"Your cargo our promise." – How We bring Quality to Life Every Day
We at Hapag-Lloyd know that your cargo is more than just a box. It might be a launch date that has to be met or the last piece to a vital production line. That’s why we promise to go beyond for your cargo and are proud to bring our vision of being the undisputed No. For quality to life with this new format by showing all the people who are responsible for delivering quality to you every day. One of the many faces behind our quality approach is Sarah Zimmerer, who took the time to talk about quality and what it means to her. Meet Sarah in our fresh-off-the-press interview.
Our Quality Dimensions – How We Deliver Quality Every Single Day
To make our promise of delivering quality directly to your doorstep (or to your chosen Port of Destination – whichever floats your boat) a bit more tangible, we have broken it down into five Dimensions of Quality:
- Delivering Reliability
- Delivering Partnership
- Delivering Tailored Solutions
- Delivering Convenience
- Delivering Decarbonization
These dimensions are also reflected in our new film “The Sun” that translates our promise into a concrete, human story.
A Face to Remember: Shake Hands with Sarah
As Sarah is one of our main faces of the “Your cargo, our promise” campaign, we just had to have an interview dedicated to quality with her. On the day of the photoshooting she also took the time to answer some of our burning questions.
As Chief Mate at one of our vessels, Sarah’s typical day starts quite early. At 0400 in the morning to be exact. By then, her first watch starts on the bridge, where she safely navigates and keeps a proper lookout. As she is the head of the deck department the bosun joins her at around 6 a.m.
A bosun – or boatswain – is a petty officer on board. They are the link between the Chief Mate and the other crew members of the deck department. Bosuns are crucial crew members when it comes to maintenance and safety on board of the vessel.
Together, they discuss the daily maintenance schedules and tasks on deck. After another two hours of watch on the bridge while she is training the cadet Sarah has breakfast at eight in the morning to have enough fuel for her morning round on deck. During the morning round she’s supervising all the maintenance tasks to make sure they are carried out properly.
She is expected back on the bridge for her second watch, which is scheduled from 1600 to 2000.
Before the cargo operations are completed she always makes sure that the cargo is safely secured: “Before we leave port, we double check that all lashings are tight and all twist locks are in position so that your cargo remains securely stowed until it reaches its destination.”
This is one aspect of Sarah’s and the crew members’ daily work that ties into our promise of delivering quality – even if cargo securing and ship’s stability might not be the very first thing coming to mind when thinking of quality. But as Sarah emphasizes: “Many people might not think about what it means to be far away from family, home, and friends for several months. But we endure those sacrifices to ensure that we can deliver your containers safely across the ocean. Quality on board is defined by the crew – by their training and education.”
So, What Does Quality Mean to Sarah?
As already mentioned, the crew plays a vital role in delivering quality on board – and ultimately in delivering your cargo. Which is also why, for Sarah, quality equals safety.
Sarah Zimmerer, Chief MateAs long as we keep the crew safe and the ship safe, we also keep your cargo safe. You can rely on us to do our best to deliver your cargo safely to its destination.
The importance of safety is also reflected in the answer that Sarah gave us when we asked her about her personal promise to you – our customers. She highlights again that the main focus is to keep crew and cargo safe. That also means having proper stowage in mind when it comes to Special Cargo, Dangerous Goods or Reefer Containers. Dangerous goods have to be stowed in their designated locations that are easily accessible in case of emergencies and far away from heat sources. In case of reefer containers, the crew makes sure that they are plugged in and even more important properly functioning. All these factors combined ultimately lead to keeping our promise of bringing your cargo safely to its destination – wherever that might be.
Speaking of promises – what does Sarah associate with our brand line “Your cargo, our promise”? “To me, it means that we do everything we can, to ship your cargo across the ocean protecting it from everything nature throws at us to make sure it arrives safely at the destination.”
Thanks a lot Sarah, for answering our questions and for also showcasing how quality is delivered every day on board of our vessels.
At Hapag-Lloyd quality is an important pillar of our Strategy 2030 – our long-term vision for digital transformation, sustainable growth, and decarbonization, each of our five ways to deliver quality every day is reflected in our offerings: Delivering Reliability highlights the Gemini Cooperation, Delivering Partnership is backed by our proactive customer support, Delivering Tailored Solutions can be experienced by our digital tools like Quick Quotes, we’re Delivering Convenience with our easy digital booking and tracking journeys, and offer alternative fuels to bring Delivering Decarbonization to life.