Navigator 55

NAVIGATOR ISSUE 55 | NOVEMBER 2014

Together we go places

Mutual benefits club Safmarine India’s strategic focus

Strong partnerships Six global customers in the spotlight

Building communities Corporate Social Responsibility in the USA

Safmarine Hercules Trophy Excitement, celebration and team spirit A day in the life of Jarek Lecki - Safmarine India customers - Global Service Centres - Living ORANGE

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FROM THE BRIDGE

CONTENTS

From the bridge

7 GLOBAL SERVICE CENTRES Ankur Seth talks about the origin of the GSCs and how he sees their role developing in the future.

GOING THE EXTRA MILE

This issue of Navigator is bursting with stories about Safmariners from all over the world supporting each other to get the job done – whether it’s going the extra mile for a customer or helping teammates over the finishing line.

10 SAFMARINE HERCULES TROPHY 2014 230 participants from over 90 countries - with 1,100 Safmariners helping to make it all happen.

20 THE IMPORTANCE OF TEAMWORK Safmariners from France and South Africa talk about support and knowledge sharing.

30 WORKING TOWARDS THE SAME GOAL How the Manila GSC team and the office in Brazil deliver the Safmarine brand together.

32 PORT OF CALL: FELIXSTOWE We visit the UK’s busiest container port, which is the sixth largest in Europe.

36 CHAMPIONING TALENT The partnership between Italy’s ‘Eye to Work’ project and Safmarine Italy results in a very good match.

EDITORIAL EDITORS-IN-CHIEF: Russell Gillespie, Safmarine Nanette Hale, The Voice Company MANAGING EDITORS: Adam Due, Safmarine Fiona Tod, The Voice Company

Website: www.safmarine.com E-mail: SCLLHOUSE@safmarine.com

DESIGN & LAYOUT Rasmus Christensen, Rotate

Editorial contributions should be sent to the above e-mail address.

Photo credits: Where nothing else is indicated, Safmarine, The Voice Company and iStock.

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PUBLISHED BY Safmarine Amaliegade 43 1256 Copenhagen Telephone: +45 3398 7600

ISSUE 55

All rights reserved. Reproduction of this magazine in whole or in part is prohibited without the prior written permission of Safmarine.

Copyright © 2014 Safmarine COVER PICTURE: Priya Kulkami (GSC Mumbai) and her Safmarine teammates Mikael Skallber (left) and Michael Jacobsen (right) from The Vikings at the Safmarine Hercules Trophy 2014 opening ceremony in Munich.

Grant Daly awarding medals to the Funktastics for Best Supporters’ Photo at the Safmarine Hercules Trophy 2014 award ceremony in Munich. Left to right: Grant Daly, Syed Anas ul Islam, Linda Van Heumen and Geofrey Mwakoba.

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he Safmarine spirit and sense of strong partnerships are great contributors to setting Safmarine apart from other companies in our industry – and they help us perform even better. We’ve had great results this year thanks to your teamwork and your effort and commitment to deliver the Safmarine brand consistently. But we don’t just need to look at the balance sheet to tell us that.

From reading your stories in this issue of Navigator about close teamwork and the smart initiatives to create solid customer partnerships, it’s easy to see why our customers all over the world are big fans of Safmarine.

Going the extra mile Creating global consistency in customer

experience, and securing a platform from which to globalise best practices, have been key focus areas this year. The engagement and commitment from Safmariners in the clusters and the SCOPE teams in the Global Service Centres in Chengdu, Chennai, Manila and Mumbai in being part of these efforts, is quite phenomenal.

Thanks to your hard work and readiness to go the extra mile, our goal of securing a consistent global customer experience is progressing impressively.

New friends, new networks Hercules embodies the passion, purpose and commitment of Safmariners. It’s about people making a difference, being in a global organisation, strengthening friendships and broadening networks – qualities that

reflect the true spirit of the Safmarine family.

This year’s Safmarine Hercules Trophy was yet again an incredible event. The participants delivered a Herculean performance, the organisers planned meticulously to ensure the event ran smoothly, and the supporters in the clusters, the Global Service Centres and at head office got involved in helping to make this an exciting, global and truly interactive experience. Thank you all for your outstanding efforts.

Happy reading!

Best wishes, Grant Daly CEO

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CUSTOMER PARTNERSHIPS

CUSTOMER PARTNERSHIPS

BUILDING STRONG CUSTOMER PARTNERSHIPS By placing the customer at the core of our thinking and actions, we can inspire customer loyalty and strengthen the Safmarine brand. In this issue of Navigator, we look at how Safmarine is building strong partnerships with six different customers around the world.

LESCHACO | LEXZAU

UTI WORLDWIDE AND ANSELL

SWIFT FREIGHT

ATZ

L eschaco | Lexzau is a German forwarder focusing on the German chemical industry. They have been a Safmarine customer since the early 1960s. As Safmarine added more destinations and services, Leschaco | Lexzau broadened their global network. The growth of both companies resulted in new business opportunities being identified, including the consolidation of chemicals into containers.

U Ti Worldwide is a forwarder that is headquartered in the USA with 313 offices and 245 logistics centres in 59 countries. Ansell is an Australian company that designs, develops and manufactures gloves, clothing and condoms. Safmarine has been moving cargo for UTi Worldwide and Ansell for nearly 10 years in Europe, Africa, the USA and Indian subcontinent region, and was recognised as ‘Partner Of The Year’ by both companies earlier this year.

S wift Freight is an Indian forwarder carrying cargo to the USA, the Far and Middle East, South America, Europe and Africa. They are one of the top three carriers in the India-USA trade lane and the number three consolidator in South India. Swift focuses on Full Container Load (FCL) and Less-Than-Container-Load (LCL) shipments – sourcing business from shippers, consignees, Clearing House Agents (CHAs) and brokers.

A TZ Shipping Trade and Transport is an Indian forwarder that primarily handles cargo on the India-USA trade lane. In addition, ATZ ships stationery, books and used clothing to Africa, which is becoming a growing market.

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Elvira Precht-Hugo (left) and Petra Laue (right) from Leschaco | Lexzau Consolidated Cargo department with Ralph Berger of Safmarine.

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hile Safmarine and Leschaco | Lexzau recognised the huge potential of consolidating chemicals from different companies and loading sites, they were also quick to realise that it would require Safmarine to go the extra mile. Leschaco | Lexzau, as the forwarder, needed to have as much time as possible to collect the goods, particularly when trying to meet the growing demand for consolidated weekly cargo containers to move through high-volume ports such as Jebel Ali, Nhava Sheva, Colombo, Chennai and Durban.

Red-carpet treatment Safmarine realised the best way to serve this business was to take a proactive approach, which is provided by Ralph Berger (Customer Service BCO, Safmarine Germany). “There are three areas where I have managed to deliver enhanced customer experience,” explains Ralph. “Firstly, I give Leschaco | Lexzau what I call the ‘red-carpet treatment’. I closely monitor the status of bookings by making sure things have been done on time and checking if there’s anything missing. Secondly, I call the customer about things like impending deadlines, as a friendly reminder. This may seem simple, but it’s worth the effort in the end, and the customer really appreciates it.

Thirdly, I visit the customer more often. This means you’re more than just a voice on the phone, and you can develop a closer relationship with them.”

According to Ralph, these initiatives have created a feeling of trust.

“Leschaco | Lexzau can relax because they know that we’re on top of things.”

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rthur Bredehoft (Director of Key Account Sales, Safmarine North America) is responsible for the UTi Worldwide account, and is quick to acknowledge the dedication shown by his colleagues. “The teams in support functions around the world are engaged and take full responsibility for this business,” says Arthur.

“We would not be successful without their efforts.” For Arthur, leadership is the key to getting results, which involves bringing the right people together in a collaborative effort. “UTi Worldwide and Ansell have 100 Safmariners around the world working with them at any one time,” he explains. “In shipping, things are not in neat little boxes; they’re all over the place – like a wiring board of stakeholders and their connections to and from the customer.” According to Arthur, this complex network of relationships needs constant nurturing. “Ongoing communication back and forth is what keeps the energy flowing through the entire diagram,” he says.

wift has been a Safmarine customer since 2004. According to Harish Pandeya (CEO, Swift Freight), Safmarine makes a real difference to his business by providing market knowledge. “It’s nice to know that there are people like Safmariners who help you with the right kind of business intelligence,” he says.

Peace of mind “Let me give you an example,” says Harish. “A lot of rice goes out of India, especially to East and West Africa. The thing with rice is that it is bought, loaded into the containers and shipped before there is a definite buyer at the receiving end. All negotiations take place through “It’s nice to know that there the commodity traders while the goods are on the water. This makes the rice are people like trade from India to East and West Safmariners Africa more unpredictable – and high risk – in nature. We recently had a large who help you.” shipment of rice that went to a West Harish Pandeya African port. The trader was new to us CEO, Swift Freight and the outstanding payable amount was quite considerable. Safmarine provided us with information about the consignee simply to put our minds at rest that it wasn’t some phantom buyer, but someone who would pay their bill. That’s really going the extra mile.”

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TZ and Safmarine’s partnership started in 2005. And, according to Zenita Machado (Director, ATZ), she’s not an easy customer. “I’ve worked in shipping for 34 years in almost all positions. And sometimes I catch myself suggesting ways of doing this and that, and then realise I should take off that shipping cap!” she chuckles.

Personal touch Zenita is a people person and got into shipping because it is a people business. And it’s this quality that she admires the most about Safmarine. “They have the personal touch, and they’re there when you need them. It’s very frustrating if you have to dial your fingers blue trying to get hold of a live person.”

Arthur Bredehoft accepts the Partner Of The Year award from UTi Worldwide’s Diane Bennett (left) and Ansell’s Andrew Gillespie (right).

Voted #1 partner worldwide Just before his retirement, Chas Deller (Global Vice President, Oceanfreight Procurement UTi Worldwide) explains why UTi and Ansell presented Safmarine with the award. “We run a scorecard programme in our branches, and our staff rated Safmarine as the number one partner worldwide. So it was obvious that we should recognise them for their good work.” According to Chas, many carriers put themselves first and fit customers in boxes, whereas Safmarine designs solutions around the customer. “Safmariners always put themselves in the customer’s shoes,” he says. “We place our customer at the core of our thinking and this fits with Safmarine’s guiding principles. It’s a marriage made in heaven!”

Zenita Machado (Director, ATZ) and her Safmarine Account Manager Pradeep Bhatia.

Harish Pandeya (left) of Swift Freight and Sajit Namboodri (right), Regional Sales Manager for West India, Safmarine.

With good service and on time deliveries being the key differentiator for many forwarders, Zenita stresses the importance of having a partner she can rely on. “Anyone can handle anything when it goes well. It’s when it goes wrong that you need the right partner,” she says. “Most carriers have identical equipment and the transit times can vary by one or two days – which is important but it’s not the be all and end all. But, if I’m facing a tough situation, I need to be able to reach out to people who will care about my problem and work with me to find a solution. That’s what Safmarine delivers.”

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CUSTOMER PARTNERSHIPS

GLOBAL SERVICE CENTRES

SAN MIGUEL

GMG INVESTMENTS

S an Miguel was established in 1954 in San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina. They are the largest lemon exporter in the Southern Hemisphere and own over 7,500 hectares of citrus fruit plantations in Argentina, Uruguay and South Africa. As part of their expansion plans, San Miguel set up operations in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, where the company exports produce to Mediterranean countries in Europe and the Middle East.

