Connecting Business 2017 Issue 2 (English)

Visibility in your supply chain Small investment for big projects

Work hard, party harder Event logistics for Tomorrowland

Essentiel Top of Antwerp fashion

FOREWORD

The future is Gosselin-green This magazine saw its baptism a little more than a year ago.

High time for a new update; after all, Gosselin Logistics has evolved considerably in a year’s time.

These days, the future of Gosselin Logistics looks more digital than ever. We want to be pioneers when it comes to digitization, and would love to take our customers and suppliers along with us on this journey of discovery. Find out in this issue of Connecting Business how we can track containers and help you visualize your supply chain.

We expanded our activities with Heavy substantially with the addition of a new segment: Event Logistics. This led to

CREDITS

our assistance in putting on the world’s most popular dance festival,

Issue 2 - 2017

Tomorrowland. Also check the testimonials from TD Williamson and

Connecting Business is the magazine of Gosselin Logistics.

Essentiel on the pages that follow.

Layout Micha Verbruggen Project management Dirk Van der Borght Editor Jansen & Janssen Editorial board Anne Van Gils Sven Van Dyck Walter Van Mechelen Photography Juan Wyns Stefaan Van Hul Published by Marc Smet, CEO Gosselin Belcrownlaan 23 2100 Deurne | Belgium Printed on recycled paper

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We conclude this edition with a story on the brand-new partnership: the newly set up CrossTrades OBL network. Bigger, smarter, leaner and greener. With this in mind, we are preparing for a new year that promises to be chock full of activity.

Happy reading!

Walter Van Mechelen

Team in the spotlight

WORK HARD, PARTY HARDER Our partnership with Tomorrowland Tomorrowland is to dance enthusiasts what the Super Bowl is to football fans. For years, this festival in Boom, Belgium has been on the wish-list of anyone who loves to dance. Since 2010, Gosselin subsidiary Heavy has been the logistics partner for the best party in the world.

A little over half an hour; it usually doesn’t take longer than this to sell all 180,000 tickets. Tomorrowland is the ultimate festival after all, having received the award for the world’s best dance festival five years in a row. Its recipe for success? The best DJs, the fairy-tale sets, top-shelf entertainment and a magical atmosphere.

“In 2010, we received a call one night when the festival was being set up. They wanted to know if we could deliver 50 drive plates as soon as possible. It was the beginning of a business relationship that has evolved to become the logistics partnership it is today,” Joris Leonaers, managing director of Heavy Logistics, tells us.

Heavy and Gosselin The partnership between Heavy and Gosselin began in 2014 with the transport and storage for project cargo via the Gosselin terminal on the Albert Canal. The collaboration intensified in December 2016 with the incorporation of a new holding company which was designed to guarantee the future partnership between the two companies.

Memorable moments One of Heavy’s activities is the transport of stage sets. “The most memorable moment? A few years ago, the eyecatcher at Tomorrowland was an enormous sun with eyes that moved. We transported this sun on a flatbed through the streets of Boom to the site and then unloaded it with cranes. It was amazing to see the local residents open their windows, even though it was raining, and how they started clapping when the transport passed their houses,” Joris smiles.

In addition to stage sets, Heavy also handles the logistics of the lighting units, merchandising, tents and containers.

The logistics preparations start half a year before the event. This is a necessity; tight scheduling yet also ensuring you have the flexibility to respond to changes is crucial, and this became particularly evident when Tomorrowland decided to go international in 2013.

“This resulted in three editions of Tomorrowworld in the U.S. and two editions of Tomorrowland in Brazil. We arranged the logistics to move cargo there (ocean and air freight) and back plus the logistics between each of the festivals in

the U.S. and Brazil. On the Monday morning after the festival in Belgium everything was dismantled fast in order to have time to set up in the U.S.” “Organizer ID&T is one of the few companies in the world that takes a creative approach to ideas on the music and dance experience. This is one of the reasons for its success. At the same time, this leads to a huge logistics challenge.

The creativity takes precedence over the logistics restrictions and this makes the whole thing really challenging. As a partner, you have to be competitive and very flexible, and I believe that we have really found our ideal match in this regard.”

