Logistics News ME - September 2022

DIGITISATION

Lack of data visibility

EXPERT OPINION

Potential risks warehouse automation vendors face

TOP LOGISTICS LEADERS FROM THE REGION

Logistics News ME once again returns with a comprehensive list of the top 25 logistics leaders in the region, who ensure that when it comes to supply chain woes, they have a perfect solution.

different approach

POWER

TOP LOGISTICS LEADERS FROM THE REGION

Logistics News ME once again returns with a comprehensive list of the top 25 logistics leaders in the region, who ensure that when it comes to supply chain woes, they have a perfect solution

16 SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

A DIFFERENT APPROACH

Joe Terino, Global Head of Bain & Company’s Supply Chain Practice and Karim Shariff, Partner, Bain & Company Middle East examine how supply chain in the Middle East requires a unique approach

20 DIGITISATION

LACK OF DATA VISIBILITY

Digital-first approach built on the cloud is vital to enable supply chain companies to tap regional growth opportunity

22 EXPERT OPINION

POTENTIAL RISKS WAREHOUSE

AUTOMATION VENDORS FACE Rueben Scriven, Senior Analyst, Interact Analysis, forecasts the risk automated warehouse firms will come across as we go forward

24 INTERVIEW

RADIATING SUCCESS

Karim Bakhache, VP strategy – Radyes, sheds light on Lyve’s fully equipped social commerce platform where restaurants get direct, commission-free orders from anywhere on the web

In this issue we bring you our annual power list featuring the region’s top organisations in the logistics sector. While it’s been a pleasure to put this list together, it’s also been quite challenging. The region is home to some of the world’s best logistics companies which makes it quite the task to only chose 25 and feature them in the magazine.

other issues caused by the pandemic that plagued the logistics sector and put these organisations in a tough spot.

Regardless, logistics companies in the region have not only survived but are thriving. And in this year’s power list we highlight how well this companies are flourishing and making a mark in the industry. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate everyone of you, but your efforts are not in vain. So, cheers to each one of you.

Inside, we also have Jebin George and Kerry Koutsikos from Infor share their views on how supply chain companies need to embrace a digital-first approach to tap the immense opportunities for growth in the region.

Also, Karim Bakhache, VP strategy – Radyes, talks about Lyve’s social commerce platform where restaurants get directs, commission-free orders from anywhere on the web.

And lastly, I would also like to inform our readers that this is my last issue with Logistics News ME as I will be moving to greener pastures (quite literally). Follow me on LinkedIn as I will post an update in a few weeks. Until then happy reading.

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Shortlisting is never easy, and these firms have had a couple of difficult years with the supply chain crisis and

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6 | LOGISTICS NEWS ME | SEPTEMBER 2022 WWW.CBNME.COM Jochebed Menon Editor, Logistics NewsMiddle East jochebed@bncpublishing.net

SAUDI MARITIME CONGRESS 2022 TO EMPHASISE DIGITALISATION AND MODERN SOLUTIONS

The 2022 edition of the Saudi Maritime Congress (SMC) aims to bring together some of the leading tech companies in the region’s maritime sector to showcase their latest products and services.

Increased digitalisation, as well as greater reliance on autonomous ap plications and big data, are on top of SMC’s agenda for this edition. The conference brings in thought leaders who will play a vital role in educating the industry about new and improved technologies that can help in the ac celerated growth of the sector.

Chris Greenwood, Regional Direc tor of Business Development, Middle East & Africa, ABS said: “Data and technology are essential components to maximise the industry’s operational efficiency and catalyse its drive to wards decarbonisation. Several solu tions such as battery-operated vessels, advanced sensors on board ships, intelligent systems powered by AI and machine learning, Predictive Analytics, etc.; can help reduce emissions, en hance energy efficiency, and chart-out efficient routes; thus, minimising dis ruptions and maximising efficiency. “During the pandemic, when clas

sification societies were limited in their ability to carry out inspections on board vessels and rigs, remote tools such as digital twins and remotely op erated underwater vehicles and robots assisted us to carry out their inspec tions and certifications. So, these solu tions are truly valuable to the sector, and we must discuss their develop ment and usage in the future for the industry’s operations.”

During the event, several leading organisations in the maritime sector will discuss the importance of digitali sation in the industry and will empha sise how modern technologies could impact the operational efficiency of the sector.

Abdul Fahl, Director, TTMS Gulf said: “Embracing modern solutions is es sential to making our services more accessible and efficient. At TT Club, we have invested a lot of effort into developing our TM Connect platform, which helped us improve the capabili ties of our existing ClaimsTrac tool. Additionally, our new and improved website allows our clients increased access to our loss prevention advisory services.

“Such digital advances enable us to work in more innovative ways, adding

value to our services through the ap plication of robotics, AI, big data, etc. Sharing our experiences on what we have been able to achieve with the help of digitalisation will encourage more companies to embrace digital solutions and will raise the standards of the industry as a whole.”

To be an effective player within the transportation industry, Maritime is building on the significant changes made across the energy sector. That is why at the Saudi Maritime Congress, both policy makers and industry lead ers will come together to discuss the opportunities within the value chain including the latest technologies that would drive Maritime further.

Chris Morley, Group Director – Mari time Events, Informa Markets said: “In addition to being an ideal platform to network with high-level professionals, and bring the region’s maritime indus try under one roof, SMC has always been at the forefront of supporting the digital shift of the sector.

“In line with our aim of enabling the Kingdom’s drive towards achieving its ambitions for Saudi Vision 2030, our much-anticipated event aims to cata lyse the nation’s transformation into a regional technology hub. Through var ious digitalisation-focused segments, we aim to cement the position of the Kingdom as a regional and global trade hub by enhancing port stand ards with the help of technology.”

This third edition of the Saudi Mari time Congress, the Kingdom’s leading maritime & logistics event, returns to Dammam on September 28-29, 2022. The conference is organised during a time when the industry is undergo ing several changes because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and in response to the decarbonisation targets set by the IMO; the much-awaited event is gearing up to catalyse the digital shift of the sector.

The IMO has set targets for the ship ping industry to reduce its carbon emissions by 40% by 2030, and by 70% by 2050. This reduction would demand a lot more than a shift to alternate fuels and would rely heavily on the utilisation of data and digital solutions.

MRO ECOMMERCE STORE SUPPLYVAN MAKES CONSCIOUS EFFORTS TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY

SupplyVan, an MRO eCommerce store in the Middle East is supporting the cause of sustainability through its packaging materials.

According to the ‘Green Economy Initia tive’ launched by HH Sheikh Mohamed in January of 2012, UAE seeks to be come a successful model of the new green economy and enhance its sustain ability. From banning the use of singleuse plastics to including Sustainability in the Expo 2020, the UAE is striving hard to preserve its environment for future generations

To support this, SupplyVan doesn’t use excessive packaging materials to pack the products unless necessary to protect the items during transit. Through its re cently implemented same-day delivery system, SupplyVan’s delivery vehicles and drivers are trained to handle small and large deliveries.

Many of its products are delivered in their original packaging (without the use of additional packing materials) as provided by the manufacturer thereby reducing the consumption of paper and plastic packaging materials. The eCom merce company packages products for delivery using only recyclable materials.

“Witnessing the UAE government wholly supporting Sustainability initia tives to address pressing challenges of the world, I am proud to say that Sup plyVan is doing its part and leaving no stone unturned to reduce the carbon footprint. Having grown five-fold in less than two years, SupplyVan has set a stel lar example that embracing sustainability does not have to come at the cost of a lucrative company growth rate,” said Ali Asgar Raja, CEO and Founder of Sup plyVan.