GMG Investments is a Singapore-based natural rubber producer with more than 48,000 hectares of rubber plantations located across Africa and Asia. They operate 12 rubber-processing plants in Thailand, Indonesia, Cameroon, Gabon and Ivory Coast with an annual capacity of 482,000 tonnes. Their customers include some of the world’s top tyre manufacturers and medical equipment companies.

Safmarine’s Account Executive Bridget Booth (right) with Alejandro Lucas (Country Manager, San Miguel).

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ridget Booth, Safmarine’s Account Executive in Port Elizabeth, looks after the San Miguel account, which has been growing steadily in volumes year on year. Safmarine provides San Miguel with a ‘farm to port’ solution that includes road haulage – an important part of the solution. “We’ve been San Miguel’s preferred carrier since 2009. In fact, we helped with its very first export out of South Africa,” says Bridget.

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MG Investments and Safmarine have been growing together since 2011 with a focus on the West African market and – according to Lim Wan Jun (Customer Service Executive, Safmarine Singapore) – the relationship between the two companies is based on mutual trust. “If we identify any documentation errors, short shipments, or are informed about port restrictions, we immediately highlight it to GMG Investments with proposed solutions,” says Lim Wan Jun. “This means GMG Investments trust that we are actively looking for solutions and will revert back to them, resulting in a winwin for all stakeholders.”

Knowledge-sharing session Due to business expansion, GMG Investments added new employees to their logistics team earlier this year. Safmarine’s Malaysia Cluster Customer Service Manager, Ms. Koo Oi Foong, suggested to GMG Investments that she conduct a shipping knowledge-sharing session to give their new employees a better understanding of the shipping industry.

The session covered coordination of bookings, types of containers, a step-by-step guide to the whole shipping process, and what’s included in rates. “It was a really good knowledge-sharing session.

We learned a lot and appreciate Safmarine for suggesting and organising this initiative,” says Chua Wei Yang (Logistics Specialist, GMG Investments).

Support from the start Alejandro Lucas (Country Manager, San Miguel) has fond memories of this time. “I’ll never forget when I received a call from Bridget Booth and Michelle Everton shortly after my arrival in South Africa,” recalls Alejandro. “We didn’t have an office – let alone a coffee machine! Nevertheless, these two ladies had the vision that San Miguel would one day become a significant player in the South African market. I like to think back to this funny story because Safmarine and San Miguel have been growing together in close partnership ever since.”

With San Miguel growing exponentially due to new acquisition opportunities, volumes are set to increase even further. According to Alejandro, it is Safmarine that plays a key role in this development. “Safmarine is in the heart and mind of San Miguel because they have been with us since our inception. They are a key strategic partner who actively contribute to our growth.”

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It’s been a significant year for Safmarine with the rollout of SCOPE in the clusters and the Global Service Centres (GSCs). Ankur Seth leads the migration programme for customer service and sales. He spoke to the Navigator team about the origin and the future of the GSCs.

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he Maersk GSC office in Mumbai is on the fifth floor of a tall office building in the Airoli district. “We only moved into these offices about three months ago, so we still need to sort out the office space,” says Ankur Seth (GSC SCOPE Programme Delivery Lead).

Industry pioneers Having previously worked in the finance sector for heavyweights such as Bank of America and Standard Chartered Bank, Ankur has been able to use his expertise in the area of offshoring to benefit Safmarine’s migration programme. “The first GSC kicked off in 1998 at a time when financial services companies in the West were starting to move back-office operations to India.

Shipping companies weren’t really doing it, so you could say we were the pioneers in the industry,” says Ankur. Today, there are seven GSC sites that serve many of the companies within the Maersk Group in 221 countries. The locations of the GSCs were chosen specifically to cater for differences in time zones, languages and culture.

Service provider to business partner The biggest milestone for the GSCs and the shipping industry was in 2012 when

the GSCs took over business process ownership (BPO) from head office. This meant that the GSCs went from working as a service provider for the clusters (where the cluster is an internal customer), to working together with the clusters in a business partnership. “Culturally, that was a big move for the GSCs,” says Ankur. “We realised there’s only one customer – the one who pays the bill.”

This led to further migration the following year when Safmarine set up combined commercial capabilities in the GSCs, bringing sales and customer services together to support the clusters. “The new setup allows us to create differentiation in the market through consistent first-class service,” says Ankur. “By working as a team with Safmariners in the clusters, and directly with the customer, we can close the deal together and provide extensive and great services, making customers happy so they come back again and again.”

Notable improvements According to Ankur, customers are already seeing the difference. The GSCs regularly receive e-mails from customers thanking them for their quick response. But it’s

“There’s only one customer - the one who pays the bill.”

Ankur Seth

been a long journey to get this far.

“It’s not as if everything is in place just because training is coming to an end,” says Ankur. “It’s just the beginning.”

As most of the GSC staff are relatively new, Safmarine aims to send subject specialists from each cluster to spend time transferring knowledge to the teams. This is an essential step in the migration process because the subject specialists can give insights into their country’s culture and their customers’ specific needs – and train the GSCs on how business is done locally.

Building trust and team spirit As in all organisations, new people might make mistakes in the beginning, and Ankur recognises that this can be annoying for the clusters. “But the main thing – and the leadership teams here and in the clusters

What’s it like working at the GSCs?

“Safmarine is in the heart and mind of San Miguel…they are a key strategic partner who actively contribute to our growth.”

Alejandro Lucas Country Manager, San Miguel

TAKING THE LEAD – TOGETHER AS A TEAM

“There’s a real buzz of energy at the GSC in Mumbai – it’s exciting to be part of it.”

Left to right: Maggie Wang, Candy Tan, Safmarine’s Koo Oi Foong, Wang Ying Ting, Safmarine’s Lim Wan Jun (front), Susan Tan (back), Jasmine Loh, Voo Mun Yee and Chua Wei Yang.

As a follow up to the session, Safmarine Singapore is organising a port visit so that GMG Investments’ new team members can see shipping operations in action. “The GMG Investments team is very excited about it,” says Lim Wan Jun. “Our success depends on their success, and we’re doing this because we want customers to feel that we care for their business and will go the extra mile.” n

Nick Hayles Sales Specialist, Safmarine UK

“By working enthusiastically without restraint, focusing on growth of the organisation and believing that success can be achieved, we automatically become part of this team, this family.”

Priya Devi Process Manager, Sales – Chennai

“It was nice working at the GSC in Manila with other countries and cultures. There was a good mix of knowledge and experience.”

Khoudia Diop Cluster Manager, Safmarine NWA

“We are good team players who are reliable and focused, who listen actively, make an effort to achieve goals and help each other.”

Syed Wasay Delivery Manager, Customer Service – Manila

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GLOBAL SERVICE CENTRES

GLOBAL SERVICE CENTRES

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE FOR A GLOBAL MINDSET What does ‘interesting’ mean to a Brit? And what’s the most direct route if you need to move cargo from Qingdao to Cape Town? Two GSC managers talk about what it’s like being absorbed in a culture that might be far from your own – in miles as well as mindset. up time to give customers even more of the dedicated close personal contact that is synonymous with Safmarine.

The Navigator team captured the energy and passion of the GSC teams in Mumbai during a visit to their offices.

What’s it like working at the GSCs (continued)? are very aware of this – is to keep building relationships with our colleagues in the clusters,” he says.

There was plenty of opportunity for that earlier this year when a total of 18 people from the GSCs participated in Hercules. “That was a great experience,” says Ankur. “They got an injection of the Safmarine energy and spirit. Not only was it a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many of the participants from the GSCs, but Hercules also helps to build stronger relationships across the global organisation.”

Ready to break new ground – again So what’s next for the GSCs? According to Ankur, the next focus area is to change the GSCs’ mindset from an internal to an external perspective, focusing even more on customer needs. “It’s not just about how the GSCs perform in terms of productivity and turnaround time. It’s about what kind of impact we have on customers and on the business in partnership with the clusters.”

Ankur also wants to introduce further simplification and standardisation to provide customers with a more consistent experience globally. Ankur believes that working on consistency in experience across the markets is important to staying competitive and increasing market share. “But we can’t have a one-size-fits-all approach,” he says. “We have to work closely with the clusters to make it work.”

Another area that Ankur believes has significant potential for Safmarine is enhancing the GSCs’ commercial acumen. This will be done through collecting and analysing sales intelligence so that the insights will allow the clusters to be more focused. “We want to be the frontrunners in giving customers a differentiated service experience, and we can do this through a combination of the clusters spending even more time with the customers and the GSCs taking care of the back-office tasks and providing data that will help the clusters maximise their sales efforts,” says Ankur. “This is where we’ll really see a difference in the long run.” n

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“We acknowledge everyone’s contribution to group targets, and face difficulties by giving encouragement and looking for solutions together.”

Ford Yi Sales Support Manager – North Asia region

“Even though we work cross-culturally in different locations, we always provide the best level of customer service by using the unique ‘Safmarine way’.”

Michael Jiang Chengdu SCOPE Delivery Lead, Customer Experience

“I love the diversity. For me, diversity brings opportunity – an opportunity to learn and broaden your horizons.”

Bernard Malipot Process Manager, Sales – Manila

“We make sure that customers and colleagues are handled with the utmost care. We also take time to celebrate successes as a reminder of what got us over the finishing line.”

Gautam Mehra Process Manager, Sales – Mumbai

“The Living ORANGE culture promotes having fun as a team, and we do this in the office by celebrating festivals and taking part in fun activities – which brings us closer together.”

Samiksha Bal German Language Specialist – Mumbai

Satyaue Paul (left) and Vipin Vijayan (right) who manage the GSC South Africa team.

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s soon as the doors swing open to the GSC in Mumbai, there is an unmistakable buzz of activity.

With 300 people answering e-mails, giving quotes and serving customers under the banners of German, British, Swedish, Dutch and Swiss flags, this busy office could easily be mistaken for the headquarters of the United Nations.

The South African flag is the latest addition.

It’s flying in an area of the office reserved for a team of 88 people. The sign-off of South Africa’s SCOPE project is scheduled for the last week of 2014. It will be Safmarine’s 45th sign-off and the 8th for the Mumbai GSC – joining the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Scandinavia, India, UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Expert cultural training Satyaue Paul (Process Manager, Sales) and Vipin Vijayan (Cluster Manager, Customer Exprience) are responsible for training the GSC South Africa team. “It’s classroom training for the first couple of weeks where colleagues from the Southern Africa cluster teach us about the country, its culture, and how business is done there,” Vipin

explains. This is followed by eight weeks of activity-based training with trainers sitting alongside the GSC team as well as remote coaching provided by their South African colleagues. “Then the GSC team has four weeks of ‘hypercare’, which is when they build up to doing tasks to the point where both teams feel confident. After that, they’re ready to fly!”

Although the GSCs do not have face-toface contact with customers, they are trained to recognise that no two customers are the same and to expect new challenges as customers (and their requirements) can change. This is where teamwork between the GSCs and the Safmariners in the clusters comes into play. “About 30 per cent of the tasks will surprise you, so standardisation can only take you so far,” says Satyaue. “And that 30 per cent, that’s where our teammates in the clusters can help us out,” adds Vipin. “We need to remember that they’ve done this for the last 20 years or more. And we can’t learn all of that in just eight weeks.”

