African Partner info and FAQ

'How it works':

Developing the partnership:

Someone asks to be a partner
Some back and forth looking at this, checking references...
We agree to a partnership

Shipping:

The African partner finds an import agent or importing partner (more info below)
Re~Cycle gets some shipping quotes + tell the partner the best one
- Normally Re~Cycle arranges (and African partner pays) for shipping to the nearest coastal port
- Sometimes, there is an "inland port" with a customs "bonded warehouse" that the container can be delivered to, either inland in a coastal country or in an inland "landlocked" country.
- Very occasionally Re~Cycle arranges (and African partner pays) for shipping to the final destination, eg. town A. in country B although this option is not recommended by UK Shipping Companies
  - It may be cheaper to arrange the overland section from Africa
  - Local knowledge of local customs formalities is considered vital - something which is impossible to have in the UK
- Which one to choose is a balance of cost saved v. knowing the parties to be efficient
The shipping cost (+ our fee) is wired to Re~Cycle's bank
Re~Cycle books the container to come for two days loading
Re~Cycle's brave volunteer team packs the container with bikes, tools and parts and it is taken away to the UK port (usually Felixstowe)
The container is loaded onto the ship which then sails either direct or via Antwerp for example to the African port sometimes with stops on the way
Re~Cycle prepares a loading list and e-mails this to the African partner, so they know what's coming.
While it is on the boat heading towards Africa, the UK shipping agent and shipping company prepare the Bill of Lading (BoL) and this is sent out to the African partner by courier (with Re~Cycle's documents - Commercial Invoice for customs, Packing List and Certificate of Donation)
The ship arrives and the container is unloaded
The African partner and/or their shipping agent takes the documents to the port, pays any duty and taxes liable
Either:
- Take the container off on a truck to the project location, to unload it and return it (or keep if partner has bought the container for secure storage) or
- Unload the bikes etc into separate trucks and take these to the project location
Partner provides feedback to Re~Cycle

FAQ from new partners:

Please can we have 6 (or 20, or 50) bikes for our school (or church)?

Regrettably it is not possible to ship small numbers of bikes because of the very high cost. We ship in 40-foot containers each loaded with up 400 bikes for greatest economy. Small numbers of bikes may be obtainable in countries where we have a local partner. Please see http://www.re-cycle.org/Africa/Partners for details of our current partners.

Financial responsibilities?

The African partner:

Pays for the shipping (at cost) plus an administration fee of GBP £350.
Arranges locally for the African customs clearance of the container and pays any duty or VAT (ideally trying to get this duty-free). IMPORTANT containers held up at the port because of clearance problems incur expensive demurrage costs
Arranges and pays locally for the freight cost of moving the container from the port to final delivery address

It is possible for joint funding bids to be submitted

For African partners without UK or International support, Re~Cycle will try and help financially for initial shipments, to help get the wheels rolling and the project self-sustaining

How many bikes do you get in a container?

The number of bikes usually loaded is approximately 400 (+/- 10%). It depends on the sort and size of bike, as well as other special items (have shipped a rickshaw, and large woodworking tools in the past). If there are a number of children's bikes there will be more as they're small. Royal Mail (RM) bikes take up more space because the bikes are all adult size and with every bike there is a red basket frame and black plastic insert tray (both very valuable) which take up space.

What storage facilities do we use when the bicycles arrive? Do we keep the container that the bicycles arrive in?

Some partners buy the first 1 or 2 containers for storing the bikes (at cost), up to you. They are secure, though need ventilation and a roof over the top, or you've got a large solar oven!
We'll be putting designs for this in our How To.

Profile of shipment

Derek to send Merlin example import documents for partners - DONE
Merlin to make a zip file for download - upload not working at the moment...

What sort of bikes do you provide?

Re~Cycle gets given all sorts, and so ship all sorts.

We can to some degree fit the shipment to the request of the partner - although we have to ship what we get.

Some partners ask for just adult bikes, which is possible, though small bikes sometimes fit in gaps.

