In USA The Association of Former Members of Congress (FMC) recognized Lufthansa Group for sustainable corporate actions.
  Carsten Spohr, Chairman of the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, accepted the organization’s award.
  We are especially pleased that FMC recognized Cargo Human Care (CHC) activities in Kenya.
  Cargo Human Care is headed up by the great Fokko Doyan, a true modern day aviation hero and “Captain of the Clouds”, at Lufthansa Cargo.
  But where Fokko Doyen really impresses is in his fierce devotion as Chairman and guiding spirit of Cargo Human Care eV, an organization he helped create. He has devoted time there for the past 12 years, and today continues to dedicate one third of his life to the cause.
  CHC is supported by Lufthansa Cargo employees and contributions that have enabled CHC to deliver medical care to hundreds of children in the East African country every year.
  Today CHC facilities include Mothers' Mercy Home, the John Kaheni Residence and the CHC Medical Center.
  Most recently Fokko and his team have worked toward supporting the creation of The Happy Child Education Center opened as a preschool offering 100 children an educational foundation for life.
  Congratulations to a truly heroic group at Lufthansa Cargo.

     FIATA Headquarters' Session 2019 took off March 27-30 in Zurich, Switzerland.
     “A great opportunity for FIATA Association Members and Individual Members to exchange information and deliberate on important policy issues of our industry,” FIATA President Babar Badat told FlyingTypers.
     “I am especially happy to announce that the first digital courses of FIATA “Introduction to Global Logistics Management, Theory and Practice” & “Maritime Transport” as well as the digital “Train-the-Trainer Course for FIATA Foundation Vocational Training” are also due to be launched.
     “In the age of the knowledge economy,” Mr. Badat declared,“in which training is treated as a necessary raw material for economic activities, education is increasingly relevant.”

Undefeated Babar Badat

     We like Babar. He stands up and gets things done.
     His business of course is forwarding, as Chairman of Transhold Pvt Ltd., with offices across Pakistan. But he has also from his base in Karachi lead and, is the guiding force for organized freight fowarders moving swiftly into the future of Pakistan.
    He is also undefeated and not afraid of risk.

Got Dumped By India

     Last year when FIATA held their Annual World Congress in New Delhi, affording India a breakthrough event in world transportation, apparently some bureaucrats in that country got a hold of Babar’s passport and pulled a fast one, refusing the FIATA President entry into the country.
     Now everyone knows that India and Pakistan can be compared to the Hatfields and McCoys in the USA, where distant cousins seem to be up against each other as a way of life.
     For his part, despite the loss of what could and should have been a great event with top executives of both India and Pakistan together again for the first time on the stage, Babar simply said:
     “FIATA is a non governmental and non political organization.
     “I had supported the bid to hold the Congress in Delhi and I was looking forward to my tenure's first Congress.
     “What happened is sad, it didn't need to be like this.
     “Nevertheless our honorable Presidency members, the honorable Extended Board members and heads of the various groups were all present at the Congress.
     “In discussion with the Presidency I requested our people to kindly ensure that all the meetings including those of the Regions, Institutes, Advisory Bodies and others went off well and it turned out to be a good Congress for our worthy members and for those who had taken out the time to attend the Congress.”

Need To Lead In Education

     Back to the current issues at hand.
     Babar Badat takes a bead on education saying:
     “In an environment of increasing globalization of markets and outsourcing of production and distribution activities, associated with increasing level of specialization and customer service,      FIATA deems it necessary to provide the international logistics industry with training foundations that increase its competitiveness, incubate innovation and encourage the interest of youth to work in the industry.”

Takes A Bite Out Of Crime

     “The risk of cybercrime to the international transport and logistics industry is increasing in conjunction with the growing application of information technology,” Mr. Badat said.
     “Customer-, price-, and transport-data are increasingly being stored digitally today, which points to the significance of enhancing digital infrastructures.
     “The FIATA Advisory Body Legal Matters is working on a best practice guideline on preventing cybercrime.
     “This guideline aims at raising awareness among FIATA members and the industry regarding the threats and risks of cybercrime and to provide best practices in prevention of cybercrime from a risk-management perspective,” Mr. Badat said.

Practices Guide For Container Shipping

     The FIATA Working Group Sea Transport has published its Best Practices Guide For Container Shipping.
     “FIATA Working Group Sea Transport noticed that the quality of containers provided by shipping lines in global container shipping has detriorated significantly.
     “One has to come to the conclusion that shipping lines are cutting cost in the maintenance of their equipment.”
     Mr. Jens Roemer, Chairman of the Working Group Sea Transport, and of the Multimodal Transport Institute of FIATA, and one of the authors of this Best Practice said:
     “The objective of FIATA is to recommend “best practices” that should be considered by commercial partners in their relations and dealings.
     “We are convinced this will be a helpful tool to the national associations and to the freight forwarders in their daily business.”

