Logistics News ME November 2015

Safmarine

3M

Aramex

Full Steam ahead under new CEO

Demystifying complex supply chains

Delivering CSR results

Connecting trade professionals with industry intelligence

THE WEIGHTY 50 THE GCC’S TOP 50 LOGISTICS HEAVY HITTERS

NOVEMBER 2015

Start

Contents

8 | News Scan Roundup of Industry Regional and International News 14 | Safmarine sails on New CEO sets the global line on new growth course

Features 20 | Power 50 ranking Meet the 50 top-notch companies in the logistics, supply chain and interrelated sectors who made it into our first annual 2015 top-line.

27 | Rockwell

Automation Rockwell becomes the evangelist for IoT.

43 | HIVE Technology

Makes the point for Single Identification Technology

46 | 3M Supply Chain

A senior official provides us his take on evolving systems in the region.

50 | Petronash Bash

20 46

Hosts dinner-banquet to commemorate 15 years of sustained success

53 | Professional Perspectives Prakash ‘PK’ Menon examines the choices of a high performance entrepreneur 54 | Aramex Delivering success on CSR front 60 | MAN Traction builds up for top German truck maker in region 62 | Talent Tracking &

Traceability Brian Cartwright, MD, Logistics Executive writes

14 Logistics News ME | November 2015 | 3

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Editor’s Note Plaudits for the power performers And the winners are………

So the names of the winners who made it into Logistics News Middle East’s ‘Hall of Fame’ are finally revealed! 50, 49, 48, and the countdown to Number 1 was an assignment that required a lot of effort, research, homework and follow up.

So when our especially assembled power jury eventually determined the ordinals of the cardinal players there was a huge sigh of relief in the editors’ conference room.

So congratulations to our A-listers. For those whose names have not been included, take heart. You could get there as well someday. Who knows, the next time around or in the near foreseeable future?

Elsewhere, the maritime transportation industry is being pummeled by slow or negative growth economies, fierce competition, over supply, low rates and declining trade among other factors. We got a firsthand view from quite literally the helms-

Managing Director Walid Zok Walid@bncpublishing.net

Editor Malcolm Dias Malcolm@bncpublishing.net

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man’s deck in the person of David Williams, the freshly appointed CEO of the global shipping line Safmarine.

Surely, Safmarine is going places as its corporate byline states. Copenhagen, Denmark based Williams ‘sailed’ into Dubai recently as part of his familiarisation trip to the region. We engaged him in conversation.

As always, it is not just the corporations, institutions, systems and services but you our dear readers we are also very interested in. So please do write to us and let us know your comments, observations, and what you would like to see covered.

Keep your comments coming.

Malcolm Dias Editor malcolm@bncpublishing.net

contributors Mark Millar, Joy Thattil, Prakash PK Menon

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Logistics News ME | November 2015 | 5

news

In The NEWS RSA-TALKE breaks ground for Dubai chemicals facility

Left to right: Tariq Bin Ghalaita VP Europe and UAE, sales JAFZA; Abhishek Ajay Shah, director at RSA & RSA-TALKE; Talal Al Hashimi, COO JAFZA; Alfred Talke, group managing director TALKE; Ajay Indravaddan Shah, CEO RSA Logistics; and Abdulla Bin Damithan, director commercial department DP World

T

he chemical logistics joint venture RSA-TALKE has broken ground for its new Dubai integrated chemicals facility. The multi-service site is designed for the handling of liquid chemicals, with ISO tank containers as the central element and will have a capacity of 1,800 TEU. It is located in Jebel Ali Free Zone, close to Dubai World Central where the company already operates two specialised warehouses for hazardous and non-hazardous chemical and petrochemical products.

8 | Logistics News ME | November 2015

The full-service facility specialises in the storage and handling of liquid chemicals in ISO tank containers. It is designed for both non-hazardous products and dangerous goods classes three to six and eight and nine and complies with the highest safety, environmental protection and quality standards.

In addition, RSA-TALKE offers the filling and re-filling of these products into IBCs or drums. The range of services also includes cleaning, inspection and

approval of ISO tank containers.

The facility also entails additional warehouses, bringing RSA-TALKE’s total capacity for the storage of packed non-hazardous and hazardous chemical products to around 39,000 pallet spaces.

The construction of this ISO tank facility completes the company´s portfolio of chemicals logistics in the region. RSA-TALKE was established in 2013 as a joint venture between Dubai based RSA Logistics and the German TALKE-Group

news

Abu Dhabi Ports woos Kuwaiti businesses

Abu Dhabi Ports recently presented business opportunities in Abu Dhabi’s vibrant economy, especially in Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD), at an exclusive invitation-only business event held in Kuwait.

The half-day event titled “Opportunities in Abu Dhabi―A global trade, manufacturing and logistics hub” cast light on KIZAD, the industrial and logistics hub of the state-ofthe-art Khalifa Port.

“Integration with Khalifa Port, and many other unique facilities for businesses have already made Kizad an attractive foreign direct

investment destination,” commented Capt. Mohammed Juma Al Shamisi, CEO, Abu Dhabi Ports.

Many Kuwaiti investors have already set up business at KIZAD which currently has around 80 national and international investors, and a total of 13 million square metres of land leased that represents a total investment of more than $13 billion.

Kizad supports a wide-range of industries: aluminium, engineered metal products, food processing and packaging, trade and logistics, as well as general light industries such as pharmaceuticals and polymers.

Logistics Executive Group launches ‘Talent Scout’ service Logistics Executive Group’s business in the Middle East and Africa has evolved rapidly over the last 10 years servicing the market through its logistics academy, executive search and suite of corporate advisory services.

Firmly established as the retained executive search experts for the end-to-end supply chain the MEA Regional office has responded to current market demands with the introduction of their latest service offering.

The ‘Talent Scout’ service is a rapid response talent acquisition offering which provides employers access to Logistics Executive Group’s specialist knowledge and networks.

This service is designed for situations where hiring organisations may require additional candidate profiles for an ongoing search, urgently need to hire a qualified person to commence work quickly due to an unexpected vacancy, or where the seniority level or specialism of a vacancy does not warrant investment in a fully retained executive search.

“As the needs of supply chain and related organisations in the region have evolved we have continuously sought to meet changing requirements and provide solutions for the markets we serve. We have introduced the Talent Scout service in the MEA region to cater for the high demand mid-level supply chain employment market.

It’s basically our express talent acquisition service offering” commented Brian Cartwright, MD for Brian Cartwright Logistics Executive Middle East and Africa.

Challenges to remain in Iran’s offshore energy sector post sanctions The market in Iran for workboat operators and energy service companies holds great potential but there are many obstacles ahead, delegates at the Iran Energy Focus session at the recently concluded Seatrade Offshore Marine Workboats conference in Abu Dhabi commented.

Just one of several key challenges of tapping into these lucrative markets will be abiding by Iran’s 51% local ownership rules. Dr. Amir Kordvani, a lawyer with Clyde & Co, stated: “This could mean that companies operating vessels in Iranian waters would need to have a local office with a minimum of five employees on the ground. Other requirements re-

main unclear at this point, however.”

His colleague, Patrick Murphy, revealed that even if the sanctions were lifted on the likely “implementation day”, currently 15 December 2015, some US sanctions will remain in place.

Dr. Manouchehr Takin, an international oil and energy consultant, explained that Iran still has huge reserves of oil for which new technologies are needed to raise production levels. However, Takin also noted the political challenges of Iran developing shared oil fields with its various neighbours, which the Iranian government now considers a national priority.

“After more than a decade of sanctions,

Iran’s energy sector has lost a large proportion of its global market share to other OPEC countries. Iran recognises that it needs international partners, particularly as decades of under investment and aging technologies have profoundly impacted output,” said Emma Howell, head of marketing, Seatrade.

On a positive note, the rewards could be significant. Iran holds about 10% of proven world energy supplies and in terms of offshore gas reserves, South Pars, the geographical extension of the North Field into Iran’s territorial waters in the Persian Gulf, holds 635 tcf of estimated recoverable gas reserves, making it the world’s second biggest offshore gas project.

Logistics News ME | November 2015 | 9

news

725km

Length of new mega-highway which runs from Sohar to Riyadh through the empty quarter which will open in a few months

DSI ushers in modern technology in the regional construction industry Drake & Scull International (DSI) has entered into a strategic agreement with Aconex, a global leader in collaborative project information management, to implement its construction and engineering Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform across DSI’s offices and project operations.

The Aconex platform will enable DSI to manage its project data and documents across all its offices and projects due to the platform’s project wide collaboration, scalability, controlled sharing, and easy online and offline access. Through the use of the Aconex solution, DSI will be able to improve document control, increase productivity, reduce print outs, and recover lost time.

The company also plans to set up regional centers of excellence to provide its staff hands-on training with the Aconex software.

Aconex’s project collaboration platform currently links 620,000 users across 19,000 projects in 70 countries, worth over $800bn in project value. In the gulf region, Aconex powers 85,000 users across 3,500 projects including Dubai Metro, Yas Island, Qatar Rail, and Dubai International Airport Concourse 3.

Ahmad Al Naser, MD of Drake & Scull Engineering, commented: “We have selected Aconex to implement its project collaboration solution across all DSI offices and project operations with an aim to reduce project risks, increase productivity and improve efficiencies” “This agreement represents an exciting opportunity and partnership for both parties,” said Rob Matheson, regional director for the UAE at Aconex. “It further elevates DSI’s leadership in utilising proven construction technologies to deliver value and results to their customers.”

DSI is currently undertaking the implementation of Oracle’s JD Edwards EnterpriseOne, an integrated application suite of comprehensive enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, which is now the region’s largest ERP initiative of its kind.

10 | Logistics News ME | November 2015

Dunes Industries takes residency in SOHAR Freezone

Dunes Industries held a VIP ceremony recently to celebrate the opening of its new hot-dip galvanizing plant at SOHAR Freezone. HE Dr. Ahmed Mohammed Salem Al Futaisi, Omani Minister of Transport and Communications, was the guest of honour at the event, with a ceremony to declare the state-of-the-art facility open for business after a 12-month development phase.

Dunes Industries chair person, HE Mohammed Bin Hamdan Al Tobi, SOHAR Port and Freezone CEOs Jamal Aziz and Andre Toet respectively, as well as a number of other officials were on-site to commemorate the expansion.

Dunes has leased an additional five hectares of land, doubling the size of its plant in SOHAR and adding to the existing foundry and manufacturing facilities for fencing and steel shutters. The new facility

will primarily manufacture galvanised steel safety guardrails for the many new highways under construction in Oman and the region.

The new facility was largely designed and constructed in Oman by Dunes own group companies, but best-in-class, specialised guardrail manufacturing and galvanizing machinery has been brought in from Italy, Austria and Germany.

The expansion in SOHAR comes in response to greatly increased demand for steel safety guardrails, as road infrastructure in Oman develops apace and road safety is brought up to exacting international standards. The new 725 km. Sohar to Riyadh new mega highway (that cost the Oman Government $517 million and Saudi Arabia $433 million) through the Empty Quarter will be opening in a few months and will add to the many new highways around SOHAR that are already open or nearing completion.

news

$ 13 billion+

Total current investment in KIZAD

Khalifa Port, Zayed Port get marine pilots certification

Abu Dhabi Ports has received the International Standard for Maritime Pilot Organisations (IPSO) certifications for its marine pilotage service. Khalifa Port and Zayed Port

have the distinction of being the first commercial ports in the Middle East to attain this acclaim.

The ISPO certification is a code of best practice for pilots and pilot

organizations, which is implemented by a method of self-regulation. Developed by the European Maritime Pilots Association in collaboration with Lloyd’s Register―a global engineering, technical and business services organisation, ISPO is managed by the International User Group (IUG).

“This commendation is a reward for Abu Dhabi Ports’ continuous efforts to live up to our established corporate values of safety and security, and quality,” affirmed Capt. Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, CEO of Abu Dhabi Ports.

A team of more than 160 experienced and highly skilled harbour pilots and related staff members at Abu Dhabi Marine Services help quick turnaround of vessels, ensuring their safe and timely passage. The team also provides all marine services and ancillary quayside services in Abu Dhabi’s ports, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Strong Milaha, Halul presence at Seatrade Halul Offshore Services Co. Qatar, CEO, Vivek Seth, spoke at the recent ‘Marine and Offshore Leaders’ Forum’ about the state of the marine and offshore industries in the Middle East.

The company also received an award for the ‘Most Innovative Stand’ at the exhibition.

The Marine and Offshore Leaders Forum discussed the challenges facing the offshore services industry and its future, in light of the prevailing market conditions. The key topics included analyses and forecasts of the oil price; supply and demand drivers for offshore services; and a focus on regional developments – from the Red Sea to the Caspian Sea, and from Africa to South Asia.

12 | Logistics News ME | November 2015

Abdulrahman Essa Al-Mannai, president and CEO, Milaha, said: “Seatrade Offshore Marine and Workboats Middle East and The Marine and Offshore Leaders Forum were an important platform to gather decision makers and stakeholders to take an in-depth look at the options and to discuss issues of supply and demand affecting mid- to long-term profitability of the sector.”

Seth observed: “The price decline in the oil and gas sector is a challenging issue for the marine and offshore services industry. We believe now is the right time, as an industry, to improve on our standards of service, initiate technological innovation, and enhance quality, safety and security to ensure long-term sustainability.”

Halul Offshore’s team holding ‘Most Innovative Stand’ Award

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Safmarine steams on under new skipper 14 | Logistics News ME | November 2015

A new helmsman has taken over at Safmarine and under his stewardship has taken the great leap forward. Newly appointed David Williams, the long-serving career Safmarine-Maersk official, is clearly on a roll; excited, eager and enthusiastic to steer the shipping liner on a progressive course. Malcolm Dias meets the Safmarine supremo on a recent visit to Dubai.

Logistics News ME | November 2015 | 15

Global Shipping Liner

S

afmarine has sailed a long way since it was founded in Cape Town, South Africa on 21 June 1946. The global shipping line active on North-South trades offers sea transportation of freight both on fully containerised vessels for general and refrigerated (reefer) cargo and non-unitisable (break bulk and project) cargo vessels.

Safmarine’s hallmark and signature strength is its strong, extensive and growing presence across the African continent serving more than 20 ports in West Africa alone.

This advantage places the almost 70-year old carrier in a premier advantageous position for maritime trade between Africa, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent and other regions.

Following its acquisition in August 1999 by the Danish Maersk Group that owns Maersk Line, the world’s largest shipping company, Safmarine is now able to leverage its strengths and robust marketing and service competencies in tandem with Maersk’s global reach and capabilities.

In June of this year, the Maersk Group announced that its long-time, Shanghaibased Maersk Line East China manager David Williams was to replace Grant Daly as chief executive of the company’s African specialist Safmarine Line on 1 July 2015.

Williams, a South African, with a good track record, has had a stellar 24-year career with Safmarine-Maersk, in which he rose through the ranks to eventually take on this apex position.

Now with a change of guard and the new incumbent in charge, David Williams has his work cut out for him. Logistics News Middle East spoke exclusively and expansively with the Copenhagen-based Williams, CEO, Safmarine, on a wide range of issues on his recent visit to Dubai, his first to the region since he took over at the helm on 1 July 2015.

Enunciating what he calls a ’90-day priority programme’, Williams has been ‘out at sea and on the road’, travelling extensively, meeting and acquainting with colleagues (Safmariners as they are fondly and popularly called) and importantly customers on the frontlines in key markets to articulate and emphasize the Safmarine vision articulated in his own words—“to be the carrier of choice for existing and future customers”.

