Entries Tagged 'Trends' ↓

Inmarsat is repositioning its satellite, but also itself to cater to wider niche industries such as maritime, aviation, oil and gas

Samer Halawi, Vice President, Strategic Corporate Development, Inmarsat

Founded in 1979, the world’s oldest satellite phone operator Inmarsat is planning to shut down its satellites. Albeit temporarily. Having recently announced withdrawal of broadband voice and data services for a three to five week period in November and December, Inmarsat will temporarily shut down two satellites for repositioning.

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Global Positioning System (GPS) technology is becoming indispensable. Expanding businesses in the region feel the need to invest to get ahead

With mobile phones having Global Positioning Software (GPS) installed in them, life is easier as one can find routes without panicking. But what about businesses with transport fleets? How do they track their trucks? How do rent-a-car companies know where their cars are? Are they being secretly shipped off to neighbouring countries and sold for a profit? What about taxis? How does the customer service representative taking orders for customer pick up at the call centre, know which is the closest taxi to be assigned?

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Automation and advanced software are moving in fast

Juliana Hawi, Consultant – Supply Chain Solutions, Span Group

The GCC logistics industry is becoming more tech savvy every day, according to Juliana Hawi, Consultant – Supply Chain Solutions, Span Group. “Five years ago we were behind, but now I would say the latest technology is coming to the region,” she says.

Still, she admits, the region is learning. “A lot of education has to be done for the clients. Unlike Europe and North America where the client will approach you with clear requirements and you will have to give him a solution. Maybe Dubai is different, but in a lot of these countries you have to go educate the client, show them their need for technology and then propose the solution.”

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Healthcare logisticians are eagerly awaiting Dubai Logistics City’s full opening
in two years’ time, but must keep their speedy transport options open in the
interim.

It’s all systems go at Dubai World Central, as its myriad components home in on a series of deadlines in the next few years. The first flight is targeted to arrive by the end of the year, the 200,000 sq metre office complex aims to be ready by April next year and the industry awaits the full opening of Dubai Logistics City (DLC) by 2010, with 150 plots currently reserved.

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A booming healthcare industry is going to need efficient distribution.
And Pharma World Holdings is set to target this niche

Maher Kheder, Business Development Group Director, Pharma World Holdings

You’ve heard of designer drugs, but how about a designer 3PL specialising in drugs? Pharma World Holdings is setting up a logistics facility in Jebel Ali Free Zone, specialising in pharmaceutical distribution.

“It’s a complete 3PL, and is actually the first in the region focused on pharmaceuticals and health care,” says Maher Kheder, Business Development Group Director, Pharma World Holdings, a subsidiary of Saudi-based Banaja International, which maintains a partnership with GlaxoSmithKline for its manufacturing plant in Jeddah.

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Being part of the prestigious Al Futtaim Group doesn’t necessarily mean guaranteed business for FAMCO. The storage and handling company has to bid and fight it out like all the others

Al Futtaim’s Motor Parts Distribution Centre

With over 50 companies in the Al-Futtaim Group, you would think the storage and handling division of FAMCO, which supplies products for transportation, construction, manufacturing, warehousing and marine sectors, would have plenty of guaranteed business.

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With last month’s hijacking of the French luxury yacht Le Ponant, shippers should be reminded that off the coast of East Africa, piracy is alive and well. This isn’t the sort depicted in Hollywood, or glorified in historical accounts, but rather a modern and sophisticated operation, where mobile phones, speedboats, and assault rifles are the tools of the trade.

"We stood facing each other. No one had ever pointed a loaded gun at me before and staring into the barrels, I became weak with fear. I knew I had to maintain some control. The older boy massaged the trigger with his forefinger.

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With the industrial sector in Dubai being the second largest contributor to the GDP, the Dubai Industrial City aims to provide the complete package for medium and large manufacturers in the country and the region.

Driving along Emirates Road, not far from the Dubai-Abu Dhabi border, one can easily forget about the traffic in the nearby cities. But not for long. This road is about to get busy. Dubai World Central airport is coming up along it, with Dubai Logistics City adjacent to the east and Dubai Industrial City (DIC) to the west. While DLC and DWC can be distracting, DIC, which links both Emirates Road to Dubai By-pass Road is soon to catch your eye.
                                                                           Rasheed Al Ansari, CEO, DIC

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Deutsch Post World Net has dibs on Dubai Industrial City’s logistics Transpark. Is the global leader getting too much of a head start?

The official partnership between Dubai Industrial City and Deutsch Post World Net (DHL) was recently announced at MEED’s Gulf Logistics Forum. When it came time for questions, the crowd of supply chain managers expressed their concerns about the deal’s potential to stifle competition. Perhaps the answers provided were unsatisfactory, as the subject matter remained paramount throughout the question and answer session.

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 Appreciating art needs a lot more than just a discerning eye. Dubai-based Freight Systems, is learning the ropes and reaping the fruits.

Behind the bright red Freight Systems warehouse door in Jebel Ali lie thousands of square metres of art just waiting to be snatched up by the region’s most sophisticated buyers. With auction houses such as Christies, Hortons, Bonhams and Sotheby’s moving in, and events such as the Magic of Persia Exhibition and Gulf Art Fair popping up, the Dubai art scene is thriving. Christies, for example has pulled in US$61 million from three art and two jewellery auctions in the past few years. And along with demand for such products, of course, comes demand for the necessary transportation and storage.

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