On To South Africa

     “From October 1-5, FIATA will have the pleasure of hosting the FIATA World Congress 2019 together with the South African Association of Freight Forwarders (SAAFF) in the splendid city of Cape Town,” Babar Badat said.
     “This event should be an opportunity to further show to the world that Africa is a dynamic continent with positive signals of economic growth, significant market potential and strong impulses for its international outreach.
     “South Africa, the country where the great statesman Nelson Mandela was born, has made substantial economic achievements since the 1990s. Cape Town is now an ideal place for the trade and transport sector to build up networks and promote business.
     “Under the overarching theme of “Where Technology and Logistics Meet”, this FIATA World Congress 2019 wishes to discover, in addition to many other topics, the development of disruptive technologies, and their influence on our industry.
     “FIATA hopes to bring together over 1,200 industry stakeholders and decision-makers to discuss the changes in the logistics and freight forwarding industry, to share best practices and to build business relationships with partners around the globe.
     “Cape Town is blessed to have South Africa’s top six tourist attractions within one hour drive of the city center.
     “Participants could take advantage of this opportunity to experience the diversified city of Cape Town, enjoy the landscape of Table Mountain and Cape of Good Hope, and most importantly, experience the hospitality of Africa,” Babar Badat said.
     More power to him!
Geoffrey, FIATA Fellow
More, click here.

Pioneering “Woman In Air Cargo” Mathangi Krishnan could easily pass off as my aunt next door.
     She is measured in her conversation, and there is an air of calm around her, which belies the presence of Madam Mathangi in the midst of the cacophony and helter-skelter of air cargo terminals.
     But that is where her heart is.
     As a partner of S Natesa Iyer & Co, one of the oldest freight forwarders in Chennai, Madam Mathangi has completed over 30 years in the business –
     “A journey,” she terms as “exciting and filled with loads of experiences,good and not so good!”

Patience And Attention

     “Women,” she tells me, “have a natural ability for patience and attention to details. These are great stepping stones to a successful journey in the transportation industry.”
     And, she emphasizes the need for patience in an industry where success is measured by the minute.
     “Patience, when things do not work out as planned, is another key factor to try even harder.”
     Her meticulous planning saved the day for many some years ago.
     Dignified to a degree, after a lot of insistence, Madam Mathangi opened up to recount one of her most satisfying moments.

When Highly Skilled Is The Value

     “It was the successful uplift of a biological sample preserved in Liquid Nitrogen for research.
     “The cargo originated 200 kms away and total transit time permitted for delivery to destination was 72 hours.
     "Two successive holidays were staring into my face.
     “However meticulous planning and coordination with everyone involved—the shipper; carrier; NOC, from ADC; Customs clearance and uplift as a DG cargo and monitoring the transhipment at the wee hours of the day—at the end of the successful mission, the satisfaction was really unmeasurable,” she declared.
     “It was not a high value or tonnage shipment but yet the skill and domain knowledge were truly tested and I am happy that everything went according to plan.”

“I Got Lucky”

     Madam Mathangi stepped into the freight forwarding business, she said because she was “fortunate” that S Natesa Iyer was “a family business”.
     “The job was not in alien surroundings,” she said brushing aside that as a lone woman in a male-dominated air cargo industry by any measure must have been difficult for her. Madam Mathangi smiles and says:
     “I did not encounter any discrimination . . . my seniors in office looked upon me as a new member of the family and guided me with a lot of patience.”
     She is all praise for the support she received from her family.
     In fact, her initial years living in a joint family came as a boon.
     “I could really concentrate to hone my skills and acquire the confidence to handle the business independently.”
     Later she tells me, gender bias, especially in India, cannot really be wished away.
     But she is quick to point out that “if the competence of the person is well demonstrated, respect and admiration automatically follow.
     “Maybe one needs to travel that extra mile but the rewards make this journey worth the effort,” Madam said softly.

Cargo Grows With Respect

     Remembering the first few days when she joined the business 30 years ago, she says rather fondly:
     “From the very first day, I have been treated with a lot of respect and dignity.
     “It is one family, sharing values and goals,” she points out and mentions once again that her’s has been “a very satisfying experience.”

Day In The Life Of Madam Mathangi

     The lady begins her day attending to overnight mails from customers and follows up shipments in transit.
     A stickler for details, she keeps her clients happy by “ensuring that the office sends updates to all concerned.”
     Madam does not shy away from meeting key customers and often downs a coffee to seal relationships.
     Part of her duties include planning clearances, both outbound and inbound.
     As for visits to Chennai airport, they do happen but “not very frequently as we have a robust monitoring system in office.”
     Managing the office is a challenge but a focused individual like Madam Mathangi is always on the ball. That ability has served her well in acquiring knowledge on the job about all forms of freight: ranging from Dangerous Goods to live animals and special cargo.

Every Day Is A New Experience

     As she puts it so simply, “It is impossible not to learn at least one new thing every day.” And all of it does not happen within the confines of the office.
     “Every small happening in any corner of this world,” she maintains, “will affect your day-to-day experience, hence the opportunity to learn and update is realtime.
     “In India, technology plays a significant role in conducting our daily business, so keeping up with the constant changes and being aware of future developments is always on my learning agenda.”

No Matter What You Are

     Madam brings up the gender issue once again and reiterates that, “it will be in-depth knowledge and administrative efficiency, not gender that will be the key to success.”
     As we part, Madam Mathangi has a smile on her lips and a sparkle in her eyes:
     “Huge opportunities exist for everyone!”
     It was her way of saying, come, join the fun that is air cargo.
     Works for us!
Tirthankar Ghosh

Vol. 18 No. 24
Peg O' My Heart
Chuckles for April 1, 2019
Women Keep On Truckin'

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