THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE

UNIVERSITY OF FINANCE AND MARKETING

FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

SUBJECT: ENGLISH FOR LOGISTICS

STUDENTS : Nguyễn Ngọc Ngọc Bảo Trân - 2121005999

Nguyễn Lê Minh Trang - 2121012025

Nguyễn Thị Trang - 2121013621

CLASS :English for Logistics

LECTURER : Ths. Trần Khánh Linh

EXERCISE 1: Competition among logistics companies is growing in modern
society. What kinds of value-added services should these companies include to
enhance customer satisfaction and attract more business?
There is little room for doubt that there is an increasing number of logistics companies
sharing the market spontaneously, which definitely leads to a heated competition
among them.

In order to foster the growth of customer satisfaction and business awareness, these
logistics companies are literally in need of providing realistically practical value-
added services, besides their main responsibilities. This essay will be in charge of both
overviewing today logistics’ demands as well as analyzing two types of value-added
services that are potentially efficient for logistics parties.

Overall, it is essential to dive into the general terms of requirements that logistics are
under the force of offering in modern society. Indeed, the rapid development of
logistics has been visible in cosmetic and domestic economies due to the expansion of
consumer needs and international trade. Hence, businesses have a tendency to apply
mass production and they look for value-added services based on the benefit of
increased price pressure and competition, outsourcing as well as more complex and
shortened product life cycles. As a result, logistic companies have to annotate
themselves to customers by offering insightful value-added services according to
those demands above.

First of all, order fulfillment services are considered to offer the highest levels of
customer satisfaction of all value-added services. This service comprises packaging,
labeling new product releases, and assisting quality control. By using these services,
goods are probably transferred more quickly, which highly streamline the supply
chain. The consumers will be pleased by the reduced procedures and faster deliveries
provided by the order fulfillment services. Also, operating management will be more
effective and will spend less on purchasing and maintaining expensive equipment.
Second, retailers frequently need confirmation that the products arriving at their
customers' sites are fit for purpose and fulfill their brand promise because many of
their products are acquired globally. Therefore, the value of maintaining brand
identity is considered firmly crucial that logistic companies should offer quality
control and inspection services to guarantee that the products adhere to the exacting
standards of retailers. Inspection services can lessen the possibility that substandard
products would reach the final consumer, harming the brand's reputation.

In a nutshell, according to the demand for highly recognized production nowadays,

people of logistics should provide customers with beneficial value-added services,
which order fulfillment services and quality control and inspection services are highly
recommended.

EXERCISE 2:
A. LOGISTICS COMPANY
For the consignment of Red Tomatoes from Da Lat City to a supermarket in Ha Noi,
Viettel Post seems to be suitable for it with some obvious reasons below.

Viettel Post is a significant firm in Vietnam that provides domestic and international
postal and parcel delivery services. Viettel Post is committed to delivering all the best
transportation solutions for clients with the motto “FAST, SAFE, EFFICIENCY” with
a vast network of 63 provinces in the country. They provide a variety of services for
shipping perishable goods including fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, fish, dairy
products, and other foods in Vietnam and some other nearby countries.

First, Viettel Post operates in 63 provinces throughout Vietnam, covering all main
regions and marketplaces. Viettel Post can provide domestic transportation solutions
for any method of transportation, including road, rail, and air and services based on
customers’ needs such as fast delivery, perishable food delivery, to name but a few.
They can also guarantee the delivery time and quality of their cargo through some
major services including:
  Fast delivery: This is a service that receives, transports, and delivers mail,
documents, and parcels inside the country within the regular delivery period.
This service does not apply to cash on delivery (COD) orders.
 Lightning-quick delivery: This is a service that receives, transports, and
distributes all types of letters, papers, and goods within the same province or
city in 4 hours or less. This service is available for orders with or without COD.
 Express delivery: This is a service that receives, transports, and distributes all
types of letters, papers, and parcels around the country as quickly as possible.
As those tomatoes can only be in good condition within one week, using fast delivery
services of Viettel Post is a good choice.

