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THE AIR CARGO NEWS THOUGHT LEADER  

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f that speech by IATA Secretary General Tony Tyler in Singapore last week calling for an Airline/Forwarder “Partnership” sounded a bit familiar, it is probably because the idea has been advanced by countless others during the past quarter-plus century.

     Cargo Network Services (CNS) is an organization in the U.S.A. that pioneered and first fostered practical application of the Airline/ Forwarder "Partnership" over 28 years ago. It was then that both groups sat down and discovered a good middle ground where airlines and forwarders could agree and build an industry through unique common interest (such as money, CASS, etc.). CNS meets by conducting a big Partnership Conference centered on good networking at a nice resort hotel in the American West or Southeast every year.
     CNS operated almost hands off as an IATA Special Interest Group until Aleks Popovich took over as IATA Head of Cargo; he then brought in his handpicked successor, Des Vertannes, as he had better airline cargo credentials.
     Under recent management, CNS is no longer autonomous, and for all intents and purposes appears to be operated as a sub-text to the greater IATA cargo ideal.
     CNS, the Airline/Forwarder partnership, is now run in the U.S.A. by a former airport marketing executive from Atlanta named Warren Jones.
     For many, CNS autonomy, a tenet enforced under its founding President Tony Calabrese, has faded.

     The idea for adapting the CNS template to a global Airline/Forwarder Partnership was first advanced three years ago at The CNS Partnership Conference in Miami, Florida, in a keynote speech delivered by Dr. Andreas Otto, Executive Board Member of Lufthansa Cargo with responsibility for Product & Sales.
     At the time IATA apparently paid little attention to Dr. Otto’s brilliant, courageous, and forward-thinking call for far-reaching global airline/forwarder cooperation.
     The wonder is, having overlooked Dr. Otto’s bold speech delivered right under their noses, what else does IATA have up its sleeve after its “Singapore Partnership Initiative”?
     For its part, Lufthansa Cargo clearly recognized what they have, because they extended Dr. Otto’s contract another five years this past June.
     Dr. Otto, as it turns out, has lots of ideas and he isn’t afraid to share them.

Dr. Andreas Otto	Joachim Frigger

     Even further back, we recall EMO Trans Chairman & CEO Jo Frigger advancing the idea of expanding airline and forwarder partnerships at CNS meetings and public gatherings as a natural follow-up to the organization’s activities during the late 1980s, long before IATA was in noticeable attendance at CNS Partnership Conferences.
     It is not unfair to say that today, as before, the progeny that are ideas—and their resultant success—can be attributed to several fathers.
Geoffrey/Flossie

ingapore is already home to the regional headquarters of many of the world’s leading transport companies, but hosting FIATA’s World Congress this week has given the city-state a further boost. That is the view of Mr. Quek Keng Liang, Chairman of the Singapore Logistics Association (SLA), one of the main supporters and organizers of this year’s event.
“An event of such scale certainly helps bring some visibility to Singapore as a global logistics center, and we hope that we were able to bring to light the growth opportunities in Asia, particularly through the impending developments that will see increasing intra-Asian trade,” he told FlyingTypers.
     “Singapore is an excellent hub. We are located strategically and possess the infrastructure, policies, and expertise, giving any logistics company good reason to set up shop here if they haven’t done so already. We definitely hope to see more investments to expand the Singapore logistics industry.”
     Liang was not over-egging the cake when it comes to Singapore’s excellence in logistics. The city-state is ranked the world’s most efficient trade facilitator, according to The World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index. In the sub-indices of the LPI, Singapore is ranked 1st out of the 155 countries that take part in terms of ‘customs’ performance, second on ‘infrastructure’ and ‘international shipments,’ sixth on ‘logistics quality and competence’ and ‘tracking and tracing,’ and first on ‘timeliness.’
     Mr. Liang said maintaining performance was a constant challenge that necessitated regular infusions of fresh talent. “We have plans to capture growth well into the future in terms of infrastructure, but to remain at the top, we will need to continually adapt and innovate our methods and strategies, so we can remain at our most efficient, and deliver the highest level of customer satisfaction,” he said.
     “One of the key challenges is in the talent pipeline—we need new blood. As such, SLA has been actively involved in engaging students and young logisticians to overcome this problem.
     “We have devoted special attention to collaborate with these educational institutions to train logistics coordinators and assistants who are much needed by the industry.”
     As part of this effort, in 1997, together with the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), SLA launched the Certificate in Business Studies (Logistics) apprenticeship program to provide young school leavers with opportunities to start careers in the logistics industry. The program has since evolved to become the Higher NITEC in Logistics for International Trade course at ITE.
     “SLA has also been pursuing collaborations with the polytechnics to groom logistics talents,” he said.      “Another initiative undertaken by SLA is the joint effort with UniSIM to develop the Bachelor of Science in Logistics and Supply Chain Management Programme in 2009 to produce talents in supply chain management.
     “For greater awareness and understanding of supply chain practices and how they can enhance value to a firm amongst tertiary students, SLA also organized the first National Supply Chain Competition last year and this year to provide students with an experiential activity that will not only challenge their minds, but give them much needed help from mentor companies.
     “This activity saw SLA, logistics companies, and the government (SPRING Singapore) rallying together to engage students and interest them in this area.”
SkyKing

     How to Effectively and with Reasonable Cost Setup a Compliance Program” is a low-cost webinar being conducted on Tuesday, October 29, 2013 | 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT, in the U.S.
     “If you are the broker, you are required to have due diligence,” said Donna Mullins of Mullins International Solutions, based in Atlanta.
     “Same thing goes if you are the importer.
     “Without compliance programs that can support each other, it is not hard to imagine a situation arising wherein a company can find itself in a position with Customs that needs legal attention.
     “Compliance is simply following the rules, and that costs very little but carries a great return.
     “So we have set up a channel to hear the broker’s and importer’s perspective to help staff gain knowledge of how compliance can be your friend.
     “Our speakers include myself and Jea R. Gackowski, Trade Law Training.
     “We bring over 30+ years of broker and importer experience, but beyond that we know how to be compliant business partners that can reach common goals for growth, revenue, and overall compliance measures,” Donna said.
     Cost is $60. Registation is open until Friday, October 25, 2013. Approved for 1 CCS NCBFAA Educational Institute Credit. Contact Tracey Chapman at 404.870.5684. Or click here.
Geoffrey

 

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