On the big stage Heavy works for several top artists, festivals and sports and other events. Just a few of the names we have worked with: Big Sean, Dua Lipa, Chris Brown, André Rieu, Rihanna, Rammstein, Gary Clark Jr., Baku European Games, The Qontinent, Solar Impulse, Hollywood Dead, Rock Werchter and Pukkelpop.

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New developments

MORE VISIBILITY IN YOUR SUPPLY CHAIN Thanks to new technologies, Gosselin Logistics is increasing the visibility for shipments of goods. We spoke with Karen van Brussel, supply chain manager, and Philippe Van Schoor, business development Africa. The latter arranged for an important shipment headed for Ivory Coast to be equipped with intelligent tracking devices.

“Saving time, lowering costs and maximizing control over the supply chain.

These are the opportunities that are created by offering more visibility of the logistics flows,” according to Karen Van Brussel and Phililppe Van Schoor.

“Gosselin Logistics delivers parts that are needed for the expansion of a brewery in Ivory Coast,” Philippe says. "We shipped 80 containers from Europe and chartered a breakbulk vessel from China to Abidjan to ship 8 brewery tanks and spare parts, with a volume total of 5,000 m3.

“Taking the value and vulnerability of some parts into account, some tanks and containers are equipped with a tracking device. This device can detect changes in tilt, among other parameters, or transmit a signal if the container door opens. In the past, this customer had incurred damage and it appeared to be difficult to determine at which point in the journey an incident had occurred. Placing these tracking devices means that this can now be made clear.

It’s a minor investment that will quickly pay for itself.”

Use in container transport In addition to using tracking devices,

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Gosselin Logistics also has other alternatives. In cooperation with Logit One, solutions were presented for normal container transport. “We currently have a large number of customers using these,” Karen says. “The main idea behind this partnership is to enable our customers to save time and money, maintain the maximum amount of control over their supply chain, and reduce their environmental footprint by eliminating unnecessary transport activities.”

“Initially, we offered visibility from port to port. This has since been expanded to include the segment from gate in to gate out. We will also be able to monitor the final delivery to the customer soon. Customers are happy with these new developments, and we have heard that there is interest for applications in rail transport. We are prepared and ready to roll out this and other options,” Karen says.

Gosselin Logistics highlights its expertise in exports to Africa during a networking event.

Placing a tracking device is a minor investment that will quickly pay for itself.

The tanks are shipped from Shanghai to Abidjan.

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Client testimonial

AT THE TOP OF FASHION Essentiel Eighteen years after it released its first modest collection, fashion label Essentiel is full steam ahead when it comes to conquering international fashion markets. The logistics engine is also running at high speed.

The story behind Essentiel is almost as fairy-tale like as some of the fashion house’s collections. It all started when the founders, Inge Onsea and Esfan Eghtessadi, launched a T-shirt collection in 1999 consisting of four styles in 20 colors. The young couple had come from the fashion business; Inge had worked as a model, and Esfan rolled into the sector as the son of designer Nicole Cadine. The T-shirts were popular and in the years that followed, sweaters, jackets, dresses, blouses, pants and accessories were added to the line.

months before the summer and winter collections come out,” says Bénédicte Verschraegen, import/export and customer service manager at Essentiel. “This is a way for our brand to prolong the sales cycle, the stores can roll out more promotions, and customers will find new items more often. In between these launches, Essentiel also releases flash collections consisting of around 40 items in the middle of a season to recharge sales. We also work with capsules of 15 items focusing on a certain theme or personality. And finally, Essentiel launches an annual beachwear collection, bringing the total number of collections to nine.” A great challenge for the stylists who often work on three or four collections simultaneously.

We dress emotions

Philosophy Their first showroom was their apartment. Today, the couple heads up a unique fashion label that produces nine men’s and women’s collections per year, and is represented in over 40 countries. Essentiel has either opened boutiques or has a brand presence in department stores in South Korea, the United States, the Arab Emirates and Russia. The brand stands out thanks to its prints, its cheerful yet luxurious style and its own quirky character. We want to be your pink pill. We want to battle boredom. We want to dress your emotions.