The first and largest dedicated MRO eCommerce Store in the Middle East, SupplyVan sells more than 1,700 brands online including major brands such as Makita, Stanley, 3M, DeWalt and Bosch.

Amazon welcomed several new Emirati hires, with many of these roles filled by Emirati women. In support of the UAE’s national Emiratisation plan, the new hires reinforce Amazon’s ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Amazon announces the new hires in time with the Emirati Women’s Day which aims to celebrate the dreams and achievements of women in the UAE.

The eCommerce giant con tinues to invest in UAE talent through reskilling, and upskill

ing its workforce, empowering them to advance their careers in one of the region’s fastest growing industries. The com pany has Emirati hires across multiple functions in its organ ization covering finance, hu man resources, immigration, legal, administration, opera tions, retail, and marketing.

Ronaldo Mouchawar, Vice President – Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Ama zon, said: “We are grateful to live in a country where there are so many impactful nation al and corporate initiatives to drive change and make sus tainable long-term impact.

“We believe that diversity

EMPHASISES

unlocks different perspectives, enabling us to innovate and serve the evolving needs of our customers. With Emirati Women’s Day also being com memorated this week, and our ongoing commitment to diversity, we are proud to see so many Emirati women take on roles within Amazon. I look forward to seeing what the future has in store as we con tinue to build it together.”

Noof Alsayed, Marketplace Account Manager, Middle East and North Africa, Ama zon, commented: “While I have always been intrigued by the variety of roles offered by Amazon, most women are

not aware of the breadth of opportunities available within the company. I am proud to represent Emirati women in such a fast-growing sector and thank the UAE govern ment for driving this vision to ensure growth of our talent. I can’t wait to start the next step of my career and further explore the endless pros pects that Amazon offers.”

Sara Alsawalhi, Financial Analyst, Middle East and North Africa, Amazon, added: “I am proud to have joined a company that strives to be Earth’s best employer by creating a safer, more di verse, and more productive work environment. UAE is making significant progress at multiple levels to em power women. I’m grateful for the flexibility and excel lent working conditions the company offers and would encourage any woman who is interested in a fulfilling career with prospects for growth to explore opportuni ties with Amazon.”

Amazon’s presence in the UAE is powered by a combi nation of innovative technol ogy, advanced fulfilment net work, transportation services, highly skilled employees, and partners. In July this year, Amazon opened its larg est delivery station in Abu Dhabi, bringing advanced last-mile delivery technology to the capital and providing the convenience of SameDay and One-Day deliveries to customers.

With a strong fulfilment network, eight delivery sta tions and a network of De livery Service Partners across the UAE, Amazon continues to build and scale its opera tions in the UAE, while focus ing on the safety, well-being, and career advancement of its employees.

CATHAY PACIFIC CARGO INTRODUCES FLY GREENER FOR AIR FREIGHT

Cathay Pacific is taking the lead in aviation’s sustainability efforts in Asia with the extension of Fly Greener to its air cargo services.

Fly Greener is a carbonoffset programme powered by an integrated carbon emis sions calculator, as part of the airline’s commitment to tack ling climate change by achiev ing net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The new carbon emissions calculator works out the car bon emissions of shipments and the cost to offset them in just a couple of simple steps. Customers can then contribute to purchase carbon offsets that come from care fully selected carbon-offset projects. All selected projects are certified under the Gold Standard to ensure their car bon reductions are verified and come with societal and developmental benefits.

The carbon-offset pro gramme follows the launch earlier this year of Cathay Pacific’s Corporate Sustain able Aviation Fuel (SAF) Pro gramme, which brings SAF into Hong Kong International Airport for the first time in history. It provides corporate customers the opportunity to reduce their carbon footprint from business travel and air cargo shipments by contribut ing to the use of SAF. Cathay Pacific was also among the first carriers in the world to announce a target of 10% SAF in its total fuel use by 2030.

General Manager Cargo Commercial George Edmunds said: “The carbon emissions calculator is another tool we have made available to help

our customers achieve their sustainability targets to make our business and our industry more sustainable. In tandem with our promotion and de velopment of Sustainable Aviation Fuel capabilities, the calculator will give our customers flexibility to offset their carbon emissions via a suite of accredited carbon off set projects.”

Customers have already been able to estimate their potential carbon emissions by searching for flight con nections with the emission calculator on cathaypacific cargo.com, but now regis tered customers using the website will be able to offset their shipments by air waybill (AWB) number. Users can enter five AWB numbers at a time but can submit as many applications as required over any monthly period. The tool, which uses the latest IATA methodology, will show the volume of emissions, and display the offset charge in local currency, calculated by weight, and aircraft type.

This level of detail is central to the scheme, as explained by Simon Ng, CEO of Global Logistic System (HK) Co., Ltd (GLSHK), a Cathay Pacificowned subsidiary that de signed the technology.

Ng said: “Multiple factors can lead to variance in the number of emissions gener ated by a booked shipment. GLSHK helped refine this system with Cathay Pacific Cargo by using a variety of data sources to calculate the emissions for a shipment in cluding the actual flown route, aircraft type, and actual flying distance to maximise the ac curacy of the offset for our

customers.”

After each submission, customers will be sent a spreadsheet showing the totals carried and claimed, plus the carbon-offset calcula tion. They will also receive a monthly statement displaying all submissions from the previ ous month and the total to be settled. Customers will then receive a certificate showing the offset total and the pro ject they have supported, for their own sustainability audit ing processes.

The monetary contributions go directly to fund third-party validated projects that help to offset the CO2 generated by shipments, through carbon credits bought by Cathay Pacific and passed on to customers at cost. The airline makes no profit in the carbonoffset transactions.

The scheme currently sup ports four projects which bring fuel-efficient cooking stoves to families in Bang ladesh, solar-powered hot water to households in India, and solar-powered cooking stoves and small biogas plants

to families in the Chinese Mainland. You can read more about the carbon-offset pro jects here.

In the launch phase, the carbon emissions calcula tor will accept retrospective AWB numbers, but future iterations will see the tool built into Cathay Pacific Cargo’s digital booking and confirmation solution, Click & Ship. Customers will be able to add offsets directly to their bookings in a one-click process.

Head of Cargo Global Part nerships Chris Bowden said: “We are excited to be driving industry leadership in Asia for sustainability, and we look forward to working with our customers to promote sus tainable air cargo shipments. We know that carbon-offset calculations can be complex and need to be accurate for sustainability auditing purposes. We believe that the ease and simplicity of Fly Greener and the carbon emissions calculator makes the rigour and complexity that goes into carbon emis sions calculations straightfor ward and user-friendly, which is something our customers have been actively seeking.”

REGIONAL

ETIHAD CARGO INTRODUCES ADDITIONAL BELLYHOLD CAPACITY TO NEW YORK

Etihad Cargo, the cargo and logistics arm of Etihad Aviation Group, has reinforced its commitment to the US market with the introduction of an additional 50 tonnes of belly capacity via four new weekly direct passenger flights to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) from 15 November 2022.

With the addition of these flights, the carrier will offer a total of 11 weekly flights between Abu Dhabi and New York.

In addition to offering 11 weekly flights to JFK, New York, Etihad Cargo provides capacity to other key destina tions in the US via freighter and passen ger flights to Chicago and Washington D.C.