In the three months that he has been in his current positon, he has travelled on familiarisation trips to South Africa, where the carrier was founded and which continue to be one of its biggest markets, India, East Africa, Germany and now the UAE. These official visits, in a manner of speaking,

16 | Logistics News ME | November 2015

DAVID WILLIAMS

CEO, Safmarine International David Williams has worked for the Maersk Group for the past 24 years.

He first joined Safmarine in 1986 as a booking clerk in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, until 1990. He then worked in sales and the European Trade Department Office in Johannesburg and Cape Town in 1991. In 1997 he moved to Hamburg, Germany as the Commercial Manager for the Safmarine and Deutsche Afrika Linien (DAL) joint venture for container services between Europe and Southern Africa.

After three years in Germany and the acquisition of Safmarine by the Maersk Group in 1999, Williams returned to South Africa in 2000 as the National Export Manager for Maersk Line, based in Cape Town. In 2002 he was promoted to sales and marketing manager before moving to Walvis Bay to lead Maersk Namibia in 2004. In 2007 Williams assumed the role of Maersk Southern Africa Cluster manager. He then became the Managing Director of Maersk China in Shanghai until June 2015.

On 1 July 2015, Williams embarked on his role as the new Chief Executive Officer for Safmarine, based in Copenhagen, Denmark. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of South Africa and completed the Executive Development Program at the Graduate School of Business (University of Cape Town).

Global Shipping Liner

are a reflection of the Safmarine tagline— ‘Together we go places’, first launched in November 2013.

“My mandate is essentially in part to bring understanding and passion to the Safmarine brand and to continue and reinforce our long-term and ongoing objective of providing differentiated customer services, engaged and involved employees and taking a distinct position for the markets it operates in,” he remarks in reference to his tasks in his new appointment at the helm.

As a Maersk-Safmarine veteran, Williams brings passion, talent, experience and capabilities to the table—qualities that will stand him in good stead as he commandeers a new course for the carrier. “From my long tenure at company, I have gained good insights from both sides and both lines of the business—Safmarine and Maersk. During the past three years in Shanghai I set up a good network of trade partners and associates in the region for our corporate stakeholders in Copenhagen,” he observes. He also adds that Safmarine has great, trained and motivated employees and attributes its success to people making a difference—an echo of the

A Safmarine container vessel steams into its home port in Cape Town, South Africa

company’s earlier corporate tagline.

Africa and the West Central Asia (WCA) cluster of which the UAE and the Southern GCC are part constitute 90% of Safmarine’s portfolio. “Our strong Africa heritage is an important USP for our business and our growing capabilities in the Middle East is a catalyst for growth,” he notes. “Most of our customers say that the shipping business is ‘people’s business’ and that sits very well for us as Safmarine’s ethos lies in being a very

person-oriented company with emphasis on individuals and individual companies. This is about bonding with our customers and serving them well—responsibly, efficiently and in a timely manner and that is essentially what we are all about,” he reiterates.

Williams affirms that 2014 was a good year overall and H1-2015 was equally successful without disclosing specifics. “We hope to close 2015 strong despite market vagaries and industry vicissitudes, chal-

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Global Shipping Liner

A Safmarine container makes its way on a truck across a rugged desert African terrain

lenges and the odds” he affirms adding that the international environment continues to remain challenging.

Williams also reveals that the Middle East is a very significant region for Safmarine— one holding promise and potential and that the UAE cluster is the third best performing of 40 current clusters. The Saudi Arabia cluster is also faring well and so is the vast West Central Asia (WCA) region which includes the UAE-Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and importantly the India clusters (comprising India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Bhutan), that account for a sizeable share of both the composite cluster and group businesses. WCA is ranked among the top five regions for the Maersk Group.

Williams foresees good prospects overall for this region. “This is an inter-connected world and demand and supply is what drives our business. Whilst the general landscape appears good, the region is fraught with challenges for our business as any other businesses. West and North African oil economies are taking the strain as a fallout of the falling oil prices and emerging markets are feeling the impact of their devalued

18 | Logistics News ME | November 2015

“Our strong Africa heritage is an important USP for our business and our growing capabilities in the Middle East is a catalyst for growth,” currencies. However, on the whole we are bullish on the WCA region—a vast geographical zone and we are here for the long haul,” he explains.

“We have a comprehensive coverage of Africa and will continue to expand this network. Together and in tandem with Maersk, Safmarine makes for a great partner for this region,” he further elaborates.

Currently, international shipping is under pressure and whilst it is not in the doldrums, it is being increasingly stressed by the glut in supply and capacity, low demand, intense competition, market fragmentation and lack of consolidation, falling rates and thereby the squeezing of margins. In Williams’ estimation, the liner industry is highly com-

moditised and marked by extreme volatility and unpredictability. Competition is particularly fierce on East-West trades but there is a spillover effect on the North-South trades which Safmarine specialises in.

Safmarine’s acquisition by Maersk has also bolstered the former’s fortunes. Safmarine has fully integrated with Maersk and the symbiosis is right and the duo operate on common platforms and common systems. “We are now five times bigger than we were before our acquisition by Maersk, making ours a very successful partnership,” Williams accentuates.

Williams also touches on the subject of sea piracy in the region. “There have been fewer cases of reported piracies off the troubled coasts of Somalia, Yemen and Nigeria in the recent past and the supposed hotspots appear relatively peaceful now thanks to the presence of international navies,” he notes.

“Any risk to the safety and security of our seafarers, onshore staff and cargo that we carry is a big concern to us and we take this seriously,” he adds.

Cross-trades, (cargo moved between an origin and destination without it entering the country where the shipper is registered) is also being closely examined and Safma-

Global Shipping Liner

Safmarine

A panoramic view of the Safmarine shipyard in Cape Town

rine hopes to be able to harness these more effectively to its advantage going forward.

Safmarine will unfurl its new corporate vision in December this year which will mark a milestone and turning point in the company’s policy declarations. In his continuing sorties to the different regions, Williams hopes to further enthuse, enable, energise and encourage Safmariners as he articulates the Safmarine message in the run-up to the company’s milestone 70th anniversary next June.

“At every opportunity I engage the team

and make decisions based on healthy debate, feedback and discussions. I will strategise in conjunction with my team so that in doing so we will keep the momentum going.”

These may be early days for the new boss, but Safmarine is steaming ahead and David Williams is clearly mindful of his enormous responsibilities and challenges of steering his giant, mega ship on its desired course.

The horn has sounded from the decks of the Safmarine ship and Williams is confident Safmariners will rally to the corporate call.

All hands on the deck Safmariners!

• Founded: 21 June 1946, Cape Town, South Africa • Specialises in providing containerised shipping services to and from fast-growing and emerging markets such as Africa, Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and South America. Safmarine is also active in the trades to and from North America, Europe, Mediterranean and the Far East.

• Employees: 1400 • Operations: 90 countries • Acquired by the Maersk Group in 1999 but operates as an autonomous brand-entity within the conglomerate.

Logistics News ME | November 2015 | 19

Power 50

I

n this edition of Logistics News Middle East we present you the 50 top A-listers in the Middle East who make it into our august list. This is our inaugural edition of the Top 50, an annual fixture, that will track and monitor companies for their goals, performance and meeting preset criteria.

We feature 50 regional companies or regional subsidiaries of multinational companies that have qualified to be included in this ‘Class of 2015’. We have endeavoured to be professional and as expansive and impartial as possible trawling through masses of data, information and entries either invited or submitted for consideration.

While many such lists exist in the media, Logistics News Middle East has created a who’s who of the most innovative and successful operators; indigenous and international brands alike.

At this seminal time, when we are on the cusp of the launch of the Internet of Things; when the GCC is pioneering rail networks to enhance connectivity and economic pro-

20 | Logistics News ME | November 2015

gress; and when international economic and political developments are re-shaping the very nature of this wide-reaching industry, Logistics News Middle East has researched and reached out to the industry stakeholders it believes are leading the way for the next, and potentially most exciting era, the industry has ever faced.

The ranking has not been determined based only on financials but on a holistic, eclectic mix of factors that include the company’s impact and influence in the regional logistics and supply chain industry, initiatives taken, accomplishments to date, adherence to CSR commitments, community pay back and employment of nationals among other considerations.

We believe this representative list truly reflects the diversity, energy, muscle and multi-characteristics of the logistics and supply chain corporate community in the region. It is also represents the ethos of the industry. This is a potent group whose players dominate the logistics landscape in the region and cast a long shadow on the industry.

Power 50

1

DHL

Key official: Nour Suliman, CEO, DHL Express, Middle East and North Africa In numbers: +325,000 employees (globally); operates in +220 countries and territories DHL, the global market leader in the logistics industry has also earned the sobriquet ‘The Logistics Company for the World’. DHL commits its expertise in international express, air and ocean freight, road and rail transportation, contract logistics and international mail services to its customers. A global network composed of more than 220 countries and territories and about 325,000 employees worldwide offers customers superior service quality and local knowledge to effectively run their supply chain requirements.

DHL is part of the world’s leading postal and logistics company Deutsche Post DHL Group, and encompasses the business units DHL Express, DHL Parcel, DHL ecommerce, DHL Global Forwarding, DHL Freight and DHL Supply Chain. DHL provides an array of total and

comprehensive logistics and supply chain solutions from freight forwarding and handling, warehousing and distribution to temperature controlled logistics and has capabilities to offer green logistics solutions for a wide range of industries Coincidentally DHL Global Forwarding, Freight, the air, ocean and road freight specialist of Deutsche Post DHL Group, celebrates its 200th anniversary in October this year. Back in 1815, the history of yellow-branded logistics started with Louis Danzas establishing ‘Danzas’, which would eventually become a worldwide renowned shipping company over the course of the following twenty decades.

DHL is active in CSR activities and supports environmental protection, disaster management and education.

Logistics News ME | November 2015 | 21

Power 50

2

AGILITY

Key official: Tareq Sultan, CEO, Agility In numbers: +20,000 employees, 500 offices, 100 countries globally Agility commenced operations as a local warehousing provider in Kuwait in 1979 and has since progressed exponentially to become one of the largest logistics companies in the Middle East. Its growth is attributable both organically and inorganically through the acquisition of more than 40 logistics brands around the world, investing billions to build a global network with a strong footprint in emerging markets. Today, Agility is one of the world’s foremost integrated logistics providers with more than 20,000 employees, 500 offices and operations in 100 countries across the globe.

Agility has two main lines of business. Through its Baar, Switzerland-headquartered Global Integrated Logistics (GIL) business, it works with companies in diverse industries and markets to move, manage, and distribute the goods that reinforce global commerce. Through its Infrastructure portfolio of companies, it provides logistics-re-

22 | Logistics News ME | November 2015

lated services in emerging markets that facilitate trade and create access to new opportunities.

GIL provides total supply chain capabilities to meet the comprehensive needs of its growing customer base that include businesses, industrial conglomerates, government institutions and international humanitarian and relief agencies. GIL offers air, ocean and road freight forwarding, warehousing, distribution, and specialised services in project logistics (for the energy, mining and marine industries), chemical logistics, relocations, exhibitions and events and provides technologies that track and manage shipments and inventory The brand is distinguished by its expansive global network and presence in emerging markets. Offering customised solutions, fostering an entrepreneurial culture and taking new economic initiatives have led to investment and growth in key industrial areas.

3

Power 50

Dp World Key official: Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, chairperson In numbers: 65 marine terminals, 6 continents, 150,000 TEUs daily A titan among global marine terminal operators by throughput, DP World has an impressive, growing portfolio of more than 65 marine terminals across six continents, including new developments underway in India, Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

Container handling is the company’s core business and generates more than three quarters of its revenue. In 2014, DP World handled 60 million TEUs. With its committed pipeline of developments and expansions, ca-

pacity is expected to rise to more than 100 million TEUs by 2020, consistent with market demand. Around the world DP World handles around 180 container ships and 150,000 TEUs daily.

DP World’s current workforce tops 36,000 employees globally comprising over 90 nationalities and the company constantly invests in terminal infrastructure and facilities. Its flagship Jebel Ali Port in Dubai, the largest in the region, has been consistently voted ‘Best

Seaport in the Middle East’ for 20 consecutive years.

Very recently DP World’s chair Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem signed an MoU with the Senegalese government in the capital Dakar to build and develop a logistics free zone in the vicinity of the new Blaise Diagne International Airport, close to the 600,000 TEU-capacity DP World – Dakar Terminal, the largest and most modern facility in West Africa, located on the outskirts of Dakar.

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ABU DHABI PORTS Key official: Capt Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, CEO In numbers: $6.2bn, 15 TEU capacity, 35m tonnes of cargo

Established in 2006, Abu Dhabi Ports in the master developer of ports and industrial zones in Abu Dhabi. Its core objective is to facilitate the diversification of the economy by stimulating trade and development. This is done by delivering high quality maritime services, supporting partners’ infrastructure projects and setting up new companies and joint ventures in the ports and logistics sectors.

The flagship $6.2 billion state-of-the-art Khalifa Port and the adjunct contiguous Khalifa Industrial Zone (KIZAD) play a big role, supporting the diversification of the economy. Khalifa Port was inaugurated on 12/12/12 by UAE President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi HH Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The port’s semi-automated container terminal handles all of Abu Dhabi’s container traf-

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fic, after its transfer from Zayed Port, the historic port in the city centre.

Phase One of Khalifa Port has a capacity of 2.5 million TEUs and 12 million tonnes of general cargo. Further phases of development will occur as market demand requires. When all phases are complete, Khalifa Port will be able to handle 15 million TEUs and 35 million tonnes of general cargo per year.

Abu Dhabi Ports manages nine commercial, logistics, community and leisure ports, and Khalifa Industrial Zone which is serving a range of logistics and manufacturing investors. Abu Dhabi Ports is boosting Abu Dhabi’s economic growth and diversification pursuing Abu Dhabi’s Economic Vision 2030.

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Power 50

SOHAR

Key official: Andre Toet, CEO, SIPC In numbers: $21bn in investments

With current investments exceeding $21billion, SOHAR Port and Freezone in the capital and largest city in the North Al Bathina Governorate of the Sultanate of Oman, is one of the world’s largest port and free zone developments and lies at the centre of global trade routes between Europe and Asia.

SOHAR provides unequalled access to booming Gulf economies while avoiding the additional costs of passing through the strategic Straits of Hormuz. The existing road network and airport and the proposed rail system provide direct connectivity to the UAE and Saudi Ara-

bia, as well as to the rest of the world. It is equipped with sophisticated port machinery and deep-water jetties capable of handling the world’s largest ships.

SOHAR has leading global partners that operate its container, dry bulk, liquid and gas terminals. SOHAR Port and Freezone is managed by Sohar Industrial Port Company (SIPC), a joint venture between the Port of Rotterdam and the Government of Oman. A new cluster for agricultural commodities will buttress the port’s present three major clusters logistics, petrochemicals and metals.

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GULFTAINER

Key official: Peter Richards, managing director In numbers: Operates 9 ports in 3 continents; one of the largest privately owned, independent port operator

Established in 1976, Gulftainer is a privately owned, independent port management and 3PL logistics company based in Sharjah, UAE, one of the largest of its kind in the world.

Its UAE operations include the Khorfakkan Container Terminal (KCT) and the Sharjah Container Terminal (SCT), and the company’s international presence spans across the Middle East and the Americas.

In addition to the facilities in the UAE, Gulftainer’s current portfolio covers activities at Umm Qasr port in Iraq, Recife port in Brazil, Tripoli port in Lebanon and in Saudi Arabia where it manages the container terminals in Jeddah (Red Sea) and Al Jubail (Arabian Gulf). The company recently signed a landmark, long-term 35-year concession with the Canaveral Port Authority in central Florida

marking Gulftainer’s first venture in the United States of America. The Canaveral Cargo Terminal, which began operations with a TEU cargo capacity of 200,000 TEUs, has ambitious plans to more than triple its peak capacity to 750,000 TEUs. Gulftainer is currently assessing several potential new ventures in line with the company’s commercial strategy and growth, driving its vision of becoming one of the world’s top six container terminal operators within the next 10 years. In 2008, it launched Momentum Logistics its fully integrated logistics provider (3PL), and currently ranked a Superbrand in its industry.