International diplomacy Working with so many different countries and cultures is having an interesting affect on Vipin and Satyaue. Thanks to cultural training, Satyaue now knows that when a South African says ‘hundreds’, they mean ‘sure’ or ‘100 per cent’. And when a Brit says that something is ‘inter“We’ve Delivering consistent service esting’, they’re not necessarily almost become For Satyaue, the most interreferring to a good thing.

South African! esting part of the process is We even cheer for the activity-based training Each team in the GSC gets the South African cricket team.” (or ‘dual process work’), very attached to their ‘adoptVipin Vijayan where the team put everything ed’ country. “We’ve almost bethey’ve learned into practice. “It’s come South African!” laughs Vipin. like letting go of your baby to see if it “We even cheer for the South African can walk by itself,” he grins. But it’s these cricket team.” In addition to the Southern first few baby steps that pave the way for Africa cluster, Satyaue works with clusters a level of service that is unprecedented in in the UK, the Netherlands, Scandinavia the shipping world. “By partnering with the and Belgium. This requires a certain amount clusters and with TnM (Trade and Marof diplomacy during international sporting keting), we ensure that customers get a events – like the World Cup. “If one of my consistent experience and an even better countries is playing, it’s easy. But if two of service – like faster quoting, for example,” my countries are playing against each other, explains Satyaue. This, combined with then it becomes difficult. I tell my teams Safmariners within clusters not having to that I’ll cheer on whoever gives me the best worry about systems and contracts, frees goodie bag!” says Satyaue with a smile. n

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SAFMARINE HERCULES TROPHY 2014

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ver 230 participants from more than 90 countries took part in this year’s Safmarine Hercules Trophy in Munich. The participants included Safmariners (clusters and head office), shared function and GSC colleagues and customers – CEVA Logistics, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics and UTi Worldwide.

The event gave Safmariners an opportunity to celebrate the success of 2013, and meet and network with colleagues from around the world.

The teams competed against each other during the day, and then came together in the evening to enjoy the afterparty and celebrations.

Over 1,100 Safmariners played a big part in making the event happen. They were engaged in the qualifying rounds, selecting their representatives and cheering their teams on. A true reflection of the heart and soul of the Safmarine culture.

Left to right: Prudence Mabanga, Felix Reinacher, Ifeanyi Joshua Paul and Marceline Dubila of the G8 Gladiators.

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As the following pages testify, the Safmarine Hercules Trophy is about teambuilding and goes hand in hand with Guiding Principle No. 3: being committed to working as a team, improving as a team, sharing our successes as a team and having fun as a team.

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SAFMARINE HERCULES TROPHY 2014

SAFMARINE HERCULES TROPHY 2014

THE LOCATION: MUNICH

THE LABOURS

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Flipit: Flip the cube as many times as possible in two minutes.

The Orange Campari team shows how it’s done, using teamwork and rhythm.

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Left to right: Hristo Ivanov Tsarev, Lorenzo Gardella, Florin Dinu, Boyan Bikov, Ferdis Cuban-Gazi and Vlad Carpen.

Eliminator: A game of endurance where the aim is to be the last one standing.

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The Safmarine Hercules Trophy 2014 participants gather together during the opening ceremony for an energising warm-up, which included dancing and singing.

Tchouckball: This blend of handball, volleyball and squash tests your reflexes – all at the same time.

“It was an amazing experience. We met people from all over the world. Not only was it great fun, but it gave us a better understanding of Safmarine.”

Clayton Rodrigues (Sales Team Manager - Netherlands cluster, GSC)

Michael Jacobsen of The Vikings launches himself mid-air ready to score a point for his team.

Left to right: Pierre-Eric Papoz, Mikael Skallberg, Don Jeoffrey C Albelda, Priya Kulkarni, Keval Sodha and Michael Jacobsen.

Cross country: The giant bouncy castle is actually an obstacle course that tests grit, determination and teamwork.

4 Some of the participants (GSC team in Mumbai and Safmariners), left to right: Priya Kulkami, Andrea Rutzer, Gautam Mehra, Harish Vookalega, Schweta Ashok Savant, Clayton Rodrigues, Binal Suchak and Dayrina Schnitzler.

The event kicked off at one of Munich’s famous beer gardens where participants registered before meeting up with their fellow teammates from across the globe.

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Michael Simpson of Bleedin’ Orange times his jump perfectly on the Eliminator.

Left to right: Partha Chowdhury, Pankaj Rawat, Syed Abbas J (bottom), Amanda Smith, Lauren Chambers and Michael Simpson.

Anouk Van Rooyen of the The Tigers gets a helping hand from teammates.

Left to right: Marc-Oliver Kroenke, Gaitrie Silva Insua Nagesar, Anouk Van Rooyen, Uranee Karnkunakorn, Grant Daly and Martin Bisgaard.

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SAFMARINE HERCULESTROPHY 2014

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Polyvolley: A multiple twist on volleyball, Polyvolley tests agility, reflexes and your ability to communicate as a team.

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Emrah Cafer of the Winners goes for a smash.

Segway: A relay race using personal transporters that whizz around a track, testing balance and driving skills.

Sabre: This super-fast version of fencing is considered a martial art.

Left to right: Andrew Woodward, Vighnesh Kinathi, Greg Barton, Harish Vookalega, Shweta Ashok Sawant and Kamila Bouazit.

Left to right: Gokce Tuygun, Sibte Hassan, Emrah Cafer, Gozde Sevim Ayanoglu, Marwan Mero and Roberto Villera.

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Joy McKay (left) of Oceans United scores a point against Anouk Van Rooyen of The Tigers.

Left to right: Mohssina Suleman, Eunice Sebatane, Frederike Thedens, Joy McKay, Arman Houschmand and Mario Sperl.

Sbyke: A relay race using a skateboard/scooter hybrid that requires balance and speed.

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Human catapult: A team effort to launch tennis balls high into the air with a giant slingshot so teammates can catch as many as possible.

Jonathan Pan of Six Nations Army gives his team captain, Tsedeniya Woldehawariat a helping hand during a practice run.

Disc Golf: Complete the course in the fewest number of throws of the disc.

Left to right: Manesh Kumar Boojhowon, Hae Ok Kim, Jonathan Pan, Tsedeniya Woldehawariat, Yoshihiro Maruyama and Waiel Mohamed.

Kamila Bouazit (middle) of GBR Smashers has her eye on the ball.

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Kinball: A game where teams must work together to catch the giant ball before it touches the ground, taking team communication to the limit.

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Carolyn Kathewera of Safmarine Stingrays shows off her precision, accuracy skills – and sense of balance.

Shaun Engelbrecht of the Peanut Butter Shufflers hugs the corners to shave valuable seconds off his time.

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Left to right: Deborah Borchers, Morghan Brown, Bongi Thekiso, Cherlaine Gunkel, Shaun Engelbrecht and Amy Tarochione.

Left to right: Tim Johannes, Andre Vrijenhoek, Rutger den Hertog, Edward Davey, Kay Pothmann and Rene van Loon (bottom).

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The CEVA Logistics team doubles up on efforts to fire tennis balls to their teammate (Tim Johannes).

Left to right: Kei Wang Ho, Toni Tang Tat Au Yeung, Mahomed Bux, Carolyn Kathewera, Tracy Cui Ting He and Natasha Reddy.

Truck Pulling: Pull the truck over the finishing line in the quickest time possible. A test of strength and team communication.

Left to right: Felix Reinacher, Marceline Dubila, Prudence Mabanga, Agnetha Boch, Ifeanyi Joshua Paul and Stefanie Hofmann.

Stefanie Hofmann, Felix Reinacher, Ifeanyi Joshua Paul and Prudence Mabanga of the G6 Gladiators give it their all.

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XXXXX XXXX SAFMARINE HERCULES TROPHY 2014

SAFMARINE HERCULES XXXXX TROPHYXXXX 2014

TEAM TRIUMPHS The SAF Tsunami:

The Rising Suns:

How I Met Your Rollings:

The Rocketeers:

The Pillars of Hercules:

Team Wrecking Balls:

“I met colleagues I’d interacted with by e-mail for years. It was our first meeting but it was like catching up with old friends.”

“People from different walks of life, learning about culture and teamwork.

We have precious memories that we’ll cherish forever.”

“Truck Pulling was our favourite labour.

It was us four women doing it. We didn’t think we could manage it - but we did!”

“It was great meeting colleagues from all over the world. From start to finish, the day was high energy and lots of fun!”

“We prepared for Hercules via e-mail, Lync and WebEx sessions across four countries. A true team effort!”

Graça Costa Tacanho and Belén Yunta

Olivier Ecourtemer

Hilde Eikemo

Vincent Pellicane

Hermant Uberoi

“I made a wrecking ball so that my teammates could recognise me. And it worked! The wrecking ball also mirrors our strength. I had so much fun with the best team ever!”

Mara Meltzian

Left to right: Mila Flores, Cathy Ancira, Yash Pisal, Vincent Pellicane, Anthony Curl and Paresh Patel.

Left to right: Nilima Palav, Hermant Uberoi, Roshan Barua, Nicole Liu, Kevin Zhou and Cecca Kou.

Jing Squad:

Orange Rockets:

“Flipit really brought us together as a team. Beautiful memories. Team spirit. We miss it already!”

“Sabre was more of a mental challenge because the natural response is not to attack your opponent - your colleague.”

Stella Yuan

Allan Nyombi

Left to right: Belén Yunta, Gemma Contreras, Ivan Rothkopf, Graça Costa Tacanho, Renata Gibertoni and Kevin Hellmann.

Left to right: Olivier Ecourtemer, Françoise Salero, Paloma Ibañez, Delphine Augu, Insaf Elbakri and Naima Jlassi.

Left to right: Bradley Semple, Hilde Eikemo, Gry Egstrup, Marco Rissetto, Dragan Topic and Salvatore Stendardo.

Vicious & Delicious:

T.E.A.M. 21:

Winged Mustangs:

“The whole team supported our captain during the Cross Country labour. The goal wasn’t about winning but finishing it – together. We had 100% Safmarine team spirit from that moment on.”

“Our logo uses the bees’ universe and their collaboration in the hive as a metaphor. The number of hexagons relates to the number of team members.”

“I feel more comfortable talking to colleagues in the cluster because we know each other on a more personal note.”

Binal Suchak

Adam Due

Guy-François Futa-Eliam

Left to right: Kodjovi Agbessi Agbomadji, Stella Yuan, Emily Hu, Adekunle Ajose Afikode, Nelson Jing Peng and Isaac Jojo Keteku.

Left to right: Allan Nyombi, Valentine Maweu, Rohit Gawali, Veerappen Velu, Charles Stephen and Dasun Wimalasooriya.

Hopping Sixions:

Hercules Amigos:

“It was a great opportunity to connect with Safmariners spread over different geographies, living the same Orange culture. It was a fun-filled and mind-blowing experience. I will cherish these memories for the rest of my life!”

“We’ve had a wonderful experience meeting colleagues from all over the world and learning about different cultures.”

Seng Foong Lee

Left to right: Wallie Kamara, Kavita Moenesar, GuyFrançois Futa-Eliam, Dayrina Schnitzler and Abdou Aziz Dieng.

Hercules Warriors: “Our favourite labour was Flipit – we managed to do 16 turns! We also did exceptionally well in Truck Pulling and our team got the best time.”

Left to right: Seng Foong Lee, Jean-Luc Kouame Tiecoura, Diana Ngrattie, Tomas Calussiviqui and Nicholas Booi.

Left to right: Nausin Wasif, Valentine Francis, Deepak Mody, Allwyn Anthony, Michael Dhinakaran I and Alpa Vij.