Second, tomatoes are perishable vegetables and from the moment they are picked and
packed for delivery, they will be in excellent condition within one week so we need to
ensure they will be delivered and arrive at the target destination within 2 to 3 days
before being distributed and sold in the supermarket to reduce damage and expense
cost. Therefore for this consignment, we need a service that provides special
equipment to keep them in good condition to save money and time when transporting
tomatoes. Understanding the requirements, rail freight service from Viettel Post which
is one of the cheapest means of transportation is able to transport a 40-feet container
of red tomatoes in 3 days including loading and transporting time. Viettel Post’s rail
freight service can receive, transport, and deliver perishable food goods with
temperature control ranging from -25°C to +25°C as they have a sophisticated and
well-equipped fleet of vehicles and equipment to assure the quality and safety of
perishable food goods during transportation and refrigerated vehicles, containers,
cartons, bags, and thermometers to keep food at the proper temperature and humidity
beside those fast delivery services. This also implies that the tomatoes will arrive in
Ha Noi within three days, remaining fresh and flavorful during transportation and in
outstanding shape for sale during the first week.

Third, in various parts of Vietnam, Viettel Post operates a system of modern, well-
equipped warehouses with a combined floor space of more than 300,000 square
meters. Their warehouses are made to abide by the criteria for various kinds of
commodities as well as food safety and hygiene regulations. This is the spotlight of
Viettel Post that reaches the need to hire a warehouse for storing those red tomatoes
before distributing to the supermarket.

Moreover, Viettel Post also offers us a service that enables us to rent a warehouse
space in accordance with our demands and tastes. The location, size, kind, and length
of the warehouse leasing are all our decisions. With their warehouse management
services, customers can contract with Viettel Post to handle the management of the
inventories and commodities. Viettel Post also offers receiving, storing, picking,
packaging, labeling, shipping, reporting services and quality control, sorting,
repacking, kitting, bundling, palletizing, wrapping, and barcode scanning which help
customers improve their experience with warehousing.

Last but not least, Viettel Post brings customers a competitive pricing policy among
various logistics companies in this market. We can have an appropriate price for
shipping and warehousing with the best services like refrigerated vehicles or fast
delivery options. Furthermore, they create their own application to allow clients to
track orders, freight, or request services from home without having to waste time
coming to one of their branches.

B. Give information about and explanation for the mode(s) of transportation,

incurred fees during shipment, and shipping duration.

For this shipment, road and rail are the chosen modes of transportation. The tomatoes
are shipped by road from the farm in Dalat city to the closest train station in Ninh
Thuan (Ham Thuan Tay station) , and starting from there going to Giap Bat station-
Northern Key Freight Delivery Terminal . Then our parcels will be transferred to the
warehouse or the supermarket. As rail transportation is quicker, more affordable, and
more ecologically friendly than road transportation, it is utilized to move tomatoes
throughout the nation.
The advantages of choosing both rail and road for transporting perishable food and
vegetables are that it can lower the transportation costs, reduce the environmental
impact, and improve the food quality and safety.

 Lower transportation costs: Rail transport is more cost-effective than road

transport for long distances and high volumes of freight. Rail transport has
lower fuel consumption, lower driver costs, and lower drop trailer costs than
road transport1. However, rail transport also has some disadvantages, such as
longer transit time, limited accessibility, and higher terminal costs1. Therefore,
some shippers use a multi-modal approach that combines rail and road
transport to optimize their shipping strategy. By using rail transport for the
long-haul portion of the shipment and road transport for the local delivery,
shippers can take advantage of the cost savings of rail and the speed and
flexibility of trucks.

 Reduce environmental impact: Rail transport is more environmentally friendly

than road transport because it emits less greenhouse gasses, consumes less
energy, and reduces road congestion and accidents. According to a study by the
International Union of Railways (UIC), rail transport emits 14 grams of CO2
per tonne-kilometer, while road transport emits 92 grams of CO2 per tonne-
kilometer3. Rail transport also consumes four times less energy than road
transport per tonne-kilometer. Moreover, rail transport can reduce the traffic
congestion and accidents caused by trucks on roads, which can have negative
effects on air quality, noise pollution, and public health. Therefore, by choosing
both rail and road for transporting perishable food and vegetables, shippers can
reduce their environmental footprint and contribute to sustainable development.

 Improve food quality and safety: Rail transport can provide better temperature
control and protection for perishable food and vegetables than road transport.
Rail transport can use refrigerated or insulated cars that can maintain the
optimal temperature and humidity levels for different types of products. For
example, ice cream requires a temperature of -18°C, while meat products
 require a temperature of +6°C1. Rail transport can also protect the products
from physical damage, theft, or contamination during transit. Road transport,
on the other hand, may expose the products to variable weather conditions,
rough handling, or unsanitary practices that can affect their quality and safety1.
Therefore, by choosing both rail and road for transporting perishable food and
vegetables, shippers can ensure that their products reach their destination in
good condition and comply with the food safety regulations.

