mission not-so-impossible

The U.S. Postal Service may pride itself on its commitment to deliver the mail regardless of atmospheric conditions. But snow, rain, heat and gloom of night pale in comparison to the challenges another logistics service provider pledges to overcome. That provider, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, is currently transporting oversized and sensitive communications equipment from the United States to Iraq. And it vows that nothing will stand in its way. "One of our commitments is to deliver any shipment door to door, regardless of war, unsafe ground conditions, terrorism or a lack of infrastructure and public-use airports," says Karl Weyeneth, the company's president and CEO of the Americas.

In keeping with that commitment, Hellman recently moved a mobile satellite communication center known as a Deployable Ku Band Earth Terminal (DKET) from the United States to Iraq. The load, which originated from various suppliers in Texas and Georgia, was first sent to Kuwait, where it cleared customs. Due to freight service limitations in the area, it was then trucked to the U.S. military base in Baghdad. To ensure security, Hellmann used U.S. military and private security convoys on secure routes from Kuwait. Sounds like a lengthy trip? It wasn't. Hellmann reports that the delivery took just eight days.