The carrier operates nine flights per

week to Chicago O’Hare International Airport and daily flights to Dulles Inter national Airport, Washington. The intro duction of additional capacity to Etihad Cargo’s winter schedule brings the total cargo capacity into and out of the US to 1,084 tonnes per week.

Existing daily services will continue Etihad’s new Airbus 350 aircraft, which has been deployed on the New York route since June 2022. The new flights will be operated with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.

These aircraft types are two of the most efficient in the world, providing significantly less fuel burn and CO2 emissions than previous-generation twin-aisle aircraft. Etihad Cargo also operates two dedicated Boeing 777 freighter flights per week to Chicago

via Europe, supported by an offline network.

Martin Drew, Senior Vice President Global Sales & Cargo at Etihad Aviation Group, said: “Etihad Cargo continu ously reviews its network to add more capacity to meet the needs of its part ners and customers.

“The introduction of four additional weekly flights to New York to the car rier’s winter schedule further demon strates Etihad Cargo’s commitment to customers, offering additional capacity on this key trade lane and strengthen ing the US’s connection to the rest of the world via Etihad Cargo’s hub in Abu Dhabi.”

Providing additional capacity to New York is the latest step by the carrier to expand operations in the US. Earlier in 2022, Etihad Cargo strengthened the carrier’s US commercial team with the appointment of Caroline Pappas to the role of General Manager – Americas.

P&O Maritime Logistics will help debottleneck customer supply chains by ensuring there is a faster cargo turnaround, enabled by the company’s unique and recently modified Multi Carrying Vessels (MCVs) that now can carry containerised cargo.

In partnership with Unifeeder, P&O Maritime Logistics will increase connec tivity across the Red Sea between Port of Jeddah and Port Sudan.

As a ‘micro’ feeder, the new MCV line has the unique ability to bypass con gestion. The shallow draft MCVs utilise less space and can access areas of the port where larger ships cannot fit due to their size and length. This is useful when connecting feeder ports, such as Port Sudan, with hub ports, such as Port of Jeddah.

Using MCVs can advance and bring additional volumes for main line car riers and reduce waiting times. P&O Maritime Logistics began modifying MCVs following the successful trials with the Topaz Lena, where they found they could deliver faster turnaround times to their customers with their car go, demonstrating agility during indus try-wide changes and brought forward

innovative solutions for their custom ers. In this case, the port turnaround time can be reduced by 70-80%.

P&O’s ships first crossed the Red Sea in 1842 after winning the Mail Contract from UK to India, carrying mail, passengers, and precious cargo. The new liner service highlights P&O Maritime Logistics’ return to the Red Sea after 180 years and its expansion into the container carrying market as it is the first time the company crosses the Red Sea carrying containers.

Two of P&O Maritime Logistics’ recently modified MCVs, the Topaz Lena and the Topaz Volga, have been contracted for the new route and work has already started for both ves sels.

By connecting Port of Jeddah – a key port between Europe and Asia –and Port Sudan, P&O Maritime Logis tics delivers a faster-than-anticipated service to Unifeeder, DP World and other customers by offering a liner route between the terminals – helping to reduce port congestion. The MCVs call at different terminals at both Jed dah and Port Sudan, underlining the possibility to export this solution to other port combinations worldwide.

Martin Helweg, CEO of P&O Maritime Logistics said: “P&O Maritime Logis tics provides additional capacity and alleviate the already-stretched global supply chains. This is particularly use ful on lower-volume, higher-frequency trade routes, such as the Red Sea, where our MCVs can provide a more efficient service to our clients. Seeing such niche feeders operating suc cessfully forms a blueprint for further expansion with new and existing clients.”

The new contract also marks another milestone for Unifeeder’s continued close collaboration between the two maritime companies, following previ ous successful contracts in Europe.

Helweg continued: “As we continue to work closely with our parent com pany, DP World, on expanding our containerised service, our partnership with Unifeeder, also a DP World com pany, is an example of our ongoing efforts to respond and adapt to wider industry changes.”

The collaboration between P&O Maritime Logistics and Unifeeder demonstrates DP World’s position as a truly multimodal and end-to-end solutions provider. The businesses can create new routes, modify ships, and expand offerings to better serve our customers and to help them combat logistical challenges.

Hui Khoon, COO, Network of Uni feeder FZCO, said: “Our new service with P&O Maritime Logistics marks our next expansion outside of Europe, and we are looking forward to grow ing our business in Africa and the Middle East. With continued growth in the containerised cargo business across the Red Sea, the new service will capitalise on the market opportu nities.”

“Having worked together in Europe, we are familiar with P&O Maritime Logistics’ expertise and their modified MCV fleet will be particularly helpful in streamlining our operations.”

P&O Maritime Logistics are modify ing a further two vessels and could have as many as ten modified upon request. The company will also lever age the container modified MCVs with other partners worldwide.

P&O MARITIME EXPANDS CARGO TRANSPORT SERVICE ACROSS RED SEA

A DIFFERENT APPROACH

For decades, companies in the Middle East have embraced globalisation and lean supply chain operations to meet more demanding customer expectations while bringing down costs and reducing inventory. But the inherent weakness and vulner ability of this model has been exposed by a decade of supply chain disruptions that grew in frequency and magnitude.

Natural disasters, weather events, la bor shortages, trade disputes, and other geopolitical issues showed the cracks in global supply chains. Then, over the past two years, several aspects such as the devastating COVID-19 pandemic and the global semiconductor short age, made this vulnerability obvious to every business leader—and moved supply chain resilience to the top of the C-level agenda.

The worst of these supply disrup tions have taken significant bites out of regional companies’ output, sales, profitability, and share prices, with recovery sometimes taking months or even years. The chip shortage, for example, is estimated to have curbed global automotive production by more than seven million vehicles in 2021, and the industry, like others, has yet to fully recover. Most of these disrup tions understandably caught leadership teams by surprise. But the result is that they’re now constantly on edge, await ing the next unforeseen disruption lurking around the corner.

A growing number of executives have decided they can no longer afford to get caught flat-footed. They recognise that while it’s important to respond effectively to short-term supply chain shocks, they also must reposition their supply chain for the long haul because

Joe Terino, Global Head of Bain & Company’s Supply Chain Practice and Karim Shariff, Partner, Bain & Company Middle East examine how supply chain in the Middle East requires a unique approach

disruption is the new global reality. Companies that manage these disrup tions best will have a dis tinct competitive edge over the next decade. At the same time, pressure from consumers, regulators, and shareholders to increase sustainability is making supply chain reposition ing an even more urgent priority—and creating another potential source of competitive advantage.

What it takes

The challenge is finding the appropriate balance among resilience, sustain ability, responsiveness, and cost. These goals often run counter to one another.

For example, a supply chain that is 100% resilient will also likely be too costly.

There will always be tradeoffs, and the balance will look different for every com pany, depending on various factors such as their industry, geographic footprint, and size.

A few questions can help jump-start the process of striking the balance that’s right for your company:

> To win in the marketplace, what does the business need from our supply chain in terms of resilience, sustain ability, responsiveness, and cost?

> Where do our existing supply chain capabilities fall short?

> How often does the balance between these dimensions

need to be refreshed to re main competitive?

> What capabilities and processes will be required to continually monitor and as sess the balance of priorities?

These considerations make it clear that incremental changes won’t meet the challenge. Succeeding will require a bold strategy and fearless execution. What does this look like on the ground?

Leading companies focus on the following four areas.