Peter Richards, CEO, Gulftainer USA also doubles as the group managing director of the Gulftainer group of companies.

BAHRI

Key official: Ibrahim Abdulrahman Al Omar, CEO In numbers: +74 vessels, +2000 employees

The pioneering National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (Bahri) was constituted in 1978 under a Royal Decree. It holds a distinguished position as the first national carrier in the region. Since its formation, Bahri has galloped to become one of the biggest shipping conglomerates in the world and occupies a dominant position among its industry peers.

The company commenced operations initially for transporting general cargo and containers. However, during the course of its diversification, the company’s services have been expanded to include transportation of general cargo, crude oil, chemical, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and dry bulk.

Bahri through its subsidiary (Bahri Chemicals), a 50:50 joint venture with Odfjell of Norway, it operates NCC Odfjell Chemical Tankers JLT. Bahri also has an agreement with Arabian Agricultural Services Company (ARASCO) to transport dry bulk cargoes.

Bahri’s current fleet strength of 74 vessels includes oil tankers (VLCC’s), chemical tankers,

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Aframax, general cargo vessels, dry bulkers and additional 10 VLCCs on order which will join the fleet during 2017/2018. The company has also diversified into ship management, freight forwarding, management of its container service yard, gas and offshore maritime services.

With over 2000 dedicated employees across its global network, Bahri has come to represent an international benchmark for technology, infrastructure and service quality all developed and attained to the highest standards of environmental care, safety and social responsibility.

Bahri’s contribution to maritime services has been recognised globally. Awards include the Seatrade 2013 Global Performer award, Best Managed Company in the Middle East in the ‘Transportation and Shipping Sector’ by Euromoney in 2012 and 2013 and Tanker Operator Award by Seatrade. It is also one of the top 100 Arab Companies ranked by Forbes and winner of the First Prize for Transparency by the BMG Financial Group.

Power 50

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MILAHA

Key official: Sheikh Ali Bin Jassim Al Thani, chairperson In numbers: 34 destinations and ports in 16 countries

Established in July 1957, Milaha is the first public shareholding company registered in Qatar with commercial registration Number 1. Founded as Qatar National Navigation and Transport Company (QNNTC), it is now one of the Middle East’s largest and most diversified maritime and logistics companies.

In 1974, Milaha launched marine transport services in Doha Port consisting of lighterage, berthing, and towage. By 1978, it had established a branch in Dubai, UAE. Subsequently, the ship repair and fabrication facility in Mesaieed opened in 1982 to offer the first fully integrated ship repair facility in Qatar.

Over the next decade, Milaha launched its first fully integrated service center – Navigation Marine Services – in 1991 to offer services, such as repair, marine supplies, engines, and equipment.

Next year, Qatar Shipping was co-founded with QNNTC owning a 15% equity share.

By 2000, the company co-founded Halul Offshore Services Company through a joint venture with Qatar Shipping. The following year, it merged land transport, freight forwarding, custom clearance, and warehousing into Navigation

Freight Services. To reflect its real service offerings, the company was renamed Qatar Navigation in 2003. Expanding its portfolio, Milaha made an equity investment in Qatar Gas Transport Company Ltd. (Nakilat) in 2005. In 2010, the Milaha-owned Navigation Tower was inaugurated and in the same year, Qatar Shipping and Halul Offshore Services were merged and acquired, paving the way for the launch of the Milaha brand name in 2011.

The company’s current activities include marine transportation in gas, petroleum products, containers and bulk; offshore support services; port management and operations; third party logistics (3PL) services; shipyard, trading agencies, real estate investments and asset management.

Recently, Milaha launched the Nhava Sheva-Doha Express (NDX), the first direct container service between the Nhava Sheva Port in Mumbai, India and Doha Port in Qatar.

The new service enables direct shipments between Nhava Sheva and Doha, eliminating the need for transshipment in Jebel Ali or elsewhere to ensure reduced time and cost as well as increased reliability.

FEDEX

Key official: David J. Ross, regional president Middle East, Indian subcontinent and Africa In numbers: +9,000 employees; 7 stations, 15 retail locations, 44 weekly flights in the region

On April 17, 1973, FedEx Corp., then known as Federal Express, began operations at the Memphis International Airport with the delivery of 186 packages to 25 US cities. Today, FedEx and its four operating companies handle over ten million packages each day via a hightech network designed to connect customers by air, land and sea in more than 220 countries and territories worldwide The FedEx Express story in the Middle East begins in 1989 when the company set up its headquarters in Dubai. It has since grown into a 9,000 strong team that serves markets in the Middle East, India and Africa. Its regional hub in Dubai International Airport acts as a centre

for trade between airports in the United States, France, India and China. On a weekly basis, 44 dedicated FedEx flights arrive in and depart from Dubai.

Today, FedEx serves its customers through seven stations and 15 FedEx retail locations based in the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain. Starting with only one station in 1989, FedEx developed its network of facilities to strengthen its presence in the Middle East region. In 2011, it launched a 48,000 square feet facility in the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA), and an intercontinental B777F flight, providing our customers with the increased US – Middle East connectivity and enhanced transit times.

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GWC

Key Official: Ranjeev Kapoor, Group CEO In numbers: Largest LSP in Qatar; in operation for 12 years

The Bu Sulba Logistics Hub has become Gulf Warehousing Company’s (GWC) proverbial icing on the cake and its ‘single biggest accomplishment’ in 2014, with the company winning the contract for the 517,376 sq. m. site, which is one of Gulf Warehousing Company’s biggest sites constructed to date, second only to the Logistics Village Qatar (LVQ).

Additionally, the Logistics Village Qatar developed a further 81,000 sqm. adding to an already ‘impressive’ array of warehousing and distribution infrastructure during its fourth phase expansion. GWC also expanded on its industry specific assets, working to add nearly 65,000 sqm. of facilities at its Ras Laffan Industrial City (RLIC)

UASC

site, which will provide a new temperature-controlled warehouse, a new open yard, and one of the first ISO tanks in the nation.

Established in 2003, Gulf Warehousing Company is the leading provider of integrated logistical solutions in Qatar. GWC, a Qatari shareholding company, is the largest supply chain service providers in the region, offering warehousing and distribution, hazmat logistics, freight forwarding, project logistics, sports and event logistics, fine art logistics, supply chain consulting, transportation management, asset management, records management, and moving and relocation services to various industry verticals.

Key official: Jorn Hinge, CEO In numbers: Founded 185 ,1976 offices globally, covers 240 ports

Originally founded in Kuwait in July 1976 and with more than 185 offices globally, United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) is a global shipping company with headquarters now in Dubai. It is owned jointly by six shareholding nations—the five GCC nations comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Iraq.

The company is one of the largest container shipping line in the Middle East region and in the adjacent markets, covering over 240 ports and destinations worldwide. UASC services include containerised cargo transportation, temperature controlled (reefer) and out of gauge cargo amongst other value added services to a

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Part of the Copenhagen, Denmark-headquartered Maersk Group conglomerate, Maersk Line, founded in 1928, is the world’s largest container shipping company with 374 offices in 116 countries including several in the Middle East where the company is well represented. The company offers comprehensive global marine transportation services for dry, reefer and special cargoes.

Collectively Maersk Line employs 7,100 seafarers and 25,500 land-based employees and oper28 | Logistics News ME | November 2015

diverse global client-base.

UASC is currently implementing one of the industry’s largest and most technologically advanced new building programs, with seventeen new vessels on order; six 18,800 TEU and eleven 15,000 TEU containerships. These vessels will be the first ultra large containerships in the industry to be delivered ‘LNG ready’, to enable dual fuel usage that is expected to significantly reduce environmental impact and reduce fuel costs UASC subsidiaries include United Services Limited (USL) and Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC)-established United Arab Chemical Carriers (UACC), both founded in 2007.

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MAERSK LINE

Key official: Christian Juul-Nyholm, mD, Maersk Line, UAE CLUSTER In numbers: 374 offices, 116 countries, 32,600 employees (worldwide) ates 619 container vessels with a cumulative capacity of 3.1 million containers covering ports in almost every country in the world. This translates to one port call every 15 minutes and 33,000 port calls annually. The company has in excess of 59,000 customers worldwide and ships approximately 11 million TEUs annually and offers multiple weekly sailings on all major trade routes.

In November 2014, Maersk Line announced an ambitious CO2 target to reduce 60% in per

container emissions by 2020 over the 2007 base line whilst attaining the set target of 40% in 2014.

Wholly owned subsidiaries include Safmarine Africa-Middle East and the Indian subcontinent and SeaLand (Intra-Americas) brands.

The company fared well in Q2/2015 with revenues of $6.263 billion and reported profit of $507 million. During this period it moved 2.484 million containers compared to 2.396 million containers for the corresponding Q2/2014 period.

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Power 50

Key official: Jean-Francois Condamine, president, UPS Indian Subcontinent, Middle East, and Africa In numbers: 435,000 employees worldwide; +220 countries; 16,000 daily deliveries in ISMEA region

Founded in 1907 as a messenger company in the United States, UPS has grown into a multibillion-dollar corporation by clearly focusing on the goal of enabling commerce around the globe. Today, UPS is a global company with one of the most recognised and admired brands in the world. It is now the world’s largest package delivery company and a leading global provider of specialised transportation and logistics services. Every day, with 435,000 employees worldwide the company manages the flow of goods, funds, and information in more than 220 countries and territories worldwide.

In 2007, UPS launched the UPS Humanitarian Relief Program, which has supported several international disasters including the

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floods that hit Pakistan, Thailand and the Philippines, earthquakes that shook China and Haiti and the tsunamis in the Indian Ocean and Japan. UPS employees and the global logistics network coordinated more than 263 humanitarian relief shipments of food, health and emergency goods in 43 countries and provided $ 8 million funding in-kind and technical support for disaster response, recovery, and emergency preparedness in 2014. Through the program, UPS most recently delivered aid to Nepal following the devastating earthquakes earlier this year.

UPS has been in the region since 1988, with its regional headquarters based in Dubai, UAE. The India Subcontinent, the Middle

East and Africa region is the largest UPS region with more than 70 active countries. UAE is an important emerging market as well as the global cornerstone for commerce in the region for economic growth.

The company employs more than 4,500 employees and delivers more than 16,000 pieces daily. It operates 28 UPS flights weekly, 16 of them connect Europe, US and Asia through Dubai airport, almost 2,000 delivery vehicles in more than 60 field stocking locations. UPS provides the transportation and distribution infrastructure along with trade and regulatory compliance expertise to move products quickly and compliantly around the world. Every day UPS moves 2% of the world’s GDP.

Aramex

Key official: Hussein Hachem, CEO In numbers: 13,900 employees, 350 locations, 60 countries

Aramex is the premier, home-grown, global provider of comprehensive logistics and transportation solutions. Founded by eminently successful Jordanian entrepreneur Fadi Ghandour in 1982 as an express operator, the company rapidly evolved into a global brand recognised for its tailored services and innovative multi-product offering. Currently, Aramex employs more than 13,900 people in over 350 locations across 60 countries and has a strong partner network providing worldwide presence.

The range of services offered by Aramex includes international and domestic express delivery, freight forwarding, logistics and warehousing, records and information management solutions, e-business solutions, and its unique online shopping service—‘Shop and Ship’ that provides buyers personalised shipping addresses in 15 countries for their online shopping needs.

Aramex is a founding member of the Global Distribution Alliance (GDA), which coheres over 40 leading express and logistics providers from around the world, each specialising in their own region and together covering the world with the same, unified quality standards and technology of Aramex. The network has more than 12,000 offices, 33,000 vehicles and 66,000 employees serving alliance customers and attending to their business around the clock in more than 240 countries.

As part of its expansion plans, Aramex concluded a series of acquisitions, including Memo Express, InfoFort, Mail Call Services, an Australian courier services provider and inked a new joint venture agreement with Thai company Leo Global Logistics that would considerably expand its footprint in South East Asia and the Asia-Pacific region.

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Power 50

TNT EXPRESS

Key official: Mark Pell (managing director - India Middle East and Africa) In numbers: 54 air freighters, 700 journeys a week, 1,000,000 daily deliveries Dutch international express services giant TNT Express with fully owned operations in over 60 countries with an integrated door-to-door network by road and air. With a global team of 59,000 employees and 54 air freighters that log more than 700 journeys a week, TNT makes more than 1,000,000 daily deliveries of documents, parcels and freight pieces.

The company is a mega player in the Middle East with a long entrenched presence. The compa-

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ny is the winner of several plaudits including the AON Hewitt Best Employer of the Year – 2013.

CSR is embedded in all business and operational activities. TNT UAE was named the 2015 winner of CIPS (Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply) Middle East Award for ‘Best Contribution to Corporate Responsibility.’ The company is ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems and ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems accreditations.

Emirates Skycargo Key official: Nabil Sultan, divisional senior vice president In numbers: 240 aircraft, 15 freighters, 147 destinations, 79 countries

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Emirates SkyCargo, the freight arm of Emirates, is the largest air cargo carrier in the world. With a young and efficient fleet of nearly 240 aircraft, including 15 freighters, SkyCargo’s route network spans 147 destinations in 79 countries on six continents, ensuring significant global reach and connectivity among the trade routes of the world.

In 2015, Emirates SkyCargo relocated its hub freighter operations to Al Maktoum International Airport, Dubai South, where it offers 50 scheduled freighter routes from its new cargo terminal.

TRISTAR

Key official: Eugene Mayne, Group CEO In numbers: +1,000 vehicles, operates in +15 countries worldwide

Tristar is a fully integrated liquid logistics solutions provider whose core expertise lies in handling hydrocarbons, lubricants, chemicals and liquid gases.

The company owns and operates a wide network of dedicated facilities to manage road transport, warehousing, fuel farms, turnkey fuel supply operations, into plane aviation fuel services, and ship owning and chartering for clean petroleum products.

Tristar was established in 1998 and the company started off with hauling bulk and packed petroleum products in the UAE. The road transport business was soon complemented by a wide range of best in class warehousing and lubricant distribution centers established towards offering a one-stop solution to

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Its new state-of-the-art facility features an advanced storage system and cool-chain area, which can handle approximately 140,000 tonnes of perishable cargo per annum with temperatures of between 18°C to 25°C. During calendar year 2015, the air cargo carrier launched six new routes. It also announced the scheduled service of the longest non-stop flight in the world, from Dubai to Panama City, Panama, which will commence in 2016. Nabil Sultan, is divisional senior vice president, Emirates SkyCargo.

oil marketing and distribution companies.

The facilities were designed, built and operated to international safety standards and utilised the latest emerging technologies including but not limited to the Exceed Warehouse Management System and enhanced RFID technology for product receipts, dispatches and for inventory management.

A year later, in 2004, Tristar Energy was set up to enable the company to engage in the ship owning and chartering business, thus creating the Shipping business wing. In 2007, Tristar entered Africa to manage one of the largest turnkey fuel supply contracts awarded to any company in the continent by an international non-governmental organisation.

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ETIHAD CARGO

Key official: David Kerr, vice president—cargo In numbers: 116 destinations, 10 dedicated cargo aircraft

Etihad Cargo, the fast growing freight division of UAE multiple-awards winning National Airline Etihad Airways, has been a high-flyer and closed strong in 2014. Its dedicated freighter fleet of 10 aircraft fly from Abu Dhabi International Airport on scheduled services currently to over 100 (and counting) airline passenger destinations worldwide and a further 16 freight-only destinations.