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Left to right: Alessandro Tiro, Panagiotis Baxevanis, Tal Matan, Gary Jeffreys, Deepali Badadhe and Rasmus Nukapianguaq.

Winning Oranges: “I’d been waiting to do Hercules for three years! Being the captain is a bonus - I’ve had great support from my teammates.”

Michael Gardias

Left to right: Ahmad El Anany, Nadine Madi, Joyson Lobo, Stephen Brodie, Adam Due and Angela Nebot.

Adrenaline: “The best labour was Flipit. We tried to turn it again and again, and had so much fun. The coolest thing about Hercules is the cross-cultural and sporty spirit!”

Huong Ngo

Panagiotis Baxevanis

Deepak Mody

Left to right: Mara Meltzian, Lars Denta, Douglas Santos, Per Morkenborg Rasmussen, Bhavan Vempati and Lyall Leathley and the famous wrecking ball.

Left to right: Razvan Constantinescu, Zhang Wei, Gary Downes, Jaruwan Sukasemsarn, Russell Gillespie and Huong Ngo.

Left to right: Binal Suchak, Gautam Mehra, Brett Meads, Clayton Rodrigues, Thomas Hansen and Erika Antoine.

Happy to finally make it: “We met at the beer garden and hit it off right away. People from different cultures joining forces to achieve a common goal and having fun at the same time. That’s the Safmarine spirit.”

Christian Engdahl

Left to right: Christian Engdahl, Selvihan Lale Gusen, Burcu Toros, Mehmet Cem Yildirim, Matthew Woodhouse and Jarno Levola.

Left to right: Radek Tyburek, Michael Gardias, Anett Farkas, Kylie Xue Han, Danilo Cadondon Laurencio Jr and Virony Nishma George.

#31 Seawalkers: “Tchouckball was the best labour because of the increased level of competition. It required a lot of work and communication with teammates.”

Michael Baldoza Beleno

Left to right: André Gomes, Mikhael Mayer Arrieta Gabuco, Joao Rodrigo Castro, Michael Baldoza Beleno, Karila Couto Jorge and Cesar Maracaja.

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XXXXX XXXX SAFMARINE HERCULES TROPHY 2014

SAFMARINE HERCULES XXXXX TROPHYXXXX 2014

THE WINNERS SUPPORTER AWARDS

BEST SUPPORTERS’ SONG: SAFMARINE RAINS FAME

BEST SUPPORTERS’ PHOTO: THE FUNKTASTICS

Left to right: Kashif Mujeeb Khan, Patricia Suguitan, Linda Van Heumen, Geofrey Mwakoba, Imtiaz Ali and Syed Anas ul Islam.

Safmarine Pakistan colleagues and customers were happy to stand proud for the Funktastics’ supporter photo. “Our customers were excited that this photo might get recognised at the event. Little did they know that it would win the award,” says Anas.

For Safmarine Rains Fame Captain, Irem Bedelagasi, winning the Best Supporters’ Song made her extremely proud. “It was a great pleasure winning this award as a team, and we were honoured to receive medals from our CEO. Thanks to our singing stars Adam, Bimy, Dhiraj, Joshua, Prabha and Valerina and the rest of our supporters at Safmarine UAE for making such a great song!”

SMARTEST TEAM: THE SAFMARINE MINIONS

BEST TEAM: 1ST PLACE

The quiz was the first team challenge of the day, and the Safmarine Minions put their heads together to get the highest score.

OLYMP FIGHTERS

Congratulations to the participants, supporters in the clusters, GSCs and head office, and our customers for making this Safmarine Hercules Trophy a truly global and interactive team effort.

Left to right: Elsa Fu, Eddia Knoesen, Roger Luo, Juan Beyer, Tony Zhang and Rieshaam Ismail.

BEST TEAM PHOTO: HELLMARINERS The Hellmariners’ creative talents certainly struck a chord with Safmariners all over the world as they chose it as their favourite team photo.

Left to right: Holger Hilken, Sarah Brand, Pawel Zaleski, Jurgen Juric and Jean-Marc Burmester.

Holger Hilken (Product Management Seafreight, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics) is proud to be part of the winning team: “We had five excellent team members, each with special strengths. We told everybody the first night that we planned to win the trophy. It was a bit of a joke – but after our first few wins, we realised that it could come true. So we gave it our best and finally...we ended up first place on the podium!”

Safmarine Pakistan colleagues and their customers (APL Logistics, Colgate Palmolive, DHL Pakistan, Dewan Motors, Emkay Line, HMI Pakistan, Millat Tractors, RTG, Ravian Maritime, Seagate, Seagold and Servotech) lend their support to the Funktastics.

BEST SUPPORTERS’ VIDEO: SAFMARINE STINGRAYS

Left to right: Pankaj Khatua, Soner Aslan, Irem Bedelagasi, Fatih Yilmazkarasu, Kishwar Siddiqui and Suresh Shetty.

SPECIAL AWARDS COOLEST TEAM: FANTASTICANS For Fantasticans team captain, Nitin Kamalakar, the coolest thing about his teammates is their team spirit. “They gave 100% in every labour and I really appreciated their support.

Cheers to all the Fantasticans team members!”

Left to right: (top) Katharina Vyhmeister, Sammy Reynaert, Michael Amri, Tobias Sopalla, (bottom) Johannes Saade, Stefan Hartmann and Marie Stubbe.

BEST TEAM SPIRIT: DARE DEVILS

For Safmarine Stingrays team captain, Mahomed Bux, winning this award was his Hercules highlight. “I feel blessed and fortunate to have participated in such a glorious event with the most amazing people and superb support from friends and colleagues.”

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BEST TEAM: 3RD PLACE

HELLMARINERS

SAFUTI BUCCANEERS

Left to right: Stefan Hartmann, Marie Stubbe, Katharina Vyhmeister, Johannes Saade, Sammy Reynaert, Michael Amri and Tobias Sopalla.

Left to right: Bjoern Rudek, Henning Goedecke, Mohammed Ben-Brahem, Andrea Rutzer, Edvard Milanovic and Melina Beisswingert.

Team captain, Sammy Reynaert, says his team got a boost halfway through the day when they were in the lead: “It remained high until we lost at the end. We were so close to victory, but second is still a great achievement and we’re happy we won Best Team Photo.”

Team captain, Henning Goedecke, is thrilled with his team’s achievement: “I’m very proud of our engagement in Munich. The synergy of UTi and Safmarine also underlines the partnership and engagement in our daily interaction.”

Having received votes from Safmariners all over the world, Dare Devils’ team spirit prevailed despite Tanmoy Bhattacharjee arriving just in time to join his team. He’d been travelling 19 hours straight – direct from sales training on Friday evening – to participate in Hercules on Saturday morning. “I’m a bit tired, but the Safmarine spirit keeps me going!”

The video stars are: Gill Jones, Noluthando Sabelo, Lorraine Matthew, Lizelle Houpe and Keshav Hanuman (in the ball).

“Our colleagues in the Durban branch gave us a grand send off with this lovely video.”

BEST TEAM: 2ND PLACE

“We are honoured and delighted to have been part of such a special and well-organised event with hundreds of Safmariners from all over the world.” Michael Amri, Hellmariners (VP Seafreight Europe, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics) Left to right: Delphine Civrais, Jean-Philippe Wesgrill, Hanna Fredriksson, Nitin Kamalakar, Gomathy Rajavel and Lucy Ze Lan Xu. Left to right: Liston Pinto, Sina Bruns, Barbara Jonke, Mohamed Al-Rwabdeh, Tanmoy Bhattacharjee and Hanno Moeller.

“Building relationships, meeting people from different countries and putting faces to names. Thanks to Safmarine for organising this fantastic event.” Bjoern Rudek, SAFUTI Buccaneers (Pricing Analyst Freight Forwarding - EMENA, UTi)

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THE IMPORTANCE OF TEAMWORK

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THE IMPORTANCE OF TEAMWORK A strong characteristic of Safmarine’s culture and the beahviour of Safmariners is Guiding Principle No. 3: Working together as a team. Safmariners Len and Dave from South Africa and Elisabeth and Danièle from France share their thoughts on why teamwork is so important.

L

en Bentley (Key Account Manager) and Dave Everett (Africa Key Accounts Manager), and Elisabeth Perron (Global Key Account Director) and Danièle Lambert (Key Account Executive) were in Copenhagen earlier this year to discuss tender preparations with colleagues from TnM (Trade and Marketing) for Ford Motors and Michelin, respectively. “It’s much easier to solve any challenge that may arise when you’ve met and established good relations with your colleagues at the other end,” says Len. Account ambassadors For Elisabeth, the support from colleagues is vital to ensuring that key account teams can deliver high quality sales and customer service. “Being key account responsible, we can identify a customer’s global potential. But sales talent alone won’t release that potential. To generate more business, we must have the endorsement from management, TnM and the clusters. And that calls for strong collaboration.”

Elisabeth and Danièle have known each other since the start of Safmarine France 17 years ago. But they’ve only been working together for two and half years in their key account roles. “We call ourselves ‘account ambassadors’ because we represent our customers when engaging with colleagues internally,” says Danièle. “This is really important because we work with the entire organisation, including other Maersk Group brands, to design customised solutions, coordinate the deals, and ensure that we deliver to our customers.”

Supporting each other as a team With 26 years in Safmarine, Dave is a dedicated Safmariner. From 2006-2011, he held the position as Key Account Manager for Ford Motors South Africa, working onsite at their Silverton Assembly Plant in Pretoria handling all day-to-day requirements. This

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Left to right: Len Bentley, Dave Everett, Elisabeth Perron and Danièle Lambert.

position – along with a lot of valuable experience – was passed to Len when Dave became globally responsible for the Ford account.

hope it makes him feel that he’s not only responsible for the account, but that he’s contributing to Safmarine in a bigger way through knowledge sharing.”

“Coming into the role as Key Account Manager was quite a steep learning curve for me,” explains Len, who has been with Safmarine for three and a half years. “But Dave was always right behind me, generously sharing his experience and helping me to understand all the intricate details about the account. During my first year, Dave’s support was very hands-on. When he saw I was making good progress, he gradually took his foot off the pedal and gave me the responsibility to deal with things on my own. And this process has made me more confident.”

Passing on knowledge According to Dave, the knowledge that Len feeds back to Safmarine is an example of how key account teams can support the clusters. “By ensuring a constant flow of information, Safmarine can leverage that knowledge to better understand a particular company or industry, which can translate into future business opportunities.”

Knowledge not only travels between onsite teams and Safmarine offices; it’s also passed on from long-time Safmariners to newcomers. As experienced Safmariners, Elisabeth and Danièle often provide Dave stresses the importance support and share their expeGot a story of onsite teams receiving full rience with new colleagues. about great support and close contact “With all the organisational teamwork? Send it with their regional office in developments we’ve seen to SCLLHOUSE@ Safmarine. “I have the benefit over the years, we know how safmarine.com of having worked onsite at Ford to adapt when changes arise,” Motors, so I know the importance says Elisabeth. “I’m still very proud of not being left on your own,” he says. of being part of Safmarine – even after “We regularly reach out to Len and make 20 years. The Guiding Principles are intact a strong effort to integrate his experience because people work together to keep and learnings into the organisation. And I them alive.” n

Safmarine India:

THE MUTUAL BENEFITS CLUB India is Safmarine’s second-largest cluster. The Navigator team met with Cluster Top, Bimal Kanal, over a cup of sweet Indian chai to talk about how Safmarine India is leveraging the Safmarine brand and adopting a competitive platform.