Improving collaboration be tween the supply chain team and other key stakeholders. At many companies, there can be limited communica tion between supply chain leaders and the sales team, business unit heads, or Csuite about strategy or invest ment priorities. Often this is

because the organization is siloed, or the supply chain department historically hasn’t had a seat at the leadership table. But the result is a lack of direction that can paralyze the supply chain team:

Leading companies look for ways to improve com munications among the supply chain, C-suite, sales, and other commercial teams so that supply chain leaders clearly understand the tradeoffs required to win in the market. The most successful companies are also involv ing other key stakeholders in the supply chain balance equation discussion, includ ing finance, R&D, regula tory, sustainability, and procurement. This ensures everyone understands all the implications of the proposed

“IMPROVING COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE SUPPLY CHAIN TEAM AND OTHER KEY STAKEHOLDERS. AT MANY COMPANIES, THERE CAN BE LIMITED COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SUPPLY CHAIN LEADERS AND THE SALES TEAM, BUSINESS UNIT HEADS, OR C-SUITE ABOUT STRATEGY OR INVESTMENT PRIORITIES.”

overhaul—and what’s feasible. Tapping into the power of uncon strained thinking to set a bold vision. Only transformational thinking can solve the problems that supply chains now face. Leading companies start with a blank sheet of paper, set aside all constraints, and draw up the endto-end supply chain they expect they’ll need to win in their industry 5 to 10 years from now. Then, they chart a pragmatic, detailed roadmap to the target.

The perfect supply chain is likely unattainable. Some limitations (across operations, capital, commercial ca pabilities, suppliers, and regulations) must be factored into the real-world scenario. But based on our experi ence working with companies around the globe, when business leaders give themselves the space to think boldly and they work backward from the end goal, it usually allows the company to get a lot closer to perfect.

Investing in digital capabilities that help connect the supply chain and change the economics in ways that weren’t previously possible. As they transition to Industry 4.0, companies’ investments in technology transforma tion and digitalizing their operations also play an essential role in sup

porting supply chain redesign initia tives. Digital capabilities are enabling companies to rebalance their supply chains toward resilience, sustainability, and responsiveness without taking an untenable hit on cost or efficiency.

Leading companies are applying machine learning and other digital tools to improve demand forecasting, inventory management, production scheduling, early detection of supply chain disruptions, and a host of other critical elements. They’re also using

factory automation to bend the cost curve and increase resilience.

Over the past several years, effective deployment of these technologies—in combination with rising geopolitical uncertainty and the rising costs of shipping and overseas labor—has com pletely restructured the calculus for many companies’ global manufactur ing and supply chain footprints.

Multiyear journey

The bottom line is this isn’t just an overhaul of the supply chain; it’s a companywide transformation and a multiyear journey. The emerging leaders are acting as quickly as they can to remake their supply chain’s vulnerabilities into virtues so that they not only get ahead of the next global supply chain crisis but also accelerate past their competitors.

Karim Shariff, Partner at Bain & Company Middle East and leader of Bain & Company’s EMEA Construction, Building Products, Real Estate and B2B Services practice

THE PERFECT SUPPLY CHAIN IS LIKELY UNATTAINABLE. SOME LIMITATIONS (ACROSS OPERATIONS, CAPITAL, COMMERCIAL CAPABILITIES, SUPPLIERS, AND REGULATIONS) MUST BE FACTORED INTO THE REAL-WORLD SCENARIO.

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LACK OF DATA VISIBILITY

Digital-first approach built on the cloud is vital to enable supply chain companies to tap regional growth opportunity

Distributors and supply chain organisations in the Middle East & Africa are embracing a digital-first approach to tap the immense opportunities for growth in the region, but many of them face significant challenges including a lack of visibility across the supply chain, a lack of skills, and a reliance on legacy systems, according to an IDC Technology Spotlight commissioned by Infor, the industry cloud company.

The opportunity in the distribution sector is especially pronounced in the GCC and Egypt where

national visions to support economic growth and diversification, and fast-growing young populations, are driving demand for logistics and supply chain services.

For example, Saudi Arabia’s National Industrial Development and Logistics Programme plans to add USD320 billion to the country’s gross domestic product by 2030, while the UAE intends to triple the industrial sector’s economic contribution over the next 10 years through its ‘Operation 300bn’ strategy.

Significant challenges

The most significant challenges encountered by distribution and supply chain players in the MEA region are related to data, skills, and outdated systems, according to IDC’s MEA Supply Chain Survey 2022. Indeed, 49% of respondents said that data and analytical capabilities are too slow and not real time; 43% cited a lack of digital skills; 36% a lack of quality data or large sets of unstructured data; and 34% cited outdated IT systems.

Legacy systems is a particularly prevalent issue. IDC’s survey revealed that most organisations in the MEA region still rely on spreadsheets and standalone applications to run the supply chain function. These systems lack the integration capabilities that enable organisations to effectively work in industry ecosystems and hinder

the effective use of enterprise intelligence. These challenges are having a material impact on the ability of distributors to cater effectively to growing demand. For example, 56% of the respondents in the survey said that they faced a lack of supply chain visibility and flexibility to see market changes in real time, hindering their ability to respond to market threats and opportunities. Meanwhile 45% said they faced a lack of digital competencies, limiting their ability to transition the supply chain to new business models.

“Distributors in the MEA region have the potential to realise significant growth in the coming years as regional economies grow and diversify. But to achieve this, they will need to overcome key barriers to true digital transformation,” said Jebin George, IDC’s senior programme manager for customer insights and analysis.

Digital-first approach

The most effective way for companies to transform is to embrace a cloud-based, digital-first approach and invest in best-ofbreed digital solutions such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, supply chain management (SCM) systems, warehouse management systems (WMS), and transportation management systems (TMS), IDC noted in its info brief. Kerry Koutsikos, Infor’s GM and VP

for Middle East & Africa region said: “With our industry-specific cloud-based solutions, Infor is ideally placed to help logistics companies and distributors in the Middle East achieve their transformation goals, including improving visibility across the supply chain and increasing their agility to respond quickly to market changes. We look forward to continuing to support organizations in transforming their operations and boosting their ability to serve the region’s dynamic economies and national visions.”

Infor is already supporting the transformation efforts of organisations involved in distribution across the region. For example, Zahid Tractor, a supplier of construction machinery and commercial vehicles, transformed the way it interfaces with OEM partners, increasing supply chain visibility and improving service levels for its customers, after deploying Infor M3 for Equipment (a suite of manufacturing, distribution, equipment dealership, and rental ERP solutions).

The solution was implemented as a hybrid model, with workloads hosted on-premises and in the public cloud. Infor M3 met all the requirements for the interface-driven initiatives Zahid Tractor has with its OEM partners.

Infor M3 is transforming key areas of Zahid Tractor’s operations, from equipment lifecycle, employee productivity, and rental service to maintenance, field service, refurbishment, and manufacturing. This end-to-end solution provides directors, management, and front-line teams with valuable data that assists in planning, day-to-day operations, control, and decision making.

Kerry Koutsikos, Infor’s GM and VP for Middle East & Africa region

Legacy systems is a particularly prevalent issue. IDC’s survey revealed that most organisations in the MEA region still rely on spreadsheets and standalone applications to run the supply chain function.

LACK OF DATA VISIBILITY | REGIONAL GROWTH OPPORTUNITY

POTENTIAL RISKS WAREHOUSE AUTOMATION VENDORS FACE

Over the past eight months, we’ve been worked hard to revise our forecasts. Turbulent times call for thorough and in-depth analysis. We’ve conducted more than 300 research interviews across our main robotics and warehouse automa tion research areas: warehouse automa tion, mobile robots, warehouse software,

warehouse services, and the warehouse building stock.