Etihad Cargo has grown thanks to smart planning, a clear growth strategy, multiple service and products offering, global expansion,

Cargo offers its customers a range of cargo services linked to its expanding international route network and aircraft fleet.

Etihad Cargo operates a fleet of ten dedicated cargo aircraft consisting of one Boeing 747-8F, three Boeing 777-200F, four Airbus A330-200F, two Boeing 747-400F that fly on scheduled services to 24 of the airline’s passenger destinations in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. The airline also operates cargo freighters to a further 13 freighteronly destinations.

mutually-beneficial partnerships, investments in acquiring new and additional aircraft and assets, excellent airport and handling infrastructure and resources at their home base in Abu Dhabi and growing financial muscle.

Etihad Cargo has been a success story since its inception in 2004, shortly after the airline was established by a Royal Decree in July 2003 and commenced operations in November 2003.

Etihad Cargo has gone weightier growing from strength to strength since its founding. From its hub at Abu Dhabi International Airport, Etihad

HELLMANN WORLDWIDE LOGISTICS Key Official: Madhav Kurup, CEO, Middle East, North Africa, Indian Subcontinent region In numbers: +11,600 employees; 245 offices in 56 countries; handles approximately 73,200 consignments a day

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Hellmann Worldwide Logistics was established in the UAE in 1999 with headquarters in the Jebel Ali Freezone (2002) and associate locations in Dubai Cargo Village (2003), Dubai Airport Freezone (2005) and a branch office in Abu Dhabi (2002).

The company has since been on an expansion spree opening the Audi Volkswagen Middle East facility (2007); a dedicated healthcare facility (2009); dedicated chemicals facility (2010); the Ford regional distribution centre (2011); the Hino Motors dedicated facility (2013) and the completion of the expansion to double capacity in healthcare (2014).

The ISO 9001:2008 certified company, currently with over 500 employees, has nearly 1.8

million sqft. of warehousing space of which approximately 200,000 sqft.is dedicated for pharmaceutical products.

Hellmann Worldwide Logistics offers a vast array of logistics and supply chain services for the automotive, chemical, fashion, fmcg, electronics, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, electronics, IT, marine, perishable goods, project and energy sectors among others. Worldwide the company employs over 11,600 employees, handling 18.447 million consignments a year or roughly around 73,200 a day. It has 245 offices in 56 countries.

Madhav Kurup is CEO-MENA, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics.

ALMAJDOUIE LOGISTICS

Key official: Kim Bjerner Rathsack, CEO In numbers: 7 offices in Saudi Arabia; 7 international offices; +6,000 employees, 2 million sqm. storage facility space

Almajdouie Logistics has become a powerhouse in project logistics and supply chain management holding a Guinness World Record for moving the ‘Heaviest Item Moved by Road Freight’.

From its humble beginning as a land transport and trucking company in 1965, Almajdouie Logistics is now considered the largest logistics service provider in the region with its own asset, more than 6,000 employees and a total area of 2 million square metres of terminal and storage facilities in Saudi Arabia.

With its headquarter in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, the company operates seven offices around the Kingdom in addition to its offices in Bahrain, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Canada, Korea and Japan.

The company serves its clients’ requirements in the petrochemical, offshore, power, water and civil / structural industries. It owns and operate all types of state of the art equipment and employs a team of experts, who have the knowledge, capability and excellence in offering value added services.

Services offered include general transportation, heavy and oversized cargo transportation and engineering including lifting and erection, project forwarding, terminal handling, petrochemical logistics, silo management, warehousing and distribution management, product packaging operations, equipment and maintenance, international freight forwarding, documentation, import-export and transit clearance, contract logistics as well as travel and tours and a logistics education institute in the Middle East.

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21 Etihad Rail

Key official: Faris Saif Al Mazrouei, CEO In numbers: Over 50 MoUs signed to date; 2 million tonnes of sulphur transported during the past year

Etihad Rail was established in June 2009 with a mandate to manage the development, construction and operation of the UAE’s national freight and passenger railway network. Being built in three stages, the railway network will link the principal centres of population and industry of the UAE, and will form a vital part of the planned GCC railway network across the six countries of the GCC. Construction on Stage One has been completed, with trains carrying granulated sulphur from the gas fields of Shah and Habshan to Ruwais are already operational on a trial basis. Stage Two will connect the railway to Mussafah, Khalifa Port and Jebel Ali port and will see the railway extend to the Saudi and Omani borders.

In addition to the Operational and Maintenance Agreement with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) for the transport of sulphur between Habshan and Shah to Ruwais, Etihad Rail is also in advanced commercial and technical negotiations with other prospective partners, including DP World, ESI, Arkan and others.

To date, Etihad Rail has signed more than 50 Memoranda of Understanding with a number of customers throughout the Emirates – in industries ranging from petrochemicals and agriculture to aggregates and waste – all of whom recognise rail as the preferred mode of transport for their goods. To date, Etihad Rail has transported over 2 million tonnes of sulphur from its production point in Shah in Abu Dhabi’s Western region (Al Gharbia) to the port of Ruwais for onward export.

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22 NAKILAT

Key official: Eng. Abdullah Fadhalah Al-Sulaiti, managing director In number: Largest global LNG fleet operator

Qatar Gas Transport Company Ltd. (Nakilat) is a Qatari-listed shipping company established by the State of Qatar to own, operate and manage LNG vessels and to provide shipping and marine-related services to a range of participants within the Qatari hydrocarbon sector. Nakilat is an integral component of the supply chain of some of the largest, most advanced energy projects in the world undertaken by Qatar Petroleum, Qatargas, RasGas and their joint venture partners for the State of Qatar.

Established in 2004 as a joint stock company — owned 50 % by its founding shareholders and 50% by the public — Nakilat has the largest LNG shipping fleet in the world, consisting of 67 LNG vessels along with four Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Very Large Gas Carriers (VLGCs). Nakilat’s LNG fleet transports gas to global markets from Qatar’s North Field, the world’s largest non-associated gas field with approximately 15 % of the world’s proven reserves.

Since its inception, Nakilat has also diversified its activities to become a well-rounded marine industry operator. This is evidenced by the development of Qatar’s rapidly expanding marine industrial sector via the Erhama Bin Jaber Al Jalahma Shipyard, a world-class ship repair and shipbuilding facility in the Port of Ras Laffan.

Nakilat established a joint venture (JV) Nakilat-Keppel Offshore and Marine (N-KOM) with Keppel Offshore and Marine to operate the shipyard’s ship repair facility. To operate the shipyard’s shipbuilding facility, Nakilat entered a JV with Damen Shipyards Group, a world-renowned shipbuilder to establish Nakilat Damen Shipyards Qatar (NDSQ).

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KUWAIT OIL TANKER COMPANY

Key official: Hashim Sayed Hashim, chairman and managing director In numbers: Fleet strength 30

Kuwait Oil Transport Company (KOTC) was founded in April 1957, by a group of Kuwaiti pioneer investors, who had a vision of how important sea borne transportation would be for the development of oil industry and how essential it becomes to exploit and discover oil in Kuwait.

As Oil becomes the major source of energy and the world demands increased substantially, its transport in crude, refined and liquefied product forms did indeed develop into an important part of the marketing activity. Thus in 1976, the government decided to become a partner to KOTC with a 49 % share capital, thereby providing a strong and vital boost to its development.

When Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) was established in January 1980, KOTC assumed responsibility for the transportation sector of KPC. KOTC tankers have sailed more than 1.8 million nautical miles and transported 26 million metric tons of crude oil, petroleum products and liquefied petroleum gas to various ports around the world during the fiscal year 2014 / 2015. The company’s current overall fleet capacity is 36,395 million equivalent barrels of oil.

In the last decade, KOTC modernised and developed its fleet by building new tankers and scrapping the very old ones. In line with the company’s mission and strategy to maintain a high standard fleet to cater for KPC’s requirements, the Fleet New Building Projects Group (FNBPG) handles all issues pertaining to fleet renewal projects.

Power 50

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RED SEA GATEWAY TERMINAL

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SSI SCHAEFER

Key official: Aamer Abdullah Alireza, CEO In numbers: Handled 3.14 million TEUs and 28.85 million tonnes of bulk cargo (non-oil)

Jeddah Islamic Port has an excellent location in the middle of the international shipping routes between east and west. Jeddah Islamic Port is a congestion free harbour and has dedicated terminals for containers, bulk grain, ro-ro, general cargo, livestock, chilled and frozen cargo.

The $ 540 million Red Sea Gateway Terminal (RSGT) is the newest flagship container terminal at Jeddah Islamic Port. A world-class terminal spearheaded by the Saudi Industrial Services group SISCO, it is also the first privately funded, Build Operate and Transfer (BOT)

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port development agreement in Saudi Arabia.

Covering over 750,000 square meters, the facility was constructed to set a benchmark advancing other port terminals around the region, exploiting approaches such as intelligent design and layout, cutting-edge technologies and value-added logistics capabilities; ensuring efficiency within whole supply chain, meeting the demands of modern day trade. It also adds 45% annually to the existing port’s capacity allowing increase in volume and efficiency in handling.

The port has a large fleet of marine craft such as salvage tugboats, fire-fighting boat, other marine craft specialised in fighting pollution and a buoy laying vessel. Along with other crafts for pilotage, mooring and collecting garbage. In addition a floating crane of 200 tones capacity are also available. The marine tower controls the traffic of vessels. It is provided with most sophisticated wire/wireless communication equipment to serve navigation, to control and guide vessels.

Jeddah Islamic Port handled 3.14 million

Key official: Matthias Hoewer, general manager, SSI Schaefer Middle East and Africa In numbers: 50 subsidiaries; 20 regional distributors SSI Schaefer is the world’s leading supplier of warehouse and logistics systems. The services it offers range from concept design and warehouse fittings with its own products to the implementation of complex logistics projects as a general contractor. The pooling of collective skills under the umbrella of SSI Schaefer lays the foundation for the development of market-oriented, industry-overlapping warehouse systems and for the conception of complete intralogistics solutions.

The product range covers the core business of warehouse fittings, plus workshop, factory and office equipment, waste management and recycling. Typical products are storage and transport containers, static racking, pallet racking, racking for long goods and mobile racks, which in turn form the basis for manually operated and fully automatic warehouse systems.

The SSI Schaefer Group emerged from the company Fritz Schaefer GmbH, which was established in 1937 by Fritz Schaefer. Today, the group has offices all over the world including numerous subsidiaries throughout Germany.

SSI Schaefer is a globally successful general contractor, completes the range of services. The core competence of the business comprises the realisation of complex logistic systems, starting from system planning and analysis to a turn-key system and a customised after-sales service. These services are rounded off with innovative IT solutions based on our own standards as well as those of SAP technology.

The company also specialises in modular picking technology. The company plans, develops and produces highly dynamic small parts conveying systems and automatic picking sys

RSA LOGISTICS

Key official: Abhishek Ajay Shah, managing director In numbers: 170,000 sqm. of logistics space; rated -5star facility by DMCC

RSA Logistics DWC-LLC is a modern integrated third party logistics (3PL) provider. Established in 2007, the company now has a major presence in the UAE and Kenya. The company offers services in contract logistics, freight forwarding, distribution, and supply chain management. Headquartered in Dubai, RSA supports many of the world’s top brands from a wide spectrum of industries.

RSA takes pride in being a one-stop shop that delivers integrated solutions to its clients. The company currently owns and 170,000 square meters of logistics space, state-of-the-art multi-tem-

perature warehousing facility in DWC which is ISO certified and rated 5-star by the DMCC. In addition the company has commissioned a 17,000 square metres facility that house modern integrated warehousing units dedicated to the hitech and automotive industry with temperature controlled chambers that enable world-class solutions to customers. RSA also unveiled a 75,000 sq m open yard facility for out-of-gauge cargo and project logistics.

Total flexibility in picking, packing and shipping enables RSA to optimally store products in

cartons, pallet flow racks, dedicated pallet racks or in bulk. All products are made available for shipment on the same day. Armed with a reliable and time-tested global agent network, itsdedicated team applies local and regional market knowledge to every shipment, moving freight from door to door with precision.

RSA continues to aggressively expand its services through the Middle East and East Africa.

Partnering with German Logistics giant Alfred Talke Logistic Services, RSA operates a state-ofthe-art chemicals storage facility in DWC. Logistics News ME | November 2015 | 33

Power 50

27 MOHEBI

LOGISTICS

Key official: Mohammed Mohebi, CEO In numbers: $ 800 million planned in new investments; proposed new facility in Dubai South will be spread over 206,000 sqm.; office and storage capacity of 180,000 pallets

28 TALKE GROUP

Key official: Richard Heath, director, Middle East and Asia In numbers: +2,400 employees, first European 3PL to enter the GCC

A vertically integrated supply chain management specialist, the scope of activities of Mohebi Logistics is extensive for its growing clientele base. A closely-held family business, it specialises in providing expertise in product forecasting; sourcing; purchasing and inventory management and all aspects of freight management in addition to the wide scope of functions it offers in the logistics and supply chain realm.

The company is currently expanding its capabilities and enlarging its infrastructure base with a proposed $ 800 million investment in Dubai Logistics City in Dubai South. At its current Jebel Ali location it will hike the number of pallet positions from 33,000 in 2008 to over 78,000 today. At the new Dubai South site, which completed and operational, it will serve as the company’s new corporate headquarters and will boost capacity to a further 150,000 pallet positions.

Its employee strength has also increased proportionately. From 350 employees in 2008 it has grown to over 800 employees presently.

This number will grow to at least 1,000 employees when the new offices and facilities in Dubai South eventually go functional.

34 | Logistics News ME | November 2015

The TALKE group, its affiliates and joint ventures are established supply chain partners of the chemical and the petrochemical industry. Founded in 1947, the firm has more than 2,400 dedicated staff in Europe, the Middle East, India, China and the USA deliver state-of-the-art supply chain services to their clients.

TALKE was the first European 3PL in its sector to enter the high growth Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. Having started in Saudi Arabia in 2003 the group progressively developed business in almost all GCC member states. With more than 1,300 employees, the crews of Saudi Arabia (SA) TALKE, RSA-TALKE in the UAE, Aljabr-TALKE in Oman and TALKE in Qatar and Bahrain complement the group´s GCC organisation at the hotspots and arteries of the chemical and petrochemical industry on the Arabian Peninsula.

The group made its market entry with the pioneering move of the first outsourcing of onsite plastics logistics at petrochemical producer Tasnee, in Saudi Arabia. Currently, TALKE and its GCC companies handle a total of more than 10 million tonnes of various petrochemical and chemical products per annum. The largest part of the GCC business is still in the commodity polymers sector but as the speciality chemicals market develops, the demand for further specialised services in TALKE’s core competence gains momentum.

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Al-Futtaim LOGISTICS Key Official: Raman Kapoor, Managing Director In numbers: Warehousing and redistribution capacity currently caters for over a quarter of a million line items in multiple locations; 100,000 sq. m of ambient and temperature controlled storage Al-Futtaim Logistics is part of the 85-year old and 85+ member-Al Futtaim group of companies, one of the most progressive business conglomerates in the region.

Al-Futtaim Logistics is a leading regional provider of world class supply chain solutions, with a global reach through its network of an exclusive strategic alliance with IJS global and memberships of internationally recognised professional associations including IATA, SCLG, NAFL, FIATA and IAM. Headquartered at Jebel Ali in the UAE, Al-Futtaim Logistics offers full connectivity from strategically located state-of-the-art facilities at the region’s most important freight hubs. Since February 2012, the company is fully ISO 9001-2008 certified by DNV. Al-Futtaim Logistics offers a full range of advanced supply chain management solutions. The company’s wide ranging capabilities extend to freight forwarding and customs clearance; warehousing and contract logistics; goods transportation and distribution and corporate transportation.