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SAFMARINE INDIA

SAFMARINE INDIA

S

afmarine has a 4.5 per cent market share in India, accounting for 15 per cent of Safmarine’s global turnover.

Bimal Kanal took on the role as Cluster Top for Safmarine India in 2011 after spending four years building up the Safmarine business in China. “Coming back to India was a great opportunity in many ways,” says Bimal. “I know the Indian geography and culture, I know the customers very well. And I know the language. It’s almost like getting your ears back!” he laughs.

‘Customer Choice’ strategy Safmarine started operating in the Indian subcontinent region in the late 1980s, which means the brand is well established in the market. But due to a worldwide slump in cargo during 2011-12, caused by the global economic crisis, Safmarine India embarked on a plan to improve its sales processes. The Customer Choice element of the One Safmarine strategy helped the cluster to adopt a more proactive approach to business development. “Instead of doing business with everybody and anybody, we now enter into a mutually beneficial partnership with customers,” says Bimal.

After implementing a number of initiatives in conjunction with the SCOPE project, the cluster has experienced considerable improvements. “We’ve become very close to our customers.” Bimal explains that this was achieved through creating a so-called buddy system for customers. “We’ve allocated about 25 customers to teams consisting of one salesperson and one customer experience person. And they really do get pampered!”

Bimal Kanal India Cluster Top

Onboarding promotes brand loyalty The India cluster onboarded 90 per cent of its customers last year. It is a two-stage process where

“Our conversations are at another level. In addition to having transactional discussions with customers, we talk about their longterm business plans. And these are the strategic conversations we want to have.”

Bimal Kanal

customers are invited to attend a workshop at Safmarine’s office.

After a meet-and-greet session over light refreshments, customers are given a presentation that includes topics such as mode of access, making a booking, shipping instructions and invoicing and payment. The main part of the session introduces customers to Safmarine’s e-commerce platform. “Basically, we show them how they can help us to help them,” says Bimal.

India’s customer onboarding programme is designed to brand the relationship as a mutually beneficial partnership with a view to developing customer loyalty. With customers giving repeat business and referring their customers to Safmarine, they’re not only loyal to the brand – they’ve become brand ambassadors. “It comes round full circle. It’s like a mutual benefits club!” says Bimal.

Talking about tomorrow “Customers are demanding ease of business, which means they’re favouring more e-commerce and less personal interaction,” says Bimal. “It doesn’t mean that our relationships with customers are becoming impersonal; it means that our conversations are at

Left to right: Prithwijit Maitra, Karau Purity, Steve Felder, Partha Chowdhury, Abdulai Bah, Kailas Parekh (General Manager Sales, Parekh Marine), Mohammed Ahmed, Sajit Namboodri, Prashant Popat (Director, Velji Dosabhai), Joel Rodrigues, Christopher Pinto, Rohit Krishna, Vivek Singh and Bhavik Mota.

another level. In addition to having transactional discussions with customers, we talk about their long-term business plans. And these are the strategic conversations we want to have.”

Bimal draws a comparison to banks and mobile phone companies that deal with customers through e-platforms. “Our customers are used to dealing with utilities in this way, so why should Safmarine be any different?” he asks.

However, it’s not just customers that are working in a changing environment. “In a framework of customer selection and sophisticated communication channels, our teams will have to adapt to this new environment,” predicts Bimal. But adapting quickly to new trends – and incorporating them into the Safmarine way – is all part of staying on top of our game: to continue providing the highest quality of customer care and being the people making the difference in shipping. n

As Safmarine is a big player in Africa, the India cluster hosted Africa Night to strengthen Safmarine’s hold in these markets. Safmariners from the Africa clusters met their Indian counterparts as well as customers. They discussed ongoing market trends and future prospects. The event was a great example of how to take customer relationships to the next level.

What’s the secret to building strong customer partnerships?

”Building strong customer partnerships involves a consistent approach of handling every customer interaction with a positive mindset and a clear objective.”

Kuruvilla Chalishery Regional Sales Manager – Safmarine for North India

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“Relationships don’t develop after just one meeting. Make customer connections grow by staying in touch. My mantra is: If you don’t keep in touch with your customers, your competitors will.”

“Knowing the customer’s business is a must, but the secret to building solid customer partnerships depends on how much we know our customers personally.”

Ravi Biju

Regional Sales Manager – Safmarine for East India

Regional Sales Manager – Safmarine for South India & Sri Lanka

Partha Chowdhury

“Listen to your customer’s needs, manage their expectations, deliver what you promise and build trust.

Then you’ll automatically forge a strong partnership with your customers.”

“It’s important to be transparent and honest. Instead of promising the sun and the moon, sell what you can deliver.”

“Put yourself in the customer’s shoes.

Build up your knowledge. Stay close to the customer because that’s where everything starts. The customer is king.”

Radhika Laijawala

Nilima Palav

Manager, Sales (Mumbai)

Assistant Manager, Customer Service (Mumbai)

“Being available and approachable.

We offer the best technical support, and our account managers provide advice to customers that really makes a difference to their business.”

Allwyn Mendes Manager, Sales (Mumbai)

Sajit Namboodri Regional Sales Manager – Safmarine for West India

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CUSTOMER PROFILE

CUSTOMER PROFILE

A OF OPPORTUNITIES A PIPELINE PROMISING PIPELINE OF OPPORTUNITIES Jindal SAW Ltd. is one of India’s most diversified manufacturers and suppliers of steel and iron pipe products for the energy and water industries, and other industrial applications. As an established Safmarine customer for over five years, Jindal SAW invited the Navigator team to visit its seamless pipe division based at Nashik, India to get an idea of the scale of its operations.

Jindal SAW’s finished seamless pipes loaded onto a truck and ready for customer deliveries.

P

lumes of vapour rise from fiery orange tubes that emerge from the hot mill. As their liquid glow hardens to steel grey, the pipes line up in procession to the rhythm of clattering machines. A blast of steam pierces the humidity like a marching order. Workers in hard hats walk along steel gangways. Navin Poojary, Safmarine’s Account Manager for Jindal SAW, shouts his explanation above

tonnes of carbon and alloy steel pipes and tubes each year. It is one of Jindal SAW’s 13 plants, which are located in India and across the world servicing three strategic business units: large diameter pipes for the energy transportation sector; ductile iron spun pipes for water and wastewater transportation; and seamless tubes and pipes for industrial applications. As Jindal SAW’s annual report fittingly explains: “Pipes are

Pipes – the planet’s veins The Nashik plant produces 270,000 metric

Jindal SAW is part of the multi-billion dollar, multi-location and multi-product steel conglomerate, O.P. Jindal Group, which is among the top companies in India and is

the din. “The pipes are on the cooling bed so they can reach room temperature before being straightened, cut, tested and then sent for further processing.”

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our planet’s arteries and veins, carrying water, sewage, power, oil and gas.”

the foremost steel producer and exporter in the country. Founded exactly thirty years ago, the company started out as a single product company. Now, a specialist in pipe manufacturing, Jindal SAW supplies a variety of industries and is a well-known international name in the urban infrastructure services sector.

Key drivers of the pipe business

The company’s domestic manufacturing facilities are situated at strategic locations across India. This gives Jindal SAW a competitive advantage as the close proximity of plants to ports ensures timely export deliveries. Jindal SAW received their first ever export order in 1995. Today, approx-

imately 40 per cent of their products are sold in global markets, and more than 60 per cent of the company’s exports go to the USA, which is shipped exclusively with Safmarine.

So what industry developments are driving the increase in demand for pipes?

“Investment in the global energy infrastructure, and growth in shale gas exploration and production are key drivers to growth,” says Dr. Gupta (Vice President, Jindal SAW Ltd.).

According to Dr. Gupta, the demand for seamless pipes is increasing as the need for oil and gas, and water and wastewater

transportation is growing. In addition, infrastructure development, urbanisation and the subsequent development of residential and industrial construction are facilitating the growth of the pipe industry. “We also expect to benefit from the mature markets as they will have a demand for replacement pipes,” says Dr. Gupta.

These growth factors offer a promising outlook for Jindal SAW – and an opportunity for Safmarine to help the company drive more business. “We’re looking forward to getting into new markets with Jindal SAW,” says Navin. “Our companies already enjoy a mutually beneficial partnership, and we’re ready to take it to the next level.” n

“Investment in the global energy infrastructure and growth in shale gas exploration…are key drivers to growth.”

Dr. Gupta, Vice President, Jindal SAW Ltd. ISSUE 55

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CUSTOMER PROFILE

WHEN SERVICE MAKES A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE Indian forwarder, JSB Consultants, says their growth is due to the service levels that their people can offer their meat exporting customers. Service levels that have to be matched by Safmarine to make the partnership work.

Above: Al Aali employees loading boxed buffalo meat onto a Safmarine reefer. Right: Arvind Bisht (left) of JSB and Kavita Bakshi (right) of Safmarine.

with Safmarine.” In addition to MK Overseas, JSB handles cargo for Mirha Exports and Al Aali, who are also large meat producers and suppliers. In 2007, JSB acquired two trucks to gain better control of the placement and timely delivery of containers. They now operate a fleet of more than 80 trucks.

Mr. Bisht, the Founder of JSB Consultants, and his sons, Anoop (left) and Arvind (right), who are Executive Directors of the company.

“

We may be brothers, but we do two completely different jobs,” says Anoop Bisht, Executive Director of freight forwarding and logistics business, JSB Consultants. He takes care of pricing, sales and planning. His younger brother, Arvind, who is also an Executive Director, looks after trucking, container placements and customs clearing. Anoop and Arvind were raised in forwarding from an early age. When the boys came home from school, their father, Jagdish Singh Bisht, would discuss the business with them around the dinner table. Both sons started working for the company in 2007, and today they run the business.

“I am very proud of my two sons,” says Mr. Bisht.

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One of the biggest forwarders in reefer cargo Mr. Bisht started his career in export in the mid-1970s and moved into freight forwarding 20 years later, before setting up JSB Consultants in 2004.

The company started transporting one or two containers a month.

In fact, JSB contributed a few containers to Safmarine in the very first reefer train out of Dadri. “Since then, we have really ramped up on reefers,” says Anoop. “Today, we handle about 300 containers a month for our largest customer, MK Overseas, which equates to about 90 per cent of their cargo. And 30 per cent of that is shipped

regard. “It’s a partnership business – and I feel that the Safmarine team in Delhi are helping to build our business and increase our volumes.” In fact, JSB expects to increase its volumes by 20 per cent over the next two years.