Over the next two months, we’ll be publishing our 2022 report updates across all these research areas, and we’ve written this insight to provide a sneak peek into our assumptions underlying our forecasts. We present four of the biggest risks the industry faces.

Amazon’s slowdown in fulfilment centre expansion

Earlier this year, Amazon announced that it would be slowing down the expansion of its fulfillment network. During the pandemic, the company more than doubled its fulfillment square footage across the US as e-commerce sales soared. Now that they are starting to slow down, its having to take the foot off the gas when it comes to building new warehouses.

This will have a two-fold effect on the market. Firstly, Amazon accounted for 38% of the demand for warehouse automation in 2021, which means that a slowdown in Amazon’s investments means a slow down for the industry.

However, it’s not just the companies exposed to Amazon that will be affected. Amazon made up a big part of several warehouse automation vendor’s revenues which means that if Amazon stops

Rueben Scriven, Senior Analyst, Interact Analysis, forecasts the risk automated warehouse firms will come across as we go forward

investing, these vendors will have to look elsewhere to sell automation. This will significantly increase the level of competition in the market and potentially erode margins in the short- to medium term.

Our Warehouse Automation – 2022 Report, publishing next month, takes a deep dive into Amazon’s influence on the market and provides detailed forecasts on the topic.

Commodity price fluctuations

The COVID pandemic, coupled with the Russia-Ukraine war, has increased commodity prices significantly. The price of cold rolled steel in the US increased nearly four-fold between mid-2020 and the end of 2021. Steel accounts for a large share of most warehouse automation systems. In the case of unitload AS/RS systems, steel accounts for upwards of 80% of the system value.

As a result, several warehouse automation integrators are using more variable rate contracts which follow the price of certain indexes such as steel and aluminium. This passes the risk to the customer which we believe could reduce demand and lead end-users to post-pone investments until a more stable economic climate is reached and more fixed-rate contracts are offered.

The price of steel is slowly coming down now as we start to ease some of the supply chain disruptions. Furthermore, the demand for steel in China has reduced significantly due to a) lockdowns in Shanghai and Beijing, and b) the housing crisis caused by Evergrande’s excessive debt.

Whilst things are becoming more positive, there are a few potential scenarios which could increase steel costs again. Firstly, as China returns to full manufacturing output following a period of strict lockdowns, the demand for steel may increase again. Another, more alarming, scenario could be that Russia

stops supplying natural gas to Germany via its Nord Stream 1 pipeline. Germany accounts for about 25% of European steel production and halting natural gas supplies will have a severe impact on this sector.

As part of our research, we closely track commodity prices and the geopolitical issues which affect their prices.

Hardware commoditisation

Over the past few decades, we’ve experienced more and more hardware commoditization. The conveyor system from supplier A tends to be very similar to the conveyor system from supplier B. Even more recent technologies like shuttle systems are starting to become commoditized.

To avoid commoditization, hardware OEMs are looking at additional, higher margin revenue stream to differentiate themselves. The two main approaches to differentiation have been software and services.

Several warehouse automation vendors have branched out beyond warehouse control systems, offering warehouse management systems and even order management systems which extend beyond the four walls. Dematic, for example, acquired DAI in 2020 which gives it WMS and order management capabilities.

Furthermore, the emerging warehouse execution system is proving to be a high-value and sort after new solution that differentiates integrators from those which only offer WCS. The WES combines condition monitoring data from the equipment and business rules to create real-time order release decisions. It also uses a system-wide view of the distribution center to orchestrate multiple sub-systems and balance the work across areas.

Our Warehouse Automation Software – 2022 report provides a deep-dive

into the emerging WES market with long-term revenue forecasts and market shares. The report also covers the WCS market, along with the emerging Fleet Management System (FMS) market.

Economic uncertainty

During periods of economic uncertainty, it’s common place for companies to tighten their purse strings. Coupled with the rising costs of commodity and energy prices, we’ve heard that end-customers are looking to post-pone investments until a more stable economic condition is reached.

In addition to rising prices, central banks will likely rise interest rates as a measure to combat rising inflation. Higher interest rates mean that purchasing warehouse automation systems using debt becomes far more costly, resulting in fewer investments. Unfortunately, rising interest rates will affect smaller companies disproportionately as they have fewer cash reserves compared to the retail and manufacturing behemoths who have the cash to burn.

Fundamental economics plays a big role in our approach to forecasting. So much so, we partner with an economic forecasting company called ITR Economics. ITR Economics knowledge of all things ‘economics’ coupled with our thorough and in-depth analysis of the warehouse automation market places us in a good position to provide (at least some) clarity in these uncertain times.

POTENTIAL RISKS WAREHOUSE AUTOMATION VENDORS FACE

Rueben Scriven, Senior Analyst, Interact Analysis

“To avoid commoditization, hardware OEMs are looking at additional, higher margin revenue stream to differentiate themselves. The two main approaches to differentiation have been software and services.”

RADIATING SUCCESS

Karim Bakhache, VP strategy – Radyes, sheds light on Lyve’s fully equipped social commerce platform where restaurants get direct, commission-free orders from anywhere on the web

Tell us about Radyes and the idea behind its launch?

Radyes was launched in 2020 to support businesses to go online and directly get orders from their customers as opposed to being on a marketplace or an aggregator. Businesses were com plaining about the high fees taken by these marketplaces and aggregators.

What does Radyes offer its users and tell us what differentiates it from its competitors?

A simple, fast, and economical way for the businesses to sell smart and any where. Anywhere means on-location and for delivery. We want to become a one-stop-shop solution for any busi ness that wants to connect with their customers. The on-location features such as dine-in and pick-up help dig itise operations while capturing data from visiting customers and accepting payments.

The delivery features complete the omnichannel presence of the business through a widget on their website, a white label app, website, social media (Instagram, Facebook, etc.) and ac cepting orders through calls. We also provide important add-ons such as delivery services and marketing services that are meant to help businesses have an end-to-end alternative solution to aggregators and marketplaces. And that’s what differentiates us from competitors.

How does Lyve tie in with Radyes? And what will this collaboration offer?

Radyes and Lyve are collaborating on the delivery services to enable a combined offering to businesses. This is in line with our intention to offer onestop-solution to businesses as delivery is the core of any online ordering. Our plan is to offer this combined offering to all types of businesses both for ondemand and scheduled deliveries.

What are some of the key features of this social commerce platform?

Omnichannel ordering (dine-in, pickup and delivery), Dashboard to view and analyse the fully owned customer data, integrations with POS systems and payment gateways, white-label-app

that is branded to the busi ness, and marketing services

How has the market recep tion been so far? The market reacted very positively to the solution ap proach. Businesses continue to look for digital solutions to diversify their revenues and not rely fully on market

places and aggregators, but also to capture customer data from all channels (on-loca tion and for delivery). And through our collaboration with Lyve, we are offering the complete spectrum of products and services that are required for a business to digitise on-location and delivery operations.

What’s the outlook for the next five years?

We have big ambitions to grow in the next five years. Digitising businesses will continue to be a top priority for all business owners. We want to become the preferred digital partner regionally and then globally. We continue investing in our products to remain competitive and provide the solution that businesses are looking for.

