Entries Tagged 'Issue 2 November 2007' ↓

Bahrain is famous for its Formula One Grand Prix. But the logistics behind such a race, to most, are a mystery. DHL, the official logistics partner for Formula One, shares its secrets.

The Bahrain International Circuit, home to the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix

Fin Kimi Räikkönen with Ferrari may be the best driver in the world, having taken home the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship, but Dave Spargo, Regional Director Middle East for DHL Express, insists the DHL team that works with Formula One is the best group of logistics professionals in the world.

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Bahrain is hoping to take a stand as the world’s next modern logistics hub. But will old ways of business prevent this tiny archipelago from becoming “new”?

A walk around some areas of Bahrain seems a lot like a walk around Dubai ten, maybe fifteen, years ago. Juice from shawarma meat cooking on the spit of a street-side stand dribbles on your feet and water from the air conditioners of buildings built in the Seventies drips on your head. The smell of garbage wafts from open dumpsters and people on the street have more than enough time to stop and say “hello”.

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Airline food may seem boring, but the science behind it surprisingly exciting.

Emirates Flight Catering, a subsidiary of Emirates Airlines, opened the largest in flight catering facility in the world in terms of meal throughput capacity. The facility is dedicated to supply the in-flight service requirements of Emirates Airlines. At full capacity, over 1800 employees on three floors will prepare 115,000 meals per day.

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Naima Saleh Agha, Khaled Fawzy, Siva Vankineni and Faried Riza Nusyiran

Siva Rama C. Vankineni smiles as he poses for photos with his “Young International Freight Forwarder of the Year” trophy. In most pictures taken at the 2007 FIATA World Congress, he is surrounded by his three fellow nominees, who look surprisingly proud despite the knowledge they will leave the conference without the final prize.

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It’s safe to say security was one of the most talked-about issues at the 2007 FIATA World Congress. Richard Di Nucci with the U.S. Customs Service, speaking in the “100%Transportation Security Myth or Reality” forum, reminded the audience that his country will require all U.S.-bound cargo to undergo radiation inspections by 2012.

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FIATA’s new president William Gottlieb shares his views on everything from family to free trade.

When FIATA President William, “Bill”, Gottlieb joined David Kirsch Forwarders in Montreal, the company his grandfather founded a century before, he says he knew very little about the business. “I had a blank look on my face like most people do when they say ‘What do you do for a living?’ and I say ‘I’m a freight forwarder’.”

Gottlieb says he now tells people he’s “like a travel agent, but for cargo”. Gottlieb says he started out “being a runner, delivering papers” and eventually moved his way up to President.

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DHL Express has partnered with the United Nations to form a relief team for the Middle East and Africa. But can the region handle its next natural disaster?

DHL DRT Middle East/ Africa

Paul Dowling seems like the kind of man who is waiting to be a hero. In fact, following the 2005 South Asia earthquake which killed about 75,000 people and left hundreds of thousands homeless, the Customer Operations Manager for DHL Express Middle East/Africa volunteered to help his company distribute relief supplies.

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Not many can look into the crystal ball and predict the future. But if one wants to manufacture right and sell all, the key is to forecast accurately.

Thanks to global competition, demand is no longer certain for any business. Gone are the days of certainty, long product life cycles and loyal consumers. The overall environment is today dynamic. In such a situation firms increasingly realise that understanding demand, planning demand and linking supply with demand pays. At the same time, if the supply chain forecast is substantially in error, the ramifications will be felt throughout the entire process.

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Gulf airline cargo managers are all smiles as their fleets grow, airports expand and economies soar. But increased competition and capacity mean there’s no room for complacency.

Working in the Middle Eastern air cargo industry is like opening a menu and finding that the dishes keep changing. The governments of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar have been busy laying out their tables, accommodating growing transit and destination business at the world’s crossroads. But now they’re hungry for more, spending billions on fleet and airport expansion in the next five years.

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Three suggestions for governments

In the first issue of LOG.Middle East, my editorial touched upon the three trends that will shape the future of the logistics industry in our region. I was told by one of our first readers that one of these trends, deregulation, was a landmine issue.

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