Fighting Covid-19: Free delivery of donated masks

Joint efforts from the USA and China help those on the front lines

8 April 2020 - When our team in Cleveland, Ohio was approached to help with a really unique request, they immediately stepped up. A private donor from China was searching for a way to deliver 10,000 surgical masks produced in China to the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, USA. The donor had studied at a college in the Cleveland area years ago. She has felt very connected with her adopted hometown ever since and hence decided to help the local hospital in the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.

Everyone in the supply chain contributed their resources

Röhlig USA connected the donor with our colleagues at Röhlig China, organized space on a plane and prepared everything to import the masks to the USA. Along the way, our teams in the USA and China decided to support the good cause by donating the origin services, air freight, destination services and customs clearance services. Also, our local carrier Excellence On Demand (EOD) Logistics, Inc., who helped with the delivery from the airport in Chicago, Illinois to Cleveland, Ohio, was happy to help and donated their services. Key Bank, a regional bank headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, took the duty payment. Last but not least, the charity project was supported by the Commercial Service, U.S. Department of Commerce, Cleveland as well as U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

At the end of the day, everyone in the supply chain contributed their resources to make this charity project a success and deliver the masks to the Cleveland Clinic. All of us had only one goal in mind: to provide some much needed assistance to the doctors and nurses so they are protected while fighting the global Covid-19 epidemic.