This is the company philosophy.

Nine collections per year “Essentiel works with pre-collections two

Where to find?

You will find Essentiel stores in Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Luxemburg, Switzerland and South Korea. The clothing is also available at multi-brand stores in over 43 countries. www.essentiel-antwerp.com

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Air cargo “Nine collections per year means that the process from drawing table to point-of-sale has to move quickly,” Bénédicte Verschraegen continues. “Our clothing lines are designed in Belgium and produced in Asia by a select group of production partners. Since the pace has to remain high, we have been calling on the expertise of Gosselin in Asia for over 10 years now; we simply cannot afford delays or mediocre quality. Since 99.9% of the clothing is shipped via air freight, only a negligible portion is sent by ship.”

Time difference From Thailand, Gosselin coordinates the logistics for the production facilities to a central warehouse in Belgium or elsewhere in the world. In the early years, the average was around 150 shipments and 125 tons per year. Bénédicte worked with the same contact person during this entire period, Suree Preutianant, Asia business development manager. A strong bond of trust developed between the two. “Even though we’re working with a five-hour time difference, she is available whenever we need her. If we send an email in the evening, we have the response in our mailbox by breakfast time. She understands exactly what’s important to us.”

Suree Preutianant

Mutual trust Suree has worked in the logistics sector for almost 20 years, and has become specialized in the textiles segment. “I am responsible for the door-to-door delivery. For Essentiel, I look for the right balance between price, quality and speed. After all, these are high-end products that need to move fast. Essentiel really puts a lot of trust in us: this is what we need you to do, take care of it. The best compliment? We can close our eyes and still know that we will receive timely updates, and that the cargo will arrive safely and in good condition. If Essentiel has doubts about a supplier, they also ask for my advice.

This trust is extremely satisfying,” says Suree, who over the years has also become an Essentiel fan. “The proof is in my closet!”

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Client testimonial

AT THE WORLD’S LARGEST CONSTRUCTION PROJECT IN AZERBAIJAN AND GEORGIA Our partnership with T.D. Williamson The new gas corridor between the Caspian Sea and Europe is now being rolled out in Azerbaijan and Georgia. Budgeted at 45 billion dollars, it is the largest construction project in the world, and provides jobs for 12,500 people. Among other tasks, T.D. Williamson is responsible for various interventions on pressurized pipelines.

Pascal Lenartz, project manager, tells us more. “Among other things, we are responsible for maintenance and re-routing interventions on pressurized pipelines. Focusing on solutions in our work and sticking to short response times are crucial to this. But above all, working safely takes precedence in our sector. Due diligence and safety come first in our dictionary.”

Heavy metal During an economic mission to Georgia, Pascal came in contact with a Belgian Gosselin employee in the capital of Tbilisi. “Gosselin handled their first shipment for us a few months later,” Pascal says, looking back. “There was excess pressure in a pipeline at one of the work sites. To solve this problem, we needed a 25-ton machine that was in Stavanger, Norway at the time.

Gosselin quickly arranged an Antonov cargo plane to bring the machine to the site. These days, Gosselin handles our weekly door-to-door transports to Georgia. Sometimes these involve just a handful of pallets with replacement parts, and at others, enormous machines.”

Pro-active Gosselin has its own division in Georgia. This is already an advantage if a job needs to get done quickly. Gosselin has secured warehouses near the airport, for example, which must fulfill customs formalities without the cargo having to wait at the terminal. “I don’t have to ask where our shipments are every day. The people at Gosselin are pro-active in their communications. It’s nice to be able to work with a partner that exceeds expectations,” Pascal says.

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One of the shipments that Gosselin handled.

TD Williamson is active in every continent in the world.

GEORGIA AZERBAIJAN

® Registered trademark of T.D. Williamson, Inc. in the United States and other countries. ™ Trademark of T.D. Williamson, Inc. in the United States and other countries. © T.D. Williamson, Inc.

