building up, straining cash flow
- For small shipments (less than one pallet), insurance premiums were disproportionately high
Our Proposal & Solution
Meito's One-Stop System of Ocean LCL × Customs Clearance × Domestic Delivery
Meito Inc. holds a customs broker license and provides a system in which everything—from arranging ocean LCL (consolidated) shipping to Japan-side customs clearance, port pickup, and domestic delivery—is completed by a single company. As a result, the customer can now manage the entire process through just "one contact point consolidated at Meito," dramatically streamlining fragmented documentation, schedule coordination, and insurance arrangements alike.
- One-stop LCL customs clearance leveraging Meito's customs broker license
- Ocean LCL delivering rates -42% compared to air freight
- End-to-end operations linked with the Nanko and Tokyo bonded areas
- Insurance premiums cut by 50% through use of Meito's bonded areas
Results Achieved
| Item | Before | After | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transport Cost (based on 1,000 shipments/month) | Baseline (air freight) | → | -42% (switched to LCL) |
| In-House Operational Contact Points | Fragmented across 4 companies | → | Consolidated into Meito alone |
| Door-to-Door Lead Time | Air freight, 3 days | → | 5 days with ocean + unified customs clearance |
| Insurance Premium | Baseline | → | -50% (leveraging bonded storage) |
Customer Testimonial
Where soaring air freight rates had left us "unable to turn a profit," switching to ocean LCL brought us back into the black in one stroke. With customs clearance and delivery—previously routed through multiple vendors—consolidated into Meito alone, our internal management workload dropped dramatically as well.