Whatever the challenge, it’s there to be solved “JSB is one of the biggest frozen meat forwarders within reefer For JSB, one of the main challenges is getting containers to their cargo in North India – especially within the buffalo meat segment,” customers’ plants on time. Sometimes volumes go up and JSB says Safmarine’s Account Manager, Kavita Bakshi. JSB accounts suddenly finds themselves short of containers. That’s when Safmafor around 50 per cent of the total volume rine has to act fast. of buffalo meat being exported out of INDIAN EXPORT OF North India. 40 per cent goes to Vietnam, “A customer might call at 10 o’clock at BUFFALO MEAT Malaysia and Thailand, 30 per cent goes night and say they need 10 containers to the Middle East and Egypt, and 20 per the next morning. We immediately get India started exporting meat in 1969. cent goes to West Africa. to work to find containers, check they’re Today, it exports to 64 countries – and okay and get them delivered,” says counting. There are 88 million buffaloes A partnership business – 24/7 Anoop. in India, which account for 58 per cent of Although JSB employs about 30 people, the world buffalo population. The state the two brothers work different shifts so But even the delivery process may be full of Uttar Pradesh is the largest exporter that one of them is always on call. With of obstacles. “Trucks might break down, of buffalo meat, followed by Punjab and trucking mainly taking place at night, truck drivers might not be available, the Maharashtra. 14.5 million metric tonnes Arvind takes the night shift. “To meet the roads may be in poor condition, there of buffalo meat were exported in 2013needs of JSB, we have to be available might be traffic jams or low visibility in 2014, which is a 27 per cent growth on round the clock too,” says Kavita. “That’s foggy weather, all of which cause delays.” the previous year. Vietnam is the largest one of the reasons why JSB partners with If the containers don’t get to the port importer of Indian buffalo meat. us. Our competitors can handle reefer in time, JSB may lose its place on the Sources: www.apeda.gov.in and cargo, but it’s the dedication and service vessel. The alternative is to transport the www.meattechasia.com that we provide 24/7 that is required.” containers by rail, but trains are unpredictable and may cause even greater delays Considering that one container of frozen meat is worth about to the point of destination. “We can’t control the trains, just as we USD 110,000, it goes without saying that it needs to be handled can’t control the weather. In India, these things are all up to the with care. This, according to Anoop, requires everybody to work gods,” Anoop says with a smile. together to make everything work on time and to the satisfaction of JSB’s customers.

Whatever problem occurs, it’s there to be crunched and solved.

And that’s a mindset that Anoop really appreciates. “Safmarine alAnoop makes a point of praising Kuruvilla Chalishery (Regional ways does its very best to help,” he says. “I see it in people’s eyes.

Manager – Safmarine for North India) and his team in Delhi in this I see that they really want to make things work.” n

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CUSTOMER PROFILE

CUSTOMER PROFILE

MOVING MOUNTAINS FOR CUSTOMERS 20Cube is the leading forwarder for out-of-gauge (OOG) cargo in India. The Navigator team spent some time with 20Cube’s CEO, Vikram Katre, to find out why he uses Safmarine to transport heavy construction machinery from India to emerging markets in Africa, Asia and the Far East.

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umbers such as 320D and PD200 don’t mean much to most people, but Vikram Katre knows that one is a 20-tonne Caterpillar and the other is an Escort standard roller. “Tell us the model number, and we’ll know what needs to be done to get it from A to B,” he says. Each year, the company transports more than 3,500 units of heavy construction machinery from India to around 45 countries – with a special focus on emerging markets, such as the African continent. As many of these destinations are challenging due to their lack of infrastructure and difficult terrain, 20Cube relies on Safmarine’s long-term experience in managing OOG shipments in complex situations.

High-speed growth through acquisition 20Cube’s customers include some of the top 10 global Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), infrastructure development contractors and turnkey solution providers in the engineering and construction industries. With each consignment weighing between 7-35 tonnes, specialist expertise is required to transport “Setting this machinery, which up in 14 includes cranes as countries in well as earthmoving and road building three years equipment. That’s is a pretty the kind of expertise big job!”

20Cube offers. Based on the technical Vikram Katre, specifications for a CEO, 20Cube given type of heavy construction machinery, they work out what type of transportation is called for.

20Cube was originally set up in Singapore in 2011 and soon launched an ambitious plan to grow through acquisition. The company entered the Indian market that same year with the purchase of Omega Global Logistics, a freight forwarding company owned by Vikram and his father.

“My father was a ship captain for Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) in the 1960s

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This equipment is on its way to Asunción, Paraguay, where it will be used for excavation work.

before starting his first business in 1981,” explains Vikram. 20Cube is now present in 14 countries, with the US being the most recent addition.

Decisions shifting to emerging markets 20Cube focuses on emerging markets where the need for infrastructure-related equipment is increasing fast. “We see more and more companies setting up in emerging markets and becoming sizeable multinationals. So I really do see a fundamental shift in where decision making is moving,” says Vikram.

Most of the containers that 20Cube move are heading to Africa since a lot of Indian construction companies are setting up projects there. Vikram believes that these companies have a distinct advantage because they understand the mentality of what drives business in these areas. “They compete with European companies in places

where capital is still relatively scarce, e.g. in Africa. The scarcity of capital, and the skills required to manage projects and resources are issues that are well understood in India,” says Vikram. “That’s why we have created a multinational logistics company that focuses on emerging markets.”

Robust platform for greater visibility Although 20Cube has set its sights on expanding into Thailand and Vietnam, this will not take place until 2015 after the company has finished consolidating its acquisitions.

“Setting up in 14 countries in three years is a pretty big job!” says Vikram with a grin.

Unlike many European forwarders that have grown through acquisition (and therefore inherited a collection of archaic legacy systems), 20Cube has benefited by not having to stitch a patchwork of systems together just so they can talk to each other. “We have the same Enterprise Resource Planning

Vikram Katre (left) of 20Cube and Sajit Namboodri (right), Regional Sales Manager for West India, Safmarine.

(ERP) system working in all 14 countries and it’s an open source application, which is compatible with mobile phones and most operating systems,” says Vikram.

MyHub is the name of the system’s customer interface, and it’s here that 20Cube’s customers can make bookings, track their orders, manage exceptions, obtain status of shipments and access documents 24/7.

“We won a deal with a large Australian retailer,” says Vikram. “And it was because of this visibility that we were able to secure this customer.”

Information sharing for better solutions As 20Cube is completely non-asset based, its success depends on its carriers. And more importantly, its relationship with them.

“Whether it’s a small trucking company or a global carrier like Safmarine, maintaining close relationships is important,” says Vikram. “We like to treat – and be treated

– like partners and not like a vendor. We like sharing information with our carriers as this benefits us – and the customer – later on down the line.” For example, 20Cube has involved Safmarine in the initial stages of a project in West Africa that will take place in three months’ time. “Planning well in advance means that my customer will ultimately get the best solution.”

The main reason 20Cube uses Safmarine India is because of its expertise in OOG shipments – and, in particular, providing specialist equipment to do the job.

“Flatracks are a scarce commodity,” says Vikram. “But if we tell Radhika Laijawala (Sales Manager) that we need four flatracks for a certain week, she knows what needs to be done to acquire them. She also knows that delays need to be factored in, which means that bookings for the following week need to be made too. In this way, the team at Safmarine always make

“You can sign any number of contracts and legal documents, but in the end this is a one-to-one relationship built on trust.”

Vikram Katre, CEO, 20Cube an extra effort to understand our needs and those of our customers.”

Vikram also places great value on Safmarine’s ability to provide a good customer experience. “Safmarine has a very personal touch, which reflects the mutual trust that we have in our working relationship,” he smiles. “This is a service business. You can sign any number of contracts and legal documents, but in the end this is a one-toone relationship built on trust. It’s as simple as that.” n

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WORKING AS ONE TEAM

WORKING AS ONE TEAM

WORKING TOWARDS THE SAME GOAL It was awards galore for the GSC Brazil team in Manila and the regional office in Brazil earlier this year as they celebrated the sign off of their SCOPE project. The Navigator team spoke to key players about how communication builds team spirit and helps to deliver the Safmarine brand.

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he GSC Brazil team in Manila work on a variety of value-added tasks.

One example is the filtering of customer e-mails into different inboxes.

This means that each portfolio manager in Brazil can answer customer queries straight away when they get into work – without having to spend time sifting through a backlog of e-mails that accumulated overnight.

This pre-work results in quicker turnaround times, contributing to customers receiving a first-class experience.

With the team being 11 hours ahead of their colleagues in Safmarine Brazil, delivering to this high standard means that the Brazil GSC team need to work three different shifts. The 18:00 to 03:00 shift is known as the ‘graveyard shift’. But on 23 April, this particular graveyard shift was far from quiet. Dirk Van Hoomissen (Brazil Cluster Top) explains, “I went to Manila for the sign off of the migration. While I was there, we threw a surprise ceremony for the team and gave out trophies to the people who “It’s importstood out, and had ant we... performed above focus on and beyond.” processes to According to Dirk, the migration went ensure they smoothly due to, stay stable.” “the focus, teamDirk Van Hoomwork and can-do issen, attitude from the Brazil Cluster GSC and SafmaTop rine teams”.

Working as one team Fabiana Xisto (SCOPE Project Manager, Brazil), a ‘black belt’ in process excellence, was involved in Safmarine’s first ever off-shoring project in 2003. According to her, the key formula to smooth migration is communication. “The important thing is to keep talking, working closely, going over the daily routine, pairing up and desktop

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Brazil GSC Team Manager, Hernando ‘Jerry’ Esquivel.

sharing.” Desktop sharing allows two colleagues to share a computer screen, which can help with training and answering questions. It’s quick, easy to use and brings colleagues closer together even though they may be thousands of miles apart.

The GSC and Safmarine teams benefited from building a solid relationship right from the start. They did this through mutual visits and cultural knowledge exchange workshops. “The Philippines’ national sport is basketball, and of course Brazil’s is football,” explains Fabiana. “The Manila team members got into the spirit of the World Cup experience because they had close contact with their Brazilian counterparts.

In fact, they ended up cheering for Brazil during the tournament!”

Another factor that contributed to a smooth migration was the positioning of the Brazil GSC team as an extension of the Safmarine offices in Brazil. “This set the tone from day one and people really got it,” says Fabiana.

In addition, Safmarine Brazil understood

BRAZIL AWARDS

Fabiana Xisto SCOPE Project Manager, Brazil

Team members ‘on loan’ Hernando ‘Jerry’ Esquivel (Team Manager), who manages the Brazil GSC team in Manila on a day-to-day basis, was impressed by the enthusiasm of both teams.

“Everybody was motivated to train and learn because we all recognise that supporting the Brazil cluster in both customer service and sales is a key part of delivering on the Safmarine brand.”

Dirk (right) recognises Paulo Buhayo (Documentation) for going the extra mile to understand processes and accomplish tasks.

Dirk (right) recognises Kirstie Villaver (Sales) for taking responsibility, being very efficient and for generating new business.

“The important thing is to keep talking, working closely, going over the daily routine, pairing up and desktop sharing.”

that they had a responsibility to train their colleagues in Manila in the right way, as the Brazil GSC team’s performance would ultimately reflect the quality of the training they received.

MANILA AWARDS

Dirk (right) recognises Lia Villanueva (Customer Service) for showing a keen interest in learning and suggesting alternative solutions to issues.

Paulo Buhayo (Documentation) won an award for going the extra mile when it comes to understanding processes and accomplishing tasks.

In addition to the relationship-building and training initiatives, Safmarine Brazil sent two of their subject specialist team members to Manila for a year to assist the transition. Ricardo Menegueli Vidal (Team Manager, Sales and Market Specialist) and João Rodrigo Castro (Customs Support) have just come back from Manila, and they enjoyed the experience immensely. “I love the Manila vibe,” says Ricardo. “I will remember this experience forever!” For João, it was an emotional experience. “I got on the plane to Manila right after getting married that same day. I didn’t know what to expect but the team were nice and receptive, and very skilled. It was a rewarding experience.”

Consistent performance Although Brazil’s SCOPE project has been signed off, the work doesn’t stop there. “It’s important we continue to focus on processes to ensure they stay stable and improve further where necessary,” explains Dirk.

So Fabiana continues to work with the teams in Manila and Brazil to focus on stabilisation, which means achieving consistency in meeting performance targets.