Al-Futtaim Logistics has many years’ experience in several key sectors and specialises in offering logistics services in automotive, humanitarian, defence, project cargo, heavy lift and break bulk, relocation and international moving sectors.

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Power 50

RHS LOGISTICS Key official: Richard Bell, Managing Director In numbers: 50,000 pallet positions; 30,000 sqm. distribution centre

RHS Logistics is the 3PL division of 105-year old leading commercial enterprise Rais Hassan Saadi and it started its operations in 1998 offering end to end integrated supply chain solutions. Strategic partnerships have since been established with international freight forwarders, international supply chain providers, haulage operators, and integrators to connect various modes of supply chain.

RHS Logistics, with a portfolio of leading clients from a wide range of industries, continue to invest in the latest technology and infrastructure. RHS operates from regional distribution hubs strategically located in Dubai; at the Jebel Ali Port (JAFZA), the In-

ternational Airport (DAFZA).

The RHS logistics distribution centre comprises over 50,000 pallet locations in a temperature controlled environment. The distribution centre occupies a footprint a 30,000 sqm. on a 50,000 sqm. plot. The distribution centre has been designed to support a wide variety of picking methodologies and general storage. It also facilitates cross docking and flows through of product for rapid turnover and dispatch.

RHS Logistics combines the services of the best port and logistics infrastructure in the Middle East with corporate efficiencies and capabilities.

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CEVA LOGISTICS

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TRANSWORLD GROUP

As one of the world’s leading non-asset- based supply chain management companies, CEVA Logistics designs and implements industryleading solutions in both freight management and contract logistics.

The company’s global workforce comprises 42,000 employees, working in 17 regional clusters around the world. CEVA applies its operational expertise to provide best-in-class

Transworld Logistics, the warehousing and distribution business unit of the Transworld Group, is one of the leading international providers of integrated logistics services in the Middle East and specialise in the integration of all functions across the supply chain from sourcing of raw materials

Key official: Kadir Kaan Kahveci, Managing Director – Middle East In numbers: +42,000 employees; 17 regional clusters; 950 locations and operates in 170 countries worldwide

services across its integrated worldwide network, where its focus is on general business and the specialist needs of the automotive, consumer and retail, energy, healthcare, industrial and technology sectors.

Presently CEVA is a full service transportation and logistics company with freight management and contract logistics operations spanning 950 locations in 170 countries. Many

of the world’s best-known brands count on CEVA to serve their markets.

As one of the world’s leading supply chain management companies, CEVA designs and implements industry leading solutions in both freight management and contract logistics. In the UAE, CEVA approximately 350 employees and operates in five site locations across the country.

Key official: Ramesh S. Ramakrishnan, chair In numbers: 8,500 sqm. storage area; 22 loading and unloading bays and 22,400 pallet positions

through product warehousing to the distribution of finished goods through its warehousing and distribution centre based in Dubai’s Jebel Ali Freezone, the distribution hub for the Middle East, CIS, Europe and the United States.

Transworld Logistics’ Jebel Ali, Dubai fa-

cilities include multi-tier Racking Systems offering 22,400 pallet positions; 22 loading and unloading bays with hydraulic dock levellers; 6,000 sqm. open yard storage space; 2,000 sqm. of staging and value addition area and 500 sqm. area for refrigerated and temperature-controlled storage facilities.

Logistics News ME | November 2015 | 35

33 Power 50

EHRHARDT & PARTNER SOLUTIONS

Key official: Muthanna Muckatira, business development director In numbers: First company to be set up in Dubai Logistics City; -28year old company; 35 million picks handled daily by company’s hard and software globally Together with its subsidiary companies, privately owned and 1987-established Ehrhardt + Partner Group (E+P Group) offers integrated total solutions for warehouse logistics from one source. Conceived for professional use in practice, all products are subject to ongoing development to empower them to adhere to the highest standards.

The products distinguish themselves with a very high level of quality, offering the customer security for the future and their investments.

The product range of the E+P Group incorporates the LFS warehouse management system, Pick-by-Voice and wireless data solutions, RFID, material flow computers, individual cus-

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GLOBE EXPRESS SERVICES

Key official: Mustapha Kawam, President and CEO In numbers: +1,000 employees; presence in +100 countries

Globe Express Services offers a robust, well-rounded suite of logistics services to companies doing business in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North America, Latin America and around the world.

Since 1974, the company has enabled its clients’ supply chain success through ocean and air freight forwarding, overland transport, customs brokerage and compliance consulting, cargo consolidation, warehousing and distribution, specialty cargo handling, and project logistics. Its cutting-edge technology platform provides outstanding visibility, flexibility and customisation potential, while its highly trained personnel share a commitment to

36 | Logistics News ME | November 2015

providing the ultimate customer service.

Globe Express Services (GES) is one of the world’s leading providers of supply chain solutions. GES combines its core products of air freight, ocean freight, and logistics services to deliver globally integrated, tailor-made end-to-end solutions.

Drawing on in-depth industry know-how and customised IT systems, GES meets the needs of its customers’ supply chains.

With global headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, Globe Express Services operates a global network with over 60 corporate offices with total market presence in over 100 countries via global agents and employs over 1,000 people.

tomer specific solutions, warehouse planning and consultancy as well as warehouse seminars.

The aim of the new company EPS - Ehrhardt + Partner Solutions is to implement European quality standards and to integrate the latest technologies in warehouse logistics. With their German warehouse specialists, EPS are already active in Dubai offering integrated warehouse solutions to interested parties and ensuring comprehensive local support.

Since September 2006 the Group has been present in Dubai and was the first company established in the Dubai Logistics City. E+P hardware and software handle over 35 million picks daily globally.

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Power 50

MODERN FREIGHT COMPANY Key official: Nick Trott, general manager In numbers: 5 offices; 12,000 sqm of open storage space and 30,000 pallet positions

Established in 1977, Modern Freight Company (MFC) is a diversified and established Logistics Company based in Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai that provides world class international freight solutions to a global custom-

er base. Being able to provide excellence service for more than 3 decades MFC has been able to expand into new areas of business, opened new premises across the UAE and gained ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14000 and OHSAS 18001 accreditation.

Today it provides services in Contract Logistics (with its owned warehousing units in Jafza), project management, container conversions, custom clearance, removal services and freight

forwarding (domestic transport, international air and ocean freight and sea-air combined operations) from its offices in Jebel Ali, Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and in Doha, Qatar.

MFC operates state of the art warehouse and distribution centers with 12000 m2 of open storage and 30,000 pallet rack positions, and is able to safely store, distribute and provide specialist services to all clients. The Company also specialises in project freight management and all associated planning and implementation service and has highly qualified licensed customs clearance staff for a complete range of customs clearance services for both import and export of shipments.

GLOBELINK WEST STAR SHIPPING Key Official: Martin J. Aranha, managing director In numbers: 26 regional offices serving +100 ports and +1,500 destinations worldwide

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Established in 1989, Globelink West Star provides professional and reliable shipping services around the world. Today, Globelink West Star is recognised as one of the leading LCL consolidators, importers and exporters in the region. It has built a good reputation over the last 26 years and is known for excellence in freight forwarding and all other services.

A major highlight is the company’s partnership with CWT Globelink Singapore in April, 2004. CWT Globelink is an international network of freight forwarders. CWT Globelink has

26 offices throughout the region and is affiliated with major forwarders around the world. This illustrious track record has strengthened the Group’s network facilitating services to more than 100 international port and 1,500 destinations around world.

Globelink West Star Shipping provides services that include freight forwarding – import and export, LCL consolidation; air freight, distribution and warehousing, exhibition and projects, customs clearance and land transportation and shipping agency services.

PANALPINA

Key official: Peter Triebel, Regional CEO, Middle East, Africa, CIS In numbers: 500 offices in 90 countries; +15,000 employees

The Panalpina Group is one of the world’s leading providers of supply chain solutions.

The company combines its core products of air freight, ocean freight and logistics to deliver globally integrated, customised end-to-end solutions. Drawing on in-depth industry know-how and customised IT systems, Panalpina manages the needs of its customers’ supply chains even if they prove demanding. Energy solutions is a specialised service for the energy and capital project sector.

The Swiss-based Panalpina Group operates a global network with some 500 offices in more than 70 countries and it works with partner companies in a further 90 countries.

Panalpina employs over 15,000 people worldwide who deliver comprehensive services that match high standards expected from their customers.

In 2014, Panalpina transported 857,800 tons by air freight and 1,606, 500 TEUs by ocean freight.

Logistics News ME | November 2015 | 37

Power 50

38 KUEHNE + NAGEL

Key official: Peder Winther, KuehneNagel, President. Middle East and Africa region In numbers: +1000 offices in +100 countries; +66,000 employees

39

GAC

Key official: Lars Bergstrom, Group Vice President – Middle East In numbers: Over 10,000 employees in +300 offices worldwide

Since its founding in Bremen, Germany in 1890 by August Kuehne and Friedrich Nagel, Kuehne + Nagel has grown from a traditional freight forwarding company into one of the world’s leading logistics providers.

Today, the Kuehne + Nagel Group has more than 1,000 offices in over 100 countries, with over 66,000 employees.

Its key business activities and market position are built on the company’s world class capabilities in seafreight, where it is the number one global seafreight forwarder with solid partnerships with an extensive range of preferred ocean carriers. It is number two global air cargo forwarder and prides in its innovative cargo management concepts. It is also the number two contract and integrated logistics provider with a worldwide network of warehouse and distribution facilities. It is also the European top three provider of panEuropean overland transportation capabilities, including dedicated and individual delivery services and forging close partnerships with best-in-class carriers.

Kuehne + Nagel provides logistics services to virtually all key industry sectors including aerospace, automotive, fmcg, hightech, industrials, energy, pharma and healthcare and retail.

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The GAC Group is the global provider of integrated shipping, logistics and marine services. Emphasising world-class performance, a long-term approach, innovation, ethics and a strong human touch, GAC delivers a flexible and value-adding portfolio to help customers achieve their strategic goals. Established in 1956 by Swedish entrepreneur Bengt Lindwall, GAC employs over 10,000 people in more than 300 offices worldwide.

The Group has since evolved into the widelyrecognised global provider of a triad of services— integrated shipping, logistics, marine and related services. GAC’s globalisation strategy is to use steady and consistent geographical expansion, achieved through organic growth, joint ventures, partnerships and acquisitions. GAC is local in action and global in attitude.

Shipping was GAC’s first business unit, dating back to its initial operations in Kuwait, providing lightering and ship agency services. Currently, GAC Shipping is one of the world’s biggest providers of services to ship owners and operators.

GAC’s Logistics operation originated from its forwarding, warehousing and distribution operations in Dubai. GAC Logistics has presently grown into a global network providing a rich array of general and specialist logistics services.

GAC’s Marine operations centre around its modern and expanding fleet of supply craft and barges that provide vital support for offshore exploration, construction and production, heavy lift cargo towage and associated services. GAC Marine operates in key locations in the Middle East Gulf, West Africa and Caspian Sea.

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SHARAF SHIPPING Key official: Ibrahim Sharaf, chairperson In numbers: +1,000 employees; serves all ports in GCC, Middle East and Africa Founded in the year 1976, by Ibrahim Sharaf and Sharafuddin Sharaf, Sharaf Shipping Agency (SSA), has grown into the largest shipping house in the Middle East region. Part of a diversified conglomerate with Ship Agency as its core activity, SSA has emerged as a one stop for quality shipping, marine and logistics services.

Its services have evolved with time and today besides Ship Agency Service, the company has ventured into hub services, offshore supply services, freight forwarding, project cargo handling, chartering and brokering, logistics and warehousing services.

SSA, an ISO 9001: 2000 DNV certified company, serves all ports in the GCC, Middle East and Africa. The company’s current workforce exceeds 1,000 employees.

SSA teams of regional tanker specialists have handled all kinds of vessels from ULCC, VLCC, LPG, LNG to product tankers. The same goes for regional break bulk and bulk services teams who have handled all sizes of vessels carrying a wide range of cargoes from industrial and agricultural commodities.

With a range of services that include vessel/cargo/crew handling, dry docking, repairs, supply of provisions, spares, bunkering, STS operations and husbanding, one can be rest assured whatever the delivery, SSA will make it happen.

41 Power 50

AL MADINA LOGISTICS

Key official: Mahmood Sakhi Al Balushi, CEO In numbers: 275,000 sqm. warehouse with 180,000 pallet positions in Barka on the outskirts of the Omani capital Muscat.

Al Madina Logistics Services (AMLS) is an indigenous Oman-based 3PL services provider established to spearhead the task of leading the Logistics and Supply Chain Sector in the Sultanate to the highest levels of professionalism. Its range of services include freight forwarding, transportation, warehousing, open yard / container yard and professional logistics consultancy services.

The company’s facilities are located in Barka, outside of the capital Muscat on the Sohar-Muscat highway.

AMLS’ state-of-the-art Warehouses and Distribution Centre consists of several multipurpose built facilities totaling more than 275,000 sqm. comprising more than 180,000 pallet locations strategically located throughout Oman. The Warehouse is equipped with storage conditions of ambient, frozen, chilled handling systems.

Products that require cold-chain management are managed fully according to international standards where temperature and humidity log-

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gers will all carry certified calibration certificates to ensure record accuracy.

The range of value-added services provided at its facilities includes Inkjet coding using inkjet machines for product promotional activities; Heat wrapping labeling and putting on stickers on products for promotional activities; bar-coding as per retail requirement prior to distribution; sorting for resale from product returns zone; quarantine management and destruction of damaged products.

BARLOWORLD

Key Official: John Wylie, Managing Director, Middle East In numbers: -14year old LSP; operates in 4 continents

Established in 2001, Barloworld Logistics has grown into a significant supply chain solutions business in southern Africa with complimentary operations in the Middle East, Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom and the USA. The company has engaged in long-term partnerships with blue chip clients that not only highlights its capabilities and commitment but also reinforces its belief that the supply chain is a key enabler of efficiency and can be made to work harder for the client’s business.

In addition to optimising individual logistics functions, Barloworld Logistics has led the way in adopting an integrated approach to supply

chain management. By combining strategy, planning and management with excellent operational execution Barloworld conducts analysis, design, implementation, management and operation of the entire supply chains.

Consequently, the company has generated a new breed of optimised supply chains. These are supply chains that are designed around the customers’ business goals; supply chains that are far more efficient, effective, flexible and responsive to ever-changing market needs. These are smart supply chain solutions that level the playing field and give business a competitive advantage.

PORT OF SALALAH

Key official: David Gledhhill, CEO In numbers: Handled over 3 million TEUs in 2014; Connectivity: over +3000 vessel calls to over 52 port destinations

The Port of Salalah, operating since November 1998 and recognised globally as a leading transshipment hub positioned among the world’s top ports, continues to play a vital role in the economic future of the Sultanate of Oman.

The port is partly owned and managed by APM Terminals, one of the largest container terminal operators in the world. Strategically located at the major East-West Shipping Lane, the 40 | Logistics News ME | November 2015

Port of Salalah is viewed as the region’s best located port in order to access the Middle East, Indian Subcontinent and East Africa.

Port of Salalah is a made up of a Container Terminal with seven berths of up to 18m draft and a General Cargo Terminal of twelve berths of up to 16m draft, with infrastructure to handle the world’s largest container vessels, as well as bulk cargo, bunkering and warehousing.