The general request from African partners is for mountain bikes (MTB) and Royal Mail ("RM" or "Postie") bikes, though these are often limited in quantity and will take a while to get a whole shipment of them (and would not be fair to other partners if they then didn't get them).

Types of bikes:

Small child - we don't send too many of these unless requested, and only in very good condition
Youth bikes - eg. BMX and 24 inch wheel
City / Commuter bikes - 3 speed or multi speed, mudguards
Racing & Touring bikes
Mountain bikes and Hybrid bikes
Royal Mail (RM or Postie) bikes - 26 inch wheel, with basket + tray on the front (images HERE)

What quality are the bikes?

We only ship bikes in OK or good condition. Some are in good working order, some will need minor repairs (punctures, brakes or gears), some will need more work (wheel hubs, bottom brackets, wheels straightened etc.). All will be worth spending time to restore to good working condition.
Bikes that are not OK, (poor condition because of damage or neglect etc.) we strip for spare parts (below)

Spare parts?

Spare parts are sent with the bikes, to refurbish the bikes sent, for ongoing maintenance and for fixing other bikes near the project
The parts fit in between and under the bikes
Wheels and tyres are fitted into the top of the container
When a new project is being set up, we send extra spare parts to stock up the workshop

Tools?

NOTE, there are two sorts of tools that we ship out:

'General workshop' tools such as spanners, screwdrivers, files, vices
'Bike' tools, being bike specific, like work-stands, freewheel removers, chain breakers & cone spanners etc.

When setting up a new workshop, we request that the African partner asks one of our UK partners for a donation of 'normal' tools. TWAM and TFSR

We can purchase on the African partner's behalf (note, the African partner to pay for) 'bike' tools. We get a discount on these and have a list of tools needed. Approx £GP 300

It may be possible to buy 'bike' tools in Africa. Be careful not to get cheap Chinese soft metal junk!

What do we need to do to the bikes in Africa?

Some of the bikes will be in almost perfect condition and need no work. Others will need minor repair.

Importing, you have some options:

get existing charity with duty free import permit and have imported from time to time to import for you
get your own duty free / tax exemption import permit, takes time...
find a trusted clearing agent and pay them
PLEASE NOTE - demurrage charges are port storage fees and can be VERY expensive, you NEED to have something in place beforehand, and if there is a problem, get it sorted out fast
Alan one of our shipping agents, when asked about quote from Berlin said "suggest talk to a local Agent, we cannot easily control the Customs"

Import Taxes?

Taxes and duty vary depending on the country
There is a page with info on different countries HERE
Working with someone who has permit is good (above)

Do we have documentation to set up training scheme for mechanics?

Nearly, we are working on it, asking other bike reuse charities... If you'd like to help, please get in touch

How much does the container weigh?

Weight of container = approx 7,500 kilos - (400 bikes x 15 kg = 6,000 + 1,500 kg spares)

GLOSSARY

40-ft container (12.2 m) = 40 foot long x 8 foot wide x 8ft 6ins high
40' HC Container HC = High Cube, which means the whole container is 1 foot higher than usual 40 foot container - so height = 9 ft 6 in (2.9 m)
- There may not seem to be much difference in height but it makes a big difference to the number of bikes that can be loaded so please do make sure to order a high cube unless you are absolutely certain that there will be problems with bridges etc.
- Weight should not be an issue as the weight of a container load of bikes and spares (approx, 8,000 kilos) is quite low compared to maximum load capacity.
Collection to inc Drop & Go with 2/3 days standing = UK haulage costs
Courier Charge = charge for the original shipping and customs documents to be sent out by air, needed to get the container released
Demurrage = port storage fees, best avoided, can be VERY EXPENSIVE - can also be waived if you have got them, worth asking and politicians can help
F.O.B costs Rate L/sum .... GBP 1645.00

FAQ still needing to be answered:

Example of past partner
What facilities do they need
Update and link to mechanic manual

Dig out and stick on How To...