“It’s important to keep people engaged

Natalia Barletta (Customer Experience, Safmarine Brazil) won an award for her willingness to share her expertise.

Fabiana Xisto (SCOPE Project Manager, Brazil).

Alessandra Diderich (Sales, Safmarine Brazil) won an award for meeting deadlines and being extremely well organised.

Safmariners João Rodrigo Castro (left) and Ricardo Menegueli Vidal (right).

Latoya Ferraz (Documentation, Safmarine Brazil) won an award for her proactive approach and timely response to queries.

Sweden signs off SCOPE project Congratulations to Safmarine Sweden and the Sweden GSC team in Mumbai on the signoff of their SCOPE project! Christian Engdahl (Cluster Manager, Safmarine Scandinavia) puts this down to, “the team effort, engagement and ownership shown by everyone”.

Caroline Varandas (Customer Experience, Safmarine Brazil) won an award for her sense of urgency and enthusiasm for learning.

Left to right, front then back: Manik Krishna, Harshad Tondwalkar, Priti Sable, Radhika Singh, Amruta Mahadik, Priya Kulkarni, Vishal Nishad, Kunal Rathod, Nadeem Sharif, Abhijeet Jadhav, Sagar Sutar, Viraj Chavan, Vijayan Nair and C. Chidambaram.v

and motivated,” explains Fabiana. “And it’s important that everyone has the same objectives, so that they work towards the same goal.” n

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PORT OF CALL

PORT OF CALL

Port of Felixstowe

DEVELOPMENTS PROVIDE GREATER FLEXIBILITY includes dredging one million cubic metres of seabed at the quay and approaches (to a depth of 18 metres), giving the port even greater flexibility to berth the world’s largest container vessels.

Network of ports improves on-time deliveries Due to the growth of online retailing and the need for a central distribution hub, ease of access to the UK’s so-called ‘Golden Triangle’ logistics heartland in the Midlands is essential. According to Steve Mann, Port Operations Manager, one of the key benefits of the Port of Felixstowe is its connectivity to the rest of the country and particularly this area. “There are numerous daily rail services to various inland railheads, which save customers a lot of time and money. In addition, there are excellent synergies for feeder and transshipments to other parts of the UK – such as Scotland, Ireland and the east coast of England.”

“Our capacity to switch between ports…is essential to our flexibility.”

Mal Hurdidge, Cluster Manager, UK & Ireland

Maersk Laberinto on Berth 8 at the Port of Felixstowe. Image courtesy of the Port of Felixstowe.

With over 40 per cent of Britain’s goods coming through the Port of Felixstowe, it is the biggest and busiest container port in the UK, and the sixth largest in Europe. The Navigator team visited the Port of Felixstowe – the UK’s first-ever container handling facility – to get the ins and outs of this ever-expanding port.

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he Port of Felixstowe is located on the North Sea coast of Suffolk, UK and boasts some of the deepest water close to the open sea of any European port. More than 3.5 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) arrive at the port via 4,000 ships each year, including the larger vessel classes.

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The Port of Felixstowe is owned and managed by Hutchison Ports UK (HPUK), which has made significant investments in the port. In addition to a new rail terminal last year, which almost doubled the port’s rail capacity, work is now underway to extend the combined lengths of deep-sea berths 8 and 9 by 190 metres. The project

FELIXSTOWE, UK

Being an island nation, the UK’s economic dependence on shipping and trade has resulted in the establishment of a large number of ports around the coast, which are very diverse in terms of the size and type of cargo handled. And, although the Port of Felixstowe is the UK’s largest Next container port, Safmarine places port of call: Get ready for a great value on the country’s other visit to the Port of ports to help deliver to customer Gdansk in the next requirements. “The continued issue of Navigainvestment in port infrastructure in tor! the UK can only be good news for Safmarine’s customers,” says Mal Hurdidge, Cluster Manager, UK & Ireland. “Our capacity to switch between ports in order to maintain a schedule is essential to our flexibility and ability to deliver a high quality Top: An aerial view of the Port of Felixstowe. Image courtesy of the Port of Felixstowe. of customer care.” n Bottom: Container moves at the Port of Felixstowe. Image courtesy of the Port of Felixstowe.

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A DAY IN THE LIFE OF

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF

A day in the life of

“We have a very good team in Poland; they have a strong drive to deliver a good customer experience.”

JAREK LECKI

Jarek Lecki, Country Manager - Safmarine Poland

Jarek Lecki, (Country Manager – Safmarine Poland) is a family man through and through.

The Navigator team spent some time with him to find out about his background, what his typical day looks like and why he finds heavy metal music so relaxing.

WARSAW, POLAND

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Customer-focused sales strategy Customer partnerships are all about creating relationships with people.

Companies don’t make decisions, people do. One of my sales strategies is to focus on developing good relationships with forwarders by giving them a first-class customer experience. This has resulted in us being the preferred carrier for many of them. Better still, these customers are bringing their customers to us and becoming almost like an extended sales team for Safmarine Poland.

am the Country Manager for Safmarine Poland based in Warsaw, which is where I was born and raised. My working day starts when I get up around 6:30am. I eat toast and drink coffee every morning. This is a must. Even if I was stranded on a desert island and I was the only person there, I would need coffee in the morning. But I only drink one cup; then it’s Earl Grey tea with lemon during the rest of the day. I drop my two older kids off at the metro station and take my youngest to school, which is on the way to the office.

My colleague, Radek Tyburek (Key Account Manager), is based in Gdynia.

It’s essential we have a salesperson there because that’s the forwarding area of Poland, and where the majority of forwarders have their national headJarek Lecki and his family (left to right): Jarek, Hajime, Emiko, Jarek’s wife Chiaki and their youngest daughter Maria. quarters. In addition to supporting Radek, I cover Warsaw and the southern part of Poland. We’ve learned from experience that once prospective customers know about our earnings in Poland were 10-15 dollars a month. I have memories business, how we work, and what we offer in terms of service, they of shortages of food, appliances, and everything else when I was usually place a shipment with us. Plus, we’re easy to work with – growing up. I’m very happy that my kids are growing up in a differand that’s very important for customers. ent Poland.

Boost in sales effort for growth I get in at 8:00am, and the team starts the day with a morning huddle where we discuss sales opportunities. I contact existing and prospective customers and arrange to go and see them. I believe it is vital to boost the sales effort to maintain and grow our position in Poland.

With the closer ties to Maersk Line, we committed to being present in Poland. We have a very good team in Poland; they have a strong drive to deliver a good customer experience. The secret to a successful team is having a positive atmosphere in the office. The work can be stressful as we’re juggling operational issues and a lot of other things at the same time. But that’s part of the job, and everyone understands that. But there’s always time during the day to crack a joke and have fun together. Humour is a good way to release tension.

I started at Maersk Line in 1997. After 10 years, I was chosen to start up Safmarine Poland. My first task was to take over all customer service activities, which Maersk Line had previously handled on behalf of Safmarine. Then I moved into sales to en-

Jarek Lecki, Country Manager – Safmarine Poland

I know nothing? But I’ve learned a lot from him and we’ve ended up having a great partnership over many years.

sure growth for Safmarine Poland. Although I didn’t have any previous sales experience, I really enjoyed it – and still do. One of my first Safmarine customers was (and still is) a terrific salesperson. Back then, I thought to myself How can I do business with him when he knows everything about sales and

Immigration to Canada I have a maritime background. I’d always wanted to be a sailor, so I went to Gdynia Maritime University to get my Masters degree. But, after graduation, I realised that it would be difficult to combine this type of career with family life. So I worked at the university for a year dealing with seaport management. One day, a friend of mine who had immigrated to Canada, contacted me and suggested I move there. With Poland being a Communist country at the time, it wasn’t easy getting a visa. So I was rather surprised when it actually arrived. Although it came through just after the revolution of 1989, at the beginning of all the changes in Poland, I still decided to leave. The country’s economy was in bad shape. My monthly

My wife, Chiaki, is Japanese. She was in Canada on a working holiday visa. We met at English evening class. I consider myself very lucky that my wife is such an expert with chopsticks. Once, a fishbone got stuck in my throat and she was able to pick it out straight away. In one go!

Family man I’ve always listened to heavy metal bands, such as Rainbow, Motörhead and Iron Maiden. When I was first introduced to this music, I couldn’t stop. I love music that has a melody, good rhythm, a strong voice and lots of power. My son got into the music I was listening to, and now he’s introduced me to new bands, like the Scandinavian heavy metal band, Dark Tranquility. We go to concerts together, which is fantastic. It’s my way of relaxing.

When I get home from work, I usually help our youngest daughter with her homework. I believe the more time you spend with your kids, the better off they are in the future. It gives them a feeling of security. I know it won’t last forever, so that’s why I’m making the most of it now. I believe it was Mark Twain who said: “In the future you won’t regret the things you have done, you’ll regret the things you haven’t done.” n

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CHAMPIONING TALENT

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

CHAMPIONING TALENT All too often, people who suffer from sight loss are stuck in jobs that are neither suited to their capabilities nor level of education. The Navigator team had a chat with Safmarine Italy’s Fabio Cazzanti, who has tackled and defeated common misconceptions about the visually impaired.

Morris Habitat for Humanity (MHFH) is part of a global charity that brings people together to build homes for families in need. One of MHFH’s recent building projects is in Madison, Morris County, New Jersey, USA, where Safmarine’s East Coast Sales Team volunteered for the day and learned more about the organisation’s work.

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very Saturday at 5:00am, Fabio Cazzanti (Customer Service, Export – Safmarine Italy) gets up and travels to CIT TURIN Football Stadium. He meets up with his teammates for a gruelling three-hour football session.

But these young men are not just a bunch of friends meeting up for another game of soccer. Fabio and his teammates play for the Contrastoelevato Football Club and are Italy’s national blind football champions.

They’re in training to represent their country at the 5th International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) World Championships and Games, which are being held in Seoul, Korea next year.

The ‘Eye to Work’ project Fabio has been training with his team for three years. He has a serious visual impairment, which makes him legally blind. There are close Fabio Cazzanti, to 30 million visually Customer Service Export, impaired people in Safmarine Italy Europe (blind and low vision). They have all sorts of educational backgrounds and experience, but often miss out on prime employment opportunities that they are perfectly qualified for.

According to Fabio, who has a Masters in Geography, this is due to a combination of an applicant’s lack of confidence and a common misconception that visually impaired people are less able when it comes to workplace contribution.

Thanks to Fabio’s participation in the ‘Eye to Work’ project, which is run by the David Chiossone Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired, he was selected to interview for a job at Safmarine. Fabio’s manager, Christian Buresta (Customer Service Export Manager, Safmarine Italy) explains, “Our relationship with the David Chiossone Institute started last year when we took part in its Dialogue in the Dark teambuilding event

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BUILDING COMMUNITIES AND HOPE Safmariners get down to work When Vincent Pellicane (Sales Executive – East Region Sales, North America cluster) heard that MHFH had a project right around the corner from the Safmarine office, he got in touch with the organisation to find out how the East Coast Sales Team could help.

“MHFH invited us to spend a day installing insulation inside an entire house,” says

Vincent. “We didn’t need to be construction experts. Chris, the Project Manager, taught us what to do and then she put us to work.”

Fabio Cazzanti (centre) and his fellow Contrastoelevato football club teammates.

– where people are led by blind guides through specially constructed dark rooms to get a sense of what blind people have to cope with. This was such a great experience that we investigated how we could develop a closer relationship with the institute.”

