UWL & Swire Shipping Receive Outstanding Partnership Award from Target Corporation

Award recognizes reliability of Sun Chief Express service and its role in supporting the supply chain of the U.S.' 2nd largest importer

Cleveland, OH — August 26, 2024 — UWL, Inc., a top American-owned NVOCC and global 3PL services provider, and Swire Shipping, leading liner services provider, are proud to announce they have been honored with the Outstanding Partnership Award from retail giant Target Corporation, the 2nd largest importer in the U.S. by volume.

"I am deeply humbled and honored to share that Target Corporation has awarded UWL and Swire Shipping their Outstanding Partnership Award for our Sun Chief service," shared Chris Krawczyk, SVP, Sun Chief at UWL.

"From the moment we launched the Sun Chief service on Christmas Day 2021, our mission has been to create a reliable, express ocean service tailored to our customers' needs," said Krawczyk, "It hasn’t been easy and we’ve still got so many more goals to achieve, but to be recognized by this industry giant, influencer, and leader, I can’t help but to take a step back and soak it in for a moment. This has been such a rewarding journey for me personally and professionally."

Sun Chief Express is a dedicated transpacific ocean shipping service connecting Southeast Asia to the U.S., Canada, and the Midwest, with just 18 days transit from Vietnam to Seattle. Boasting 97+% schedule reliability, the service's priority stands at providing the fastest overall transit in the market with no blank sailings.

"This prestigious recognition is awarded to the company that demonstrated commitment, collaboration, innovation, agility, and support during a critical time of need to Target," said Duncan Wright, President of UWL and Co-CEO of UWL's parent company, World Group. "UWL being unanimously decided as the recipient for this award is a testament to the dedication, hard work, and unwavering commitment from everyone who has had a hand in our Sun Chief service."

The partnership between UWL/Swire Shipping and Target has been instrumental in driving innovation and achieving mutual success. Target has been a supporter of the service since the beginning, taking advantage of the speed, guarantees, and reliability that Sun Chief Express provides. The joint UWL and Swire Shipping teams' commitment to delivering the highest level of customer service, and creativity in developing outside-of-the-box solutions for clients' supply chain challenges, is what makes achievements like this possible.

Target presents the UWL and Swire Shipping Team with the Outstanding Partnership Award

"Huge congratulations to everyone involved in Sun Chief, this Target award really is sensational. A great testament to all the work that's going on from the U.S. to Asia. UWL and Swire, we really have got this thing covered around the world," said Jeremy Sutton, CEO, Swire Shipping. "The first year, everyone was talking about the transit time and how great it was. The second year, everyone was talking about intermodal connectivity and how that was working really well. Fast forward to this year — there's one or two things on everyone's minds. The first is — can we have more, please? But secondly, is about reliability. Our customers want us to do what we say we're going to do, and we're doing that. Not many other people [in this industry] are. Well done to everyone involved, and keep it up!" 

Fred Hunger, Executive Chairman of World Group said: "Big shout out to the UWL and Swire Shipping teams. Your collective efforts on our Sun Chief service are extrordinary with the award from Target. Your commitment to customer service — Everybody doing their part behind the scenes and in front of the client, and delivering the highest level of service. It's a phenomenal team effort and my hat is off to you!" 

As UWL and Swire Shipping look toward the future, the companies remain focused on driving sustainable shipping solutions such as biofuels, maintaining and enhancing customer support, and working towards the goal of expanding the Sun Chief service to a weekly offering. This award from Target serves as both a recognition for past achievements, and a catalyst for future growth.

Thank you to Target for this incredible honor, and for trusting in UWL and Swire Shipping and believing in our vision. We look forward to growing our partnership and reaching more milestones together in the future. Onward!