About T.D. Williamson T.D. Williamson, Inc., the world’s most recognized name in pipeline equipment and services, delivers safe integrity solutions for onshore and offshore applications. TDW’s expertise provides hot tapping & plugging, pipeline cleaning, geometry & MFL inspection, pigging and non-tethered plugging pig technology services for any pressurized pipeline system, anywhere in the world.

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News

PIONIRA

One Belt One Road (OBOR)

After over half a century, Gosselin Group is saying goodbye to all paper transport documents. In order to roll out this innovation, the group is relying on the Belgian company Pionira.

“Digitization is one of the cornerstones of our future vision,” says Nathalie Luyckx, quality manager at the Gosselin Group. “Today we are taking a new step by phasing out the consignment note. We are doing this for our logistics as well as our moving activities. The paper consignment note (CMR) is making way for a cloudbased application (e-CMR).”

The One Belt One Road initiative is an unprecedented investment project designed to position China as the economic heart of the world. The investments don’t stop at the national borders, however. China also wants to start shipyards in around 60 countries spread throughout Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The project was proposed in late 2013, and according to the latest figures (May 2017), around 50 billion dollars has already been invested. The largest tenders have yet to come, in other words.

Many trains travel to Warsaw which, as a European hub, is usually the preferred destination.

NETWORK Logistics networks organizations Ocean Bridge Lines (Singapore) and CrossTrades (Hong Kong) have merged their communities into CrossTrades OBL. Given their compatible geographical scope and the size of both networks, they will be able to offer their members and their customers unique advantages through central purchasing activities and intelligent supply chain visibility.

HELSINKI TALLINN RIGA

Gosselin Logistics is eager to obtain the lean and green certificate. “We are making the commitment to reduce emissions from road transport by 20% within five years. In concrete terms, we will be recommending multimodal transport where possible, and promoting the use of rail transport and inland navigation.”

The initiative is aligned with our mission to offer services that will help our customers reduce their environmental footprint. We will keep you up-to-date on all our progress!

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MOSCOW

VILNIUS

HAMBURG MINSK BERLIN WARSAW MALASZEWICZE DUISBURG LODZ PARDUBICE PARIS BUDAPEST

AMSTERDAM LONDON

POTI CHERKESSK MADRID

LEAN AND GREEN

ST. PETERSBURG

ISTANBUL

TBILISI YEREVAN

BAKU

TEHERAN Western Corridor Central Channel Eastern Channel South Channel Railroad Crossings

Gosselin and the Silk Road Gosselin has been active on this route for over 20 years, with offices in the most important logistics hubs in China, and its own offices in Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Poland.

Thanks to extensive contacts with local operators, we are applying our expertise in ocean and air cargo to rail cargo on an increasing basis.

GOSSELIN AND THE SILK ROAD With an investment of 5 trillion dollars, China will significantly expand its connectivity with the world over the coming 30 years. The infrastructure of roads, shipping and flight routes, and railroads will be undergoing enormous expansion. This last mode of transport is particularly worth (re)discovering.

Twice as fast New 300-kilometer railroad line between Almaty and the Chinese border with transfer terminal and connection to the Chinese rail network.

YEKATERINBURG

From a European point of view, the expansion of the railroad infrastructure is a particularly interesting development. These days, container transport to and from China is twice as fast as that sent by ocean.

ASTANA MANCHURIA

ULAANBAATAR

KHORGOS

HARBIN

ALMATY URUMQI BISHKEK TASHKENT DUSHANBE ASHGABAT

ERLIANHOT SHENYANG BEIJING DALIAN (JINGANG) TIANJIN LANZHOU QINGDAO (JIAOZHOU) ZHENGZHOU LIANYUNGANG XI’AN (XINZHU) SUZHOU (PUTIAN)

CHENGDU (CHENGXIANG) CHONGQING (TUANJIECUN)

YIWU WUHAN (WUJIASHAN)

KUNMING (WANGJIAYINGXI) GUANGZHOU

SHENZHEN

SHANGHAI (LUCHAOGANG) NINGBO

Contact me

HA NOI

From China to Europe: 2 weeks Cargo: around forty 40-foot containers

David Aerts +32 3 328 19 90 davida@gosselingroup.eu

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