More
than 180 members representing 50 countries of the global EMO
Trans team of partners were welcomed to the 2015 Global Network
Meeting in Barcelona, Spain, on Monday, September 14, by company
CEO Jo Frigger, who noted that the theme of the conference
was “Take The Bull By The Horns.”
“I
believe this has always been the attitude of our people as
proven again by our expansion in 2015,” Mr. Frigger
said, noting recent company initiatives in Asia.
“With the opening of new
offices in China, Hong Kong, and Japan, EMO Trans has taken
a giant leap aimed at expansion and development of our global
brand.”
Mr. Frigger also pointed to
substantial development of IT as a major factor in EMO’s
plans ahead:
“We must improve data
interface and move toward cohesive operational procedures
worldwide,” Mr. Frigger pointed out.
Calling for constructive and
open communication between all participants, the weeklong
event also includes scores of ongoing “bilateral conferences”
that actually take place several days prior and during the
session week.
Mr. Frigger told delegates:
“I am confident if we
maintain our fundamental values we will weather the storms
of uncertainty that are so prevalent in today’s political
and economical world.”
Sea
& Air
Some interesting viewpoints
at EMO Trans in Barcelona this week were presentations to
the world group from service partners who chose the unique
opportunity to recap their takes on 2015 so far and also share
some plans and thoughts about the future.
Presentations At BCN
Frank Sun and Mike Liu (EMO
Trans China) and Adley Ho and Nick Ng (EMO Trans Hong Kong)
were joined by service providers Bernd Ulpts (sales executive)
and Gabriela Stegmeyer (senior manager sales Germany) of Hapag
Lloyd, and newly named chief cargo officer of SWISS World
Cargo Ashwin Bhat as featured speakers on Monday.
Each offered some insight on
their offerings and a brief map of the road ahead as they
see it.
Here
Comes The Sun
Mr. Frank Sun (china@emotrans.com.cn)
spoke of the building presence of EMO Trans in China, where
the company now operates seven branches employing 65 people
that went live for the company on May 1, 2015.
Mr. Sun pointed out:
“This is just the beginning—we
expect to be building even more presence in China.
“We provide local expertise
in language, competitive rates, quick payment, and an order
of transparency that both shares sales leads and works hand
in hand with our partners to everyone’s benefit.
“Customs can be a big
headache in China.
“We have ex-Customs on
staff that can completely iron out the wrinkles,” Mr.
Sun added.
Left to right—Mike Liu, Frank Sun, Adley Ho and
Nick Ng. |
New
Kids Big Plans
Adley Ho (Air) and Nick Ng (Ocean)
from EMO Hong Kong pointed to the continued advantages of
utilizing gateway Hong Kong, where EMO Trans established its
second China presence in August 2015.
“Doing business inside
and via Hong Kong offers economic freedom, quality control,
legacy customs, and various business procedures that have
been in place for decades with the total support of a proactive
government.
“Today over 100 airlines
serve more than 160 destinations at the busiest air cargo
gateway in the world.
“By 2030 HKIA cargo volume,
currently at 8.9 million tons, will double.
“Additionally Hong Kong
is the fourth busiest seaport on the planet.
“Future investment includes
Hong Kong/Zhuhai/Macau Bridge connecting the Pearl River Delta
region, that when completed in early 2016 will cut travel
time across this span by two thirds.”
Just
Merged
Left
to right—Hapag Lloyd's Gabriela Stegmeyer, Bernd Ulpts
and EMO Trans' Marco Rohrer.
The folks from Hapag-Lloyd pointed
to their long storied past in global shipping dating back
165 years to the days of sail.
They said less about the fact
that for the past several years the company has lost tremendous
amounts of money, perhaps because much hope at the storied
German ocean shipping giant is pinned upon the recent merger
with CSAV.
“We are minimizing future
risk with a strong and shared heritage between our companies,”
Gabriela Stegmeyer said.
“The merger is a perfect
outcome as each partner brings particular strengths to the
table, one with strong east/west service while the other serves
north/south.
“We offer business continuity
with our network launching an era of increased cooperation,
served by a growing fleet of new generation shipping resources.