Excellent infrastructure and a proven track record for efficient operations at the Port of Salalah complement its strategic location. In Oman, it is among the top publicly-traded companies, as well as the largest private sector employer in the Sultanate’s southern Governorate of Dhofar. In 2014, the Port of Salalah handled in excess of 3 million TEUs and 3,000 vessel calls bound for 52 destinations.

44 Power 50

DB SCHENKER

Key official: Karl-Heinz Emberger, CEO, Middle East and Africa In numbers: +31,000 employees globally; 140 countries; operates 4,800 freight trains daily DB Schenker stands for the transportation and logistics activities of Deutsche Bahn. The logistics sector of DB is the world’s second largest transportation and logistics services provider based on revenues and performance.

Through its transportation and logistics division, DB holds top positions in global air and ocean freight and has Europe’s densest land transport network and the rail expertise of Europe’s largest rail freight company.

With around 2,000 locations in all of the world’s most important economic regions, DB Schenker has a global network geared toward customer service, quality and sustainability.

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The company has 95,700 employees.

DB Schenker Rail, the rail freight company of Deutsche Bahn, is the leading provider in European rail freight transport and has 31,000 employees. DB Schenker Rail operates some 4,800 freight trains a day. Transport performance totaled 102 billion metric ton-kilometers and DB Schenker Rail shipped 329.1 million metric tons of freight in 2014. DB Schenker Rail has the largest fleet in Europe, which comprises around 89,000 freight cars and 2,878 locomotives.

DB Schenker has a presence in some 140 countries around the world.

LOGISTICA

Key Official: Andrew Granger, Middle East Regional General Manager In numbers: $ 2.2 billion in net sales as part of a global network; 350 employees and offices in 5 GCC

It all began in Kuwait in 2004 when Al Rai Logistica Company, was conceived with a vision to be the leader in contract logistics, freight management and integrated supply chain solutions in Kuwait, and the wider GCC and the Middle East.

In 2008, in a master strategic move, Al Rai Logistica acquired the well-known and well-rooted freight forwarding company Enkay Express, established in 1981 in Kuwait under the name Naqeeb and Khattar (NK).

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The merger between Enkay and Logistica, a good fit, has been mutually beneficial to both companies and brought synergies, resources, consolidation and strengths to the new entity. It has integrated all the freight management activities under one roof.

Logistica owns the state-of-the-art cold storage facility at Al Rai area in Kuwait located at the middle of the trading zone equipped with the latest technology of mobile racking systems and the most ad-

vanced electrical loading equipment, reach trucks and pallet conveyers which is environment friendly.

Logistica, now part of global network with over $ 2.2 billion net sales and offices across all six continents, has the resources, competencies, experience and muscle to provide the most challenges supply chain and logistics services to an equally demanding clientele. Logistica currently employs over 350 people in five GCC countries.

46 MASSAR SOLUTIONS

Power 50

Key official: Paul Greenwood, CEO In numbers: Owns and / or manages over 500 ,16 vehicles

Massar Solutions is the UAE market leader in fleet management, vehicle rental and supply chain solutions in the UAE. The word Massar, meaning ‘path’ in Arabic, perfectly resonates the fundamentals of the business: keeping cars, company, and cargo moving forward. The brand concept accurately reflects the company’s values of continuous innovation, dependability and versatility which have been the driving force behind its 15 years of proven track record of success.

The Fleet Solutions division provides tailored fleet management solutions that focus on the containment of costs and risks associated with owning and operating a fleet. The vehicle rental division is the owner of PayPerKay personal car leasing programme and the licensed operator of the Payless car rental brand in the UAE. The supply chains division works with clients to create scalable, flexible and adaptable supply chain solutions that can respond quickly to the changing demands of the marketplace. Massar currently owns and operates a fleet of 9,755 vehicles and manages a further 6,755 vehicles for third party clients.

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JUMBO LOGISTICS Key official: Shailen Shula, Head of Jumbo Logistics In numbers: 300,000 sqft. of warehousing space; 200 IT-competent personnel

Jumbo Logistics, the Supply Chain Management division of Jumbo Electronics, offers cost-effective integrated supply chain solutions through operation excellence while reducing inefficiencies, enhancing customer satisfaction, and improving profits for businesses.

Recently, Jumbo Logistics has expanded to include 3PL services for FMCG, retail, hospitality, and consumer electronics industries. The responsibilities include distribution, transportation, and reverse logistics, as well as warehousing and storage services. Additional value-added services include bar-coding, labeling, segregation, kitting, bundling, and more.

Drawing from the strength of Jumbo Logistics, the 3PL division has access to the Group’s wide distribution network and technological tools. The 3PL team also possesses the same innovative and productive work ethic that has driven Jumbo Group’s success. It employs over 200 IT-competent personnel operate in its warehouses.

Additionally, it has over 300,000 square feet of dedicated warehouses across the UAE, Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar. Jumbo Logistics offers integrated supply chain management and cost effective logistics solutions for operational excellence across the Jumbo Group.

Logistics News ME | November 2015 | 43

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Power 50

TRANZONE HALA SUPPLY KGL CHAIN

Key Official: Roger Phillips, general manager In numbers: Over six decades of experience in healthcare logistics and its own fleet.

Tranzone is a subsidiary of Saudi Arabian Banaja Holdings, a company with over six decades of experience in healthcare logistics and distribution in the kingdom. Tranzone operates a state-of-the-art 3PL warehouse in Jebel Ali Free Zone and has partnerships with leading and big pharma companies around the world.

Utilising a unique one-stop approach, Tranzone centralises logistics, provides storage, provides inventory management as well as purchasing and re-invoicing procedures to the distributors, all at one convenient location.

Tranzone has its own distribution fleet that provide high quality transportation services with dedicated customised pharma trucks within the UAE and across the borders. The trucks have been validated for optimum temperature ranges between 2-8°C and 15-25°C. Each truck has sensors installed for tracing temperature during transit. Online tracking via GPS system allows tracking fleet status, temperature reading, distance travelled and other telematics parameters for effective transportation of sensitive pharma products.

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Key official: Pieter Spaarwater, CEO In numbers: +1200 vehicles; operates in 20 towns across Saudi Arabia

Arabian Hala established in 1977 is a diversified, market-oriented company that combines the essential elements of management, marketing and knowledge of the domestic Saudi Arabian market. Its core business at the time of commencement was renting and leasing cars and providing chauffeur driven cars. It has since grown from 27 vehicles in 1977 to over 9,000 cars today.

In 1993, Arabian Hala observed an opportunity to enter the ‘door-to-door’ delivery service industry. After an intensive market research, it developed a fully computerised overnight express service, encompassing 20 major cities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

It started operations with a fleet of more than 150 trucks and vans.

In 2005 Naqel was formed as a closed stock company with Arabian Hala and Saudi Post. Naqel now has over 1,200 vehicles and a network of 4,900 cities, towns and villages in the kingdom.

In 2003 Arabian Hala as part of its continued expansionist strategy launched the best worldclass supply chain and logistics services within Saudi Arabia, now popular as the Hala Supply Chain Services A new 36,000 SQM Distribution Center (DC) will be operational by Q1 2016. The new DC will cater primarily for pharmaceutical and automotive products, white and brown goods and FMCG industries with a capacity of over 52,000 pallets.

Key official: Esmail Dashti, founder-chairperson In numbers: 2014 reported revenue100$-- million; operates in 4 countries

Kuwait-based KGL is the premier provider of integrated Supply Chain Management services in the Middle East, fulfilling the Transportation, Logistics, Port Management, Shipping and Freight Forwarding needs of countless regional and international clients. Its journey began in 1956 when Dashti Construction Co. was established by Esmail Dashti, for construction and stevedoring operations within Kuwait.

In the 1970’s the company began its successful expansion into transportation and stevedoring operations when it became the sole stevedoring contractor in Shuwaikh Port in Kuwait. Through the hard work of Esmail Dashti and his deputy, Abdullah AlWazzan, KGL continued its expansion regionally into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1985, where it started its operations in Jubail, Yanbu and Jeddah Ports. At the same time, the company continued to gain a reputation for excellence in transporting cargo, including that of mega EPS projects.

In 2004, regional and global demands increased substantially for fully integrated transportation, logistics and supply chain management services. This provided an opportunity for KGL to achieve sustainable growth and greater profitability by leveraging its core competencies in transportation, logistics, and supply chain services. The company reported a turnover of approximately $100 million in 2014. In addition to Kuwait the company has branch operations in Egypt, Qatar, and the UAE.

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Planning begins and cross-functional teams assess new technology options and establish upgrade roadmaps.

Stage 3 The team now starts to define and organise all the available data needed for improving busi-

ness processes. An effective OT/IT operation incorporates data from IoT devices across the enterprise to deliver performance-critical information that can be used for real-time, critical decision-making.

Stage 4 The focus shifts to continuous improvement and how best to leverage the newfound OT/IT capabilities. Analytics utilising the Web Development Centre (WDC) help pinpoint the greatest needs for real-time information. In this stage the ‘data’ turns into ‘information’ that is insightful and actionable.

Stage 5 Create an environment that anticipates activities throughout the enterprise and through the supply and demand chain, enabling responsiveness to external events, supplier and customer activities, business trends, and changing market conditions. Manufacturers are also able to leverage centrally located domain experts across their operations, sharing best practices and enlisting the knowledge base of an entire supply chain.

Every manufacturer will enter and progress through the stages of the Connected Enterprise Maturity Model that is most appropriate and at a pace determined by its own needs and readiness. The fear and uncertainty will long be forgotten as manufacturers and industrial operations begin to reap the plentiful benefits a connected enterprise can bring.

What we learned: If your plant isn’t connected, you will lose out 70 million people are joining the middle classes, spending $8 trillion on goods. It’s a hugely competitive market and the winners will have efficient manufacturing operations that add valuable, agility-enabling data to the business.

Everything is connected and it starts with your plant and your infrastructure – because if that’s not securely synced, the rest is moot.

The Internet of Opportunity The vision of a Connected Enterprise is made reality by the Internet of Things and the transformation of data into insightful information that gives decision-makers across the enterprise new visibility into operations, new opportunities to respond to market and business challenges, and new opportunities to drive out inefficiencies.

Forget fear, uncertainty and doubt If the opportunities are huge, so are the related fear, uncertainty and doubt. The Connected Enterprise Maturity Model, followed at your own pace, implies fears, uncertainties and doubts are forgotten as manufacturers and industrial operators begin to reap the plentiful benefits a connected enterprise can bring.

Standardisation is table stakes The 20 high-power executives from a wide range of manufacturing operations of some of the world’s biggest Fortune 500 companies Rockwell Automation officials spoke with, want connectivity. To get there, they need standardisation. Start with a secure infrastructure, manage your culture, leverage your legacy, and make sure you understand what questions the business wants answered – for example: “how do we pull that data the machines are generating back into our overall network and systems topology so we can start to measure real-time performance?”

You’re not just connecting IT; you’re connecting people IT says ‘what’s the process and how do we want to do it?’ Whereas for manufacturing, it’s more individuals just wanting to roll up their sleeves and dive in. Create your own steering committee or manufacturing execution group, with representatives from all parties, to provide a forum for problem resolution.

Logistics News ME | November 2015 | 45

S u p p ly C h a i n

3M Supply Chain evolves with sustained growth in the Middle East 3M products are distributed through a number of channels, including directly to users and through wholesalers, retailers, jobbers, distributors, dealers and intermediate retail points globally. The business of transporting and distributing this enormous range may seem to be a logistical nightmare, but 3M supply chain official Thomas Urselmann demystified the process for Logistics News Middle East

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Fortune 500 company; one of only 30 companies in the Dow Jones Industrial Average and a component of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, 3M is an innovative, diversified technology company that operates directly or indirectly in over 200 countries. The company operates in five segments: industrial, safety and graphics, electronics and energy, healthcare and consumer. The company has a production and manufacturing range that exceeds 60,000 product lines with new pioneering and ground-breaking creations being continually added to its vast fold. Between 5,000 to 10,000 products are currently available in the Middle East, A recent visit to the UAE by Thomas Urselmann, the veteran supply chain manager, MEA, 3M EMEA, presented an opportunity for Logistics News Middle East to gain insights into a mega multinational’s supply chain processes.

“My role and responsibilities at 3M MEA is to oversee and monitor the supply chain operations to ensure compliance with our inhouse developed logistics systems, parameters and KPIs in the region that traverses a vast geographical spread. To that end, I work closely with our team to attain objectives centred around cost-efficiencies, improved capabilities, streamlined movements and overall efficacies to meet pre-determined expectations,” remarks Urselmann from 3M’s regional offices in Dubai Internet City.

The dynamics and mechanisms of the supply chain business have evolved at 3M, developing from more individualised and fragmented methodologies towards consolidation. “In the past logistics operations were focused around relatively small

46 | Logistics News ME | November 2015

factories, production centres, storage depots and warehouses but over time we have integrated these individual and itemised processes to create a mega logistics mechanism to ensure efficiencies of scale, control and consolidation,” explains Urselmann.

“With logistical processes getting increasingly complex and costs associated with packaging, storage, inventory control, transportation and security on the rise and cross

country, cross regional and cross continental trade on the rise, we decided to dispense off with the smaller warehouses and production points to centralise and optimise operations,” he adds.

Urselmann agrees that this model is not without imperfections and advocates adaptation in line with ground realities and resultant requirements as a sensible approach.

“We clearly don’t believe in a cookie cutter,

S u p p ly C h a i n

one-size-fits-all approach.

Flexibility is both key and necessary in any business including ours. This is a complex world and a complex region with languages, communications, and regulations all compounded by complications of geographical size, terrain, populations densities and other strictures,” he expounds.

Urselmann also points out that supply chain as a function must reconcile with and harmonise with other organisational departments to ensure that collective corporate goals are met. “It is vital for any supply chain department in any large company anywhere in the world to fully understand and comprehend the company’s business and to prioritise and adapt accordingly and bring supply chain operations in line with other line functions. We have to be sensitive to the best interests of both our company and the customers we serve. Occasionally there may be unintended conflict of interest issues but we need to recognise and reconcile these for mutual advantage,” he advises.

Urselmann also indicates that the department does not necessarily get involved in every supply chain functional aspect. “3M harnesses the services of qualified and tested external logistics services providers for operational purposes so as to free up time and space for other supply chain prerogatives,” he points out.

3M Gulf with regional headquarters in Dubai was set up as an independent corporate entity and includes all of the GCC nations except Saudi Arabia, which functions as a stand-alone constituent.

The GCC cluster has grown remarkably and the company has country offices in Qatar and just opened a brand new office in Muscat, Oman. Elsewhere, 3M offices have also been established in Kenya and Nigeria.

3M Africa is responsible for the 15-member Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries in addition to East, West, Central and sub-Saharan Africa.

Urselmann opines that 3M is on the progress track and in expansion mode in the region as the company has several inherent strengths that will serve the company in good stead. Firstly it enjoys a strong corporate brand image; is perceived as a technology and innovations leader; has manufacturing, distribution and marketing capabilities and has a truly international presence with its products available in almost every corner of the globe.

In the past logistics operations were focused around relatively small factories, production centres, storage depots, warehouses but over time we have integrated these individual and itemised processes to create a mega logistics mechanism to ensure efficiencies of scale, control and consolidation,” 3M will continue to focus on end users and customers across the board. Its strong management leadership is a catalyst for sustained growth in the region. Urselmann characterises the company as “nimble and resilient” with proven abilities to constantly introduce new and superior products with increasing frequency and with adequate and especially customised training, development, motivational and empowerment programmes in place.