How has the F&B and eCom merce market performance driven your business? eCommerce and F&B mar kets have grown substantially in the past years, especially during the pandemic when businesses rushed into digitis ing part of their operations. This trend has continued post-pandemic as businesses realised the importance of digitising operations and how hurtful marketplaces and aggregators are for their margins. We expect these markets to continue growing but we shouldn’t think that on-location ordering is dead. And that’s why any solution

should be inclusive of all potential channels.

What have been the chal lenges so far? Businesses are busy han dling their own operations, especially in the F&B and grocery sectors. Having your own digital channels requires effort, dedication, patience, and investment. The expecta tions of businesses are very high when they compare their own direct channels to aggregators and marketplaces that generate a substantial number of orders for busi nesses on their platforms. We work closely with businesses in overcoming these chal lenges as they go through the journey of directing more or ders into their own channels.

“ECOMMERCE AND F&B MARKETS HAVE GROWN SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE PAST YEARS, ESPECIALLY DURING THE PANDEMIC WHEN BUSINESSES RUSHED INTO DIGITISING PART OF THEIR OPERATIONS.”

RADIATING SUCCESS | KARIM BAKHACHE, VP STRATEGY, RADYES

POWER

TOP LOGISTICS LEADERS FROM THE REGION

The Middle East is seeing a momentous growth rate and investment in its logistics sector post the pandemic, and given the economic initiatives and digitalisation embraced by key players in the region. Industries such as the manufacturing, automotive, machinery and equipment, and foodstuff continue to boost the requirements for imports and exports. Logistics News ME once again returns with a comprehensive list of the top 25 logistics leaders in the region, who ensure that when it comes to supply chain woes, they have a perfect solution.

Nour Suliman has been working with DHL for 44 years and took over as CEO of the DHL Express MENA operations 12 years ago. In his current capacity as CEO, he oversees DHL’s operations across 19 markets and leads a team of 5,700 employees.

He joined the company in 1978 as a young courier and has since held multiple positions across divisions and countries while climbing the corporate ladder. He was previously the Country Manager for DHL Express Saudi Arabia where, under his leadership, the office consistently achieved stellar perfor mance.

He also managed the business in Bahrain for eight years and prior to that held various managerial roles across multiple DHL Express countries and functions including Customer Service and Commercial, in both UAE and Cairo.

Nour is a member of the British Institute of Management and American Business Association in Egypt. In his leisure time, he enjoys playing tennis and football.

He has been steering DHL’s regional investment and expansion strategy with clear targets to strengthen the region’s connectivity to the global marketplace. The company has committed millions of dollars over the years to enhance its fa cilities, capacities and logistical capabili ties and maintain its leadership position as an express and logistics powerhouse in the region, on the back of a superior customer service.

DHL’s expansion efforts have been very successful ensuring an average 10-12% year-on-year growth in revenues, making MENA one of the best regions for DHL Express’s business.

One of Suliman’s more recent achieve ments was navigating DHL during the COVID-19 crisis where he had to make swift and drastic adjustments to the company’s entire network and opera tions in ways that would normally have taken years of planning and evaluation; to manage the sudden spike in volumes,

the reduced manpower, ship ment backlog, grounding of flights and sudden loss in commercial belly space.

Talent development has also been a focal point for the CEO and has been reflected in DHL consecu tively winning Top Employer across multiple MENA countries as well as being named Best Place to Work in the Middle East by leading global workplace culture au thority Great Place to Work.

This has been one of Nour’s proudest achieve ments and reiterates his commitment to placing people first by maintaining a harmonious work culture that is powered by mu tual trust, highly motivated people and a spirit of inno vation and comradeship.

In 2021, DHL Express MENA witnessed strong performance attributed to its Time Definite International (TDI) shipments, eCom merce and network enhance ments.

Much of the focus this past year was on strengthening the company’s eCommerce

capabilities through invest ments in its air network and facilities to accommodate growth and the space needed for more shipment inflow.

DHL added seven new Boe ing 767-300F freighters to its regional aviation fleet, ex panded its intra-regional and intercontinental routes, di rect connections and flights such as the newly launched overnight flight from Bah rain to Istanbul; increased rotations into KSA which makes up a major part of its business; and expanded its lanes into Asia.

The company also took steps to enhance its last mile delivery solutions by open ing third party Pick-up and Drop-off (PUDO) locations in the GCC, to provide more convenience and control over pick-up and drop-off of their eCommerce parcels.

Sustainability has also been a priority focus as DHL moves towards becoming a net-zero logistics company by 2050, and the company rolled out solar power projects across its regional facilities, with the first solar

photovoltaic (PV) instal lation completed in DHL’s Amman facility, to reduce energy consumption by 100%.

In terms of infrastructure, DHL expanded its footprint in Qatar with the opening of a new Service Point in Doha, followed by a new Service Centre in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, and most important it kicked off construction of its new stand alone, logistics hub, at the Abu Dhabi Inter national Airport (ADIA).

DHL is pushing ahead with its regional growth strategy and has committed investments of over 150 million Euros between 2022 and 2023 on enhancing its MENA ground operations. The main objective remains the same - to expand reach, capacities and capabili ties across key markets to enhance transit times, cus tomer service, and support the logistical demands of its MENA clients and surging eCommerce business.

The company will also be increasing its regional fleet to 12 aircraft, with newer,

bigger, more environmen tally performing 767-300s, adding to its intra-middle east flight rotations and increasing its capacity to over 80%.

Renovations are planned for DHL’s Bahrain Hub with significant upgrades to its aviation hangars, while DHL will soon be inaugu rating new state-of-the-art logistics facilities in Qatar, Algeria, and Oman, and launching new service cen tres in Kuwait and Riyadh.

New flight destinations to Asia, Far East and Europe will also be launched out of Bahrain to anchor direct and transit movement while additional rotations will be introduced to high demand MENA and African coun tries, to capitalise on the increased demand.

There are a number of ‘Green Projects’ in the pipeline; from investments in more fuel-efficient air craft and more sustainable bio-fuel, to installing solar panels across all new facili ties, and expanding DHL’s electric vehicle fleet with new electric vehicles com ing into the region in UAE, Kuwait and KSA markets initially, among others.

DHL’s expansion efforts have been very successful ensuring an average 1012% year-onyear growth in revenues, making MENA one of the best regions for DHL Express’s business.

Ahands-on leader, Mo hammed Ali Almajdou ie’s insight has helped the business in many areas and led him to develop ing closer relationships with the team. He also serves as CEO of Joint Ventures (JVs), working alongside the company’s part ners to bring international expertise to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

Mohammed is passionate about developing the logistics industry and supporting KSA’s national goals. In

July this year, the Cabinet issued a decision appointing him as a Board Member of the Saudi Business Centre, which demonstrates confidence in his abilities to drive progress.

In this role, he shares his insight and expertise to support the Kingdom achieve its objectives. Mohammed un derstands that investing in employees is a key success factor. Accordingly, we offer training and development pro grammes across the company’s portfo lio, including a Leadership programme that helps to ensure that all employees

excel and realize their full potential.

Almajdouie Logistics was among the first 32 companies in KSA to be issued logistics licenses by the Min istry of Transportation and Logistics Services. The license aims to raise the Kingdom’s logistic performance index ranking, improve work in the sector, and promote promising investment opportunities that enhance the local economy and its connection to the international market.

Mohammed is committed to exceed customers’ expectations. To do that in this digital age, innovation is essential.

He continuously works to ensure the company delivers the best quality services in line with international standards. It recently recertified in ISO 9001 – Quality Management System; ISO 14001 – Environment Management System; ISO 45001 – Oc cupational Health and Safety, and ISO 22301 – Business Continuity Manage ment System.