The costs associated with shipping include freight, packaging, loading, unloading,
insurance, customs clearance, and taxes. Here are the explanations :

 Viettel Post Cargo expenses: This service moves cargo around Vietnam by
air, train, and road. The weight, size, origin, and destination of the shipment all
affect the expected transit time and cost for this service. It will take 2-3 days,
though.
 Packaging expenses: The price of the supplies and labor required to prepare
the items for shipping.
 Transportation expenses: the price of the gasoline, tolls, drivers, vehicles, and
other forms of transportation used to move the items from one location to
another.
 Storage expenses: the price of leasing or purchasing warehouses, inventory
control, security, and upkeep to keep the products secure and available.
 Delivery expenses: The prices associated with moving, loading, unloading, and
distributing the products to their final recipients or location
 Additional expenses: Taxes, tariffs, insurance, customs clearance, and other
charges that may be incurred based on the nature and location of the purchased
products.

C. Choose a suitable container and warehouse and clarify detailed

requirements for storing this cargo in the warehouse.

Depending on the weather, traffic, and availability of trains, the shipment time
can vary, but it is often between two and three days. Therefore, a refrigerated
 container (reefer) is the best type of container for this shipment. A container
with an internal refrigeration system that can maintain a constant interior
temperature and humidity level is called a reefer. This is necessary to keep the
tomatoes fresh and of high quality while they are being transported. A cold
storage warehouse would be a good place to store this shipment. The tomatoes
can be kept in good condition in a cold storage warehouse until they are
delivered to the supermarket since it has a controlled temperature and humidity
environment. The specific conditions ̣requirements for keeping this shipment in
the warehouse are as follows:

 The temperature remains: From 10°C and 13°C.

 The ideal relative humidity: 85% and 95%.
 To prevent crushing or bruising, tomatoes should be stored seperately from:
Bananas or apples, as ethylene can accelerate ripening and spoilage-
ethylene-producing fruits.
 Regular checks of the tomatoes: Pests, rot, or mold should be done, and those
that show signs of damage or infection should be taken out right away.

The reason for these requirements is to ensure the quality and safety of the tomatoes
during shipment. Tomatoes are living organisms that continue to respire after harvest,
so they need proper storage conditions to prevent deterioration and decay. There are
many conditions that can affect the quality of tomatoes, such as temperature, water,
light, nutrients, and diseases. Some of the effects are:

 High temperature can reduce the sugar and acid content of tomatoes, making
them less flavorful and aromatic.
 Low water availability can cause blossom-end rot, a disorder that causes
brown, sunken spots on the bottom of tomatoes.
 Low light can reduce the photosynthesis and pigment synthesis of tomatoes,
making them less colorful and nutritious.
 Excess or deficiency of nutrients can affect the firmness, size, shape, and taste
of tomatoes.
  Diseases can cause various symptoms on the leaves, stems, and fruits of
tomatoes, such as curling, yellowing, wilting, spotting, rotting, and cracking

REFERENCES:

1.Energy Efficiency and CO2 Emissions – UIC - International Union of Railways. (2023,
June 19). https://uic.org/sustainability/energy-efficiency-and-co2-emissions/

2.TRANSPORT AND STORAGE OF TOMATOES | International Society for Horticultural

Science. (n.d.). https://www.ishs.org/ishs-article/58_68

3.Al-Dairi, M., Pathare, P. B., & Al-Yahyai, R. (2021). Chemical and nutritional quality
changes of tomato during postharvest transportation and storage. Journal of the Saudi Society
of Agricultural Sciences, 20(6), 401–408. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jssas.2021.05.001

4.Freightera. (2023). Shipping by road or rail: pros & cons. Freightera Blog.
https://www.freightera.com/blog/shipping-road-vs-rail/

5.Key advantages of rail freight transport | DSV. (n.d.). https://www.dsv.com/en/our-

solutions/modes-of-transport/rail-freight/rail-freight-solutions-and-benefits

6.Homepage - Viettel Post. (2023, January 31). Viettel Post. https://en.viettelpost.com.vn/

7.Vietnamnews The national English language daily. (2022, March 4) from

https://vietnamnews.vn/economy/1161308/large-postal-firms-race-for-logistics-industry.html