Zim Integrated Shipping Services said it is launching a new subsidiary called Ship4wd, a digital freight solution that gives small businesses the personal freedom, ease and control to better manage their imports and exports.
Ship4wd will target US & Canadian small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) importing from China, Vietnam and Israel. The service will launch on October 18.
Relying on Zim’s experience in the shipping industry and digital shipping, the new digital freight forwarding company will provide a simple and direct solution for shipping cargo through an advanced one-stop-shop digital platform. The service will cover all aspects of the complex international shipping process, enabling customers without previous experience in cross-border shipping to manage their import and export business simply, with live chat 24/7 expert support throughout the process.
The Ship4wd platform will allow users to choose either the most economical or the fastest shipping option, with both sea and air shipping services up to the final destination, including land and rail transport, and associated logistic services.
Headed by Carmit Hoshen-Glik, an entrepreneurial executive with vast experience in digital transportation and global freight forwarding solutions, Ship4wd is located in Herzliya, one of Israel’s main innovative start-up hubs.
“As a leader of the accelerating digitalization trend within the shipping industry, we are leveraging our expertise to launch an independent digital multi-function freight forwarder, consistent with our strategy of developing growth engines adjacent to our core business,” said Eli Glickman, Zim President & CEO.
“Ship4wd undertakes to manage the entire logistic chain end to end, harnessing our core assets as a leading global carrier with a unique customer-centric approach to provide the optimal digital solution for the SMB segment, backed up by a wide network of vendors including ZIM, he said. "The global need for digital services via personal mobile phones and tablets is increasing, especially among small and medium businesses, and Ship4wd is the ultimate solution.
"We are confident that with Ship4wd’s excellent team, it can become a significant player in the multi-billion dollar freight forwarding industry, as it will meet a much-needed demand for its services in the market.”