Almajdouie Logistics was recently recognised for its work on the Dumat Al Jandal windfarm project, which is the largest in the Middle East. Its team provided heavy transportation, stor age, and heavy lift solutions for the project. During this milestone project, the team carried out more than 850 journeys and travelled more than 600,000 km.

Among other recent milestones, Almajdouie Logistics and CMA CGM Saudi Arabia signed an agreement for the handling and repair of shipping containers at a dedicated depot in Dammam.

Almajdouie has extensive experience providing storage and repair services to leading shipping lines, helping to facilitate trade and improve container turnover. Sustainability is crucial to the future of the logistics industry, which is why Mohammed is taking steps to support this process. Under his leadership, the company has started to introduce hydrogen trucks to offer carbon free transportation and is working towards building a solid operational model for it.

Abdulrahman Salim Al Hatmi is the Group CEO of ASYAD, Oman’s flagship logistics and supply chain group, offering end-to-end solu tions from ports, free zones, maritime shipping and last-mile express delivery.

Al Hatmi is a logistics pioneer and a business-growth leader; building startups, establishing competitive businesses and advancing homegrown companies to become global brands.

Al Hatmi was a key player in the development of Oman’s National Lo gistics Strategy 2040—now overseeing its implementation and spearheading the sector’s economic growth through his current role.

He led the inception of ASYAD Group, consisting of 16 companies and spanning three major Ports with their associated Freezones, as well as Oman Shipping, Oman Post, Oman Dry Dock and Transport companies including Oman Rail, the latter was established by Al Hatmi to direct and manage the development of the GCC and national rail project in Oman.

Asyad Group has already positioned itself as an integrated logistics solu tions provider and a logistics hub in the Middle East and North Africa region, but now, it is investing in research and development in order to employ big data and emerging tech nologies to develop sustainable solu tions and future-proof a more resilient global supply chain.

“We see ourselves as a logistics frontrunner in the region in terms of integrating solutions, whether it be shipping, land, or air solutions, and of course, free zone offerings to provide customer with a unique proposition that serves their purpose,” says Al Hatmi.

Al Hatmi explains that he is taking the lead on the technology front in a hope to offer fit-for-purpose solutions to customers and the economy. “We want to couple technological offerings with a cost benefit analysis to help the economy in terms of employment,” he says, adding how technology can help overcome cultural obstacles.

“For example, working on logistics jobs wasn’t attractive for young peo ple. We then automated the cranes, which are now operated through a control centre. Now, these jobs have become very popular with the locals. It’s a slightly uplifted job that is intel lectually challenging. This is a very good example of technology enabling jobs.”

The company is also focusing on em ploying robotics at fulfilment centres and last mile delivery. “We’re looking at blockchain technology and unified trading solutions where all customers and service providers can access a single platform to meet their needs,” Al Hatmi notes. Artificial intelligence (AI) is another area of interest for Asyad Group.

It hopes to use AI to provide com mercial information to its teams.

“We’re looking at all sorts of tech nologies that can be put together and hopefully provide a great product, which is a standout solution to our customers and our employees,” he adds.

Apart from technologically enabling itself, Asyad Group is looking to be come a global player by first tapping into the Indian subcontinent and Af rica. “We need to expand our targeted markets beyond the GCC,” Al Hatmi explains. “We need to tap bigger markets. We all know that logistics is a very tough business with small profit margins. Therefore, we need to deal with larger volumes to scale up the business.”

FAROOQ SHAIKH

CEO of LogiPoint

LogiPoint is a Saudi Arabia based logistics real estate company, which is recognized today as the leading developer and operator of Logistics Parks and Eco nomic Zones in the Kingdom. The company began its journey in 1999 as the Kingdom’s first Bonded and Re-Export Zone and has since evolved into a multi-faceted, award-winning logistics hub serving the international supply chain industry.

Farooq Shaikh, the CEO of LogiPoint, has over 20+ years of high impact experience in the Middle East shipping and lo gistics industry and held senior leadership roles with industry leading global organizations in UAE, Pakistan, Kuwait, Iraq, and Jordan before coming to Saudi in 2009.

In 2009, Farooq joined the SISCO Group’s SAR2 billion Red Sea Gateway Terminal project as part of the core senior management team and played an instrumental role in build ing, launching and operationalising the first privately built state-of-the-art container terminal in the Kingdom.

Since 2018, Farooq has been at the helm of LogiPoint as the CEO and has led the organisation through a global pandemic, navigated the unforeseen consequences of the ensuing (and ongoing) perfect storm in the shipping and logistics industry, and responded effectively to a scramble for elasticity and resilience across the full spectrum of LogiPoint clients, all the while growing the organization and expanding its footprint.

During this period, LogiPoint have commissioned the con struction of ‘Built-To-Suit’ green facilities for global brands

and blue-chip companies in the e-commerce, express delivery and 3PL segments; launched LogiPoint’s Warehouse Village 5, a multipurpose, state-of-the-art warehousing complex which includes specialized sections for handling pharmaceu ticals as well as ambient, cold and frozen goods; accelerated the Jeddah Logistics Park and opened their Central Region office in Riyadh. At the core of these developments is an unwavering commitment to meet the evolving needs of the market with a singular focus on enabling the logistics and supply chain industry.

In the pandemic years, companies are having to redesign their supply chains around resilience and elasticity rather than mere speed and alacrity. LogiPoint have accelerated investments in the Logistics Real Estate arena to ensure that there is sufficient capacity for businesses in the region to scale their operations while they respond to rapidly changing demand patterns.

Farooq Shaikh has underlined the multiplier effect LogiPoint investments have on the region’s economy and spearheaded these big-ticket investments in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 goal to transform Saudi Arabia into a global logistics hub.

Farooq has made ESG a cornerstone of the LogiPoint value system, which is reflected in the fact that LogiPoint buildings have all been designed with green technologies at their center – from relying on renewable resources for energy needs to conserving water to eliminating waste, all new buildings ad here to strict environmental protocols dedicated to reducing carbon footprint.

As part of those initiatives, the company has recently also announced planting of thousands of trees in the LogiPoint projects. LogiPoint operations teams are trained to treat en vironmental concerns as top priority in all operations, while the company is building green commitments into their value system, designs and KPIs.

Farooq has demonstrated a passion for people. The welfare, well-being, and growth of the LogiPoint personnel take top priority under his leadership, which is also why LogiPoint witnessed a growth rather than a reduction in its teams even during the pandemic.

There are extensive investments made in hiring and devel oping the right talent, while there is a clear focus on tapping the rich and diverse talent pool of Saudi women workforce. There is a conscious effort to induct female talent across departments and groom them for leadership roles. From providing a safe and inclusive work environment to ensuring opportunities for professional growth through training and through empowering them by defining clear career paths for them, the company invests constantly in expanding and grow ing their female workforce.

Under Farooq’s able leadership, LogiPoint have been shortlisted for and won numerous prestigious awards, which demonstrates the recognition the company is getting from within the industry also. As the world comes to terms with the new set of normal in a post COVID-19 world, Farooq is looking to lead LogiPoint into this new world as an important stakeholder in the regional logistics market.

TAAREK HINEDI

Vice President – Operations, Fedex Express

Taarek Hinedi is the Vice President operations for FedEx Express Middle East, Indian Subcontinent, and Africa (MEISA).

Hinedi moved from FedEx in the United States

to Dubai in 1996 and was appointed Managing Director of Middle East operations in 1999. In 2005, he moved to India as Managing Director of India operations and played an integral role in the expansion of the FedEx interna tional and domestic operations.

