LADING CO. Start shipping

China → United States · Air · Door to Door ·

The part is in Shenzhen. Your customer is waiting.

Most forwarders are strongest on one side of the shipment. Lading Co manages China-origin pickup, air freight, formal U.S. entry with a licensed customs broker, and delivery for U.S. manufacturers and industrial parts distributors sourcing from China.

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Services
Consolidated / NFO / DG
U.S. entry
Licensed broker
Door to door
3-5 days
Battery cargo
DG goods

Where the model breaks

Handoffs in the middle are where delays start.

Most freight on this lane is handled by two different kinds of company, and each owns about half the move. An origin-side forwarder controls factory pickup and uplift, then hands off at the U.S. airport. A destination-side forwarder controls entry and domestic delivery, and reaches your supplier through an agent it does not employ. Neither arrangement is wrong. Both mean the middle handoff belongs to nobody.

What is clear before booking

A focused operating model, stated plainly.

Lading Co is founder-led. Carriers, a licensed customs broker and delivery providers may perform individual legs, while Lading Co remains the operating contact across the move.

Named founder

Rajan Devnath

China-to-U.S. air-cargo and parcel operator with hands-on experience managing supplier pickups and cross-border shipments. View LinkedIn.

Licensed roles

Broker filing stays licensed

A licensed U.S. customs broker handles the filing. Lading Co manages the documents, duty assumptions and timing with that broker.

Cargo acceptance

Review before routing

Battery and controlled cargo are checked against the product, packaging, documents, carrier and lane requirements before a route is confirmed.

Written scope

Assumptions before booking

Routing, transit expectation, charges, duty assumptions, delivery scope and responsibilities are stated before shipment acceptance.

The four legs

One company, four legs, no handoff you have to manage.

Leg 01 · Origin

Supplier pickup

Collection across China, including South China, Zhejiang, Shanghai and Xiamen. Multiple suppliers can be consolidated into one shipment instead of moving each pickup separately.

Leg 02 · Air

Air move

Consolidated or Next Flight Out depending on urgency, cargo profile and available uplift. Battery-containing and other regulated cargo is accepted only after the exact requirements are verified.

Leg 03 · Entry

US customs entry

A licensed U.S. customs broker handles the filing. Classification, valuation, duty assumptions and documents are reviewed before the shipment moves.

Leg 04 · Delivery

Final delivery

To your warehouse, your dealer network, or direct to the end customer, with delivery status and exceptions kept in one conversation.

Air freight and replenishment

Pick the service path that fits the shipment.

Planned

Consolidated air

For repeat replenishment and a known delivery window. Combine supplier pickups when the saving outweighs the wait.

Urgent

Next Flight Out (NFO)

For stockouts, line-down parts and hard customer deadlines. We identify the earliest feasible commercial-flight routing, manage pickup and handoffs, and confirm capacity, cargo acceptance and delivery before booking.

Special handling

Dangerous goods

For battery-containing equipment and other controlled shipments. Product details, packing, marks, paperwork and carrier acceptance are reviewed before routing.

Forwarding comparison

See the difference between separate handoffs and one accountable path.

The Lading Co path gives the importer one operating owner from pickup through delivery. The highlighted column shows what changes at each decision point.

Updates cover pickup, departure, arrival, entry, delivery and exceptions.

The clearer control model

One operating owner across every handoff.

Qualified providers still perform their roles. Lading Co keeps the plan, responsibilities, exceptions and next update in one place.

Typical forwarding path compared with Lading Co
Decision point Separate-handoff path Lading CoOne accountable path
Pickup and consolidation Origin pickup and supplier readiness are handled through separate contacts. Supplier readiness, pickup timing and consolidation are planned together.
Routing decision A service level is quoted, but the deadline and cost of waiting may stay implicit. Deadline, capacity, service level and the cost of waiting are compared before booking.
U.S. entry Brokerage or entry responsibility may surface only after the freight is moving. A licensed U.S. customs broker handles the filing, with entry treatment and responsibilities visible upfront.
Exceptions The importer tracks down the origin agent, carrier, broker and delivery provider. One operating owner keeps the exception, next action and next update together.
Final delivery Delivery can be treated as a separate handoff or an assumption in the quote. Warehouse, dealer or end-customer delivery is part of the plan and status path.

Inventory impact scenario

Test the economics of waiting.

Use your own lead-time, carrying-cost and delay assumptions to compare inventory effects with the premium for a faster move.

$4.0M
45 days
24%
7 days
Estimated working capital released
$0
Estimated annual carrying cost avoided
$0
Storage, insurance, obsolescence and the cost of capital on stock you no longer hold.