The logistics of business The only limitations to 3M’s growth and expansion in the region will be largely in the realm of force majeure, civil wars, a lack of security and lack of transportation infrastructure—aspects outside of the control of the company. “Strict government regulations and strictures are no handicap to growth,” he admits, adding that the high bar is in fact a blessing that will goad the company to continue to excel in every area of its operations including supply chain. “The lack of trained professionals in the supply chain realm is more of a challenge given the paucity of good talent in the region,” he laments.

Urselmann also sees the need for faster, efficient and cost effective logistics needs from emerging customers, consolidation for the region and beyond, increased cost on the overall operations within the region, technology driving the changes on data management and significant challenges on the talent. Also there are ever changing regulations and local standards and that would need more focus and a pro-active approach.

Thomas Urselmann

Supply Chain Manager MEA 3M EMEA Thomas Urselmann is the Switzerland-based supply chain manager for the Middle East and Africa region at 3M EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa).

In this role, Swiss-born Urselmann translates customer and business requirements into Competitive Supply Chains. His initial focus is to assure MEA Supply Chains and the organisation are structured to support the strategic plan for profitable growth while meeting KPI for service, cost and cash.

Urselmann, a member of the MEA committee, joined 3M in 1991 as a materials control specialist in the Hilden plant, Germany, and has subsequently worked in a number of manufacturing and supply chain roles throughout his career at 3M. Urselmann has strong project management experience, which he has gained and successfully used through his Six Sigma Black Belt assignment. In 2013, Urselmann joined the EMEA Supply Chain COE (Centre of Excellence) to continue his role as the Supply Chain Manager, prior to which he was the Supply Chain Manager for CEE (Central and Eastern Europe).

Logistics News ME | November 2015 | 47

S u p p ly C h a i n

2014 performance Worldwide sales

$ 31.82 billion

of which 63 % comes from outside of the USA R&D expenditures

$1.78 billion R&D total for last five years

$ 8.12 billion Employees worldwide

89,800 USA

35, 581 International (non US)

54,219

Patents awarded: In 2014…3342; US 625 Total in company history

100,000+

Operations in about 30 U.S. states and 70 countries around the world.

Laboratories in 36 countries.

Technology: 46 technology platforms includeAdhesives Micro-replication Abrasives Nanotechnology Electronics and software

8,500

researchers worldwide

4,600

in the United States.

48 | Logistics News ME | November 2015

3M supply chains are also developed in the interests of maintaining healthy ecological equilibrium and sustainability. According to Urselmann, 3M has invested on a Center of Excellence model for efficiently managing the complexities, reducing cost with increased efficiency, utilisation of our assets and optimisation of resources. “3M’s model takes into consideration the trends in the region and demanding customer needs, while managing the external environment and sustainability. By optimising truckloads and routes we are able to reduce the carbon footprint and continuously looking at further improvement through Lean Six Sigma process,” assures Urselmann.

The company has had a good track record in environmental conservation and good practices and through sustained efforts has

prevented the generation of nearly 4 billion pounds of pollutants since 1975 through completion of nearly 11,800 Pollution Prevention Pays (3P) projects. It is listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the past 15 consecutive years and is a signatory member of the UN Global Compact supporting 10 principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption.

Ultimately Urselmann is in for the win.

“My current mission to the UAE is to familiarise, interface and engage with my team and there is no stopping us to becoming the best in the breed,” he states. “With over 90,000 employees globally and our products omnipresent, 3M is indeed a genuinely international company. Our well-oiled supply chain systems will ensure our products stay ubiquitous,” he quips confidently.

Energy industry equipment supplier

Petronash: Awash with success The rise of Petronash under the stewardship of CEO, UM Rao, has been nothing short of meteoric. In a relatively short span of 15 years since its inception in 2000, the UAE-based specialist of oil and gas equipment has grown exponentially and now able to manufacture inhouse, in excess of 1,000 product lines annually.

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lavish banquet replete with pomp, panache and performers—Catalan flamenco dancers, magicians and entertainers – was held recently at the Conrad Dubai to commemorate and flag off the 15th anniversary celebrations of Petronash, the UAE-headquartered engineering products purveyor for the oil and gas industry. “Our expertise at handling large scale projects is unparalleled in the industry.

Coming from humble beginnings and having achieved so much in a decade and half, Petronash deserves to celebrate lavishly and in style,” remarked an elated UM Rao, CEO, barely concealing his excitement.

“From being a home-grown pride to becoming a globally admired company; our journey and business interests straddle the entire oil and energy value chain globally from drilling, processing, production, pipelines to refining,” he declared as he addressed his cheering staff at the gala celebrations.

It all started in 2000, when UM Rao with the guidance of chair Nasser Sulaiman Al Haider, decided to set up a services company in Al Quoz Industrial Area of Dubai to serve and maintain existing Oilfield Equipment supplied by various global companies to the Middleast Oil and Gas industry. The company was set up as Sulaiman Petrotech Est. in a 200 sqm. space which included the office and a small workshop. Petronash has come a long way in these 15 years.

The company now boasts three world class manufacturing facilities in Dubai, Houston and Dammam, Saudi Arabia and a major engineering center in Chennai, India, wellequipped to produce about 1,000 product lines per year.

Petronash’s growth in these 15 years has been exponential. From a couple of techni50 | Logistics News ME | November 2015

An aerial view of Petronash’s complex in Houston, Texas, USA

cians to about 600 personnel worldwide and from a modest 2,000 sqft. facility to over 1 million sqft. state-of-the-art manufacturing complexes across continents and a current $100 million turnover is a good testimony to the success of this venture.

Petronash has a broad range of offerings and core competencies in the oil and gas sector. “Our core products are wellhead control panels and chemical injection skids. We have now developed standardised modular wellsite packages which are now widely being used by Saudi Aramco. With in-house engineering, fabrication, assembly testing, engineering and installation facilities, Petronash is able to manage the increasing demands by expanding not only in the UAE

but GCC and select international markets too,” affirmed Rao. Rao attributes Petronash’s growth and success to diversification, good market intelligence, a great team and a positive work culture. “Diversifying into innovative product lines, being sensitive to market demand and having a great team at work is what makes an organisation successful. I am blessed to have such a wonderful team whose dedication and hard work has paid off. At Petronash, we have a culture of ‘ownership’ where every employee has clearly defined roles and takes complete ownership of the responsibility assigned to him or her,” he remarked.

Rao is also appreciative of the major

Energy industry equipment supplier

An engineer at work at Petronash’s Houston, Texas, facility

role played by chair Nasser Sulaiman Al Haider in the dramatic rise of Petronash.

“Our chair has always been less of a boss and more of a godfather figure and a guiding light to us. He has provided me and the team a freehand and latitude to take all key decisions and fortunately everything has worked in our favour thus far,” noted Rao. Rao is upbeat about the opportunities for Petronash in the coming years which he characterises as ‘humongous’. The company is expanding into new regions and in new countries as the acceptance and popularity of its products surge. Rao believes internationalisation is key to the company’s growth and is preparing to market its products in new markets. “The only challenge we fore-

see is to keep up with the demand for these products. We are continuously expanding our capacities to cope with the ever increasing demand,” he observed. Currently, apart from the GCC and the USA, the company offers its services in Malaysia, Nigeria, Kazakhstan, Vietnam and India.

Petronash is currently on a huge expansion drive. In the last three years, the company has increased its capacity by threefold in Dubai only. It is in the process of setting up another manufacturing facility in Dammam, Saudi Arabia which will be operational by January 2016. Rao has also expressed an intent to consolidate the business through acquisitions and is currently in negotiations with a Far East company for possible acquisition.

UM Rao CEO, Petronash

UM Rao has spearheaded the successful journey of Petronash since its inception in 2000.

He graduated as a qualified ‘Instrumentation and Control’ engineer from M.K. University in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. In his professional career he served in numerous capacities in the field of instrumentation both in India and in the Middle East.

At Petronash, Rao is responsible for its worldwide recognition as a reputable, reliable and responsible manufacturer of innovative and ingenious industry solutions.

Under his leadership, Petronash has been able to demonstrate excellence in quality, customer satisfaction and has developed and delivered innovative solutions to the oil and gas industry in the region.

Rao loves travelling, golfing, fishing and is a fitness freak.

Logistics News ME | November 2015 | 51

Energy industry equipment supplier

Petronash

Technicians at work in Petronash’s facility in the UAE

• An ISO 9001 (2008) certified conglomerate for equipment sales for the oil and gas sectors • Turnover: $100 m+ • Employee strength: 600+ including 200 engineers and R&D personnel handling technically challenging and complex projects.

• Current clientele includes top oil majors Saudi Aramco, Shell, ADCO, Occidental Petroleum, Maersk Oil, PDO, Qatar Petroleum, Kuwait Oil Company and Kuwait National Petroleum Company among others.

A frontal view of Petronash’s Jebel Ali, Dubai plant

Rao is not unduly perturbed with falling oil process and asserts that it will not have an adverse impact on Petronash. “Since OPEC is not cutting down the production levels and this region’s major revenues emanate largely from oil and gas, all the oil majors in the region will continue to produce even if the oil prices fall further. Moreover, our products not only cater to the oil producers but also equally to gas producing companies,” he rationalised.

Rao’s short term vision for Petronash is to rev and ramp up production to cope with the current demand for its products. For the 52 | Logistics News ME | November 2015

long term, he wants to take the company’s innovative products especially the modular wellsite package to all onshore operating companies in the world and deliver the cost and time saving advantages that this product can provide.

Petronash is committed to upholding the highest standards of sustainability goals and CSR responsibilities. “We are encouraged to give back to the community socially, environmentally and economically. Corporate Social Responsibility is a core objective and we value our extra-corporate responsibilities at Petronash. The company organised a

blood donation drive In September 2015 and 138 employees donated blood. The company is planning for many more social causes to be undertaken in the UAE and also in countries where it operates.

“With its current pace of growth Petronash is well poised to become a leading supplier of oilfield equipment to the world oil and gas market. “With our innovative solutions, our vision is to provide the most economical and user friendly products which will reduce the operating costs and downtimes to our customers,” Rao concluded optimistically.

P r o f e ss i o n a l P e r s p e c t i v e s

Personal Productivity is ‘Personal’

By Prakash ‘PK’ Menon It is a general perception that it is impossible to measure workplace activity, aside from measuring the end quantitative results of that productivity which include timely execution, revenues and profits. Many companies also focus on efficiency only when the going gets tough.

Prakash ‘PK’ Menon makes the case for how to ensure employees are as efficient as possible all the time.

The “habits of highly effective people” has provided endless content for the self-help industry, yet the reality is that personal productivity is the sum total of very personal choices. There can be no blanket rules on how to improve one’s personal productivity. Yet, no one puts it better than Aristotle, whose statement on excellence remains valid across continents and centuries: “Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution. It represents the wise choice of many alternatives. Choice, not chance, determines your destiny.”

The suggestions that follow, include both fun and forceful ways of upping your personal productivity, and should motivate you to work both hard and smart: Make a game of it: Tell the world. Make it public. How does this help? It implies, to begin with, that you have a good set of plans in place that you can confidently announce to the public.

The universe then literally conspires to help you achieve your goals, by expecting results from you and helping you set a time frame.

You can then expect yourself to reach the finish line and clock your best possible performance.

This expectation should help kill the tendency to procrastinate or lose focus.

Set a target: Thomas Edison advised “Never go to sleep without a request to your subconscious”. Before going to sleep, use the technique of auto-suggestion and set yourself two to three goals to be reached the following day. More than three goals could lead to frustration and disappointment, so do go easy on yourself. But, working without clarity of thought and purpose

Prakash ‘PK’ Menon

Prakash ‘PK’ Menon is a respected supply chain expert, internationally acclaimed speaker, thought leader and mentor. He is the executive director of Thought Leaders Middle East and has authored three books: Driven, Fail Smart and Supply Chain is Sexy.

would lead nowhere because you would not know where you are heading for.

Cheat yourself: A rather innovative way of motivating yourself would be to voluntarily disrupt your daily routine. Waking up unusually early to start work could give you a head start and make you feel your task is indeed unusual and out-of-the-box. Extraordinary goals call for extraordinary working methods.

Delay gratification: One fantastic habit to cultivate in the long term is to practice delayed grati-

fication. Focus is a matter of habit, and meditators are masters at the art of delaying gratification, by exercising thought control and self-control. Why not invest in yourself by practicing deep breathing for an hour every day? Returning your thought to your breath (or the present moment) as it drifts into fantasyland or rues the past is guaranteed to give phenomenal results.

Recharge your batteries: It always makes more sense to prevent burn-out than to cure it. It is important here to tend to the body too – by drinking plenty of water, avoiding junk foods, eating light and healthy foods. Do add plenty of veggies and fruits to your diet – broccoli, celery, pomegranates should keep you light and full of energy.

Take frequent breaks: Do not underestimate the importance of taking breaks. While pausing at work, do avoid activities that could be potentially distressful. The news, especially as it streams in on television or on your preferred social media feeds, can contain disturbing or exciting images that may linger on in your mind, preventing you from regaining focus. A nature walk, a power nap or reading a book and allowing yourself to just be would increase your productivity by leaps and bounds.

Keep at it till you are done: The best habit of all is not to stop till you are done with your task.

Your perseverance and an indomitable will are the ultimate keys to super productivity.

And lastly, I quote Steve Jobs who was convinced that “about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.”

So, just keep going!

Logistics News ME | November 2015 | 53

Aramex believes that by continuing to adopt innovative technology solutions, logistics and transportation companies will be able to rely less on natural resources and sustainably grow the industry. Logistics News Middle East meets Raji Hattar, chief sustainability officer at Aramex, to get the lowdown and update.

CSR

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riefly describe your job portfolio. What have you been entrusted with in your current position?

I was appointed to my current positon of chief sustainability officer in 2008 and my mandate is to develop and deploy Aramex’s sustainability strategy, ‘Delivering Good’, across all the markets we operate in.

There are three key areas of focus that support and drive the wider Delivering Good strategy: firstly education and youth empowerment, secondly entrepreneurship and thirdly environment. All these are critical to upholding and executing our sustainability strategy successfully. We have a number of programs and initiatives that cater to these three focus areas.

I also help to ensure that Aramex’s procurement policies are environmentally friendly. I do this by expanding and continually updating our approach towards business systems and controls, so that we are operating in the most environmentally friendly way and are reducing our environmental footprint.

You were appointed to your current position in 2008, how much has changed for the better (in sustainability and compliance) for Aramex since you took over?

A lot has changed since I was appointed to my current position. When we first launched our sustainability strategy, there was only one project in Jordan. Now, we are involved in over 180 projects across our network through partnerships with communities, social entrepreneurs, governments, NGOs and corporations.

Since joining Aramex, we as a team have also helped to ensure that we spend a minimum of 1% of our pre-tax profit on social projects, excluding our spending on environmental investment and expenditure.

We continue to exceed this goal and, in 2014, we spent 1.5% of pre-tax profit on social projects. In the past five years alone, we have spent over $3.5million on environmental related initiatives worldwide.

Another initiative the sustainability team and I have helped lead was to ensure Aramex is building warehouses and other facilities in accordance with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. Our LEED certified buildings 56 | Logistics News ME | November 2015

have lowered our electricity consumption significantly. I have also helped us to become the first company in the region to calculate and report our carbon footprint and make an active effort in measuring, reporting and managing our energy output.

Since 2008 I believe we have reached some major milestones in the field of sustainability.

How is “sustainability” implemented beyond the environment and habitat?

While preserving the environment and raising awareness on how the international community can reduce consumption of natural resources is important, sustainability encompasses a number of other important issues. They include education, youth empowerment, business operations and entrepreneurship. We at Aramex understand how important sustainability is across a number of different issues, our Delivering Good strategy has been developed to impact more than just the environment.

