FORWARDER Move it Like... Lee Griffiths, NNR

MOVE IT LIKE...

W

e are so focused on fine detail, manners and accountability. Japanese culture is a perfect complement to the Western style. That’s where the magic is!

LEE GRIFFITHS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF NNR GLOBAL LOGISTICS

MOVE IT LIKE...

YEAR FOUNDED

Group: 1908

EMPLOYEES

Group: 18,000

SPECIALISM

Group: Train, bus, hotel, retail, logistics TURNOVER

Group: $4,000,000,000 PERFORMANCE INCREASE

Consistent organic global growth year on year.

UK EBIT doubled in last 5 years.

SITES

130+ globally MODES

Air, ocean, road, rail, contract logistics MAIN TRADE ROUTES

Japan, China, Hong Kong, USA ACCREDITATION

AEO, AS9120, ISO9001, ISO14001, CAA security approved MILESTONES

First licensed in Japan in 1948, UK opened in 1991

LEE GRIFFITHS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NNR

LEE SAYS... we have gone from strength to strength: we are double the size now and I’m proud of our achievements.

How did you get into the freight industry?

A

hhh my plan was a career in journalism but a friend mentioned that a decent stop gap would be in cargo.

I couldn’t ever get out again!

MOVE IT LIKE...

LEE SAYS...

We have the support of 100s of years of intelligence within our group and so we very rarely get it wrong.

Q A

To what extent is NNR GL a 360-degree logistics service? Do you work extensively with forwarders or other suppliers?

The best value with NNR is in complex solutions that require fully managed, multi-faceted approaches. To be a successful 4PL you need to collaborate with other partners and be totally transparent about that. In the old days it was called freight forwarding; now it’s similar but robustly joined together by a sophisticated IT platform that delivers metrics

Q A Q A

How did you get into the freight industry?

Ahhh, my plan was a career in journalism but a friend mentioned that a decent stop gap would be in cargo. I couldn’t

Q A

for optimisation and continual improvement.

How do you make strategic decisions?

What’s your method?

Everything NNR does is very well thought out. A notion is tabled and assessed for value, be it corporate value or financial. Once agreed we assess the investment required and rigorously Q&A test for durability, sustainability and return-on-investment potential. We

ever get out again!

subscribe to kaizen (continual, incremental improvement) [Japanese,

How did your role at NNR come about or evolve?

I joined 13 years ago to head up UK sales, then progressed to General Manager to consolidate departments and drive NNR’s expansion to the next level. I was rewarded with a directorship in 2011. Since then we have gone from strength to strength: we are double the size now and I’m proud of our achievements, considering our growth is always purely organic.

lit. improvement] and I am personally very careful and pragmatic by nature. We have the support of hundreds of years of intelligence

Q A

within our group and so we very rarely get it wrong.

Does Japanese culture have much influence on NNR? Yes, most definitely. It’s absolutely the best thing. We are so focused on fine detail, manners and accountability. I’ve spent a fair amount of time in Asia and the more time you spend in Japan, the more you realise how much the West can learn from the East. Japanese culture is a perfect complement to the Western style. That’s where the magic is!

Q A

How does this translate to NNR’s trade in a global market?

NNR has operations all over the world and recognise that one size doesn’t fit all, therefore the group has been transforming over the past decade and localising the management structures throughout the NNR global network.

Q A

How much autonomy does NNR Global Logistics have within the group?

NNR Global Logistics has become a large part of the group. When I joined, Global Logistics was around 10% of the group, the big divisions being Bus, Train,

The attention to detail required helps us to understand an

Hotels and Retail. These days we are just about the

opportunity and apply our strengths accordingly. This gives us

largest division. At NNR Global Logistics, we have a

the ability to deploy what’s suitable in the local environment –

fairly free hand here. We are trusted. Big decisions

but with strict compliance controls.

have to be endorsed by HQ, naturally.

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Q A

LEE SAYS...

I take after my father in that I’m a bit of a workaholic..

Have the cultural roots of the company affected your work ethic or work/life balance?

YES and NO! I take after my father in that I’m a bit of a workaholic. Apparently that’s the trait of a perfectionist and that cap certainly fits. I’ve always worked long hours but my family are amazing and we’re a really close-knit bunch so they accept that I travel a fair amount. I must have flown 50 times or more already this year.

Q

The whole company ethos fits with my own ‘give first, take second’ ideology; my kids all grew up knowing this would give them the skills required to navigate through life and be successful.

But weekends are precious and that’s full-on family time.

Q A

I need to spend more time at home, as my dad often said.

As a Brit working for a Japanese company, what are your views on Brexit?

Do you think the UK and Japan will emerge as stronger trade partners?

Q A

If you could change anything about the industry as a whole, what would it be?

For starters, I’d have more people selling value rather than cheap nonsense. The major disappointment is that there is so much disgruntlement in the industry, caused by artificially low pricing that destroys service.

Yet people keep buying it. It always strikes me that an individual wouldn’t buy £5 shoes for themselves but they would for their company. When the shoes fall apart, they blame the shoe shop and replace them

I was raised to understand that being British was about

with £5 shoes. Amazing.

a stiff upper lip and determination to succeed, expecting nothing for free; so I’m OK with it personally.

I’d apply far more automation too and hook more into IoT. NNR is ready but honestly, many carrier

If the UK is not able to at least replicate any EU trade agreement

partners are not. But it’s like the Emperor’s new

with Japan after Brexit, it would naturally be detrimental to our

clothes: nobody wants to say it first.

trade with Japan. However, Japan and the United Kingdom have had a trade alliance for well over 100 years and are therefore historically strong partners. I can’t envisage a dramatic change in the short term as everyone treads carefully.

...did I just do that?

I don't know where you found them but they're the best logistics company I think I've ever worked with.

99%

OF CUSTOMERS FELT NNR OFFERED THE BEST VALUE SOLUTIONS

OF CUSTOMERS FELT OTHERS OFFER BETTER SERVICE THAN NNR

Transporta on: Railroad, Bus, Taxi

22%

Logis

22%

: Interna onal, Domes c, Global logis cs

Retail: Retail sales, Store, Distribu on

20%

Real Estate: Rental, Sub-Division, Development

14%

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