Regular shipments to Africa: thousands of goods are packed and shipped, foreign trade exports have become routine.
Under the green tarpaulin of a winter storage shed, eight pallets of hardware goods are being tightly wrapped by a stretch film machine - this is an order from a local hardware store destined for Ghana, Africa, on that very day. From plumbing parts to hand tools, over 3,000 items across more than 20 categories will be shipped by sea to the port of Accra in 40 days. For this store, such foreign trade packing scenes have long been a daily routine.
"The demand for infrastructure in Africa has always been steady, and our affordable hardware parts are regulars," the shop owner said, wiping his hands of packing tape, in a casual tone. "This is already the third order this week; the first two batches were just sent to Tanzania and Nigeria." This hardware store, which in its early years only did local business, now sees over 60% of its sales from foreign trade orders. From initially feeling their way through logistics to now being able to precisely match African customers' 'customized lists,' over the years, it has long become a 'foreign trade veteran' among local small businesses.
Inside the shed, the workers moved with swift efficiency: stacking boxes, attaching English labels, wrapping them securely with film, keeping the packing time for each pallet under 20 minutes. 'We often ship to Africa, so we know which parts need an extra layer of wrap - the ports there are rough with handling, so every corner needs protection,' said one of the packers while working. 'This order today is an addition from a long-time client. They just confirmed the request last week, and we managed to prepare all the goods in three days.' Next to the shelves, the shipping record book was densely filled with destinations from the past six months: Togo, Kenya, Côte d'Ivoire… Each country was followed by several pages of product lists.
The shop owner flipped through the customer feedback pictures on his phone: workers at a construction site in Ghana were using their wrenches to assemble school building frames, and a repair team in Nigeria had fixed the village's water supply pipes with plumbing parts. 'Customers say our tools are durable and affordable, and once that reputation spreads, the orders never stop,' he said, tapping the 'Made in China' label on the box. 'Now we don't need intermediaries to make introductions; old clients will send their orders directly.'
The truck arrived on time at noon, and the crane steadily lifted the pallets into the cargo compartment. The shop owner greeted the driver, "This batch is going by express ship, remember to check with the port to confirm the priority loading mark." For him, "transoceanic orders" were nothing new - from packing and customs declaration to monitoring the shipping progress, he was already very familiar with the whole process, and even the logistics providers would proactively reserve their slots. As the truck disappeared in a cloud of dust, the shed was already stacked with cartons for the next batch of goods. "This afternoon, we still need to pack orders bound for Benin," the shop owner said with a smile. "For hardware store goods, being able to follow Africa's infrastructure projects across most of the continent - that's a business done solidly."
