How to prepare your supply chain for Lunar New Year 2023
Last updated: December 12, 2022
In which regions is Lunar New Year celebrated?
Lunar New Year, sometimes known as Chinese New Year, is one of the biggest national holidays of the year across Greater China and South Korea. It is also observed in some countries in Southeast Asia.
When does Lunar New Year take place?
In North Asia, the official holiday dates for 2023 are:
- January 21-27 (Mainland China)
- January 22-25 (Hong Kong)
- January 20-29 (Taiwan)
- January 21-24 (South Korea)
The majority of operations will be offline during this public holiday. It is therefore advisable that customers prepare in advance with early bookings. Operations may also take a while to return to normal in the weeks following the holiday.
In mainland China, strict Covid guidance has recently been lifted, facilitating better travel. However, infections are expected to rise, which may also impact the market.
Our staff will be out of office during the designated public holidays in each region, however our teams will ensure that all shipments are managed and that customers maintain a point of contact during this time via email or phone.
The below information serves as a general guidance subject to change, therefore we recommend checking back here for updates, checking the Global Operations Status Report, and keeping in close contact with your Röhlig Logistics team.
Sea Freight personnel will be on leave in Greater China, and carriers may roll out blank sailings shortly before the holiday. Services in South Korea will remain operational, although ground-transportation rates will be higher.
Air Freight carriers in mainland China will stop accepting bookings prior to the holiday and may cancel later flights if stock finishes. Truck service pricing may be 2-3 times higher 3 days prior to the holiday and up to 1 week after. Röhlig Logistics Taiwan and South Korea advise that carriers' offices will be closed but basic operations will still be in place.
Contract Logistics personnel will be on holiday leave during this time, and operations will largely be offline.
Air Freight bookings in Greater China will be accepted up until the last day before the holiday.
Rail bookings can be placed at any time before the holiday provided the space, quotation and ETD have been confirmed.
Röhlig Logistics China estimates document cut-off to be 3 days before the start of the holiday. For Röhlig Logistics Taiwan, document cut-off varies by carrier, but customers can consider January 16 as a benchmark. Röhlig Logistics Korea advises 4-5 prior to ETD.
Rail delays are expected, with normal services predicted to resume up to 20 days after the holiday.
Contract Logistics personnel will be on leave for Lunar New Year, with operations scheduled to resume January 28. Be advised that some backlog may need to clear.
Opportunity for customers in China to take advantage of sufficient space by placing an early export booking. Röhlig Logistics Taiwan likewise advises early booking to avoid delays from blank sailings later in Q1. Customers in South Korea may wish to consider alternative transport options such as Air Freight for urgent cargo.
Email the Röhlig Rail Team to maintain close contact with your Product Manager and Operations Team. Services including trucking will need to be checked case-by-case up to 4 weeks prior to the holiday. WB station-in cut-off dates are likely to be adjusted, while EB flows arriving during the holiday may face dentention/demurrage/higher trucking costs for delivery.