“We are taking the ‘bull
by the horns,’ offering as a building block to the future
our long relationship with EMO Germany to the rest of your
partnership around the world,” Gabriela said.
Who
Knew About Ashwin?
“The
last time there were so many talented people in a single room
in Barcelona was when Pablo Picasso entered his studio in
this city to create a painting here,” were the first
public words uttered by Ashwin Bhat, currently SWISS
WorldCargo head of global area management (pictured here
with Jo Frigger). The audience broke into laughter and
a round of applause.
Mr. Bhat, who takes over as
head of cargo October 1, 2015, did not stop there, saying:
“I realize I am standing
between you and lunch so this will be a very brief and concise
presentation,” and everybody applauded again.
While being very dedicated and
adept at delivering complex program scenarios in understandable
terms, it turns out Ashwin also appreciates that after several
hours of trolling through corporate-speak, the audience needed
a break.
Score one for SWISS WorldCargo.
“SWISS WorldCargo is the
poster child of quality,” Ashwin said.
“At the same time we (EMO
and SWISS) are two medium-sized companies that share the same
business philosophy: ‘Success by Performance.’
“My feeling is that medium-sized
companies working closer together can easily become a mighty
force in air cargo.
“We are going to provide
the aircraft, including the upcoming induction of B777-300
aircraft into our fleet, and you as a company are expanding
into new markets.
“Let’s combine forces
and grow together.”
Looking ahead, he said:
“Our belief as an airline
is be true to yourself, do things properly, and remain close
to the customer.
“The world is changing—we
must embrace the future as partners,” Ashwin Bhat said.
Amazon
Amazed
Sessions
were devoted to embracing newer EMO Trans members with informative
presentations, including one from Amazoncargo based in Manaus,
Brazil.
This session brilliantly underscored
how working relationships between EMO Trans partners are a
solid building block of the company.
Introducing Ary Chander from
Amazoncargo, EMO Trans President Marco Rohrer said:
“We learned about this company from our friend Antonio
Fernandes of Greenwich International, our EMO Trans partner
based in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
“We thought, the Amazon?
“Isn’t that a jungle?”
Marco smiled.
“But we got onto an airplane
and went down to Brazil, and we were amazed at the operation
there.”
Amazoncargo’s Chander
carries the story forward.
“We operate from the Manaus
Free Trade Zone, which offers great positive advantages.
“Amazoncargo is the freight
forwarding arm of multi-modal Aduana, one of the largest logistics
operations in Latin America.
“Amazoncargo features
six branches, 300 employees, and enjoys positive relationships
with all the air carriers serving Manaus.
“Our target is to provide
excellent freight forwarding across our very active region
of the Amazon in Brazil,” Ary Chander said.
Good
Turner Deserves Another
A session from Davies Turner
UK included a brief recap of that legendary company founded
in 1870, which today remains a privately-held family business.
We learned Davies Turner operates
a UK-only menu of multi-modal logistic services highlighted
by vast trucking connections throughout the UK and onward
to Mainland Europe and beyond.
East
Side West Side
EMO Trans partner East West
Logistics based in Bangkok, Thailand, highlights a company
that created an easily accessible web-based program that allows
EMO partner companies instant connection to rates and other
services via a simple couple of clicks.
David Grant from East West told
conferees:
“We started up in business
in 1977 and have risen to the position of Number 10 in the
Thai market, offering a complete menu of freight and logistic
services and specializing in out of the box thinking.
“We ship unusual consignments
as well, including a recent ‘moo-ment’ of 180
pregnant cows, all without a whimper,” David Grant said.
Ichii
San
Perhaps the most touching moment
of the EMO Trans event came when Kiyoshi Ichii, a long time
EMO Trans partner in Japan, spoke of the creation of EMO Logistics
Japan in February 2015.
In addition to a rather lengthy
description of the strength and breadth of EMO Japan, Ichii
San “stole the show,” extending some lovely Japanese
silk scarves to EMO friends in thanks for their cooperation.
A simple gesture, but one well
received as the finale of the EMO Trans General Meeting session
concluded on Tuesday afternoon in Barcelona.
Geoffrey/Sabiha
