Skoda imports Kodiaq and Karoq models from its Kvasiny factory in the Czech Republic to Vietnam. Vehicles are prepared, protected, and transported via a combined chain of road, rail and sea to keep quality, cost and delivery time under control.
Cars travel by rail to the German port of Bremerhaven, board Ro-Ro vessels to a transshipment point in Singapore, and then move by smaller Ro-Ro ships to the ports of Ho Chi Minh City or Hai Phong for final delivery.
Cars at the Kvasiny factory are covered with special protective coverings and firmly tied down to avoid damage during the long transcontinental transport.
Vehicles are driven onto double-decker rail cars at a specialised station so both levels can be filled simultaneously before rail transit to ports in Germany.
Rail tracks bring new car models to Bremerhaven, where they wait in multi-storey car parks and garages until ships are ready for loading.
Ro-Ro vessels load cars under their own power and carry them to a transshipment point in Singapore; smaller Ro-Ro ships then deliver them to Vietnam.
Bremerhaven handles tens of thousands of cars and uses tracking systems to organise blocks of vehicles bound for the same destination for efficient loading and unloading.
After docking at Ho Chi Minh City or Hai Phong, Kodiaq and Karoq models are handed over to dealers, completing the journey that began in Kvasiny.
The blue Kodiaq rolled across the metal floor of a train car. When it stopped, the driver got out, put wheel chocks on the wheels, and did a final check of the entire car. A moment later, the train carrying dozens of cars started moving. The Skodas’ journey to Vietnam had begun.
Journey from Kvasiny to Vietnam
For the global Skoda brand, Vietnam is a new destination full of opportunities as well as challenges. The company is currently importing Kodiaq and Karoq models directly from the Czech Republic. The cars are manufactured at the Kvasiny factory, about 12,000 km away from Vietnam as the crow flies.
“The main transport challenge in our Vietnam project is to coordinate a combined transport chain including road, rail and sea transport, focusing on quality, cost and delivery time,” said Mr. Lubor Šrámek, responsible for logistics supply chain management at Skoda Auto.
In Kvasiny, the cars are prepared for the long journey. The cars are covered with special protective coverings and tied down to avoid damage during transport, explains Šrámek.
After protection, cars arrive at a station with rails for double-decker freight cars. Vehicles are loaded so both levels can be filled simultaneously to maximise capacity.
Rail tracks bring new car models to ports in Germany. After loading, the ship sails from Kvasiny to the German port of Bremerhaven. Šrámek explains that next the cars are transported by Ro-Ro vessels to a transshipment point in Singapore, and from there they travel by smaller Ro-Ro vessels to their final destination in Vietnam — the ports of Ho Chi Minh City or Hai Phong.
Ro-Ro ships can transport thousands of cars. Ro-Ro stands for Roll-on and Roll-off and refers to ships designed to carry cars and other vehicles that enter the ship's hold under their own power; they are driven on and off the ship and typically have multiple cargo decks, often holding more than five thousand cars.
Cars are parked in one of the German port’s multi-storey car parks or garages while they wait to be loaded. Cars bound for the same destination board together and are placed in a block on a ship’s deck, allowing them to be offloaded together. The Bremerhaven logistics hub can hold over 75,000 cars simultaneously on their way to future owners.
After docking at one of the two ports in Vietnam, the Kodiaq and Karoq are handed over to their dealers, where the long journey that began in the town of Kvasiny in Eastern Bohemia finally comes to an end.
Source: Skoda Storyboard