Compare freight premium with delay exposure
days
Estimated delay exposure avoided
$0
Lost margin, downtime, penalties or customer impact entered above.
Shipment economics before inventory effects
$0
Enter the freight premium and delay exposure to compare them.

This compares a one-time freight premium with a one-time delay exposure estimate. The inventory effects above remain separate.

What we move

The shipments other people would rather not quote.

Cargo qualifier

Dangerous goods

We review the exact commodity, configuration, packaging, documentation and carrier requirements before confirming a route. Standalone cells and other regulated configurations require a separate acceptance review.

Multi-vendor consolidation

Four suppliers, one shipment

We compare the saving from consolidating supplier pickups across China with the delivery deadline before uplift. One shipment plan and one accountable contact.

Heavy & multi-piece

Where courier rates stop making sense

Integrator pricing can escalate sharply on weight and piece count. We compare consolidated air against courier and urgent-air options so the route fits the shipment, not just the label.

Urgent recovery

Line-down and stockout recovery

A machine is down, a dealer is waiting, or a part shipped short. We start the routing review as soon as the specs arrive and confirm the feasible next move.

Regulated cargo

Safety starts before the quote.

Battery-containing equipment and other controlled cargo need a specific review. A generic product label is not enough to confirm an air route.

01 · Identify

Know what is inside

We start with the exact article, battery type, configuration, quantity, weight and any UN or safety information already available.

02 · Prepare

Match the paperwork

Packaging, state of charge, marks, labels, declarations, test summaries and supporting product documents are checked against the cargo.

03 · Accept

Confirm the route

Carrier, airport, cut-off and entry requirements are reviewed before pickup. Some configurations need more time or are not workable on the requested lane.

Early disclosure gives you a real answer. We would rather flag a restriction before pickup than discover it at the airport.

Questions before pickup

The answers that matter before the freight moves.

When is air freight worth considering?
Air is usually worth considering when a stockout, dealer promise, part value or production interruption costs more than the freight premium. For heavy, non-urgent cargo, we will say when another mode is the better answer.
What do you need before you can quote?
Supplier location or locations, destination, commodity, pieces, weight, dimensions, delivery target, battery or regulated-cargo details and any documents or photos available. More complete inputs produce a more useful answer.
How do you show the all-in cost?
We separate transportation, origin and destination charges, entry or brokerage handling, duties and delivery assumptions where they are known. If an item needs confirmation, we label the assumption instead of burying it in one low headline number.
Can you handle battery or other regulated cargo?
Some configurations can be reviewed, but acceptance depends on the exact product, packaging, documentation, carrier and lane. Share the details early. A generic description such as “battery equipment” is not enough to confirm a route.
Is there a minimum shipment size?
We do not publish a fixed minimum. Suitability depends on urgency, shipment size, lane and the available courier alternative. If commercial air forwarding does not make economic sense for a small shipment, we will say so.
Who handles U.S. customs entry?
A licensed U.S. customs broker handles the filing. Lading Co manages the documents, proposed classification, duty assumptions and timing with that broker. The importer of record remains responsible for the accuracy of the entry.
Can you work with my broker or nominated forwarder?
Yes, the operating path can include your existing licensed U.S. customs broker. For supplier or forwarder nominations, share the purchase-order terms and Incoterm before booking. We will identify which origin responsibilities can be changed and which remain with the supplier or buyer.
Who am I contracting with, and which roles are licensed?
The written booking identifies the contracting party and each regulated role before you accept the shipment. Air carriage is performed by the selected carrier, and customs filing is performed by a licensed U.S. customs broker. Lading Co manages the operating path and does not imply it performs a regulated function assigned to another provider.
Is cargo insurance included, and how are claims handled?
Cargo insurance is not assumed to be included. Availability, insured value, exclusions and premium must be confirmed before booking. Carrier or forwarder liability is different from cargo insurance. Any claim follows the written terms and notice requirements provided for the shipment.
How will I see shipment status?
We keep the key milestones in one operating conversation: pickup, departure, arrival, entry progress, delivery and exceptions. If the selected carrier provides a tracking reference, we pass that through as well.
How quickly will you respond?
We provide an initial response within 4 to 10 hours, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, after receiving complete shipment details. Final routing or acceptance may take longer when carrier, cargo-acceptance or customs-broker confirmation is required.

Getting started

Start with one real shipment.

Quick lane check

Send the lane first.

If you are not ready to assemble a full shipment brief, send the origin, destination and your email. We will reply with the next details needed to assess the move.

Add shipment details for a routing and cost review
  1. 01Send the commodity, shipment size, battery details if applicable and required delivery date.
  2. 02We return the workable routing, transit expectation, landed-cost components, customs-broker handoff and stated assumptions.
  3. 03Compare it with your current option. If it does not improve the decision, we will tell you.
Call to discuss

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