HE Ahmed Mahboob Musabih tours Jebel Ali Customs Centres HE Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director of Dubai Customs, paid an inspection visit to Jebel Ali Customs Centres. He was accompanied by Abdullah Mohammad Al Khaja, Executive Director of Clients Management Division, and Butti AlJumairi, Executive Director of Human Resources, Finance and Administration Division. Yousuf Al Hashemi, Director of Jebel Ali Customs Centres Management, gave a presentation on the key challenges, achievements and initiatives put forth by the management during 2014. Some encouraging statistics were also highlighted, particularly in relation to employee satisfaction, which increased from 61 per cent in 2013 to 88 per cent last year. Commenting on the presentation, the Dubai Customs’ Director underlined the importance of maintaining and improving the accomplished employee satisfaction rate, as well as providing a conducive working environment, thereby creating customer happiness and loyalty – rather than mere satisfaction – consistent with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin
During DC Director’s inspection visit
Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Musabih also met with employees and inspectors at their working sites, commending everyone’s efforts, and stressing DC’s commitment towards leveraging human capital capacities and enhancing service levels. Musabih’s visit also included the client service centre and inspection centre in Dubai Logistics City, where he urged the staff to step up positive engagement with clients, listening to their opinions and catering to their needs to improve customs services and promote Dubai’s competitive edge in terms of trade facilitation. At the end of the visit, the Director of Dubai Customs thanked DC staff and inspectors, calling upon them to double their efforts in order to take customs performance to the next level by harnessing the spirit of innovation and creativity.
Ahmed Mahbbob Musabih meeting officials of Jebel Ali Customs Centers to kick off his tour in presence of Abdullah Al Khaja and Butti AlJumairi
Resilient supply chains in Africa – the key to success in 2015 Gulf Marketing Group (GMG), one of the Middle East’s leading holding companies, recently announced an AED 150 million deal with SAP, the global enterprise software and software-related services provider, for a major long-term business transformation programme. Successful companies in 2015 will be those that can adapt to the fast changing global environment, such as unstable currency markets, the fast growing global population, and rising number of internet users, and make them work in their favour, according to Sumesh Rahavendra, Head of Marketing for DHL Express
Sub Saharan Africa. Rahavendra advises decision-makers to focus on these key areas: Annual planning and reviewing: This lays the foundation for an efficient supply chain as it assists business owners to see the bigger picture and enables them to be flexible in the face of changing business needs. All potential risks must be identified and assessed, no matter how improbable. It is equally important to review the past year to ascertain what impacted their supply chain, and what can be
improved upon to avoid unnecessary interruptions in the future. Another area to look at is seasonal spikes in business which may require additional resources. Reverse logistics: This is often overlooked, however, effectively managing the flow of returned goods and packaging is the key to reduce unexpected costs. International supply chain management: Trading across borders can present a number of challenges, unique to each country. In Africa, these include congestion in major cities, such as Lagos and Nairobi,
customs inconsistencies with regards to product classifications and duty and tax exemptions, which can lead to complex customs clearance processes, and a lack of air connectivity with just over 12% of cities served by just one flight a week. It is important to understand these challenges and make the necessary plans to circumvent potential delays. He says that in order to maximise a business’s bottom line, decisionmakers should aim to take a more holistic approach to managing supply chain risk and achieve greater visibility, flexibility, and control.
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