Teamwork and positive attitude After going through the recruitment process, Fabio started working in the Customer Service Export department last November. “I had a month’s worth of intensive training, where I learned a lot about the complex processes involved in documentation,” says Fabio. “My colleagues and my tutor, Luca Santini from the David Chiossone Institute, made me feel comfortable and helped me out whenever I needed it.”

In addition, Safmarine provided Fabio with special software, which magnifies the text on his screen by up to eight times. “It’s even better than the one I have at home!” laughs Fabio.

Fabio’s job includes modifying shipping documents, producing certificates and handling customer complaints when problems arise. “Fabio’s job is not an easy one,” says Christian. “But he has such a positive attitude. He takes ownership of the

customer’s problem, and they know that they can trust him completely.” For Fabio, the best part of the job is when he advises customers about the benefits of Safmarine’s e-commerce solution. “I see this as a service to the customer,” says Fabio.

“When I help the customer around the site and show them that they can save time and money, that makes me feel good.” n

THE DAVID CHIOSSONE INSTITUTE David Chiossone Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired is a char-

ity that started up in 1868. It helps visually impaired people achieve personal independence and become integrated into society by providing them with social and employment opportunities.

The institute’s ‘Eye to Work’ project is run in partnership with local employers to help visually impaired people enter the job market. It offers candidates training and professional development courses as well as work placement opportunities.

The finished house that Vincent and his colleagues helped to insultate when they volunteered at MHFH.

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HFH’s mission is to eliminate substandard housing through constructing homes and advocating for fair and just housing policies. It has just completed a cluster of three new homes for families in need of affordable housing in Madison – right around the corner from Safmarine’s East Coast Sales Team’s office.

Substandard in suburbia But why does Madison, which is just 25 miles west of Manhattan and considered an affluent suburban town, mainly home to ‘Wall Streeters’, need affordable housing?

“Morris County’s current affordable housing pool is seriously insufficient, and the need will grow as low-paying jobs continue to dominate the local job market,” says Stephanie Buonarota, Director of Volunteer Services at the MHFH. In the USA, families that pay more than 30 per cent of their income for housing are considered cost burdened. This means that they have difficulty meeting their other

basic needs – such as proper nutrition, healthcare, or being able to save up for their future. “Although Morris County is one of the wealthiest counties in the country, a recent report (United Way’s ALICE report) found that almost 28 per cent of households – that’s nearly 41,000 – struggle with basic expenses,” adds Stephanie.

Sweat equity MHFH, which was established in 1985, took the radical step of building affordable homes for cost-burdened families using volunteer labour and donations of money and materials. The houses are affordable because there is no profit included in the sale price and no interest charged on the mortgage. Moreover, the family’s monthly mortgage payments

go into a revolving fund that is used to build more houses. In addition to monthly mortgage payments, each homeowner family invests hundreds of hours of their own labour – popularly known as ‘sweat equity’ – into building their own house and the houses of others.

In addition to learning about the charity’s work, the team managed to acquire new skills. “I’ve never really been much of a DIY person, but I know how to insulate a house now!” beams Gisenia Criado (Sales Support Specialist).

MHFH depends on its volunteers, and on-

site construction work is the most popular of its volunteer opportunities. “Without our volunteers, the work that we do would not be possible,” says Stephanie. “When local companies like Safmarine put a group together and help out, it’s not only beneficial to us, we can see that it also brings them closer together as a team.” n

THE TEAM

Left to right: Nick Marshall, Vincent Pellicane, Mat Leanderson, Ricardo Aguilar, Jason Wheeler, Chris McNamee (MHFH Construction Project Manager) and Gisenia Criado.

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LIVING ORANGE

LIVING ORANGE

LIVING ORANGE Here’s a round up of customer and teambuilding event news from the world of Safmarine. Got a story to share? Send it to SCLLHOUSE@safmarine.com

How do you celebrate the end of a good working week? Drop us a line at SCLLHOUSE@ safmarine.com

SAFMARINE NORTH AMERICA GRABS A BITE WITH CUSTOMERS

CRICMANIA!

SAFMARINE JORDAN HOSTS IFTAR

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o strengthen ties with customers, Safmarine Pakistan invited three of its top customers to take part in its CricMania cricket match at the UBL Sports Complex in Karachi. The match started at 6pm and lasted into the early hours of the next morning. The champions’ trophy went to Emkay Line, with Seagold (Pvt) being the runner up, Seagate Logistics taking third place, and Safmarine Pakistan finishing fourth. Sikandar Memon (Owner, Seagate Logistics) said, “We participated in this event because we wanted to have fun together beyond the boundaries of office work. The event was well organised and all our team members had a great time. We hope to participate in future events as well.”

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afmarine North America participates in the Propeller Club of Baltimore’s Crab Feast every year. The event brings professionals from all areas of the maritime industry together to network and have fun. Safmarine hosted a dinner for its customer, SeaMates, who, in recognition of their long-term partnership with Safmarine, provided transportation to and from the feast in true maritime fashion. As a newcomer to the feast, Amy Tarochione (Director of Customer Service, Safmarine North America) was pleased to meet so many current and potential customers. “It was fantastic to hear our customers say that Safmarine has the best customer service and that they enjoy working with our company,” says Amy.

After a successful event, Safmarine Pakistan plans to make CricMania a permanent fixture every year.

SAFMARINE GERMANY HOSTS WORLD CUP CUSTOMER EVENTS Bredehoft, Nick Marshall, Jason Wheeler, John BouLeft to right, front then back: Jonathan Yock, Arthur , s’ marine hostess, Deborah Borchers, Sue Peterson Seamate ne, Tarochio Amy ), dreau (Safmarine alumnus es), Seamates guest, John Merrihew (Seamat Nyberg Birgitta es), (Seamat en Samuels Seamates guest, Sig (Seamates President).

(Seamates), Mike Burke (Seamates) and Richard Burke

Left to right, back then front: Abdallah Al Salman, Yazan Khoury, Hani Omar, Rania Hamawi, Matthew Woodhouse, Zaid Amireh, Abdallah Touqan, Basel Barghouthi, Razan Othman, Mohammad Al Almleh, Mohammad Al Rwabdeh and Ahmad Habash.

SAFMARINE AND DAMCO LEND A HAND TO FRIENDS OF AFRICA

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afmarine and Damco joined forces in Germany to help the Friends of Africa project – a German non-profit organisation that supports the education of young people in Western Africa. The two sister companies shipped a 20’ dry container full of school furnishings and musical instruments bound for the charity’s current project, the Centre for Talent Expression in Winneba, Ghana. The Centre provides young men and women two to three years of free education in courses such as music, African dance, theatre, computer courses, tailoring, hair styling and home economics.

Left to right: Doug Voss, Andrea Longbottom, Joe Soard, Nikki Grant, Kimberly Purpera, Kyle Reinhardt, Alison Holmes, Cathy Ancira, Casi Dyal, Morghan Brown, Alex Fargarson and Pilar Maurial proudly show off their Paper Dragon.

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ald, Matthias Clockwise, left to right: Markus Grünw Manager, Aseco) Christen, Sebastian Becker (General and Ole Radünzel.

Left to right: Steffen Wick, Michael Klinge (Customer Service Manager, Green Delta Shipping) and Torben Klammer (General Manager, Green Delta Shipping).

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erhaps it was the positive vibes from Safmarine’s customer event that contributed to Germany’s World Cup win! Safmarine Germany invited its top customers to a series of World Cup events during the football tournament at its offices in Hamburg. As well as cheering on their national team, Safmariners and customers played Foosball to help calm the nerves during the games.

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n accordance with Guiding Principle No. 3, Safmarine Brazil hosted an event to celebrate the cluster’s results and rewarded the Safmariners that went the extra mile.

A presentation of the cluster’s results and a heads-up on future initiatives took place at a local town hall. After that, the group enjoyed their party where they had great fun as a team.

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afmarine North America held a teambuilding BBQ at their local park in Houston as a light-hearted way to have a bit of fun as a team. After the BBQ, they got into teams to play ‘Minute To Win It’ games, which are timed challenges using everyday items. In ‘Iron Board Man’, two members from each team had to land a marble in one of the holes at the top of an ironing board. In ‘Paper Scraper’, the teams had to build the tallest tower using index cards folded in a specific pattern. The liveliest challenge was ‘Paper Dragon’ – a colourful relay made of spinning crepe paper. The groups had to communicate, work together and cheer each other on to earn points.

SAFMARINE BRAZIL CELEBRATES RESULTS

CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF LOYAL SERVICE

BBQ AND GAMES WITH A TEAMBUILDING TWIST

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afmarine Jordan hosted an iftar (breaking of the fast) event for around 45 customers towards the end of the Holy Month of Ramadan this year. The month of Ramadan is the most important event in the Islamic calendar, and iftar refers to the evening meal when daily fasting ends at sunset. As a finishing touch, Safmarine asked a local candy company to produce custom-made toffee boxes to present to customers at the iftar, with the inscription ‘Ramadan Kareem’, a traditional greeting during the Holy Month. Matthew Woodhouse, Cluster Manager for Safmarine Jordan, Kuwait & Iraq, says the event was a great success. “Both customers and colleagues enjoyed the event immensely. Great company and great food – the entire evening helped to strengthen relationships between Safmarine and our valued customers, and allowed us to express our gratitude to them for their loyal support during this special time of year.”

Left to right: Andreas Hermann (Friends of Africa), Albert Grützmann (Friends of Africa), Rebecca Papirow, Steffen Wick, Ralf Tempelmann (Damco Bremen), Christian Jakob (Friends of Africa), Thorben Hinck (Damco Bremen), Mrs Eurapson-Quay and Mr Morphius Eurapson-Quay (founder of the Centre for Talent Expression).

hen word got out that Cindy Busse (Customer Experience, Safmarine UK) was celebrating her 25th year of loyal service on 24 July, her phone was red-hot with congratulatory calls from customers and colleagues. And that wasn’t all. Cindy was presented with a certificate and a bouquet of flowers to mark this outstanding achievement, and colleagues helped her celebrate by decorating her workstation with balloons and banners. “I arrived at work and was very touched. Everyone made me feel very spe- Cindy Busse celebrates 25 cial,” says Cindy. What’s Cindy’s advice for fellow years of service with Safmarine.

Safmariners? “Be passionate and committed to your work, have a positive attitude, and embrace change. There’s always change in our dynamic society.”

Left to right, front then back: Rogerio Scheidemantel, Dirk Van Hoomissen, Fabiana Xisto, Daniela Santos, Adriana Cabral, Melissa Amaral, Caroline Varandas, Patricia Sanchez, Priscila Vilas-Boas, Derik Santos, Natalia Barletta, Douglas Santos, Andre Gomes, Rafael Mendes, Leonardo Almeida, Anderson Almeida, Debora Barreto, Denis Almeida, Cesar Maracaja, Helber Maurente, Alexandre Putignani, Latoya Ferraz, Alessandra Diderich, Karlla Couto, Jaquelie Sales, Samara Souza and Denise Diuana.

ISSUE 55

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COMING UP IN THE NEXT ISSUE OF NAVIGATOR! Stories from around the world

Port of call: We visit the Port of Gdansk

A day in the life of Bhakti Thakur, GSC Mumbai

Going the extra mile: We talk to customers in China

NSRI: The Spirit of Safmarine III is back in the water

Strengthening customer partnerships in the Middle East

Together we go places www.safmarine.com