For example, we are investing heavily in youth to equip them with the skills they need to thrive in the job market and build longterm, sustainable careers. Nearly 10,000

children have benefited from our CSR programs, which have included scholarships, sponsorships and internships, and many have come to work at Aramex after they complete their training. Many of these youth have also benefitted from our medical and disaster relief aid programs. It is our hope that by investing in youth they will not only potentially pursue a career at Aramex but also give back to the communities they live in.

We are also committed to supporting the development of entrepreneurs through our unique SME Program to support their business stability and longevity. We support SMEs so that they can build sustainable businesses and also potentially become Aramex’s business partner in the future. By launching this program we intend to mutually share and transfer knowledge with budding entrepreneurs. So far we have supported and trained over 1,200 startups.

CEO Hussein Hachem initiated a volunteering program last year with the objective of highlighting the importance sustainability has on our global business and his vision for the company. Through this program, the company contributed 18,000 hours of volunteering, training and

CSR

Raji Hattar

Chief sustainability and compliance officer, Aramex

mentoring in 2014 and we continue to encourage our employees to give back to the community.

These types of programs, both for students and SMEs, are key components to our sustainable business model. By investing in the communities Aramex operates in, we also benefit as the recipient of new hires and valuable business partners that come out of our training and development programs.

What are the areas of concern from a sustainability perspective for Aramex?

The major impact of our operations results from emissions released in our operations, the use of our facilities and vehicles and delivering shipments. This negative impact on the environment is a concern for us, which is why we are continually looking for ways to optimise operations, reduce resource consumption and source alternative technologies. We believe this is particularly critical, especially as the region prepares to host upcoming major international events, including Dubai Expo 2020 and the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.

We at Aramex know that these types of global conferences and events will put

pressure on the logistics industry to move goods and services more efficiently, so we fully support the region’s goal to reduce energy consumption. One way we are doing this is by continuing to update and convert the Aramex fleet to more environmentally friendly vehicles, including low emission vehicles. We also do our best to utilise vehicles that rely on natural gas to further reduce our emissions. In 2014, we also hosted our eco-driving training in Dubai.

This training includes different ways to reduce emissions from fuel through driving techniques. We are currently measuring the effectiveness of the training on our fuel consumption, and plan to expand the scheme in 2015.

Enumerate some of the initiatives and steps taken by Aramex to reinforce compliance.

Our team is always working to expand our compliance and policies to include environmental considerations. For example, we adhere to the principles of various global organisations, including the UN Global Compact, Caring for Climate, the World Economic Forum’s framework on the decarbonisation of the logistics industry, Social

In 2006, Hattar took on the role of chief projects officer and helped establish the sustainability team. He also led the team that developed Aramex’s first Sustainability Report (2006), which is the first of its kind in the entire region.

In line with the company’s commitment to leadership in sustainability, and as part of its contribution to the UN Global Compact initiative, Hattar was given the position of Aramex’s chief sustainability and Compliance Officer in 2008 to lead the company’s ambitious sustainability strategy that aims to build on the company’s fully sustainable business model, highlighting the importance of including the interests of all stakeholders.

As part of his position he established the compliance team at Aramex and build the compliance program for the company in-line with the highest international standards which allowed Aramex to comply with all its stakeholders’ compliance requirements.

Hattar is an active member of the company’s global management team, and has extensive knowledge in corporate practices and in-depth understanding of current and future market trends.

Logistics News ME | November 2015 | 57

CSR

Accountability 8000 and the International Labor Organisation’s convention. These are just a few examples of our commitment to adopting only the highest standards of compliance in sustainability.

In fact, our adherence to these global organisations ensured that have not received any non-compliance fines related to the environment to date. This success was due to the team’s sheer dedication to ensuring that Aramex’s compliance programmes fully adhere to the highest international standards.

How are you enforcing and monitoring sustainability strategies at Aramex?

From a business operations perspective, we rely on the benchmarks and guidelines developed by the international groups we are members of to effectively measure our overall impact on the environment. This means that we are able to ensure that we are adopting and executing international best practice across our operations and reduce our energy output to a level that meets the criteria of these groups.

What does sustainability imply for Aramex?

Aramex’s commitment to sustainability is embedded in our values and is at the heart of our business. We recognise that to meet our business objectives and to continue to grow we must serve and sustain the markets and communities that we operate in to create a balance between economic success, environmental protection and social responsibility.

Why is sustainability important for Aramex?

At Aramex, sustainability is at the core of everything we do. It is an important part of our company culture and helps us drive a more sustainable, and consequently more successful, business. We are continuously looking for ways to add value to the markets and communities we serve on a global and regional scale and believe that the more we give back the more we benefit as a business.

How are Aramex competitors and other companies in general faring on this front?

Recently companies across industries have increased their investment in sustainability.

As natural resources continue to deplete and climate change becomes more pressing on government agendas internationally, both global and regional companies are becoming increasingly aware of the role they can play

58 | Logistics News ME | November 2015

in combating climate change by reducing their carbon footprint.

In the logistics industry specifically, more and more companies are becoming involved in sustainability efforts. Through our membership at the World Economic Forum, we partnered with competitors to identify solutions that reduce our overall carbon footprint. As a result of this joint effort, we established strategies and plans to cut down our carbon emissions across the logistics sector.

What are the current and future trends in these fields?

With global climate change action becoming increasingly important on government agendas, the logistics and transportation industry has a crucial role to play in reducing overall fuel emissions, oil and gas consumption and impact on climate change.

For example, we are seeing mobile penetration surge in emerging economies in the Asia-Pacific and Africa, as businesses and consumers buy more goods and services from their mobile phones instead of visiting retail outlets. With mobile apps and other digital solutions increasingly becoming preferable for businesses and consumers around the world, there is a significant opportunity for logistics players to develop innovative technologies to appeal to this demand and ensure their business models are growing sustainably.

What is your vision in the sustainability and compliance realm for Aramex?

At Aramex, we believe compliance is critical to the success of any business’ sustainability program. For a business to truly make a significant impact on the environment it is important its operations adhere to the highest standards of international best practice in the field of sustainability. We are a global company with a global focus, which is why we ensure that we are complying with the latest global sustainability standards.

How do you perceive your role at Aramex in light of your memberships at the UN Global Compact and UN Global Compact 10 Principles working groups?

Since we joined the UN Global Compact in 2007, we have worked closely with the UN Global Compact to set up and launch local networks in areas where they do not exist.

Recently, we helped launched a UNGC local network in Tanzania, Jordan, Lebanon and the UAE. The launch came through a partnership between Aramex, the UNGC and the Chamber of Commerce in an event that included 60 different companies, NGOs and governmental entities. We are also working to ensure we are aligned with universal principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption by abiding by all UN Global Compact 10 principles working groups.

CSR

According to Aramex’s tracking and logging team: Paper consumption for 2014 was reduced by

Since 2009,

179 tons

of paper have been saved from reducing the usage of domestic shipment AWBs

16% The size of Aramex’s waybills has been reduced by

70%

Number of Sustainability partners

78% of the fleet is now made up of low emission vehicles

Electricity consumption per shipment in 2014 decreased by

9%

Fuel consumption per shipment in 2014 decreased by

13%

100+

As a result of using teleconferencing to reduce the number of business trips across the network, business travel related emissions has decreased by

33%

Logistics News ME | November 2015 | 59

Commercial Vehicles

Unleashing MAN-Power Thanks to its durability, dependability and deftness and its growing popularity in the Middle East, MAN Truck and Bus commercial vehicles are rapidly gaining traction. The company is now revving up for runaway growth in the region.

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his year the German motor powerhouse MAN Truck and Bus celebrates its centennial anniversary of manufacturing commercial vehicles. Even though the company is more than 250 years old, the company’s first trucks and busses went out of the production line in the summer of 1915.

Logistics News Middle East spoke exclusively to Franz Freiherr Von Redwitz, managing director, MAN Truck and Bus, Middle East and Africa, ahead of the manufacturer’s participation in PMV 2015, the leading Plant, Machinery and Vehicles Show in the Middle East to be staged in Dubai in November in tandem with The Big 5.

“In the last four years of our participation in the show, PMV has proven to be one of the best exhibitions to engage with customers from the logistics sector in the Middle East region. As a transport solutions provider we find a majority of our local and regional existing customers and potential new MAN users visiting the show because it combines a multitude of sectors in the logistics business and visitors appreciate the one-stop shopping principle,” remarks Von Redwitz making the case for MAN’s participation in the event.

MAN will showcase both its legacy and heritage commercial vehicles on attaining its 100th anniversary milestone. It being the 100th year of operations, the company will exhibit pieces of its history and a highlight will be a choice of heavy transportation vehicles of its current range, the MAN TGX— dubbed the ‘truck of the future’. MAN will also launch its new MAN Telematics fleet management system for the Middle East and showcase its ProfiDrive concept as well as its other sophisticated solutions.

In the Middle East, the most popular commercial vehicle for logistics involving long transport routes is the tractor head in 60 | Logistics News ME | November 2015

MAN Commercial vehicles which were on display at The Big 5

6x4 drive configuration with up to 480 HP. Combined with a tipping semi-trailer, this combination is ideal for specific requirements of the Middle East. For concrete mixers the company offers 6x4 and 8x4 configurations depending on the drum size required by the end user. Concrete pump chassis in 6x4, 8x4 and 10x4 are also in the MAN Middle East product portfolio.

On the show MAN will exhibit the EURO

5 MAN TGX 6x4 tractor head with a gross combination weight of 180 ton, ideal for the abnormal and heavy transport in the logistics industry. Even though this vehicle represents the future for the Middle East, it has been fully adapted for the Middle East market.

“This generation of truck will be more fuel efficient and at the same time reduce exhaust emissions significantly due to the optimised exhaust gas cleaning process, series delivery

Commercial Vehicles

of this type will be launched in late 2016,” affirms Von Redwitz.

MAN will also debut its first EURO 5 truck into the UAE which requires first of all the availability of the right fuel quality. “Of course the provision of higher quality fuel is costly and the costs will have to be carried by the logistics companies who need to have a benefit from using the new technology,” cautioned Von Redwitz.

With the recent announcement from pan Gulf Standardisation Organisation (GSO) for the implementation of the Euro IV emission norm for all heavy commercial vehicles in 2017, Von Redwitz says MAN is now looking forward to the cleaner air initiative which will considerably reduce vehicle emissions in line with new standards and criteria.

In Germany the company has launched the MAN TipMatic TX, the new generation of automated gearboxes for the new generation EURO 6 engines. “In the Middle East the MAN offers the TipMatic, especially designed for off-road application which helps to further reduce fuel costs, provides more driving comfort, allows the driver to focus on the road and thus increases the driving safety,” asserts Von Redwitz.

Another safety related feature is the ABS breaking technology for off-road which allows considerably shorter breaking distances to be achieved on unsurfaced surfaces. Another new feature is the paver brake which ensures on level or slightly sloped surfaces that when loading (asphalt feeding) a road paver, the last axle of the truck remains constantly in contact with the rollers of the road paver.

At MAN, with its engineering team constantly providing innovative solutions, the company works extensively with European and local body builders for ease and sturdiness of body installation. “In the logistics realm this is one of our main USPs together with the robustness and traction capability of our vehicles,” avers Von Redwitz.

MAN’s biggest markets in the Middle East are currently Saudi Arabia, UAE and Oman because of their volume size and economic and infrastructural activity in high gear. In Qatar and Bahrain the company continues to perform well—doubling its volume over the previous year and thus increasing its market share significantly.

There is already an MAN assembly plant in Saudi Arabia in collaboration with local partner Haji Husein Alireza subsidiary SAMCO which commenced operations in 2009 with a capacity of 3000 vehicles annually. Without elaborating, Von Redwitz also indicates that MAN will be increasing its service network

An old MAN Truck and the new MAN TGS WW Mixer

MAN F2000 new generation trucks recently delivered to the UAE

and have new workshop openings planned in 2016 all over the region.

With the diversification of different industries and the growth in population the company foresees that the demand for logistics and commercial vehicles will also correspondingly increase. One aspect is the increase of goods distribution which will affect the long and short haul transport and the other is the increased demand in infrastructure and housing

from which the logistics sector will benefit.

“Our message to the transport community is that MAN is the reliable choice for logistics operations because we have a rich history and a strong cultural heritage as a manufacturing company and in the region we have strong partners we work with for over four decades and who understand our products and our customers’ needs perfectly,” restates Von Redwitz.

Logistics News ME | November 2015 | 61

Comment

Talent Tracking & Traceability

Headhunter Brian Cartwright, Managing Director, MEA at the Logistics Executive Group, highlights issues that come to the fore when companies seek supply chain talent.

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eal time data capture and analysis is a key factor in managing an efficient Supply Chain and making continuous improvements.

Could more organisations benefit from applying similar principles to their People Supply Chain when it comes to recruiting?

Many organisations have systems in place to track lead times from identification of a vacancy through to onboarding, number of applicants, sources of candidates and other requirements. This is useful if you want to speed up the internal recruitment process or identify choke points, but aside from that this information is very limited, especially considering that you will have invested a lot of time in the hiring process and are missing key information which will help with future decision making and ultimately business growth.

With the right systems and processes in place for capturing better data you could place your organisation many steps ahead of the competition when it comes to winning the talent war.

Here’s The People Supply Chain list of useful data to track, capture, and analyse for your organisations future hiring benefit!

Candidate hotspots Where in the world are the majority of suitably qualified potential candidates based for the specific role you are trying to hire for.

Generating a birds-eye view of which locations in the world are home to the people with the skills you require will save copious amounts of time (and money) on future searches for similar roles.

Applications Vs approaches Where did each candidate come from and how many applied themselves directly versus those who were actively approached?

This is great data in order to see how proactive you were at finding people.

It’s also useful to see just how many people want to work for your organisation in

62 | Logistics News ME | November 2015

Industry verticals Which industries are the people with the skills you require mainly coming from?

Depending on the function this could be limited to just a few verticals or it could be vast… either way this is essential knowledge for future targeted hiring!

Reasons why candidates were declined Why weren’t people interested in the job when approached? Perhaps the package is below the market rate, perhaps your expectations of skills and experience are too high, perhaps the location isn’t appealing enough or perhaps your employer brand needs improving?

The list goes on, but the point is that if you know the core factors you can work on making changes for the future.

Brian Cartwright the advertised role and where they are coming from. Maybe potential applicants have a better impression of your organisation in some countries than they do in others, or your organisation is more visible in certain markets.

Skills gaps & diversity We live and work in a world where skills gaps are everywhere and we are constantly losing vast amounts of skills and experience across many industries as the older generation retires from the workplace without enough sufficiently qualified people to take their place. By monitoring certain demographics throughout a hiring process organisation’s can track potential skills gaps amongst various groups of people for specific functions with the benefit of being able to predict future skills gaps and provide training and development opportunities where necessary.

Reasons for rejection It’s very important to know why your organisation rejected certain applicants, (I am talking about the applicants who had close enough experience to make it through to the later stages of the hiring process, not the hundreds of people who applied but didn’t pass the initial CV screening) it could be as simple as they lacked specific key skills and experience… but if that applies to the vast majority of candidates then it’s a good indicator that you really are asking for too much in a person.

Perhaps the person with all of the skills and experience that you are looking for, simply doesn’t exist!

I recently learnt an excellent German expression that sums this up perfectly...

“Eierlegende Wollmilchsau” Google it, or ask a German colleague!

Derived from the People Supply Chain blog, created and owned by Brian Cartwright, MD, Middle East and Africa at the Logistics Executive Group based in Dubai’s Knowledge Village

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Mohamed Abdulrahman Al-Bahar