In 2015, in addition to his India responsibilities, Hinedi also served as the MEISA lead for the TNT acquisi tion planning, where he successfully oversaw the delivery of the region’s execution plans and integration road map. He was then appointed to his current role in Dubai in 2016.

Today, Hinedi is instrumental to FedEx, providing strategic and op erational leadership for 65 countries across the MEISA region. He’s a two-time recipient of the company’s highest accolade, the FedEx Five Star Award.

Under his leadership, FedEx began construction of its new regional airand-ground hub designed to meet the growing trade demands within the MEISA region and beyond. The hub will incorporate state-of-the-art tech nologies, including an automated and advanced sorting system, hi-speed se curity screening equipment, cold-chain services, and capabilities to manage dangerous goods, which will enhance the overall customer experience.

He is currently overseeing the col laboration with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority and Dubai Inte grated Economic Zones Authority for the first international trial of Roxo, the FedEx SameDay Bot, which is be ing designed to optimize autonomous last-mile delivery service by offering a lightweight, reduced-emission solu tion.

Hinedi also supported the launch of direct-serve presence in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, and Kenya to support the countries’ growing inter national shipping demands. In 2021, FedEx announced that it will invest more than USD400 million into the Saudi economy over 10 years.

He was also responsible for the launch of the first FedEx regular flight into Kenya, which connects into the FedEx hub in Dubai. The addition of Kenya to the FedEx flight schedule provides greater access for businesses, especially SMEs, in Eastern Africa to and from key trade lanes across the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and the United States.

Since stepping into the role of Etihad Avia tion Group’s Senior Vice President Global Sales & Cargo in 2020, Martin Drew has spearheaded ini tiatives that have enabled Etihad Cargo to achieve year-on-year growth. Despite the challenges face by the aviation sector in the past 12 months, Drew has suc cessfully bridged the gap between passenger and cargo operations and has continued to strengthen the position of cargo with Etihad Aviation Group.

Drew has led the carrier to build on the success Etihad Cargo achieved in 2021. In the first half of 2022, Etihad Cargo achieved record mid-year revenue results, posting revenue of USD802 million — the best mid-year results in Etihad Cargo’s history — representing a 6% increase in revenue compared to the same period in 2021, and carrying 295,000 tonnes of freight.

Under Drew’s leadership, Etihad Cargo has continued to work more closely than ever with partners and customers to deliver on the carrier’s service promises and provide agile and innovative capacity solutions in response to the evolving market’s demands.

Drew has reinforced Etihad Cargo’s commitment to being the air cargo partner of choice. He has supported his teams to ensure they deliver on service promises and provide solutions that meet customers’ air cargo needs. Demonstrating the carrier’s commitment to providing the highest standards of customer service, Etihad Cargo maintained a strong On Time Performance rate of 83% freighter despite the challenging handling environment across the network.

Drew has strengthened Etihad Cargo’s continuous improve ment culture, enhancing the carrier’s operations, processes and products to meet internationally

Senior

recognised standards. In 2022, Etihad Cargo achieved Cargo iQ recertifica tion, the requirements of which are at the core of Etihad Cargo’s Service De livery and Performance Management.

Etihad Cargo also became the first Middle Eastern airline and only the third globally to hold the International Air Transport Association (IATA)’s Center of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) Live Animals, Fresh and Pharma certifications in 2022.

Drew has also facilitated growth across several of Etihad Cargo’s pre mium products with the appointment of dedicated product managers. In addition to ensuring Etihad Cargo’s products comply with international guidelines and regulations, the car rier has enhanced its services to meet capacity demands. As a result, the performance of Etihad Cargo’s awardwinning, CEIV Pharma-certified PharmaLife product increased by 46% in H1 2022. Etihad Cargo’s CEIV Live Animals-certified products dedicated to the transportation of live animals, LiveAnimals and SkyStables, have also witnessed year-on-year performance increases, with a 52% increase in the movement of live animals and a 137% increase in the movement of horses compared to H1 2021.

To ensure the carrier remains future-ready, Drew has continued the digitalisation journey Etihad Cargo commenced in 2018. He has continued to explore Etihad Cargo’s capabilities

with a view to offering customers an enhanced experience through the introduction of new technology. As a result, the carrier has launched an en hanced online booking portal to pro vide customers with a quicker, easier booking process. Usage of the online booking portal has surged, with 57% more bookings made via the portal.

Drew recognised how critical tech nology and digitalisation would be to ensuring Etihad Cargo’s continued success and position as the air cargo partner of choice. He has sought out solutions that will benefit not only Etihad Cargo’s customers but also air ports, ground handling staff and other stakeholders.

To harness the power of artificial in telligence (AI), Drew and his team are exploring AI-driven cargo dimensions measurement and capacity planning optimisation. Once trials have been completed, these digital solutions will become practical tools in minimising leaking and optimising offload recov ery. Furthermore, Etihad Cargo has continued to invest in and support ef forts toward automated reporting and real-time information and achieved 81% e-AWB adoption in H1 2022, benefiting the carrier’s customers and accelerating its journey to paperless airline operations.

Drew has also prioritised sustain ability, ensuring Etihad Cargo remains fully aligned with Etihad Aviation Group’s initiatives and its pledge to

achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. In addition to replacing 3,000 containers from its original aluminium unit load device (ULD) fleet with environmental ly friendly lightweight versions, Etihad Cargo has partnered with B Medical Systems to develop and launch the industry’s first airline-specific passive temperature-controlled solution for the transportation of life-saving drugs, vaccines and high-value pharmaceu ticals.

Further enhancing Etihad Cargo’s pharmaceutical capabilities, Drew has forged partnerships across the pharma supply chain. As a founding member of the HOPE Consortium and the national carrier of the UAE, Etihad Cargo played an integral role in facili tating the transportation of vaccines and medication.

The carrier collaborated with the Abu Dhabi Department of Health, Rafed, and global innovative biophar maceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to bring the world’s first ship ment of Sotrovimab, an anti-viral treatment for COVID-19, to Abu Dhabi. Etihad Cargo also carried the first AstraZeneca’s Evusheld medica tion in 2021, making the UAE one of the first countries globally to receive the long-acting antibody medication, marking an important milestone for healthcare, logistics and supply chain entities that continue to contribute to the evolution of Abu Dhabi’s medical sector.

DR. RAMAN KUMAR

Managing Director, Al Futtaim Logistics

member of professional accounting bodies like Management Accountant in USA and Australia. In 2021, Kumar received his professional doctoral cer tificate conferred in Global leadership and Management from the European International University (E.I.U), Paris, France.

Raman Kumar is an experienced logistics and accounting profes sional with more than 35 years in the logistics industry. Kumar qualified MBA, CMA, Risk Analyst, PostGraduation in Financial Accounting,

Post-Graduation in Management and Graduate in Commerce and Account ing. Kumar was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Kumar is involved in various sports activities, and he loves to play cricket.

His passion for cricket is evident in the line-up of numerous trophies in his personal collection. Kumar is a

In the year 2013, Kumar had taken over the role of managing director for Al-Futtaim Logistics. During the past 8 years, he expanded the logistics activi ties within UAE, and expanded to Gulf countries like Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Oman. Logistics operations further expand to Sri Lanka as a fully owned company.

In 1995, Kumar joined Al-Futtaim Group as a senior accountant and moved to the position of finance manager before taking over the role of managing director. Before joining Al-Futtaim, Kumar was working with Inchcape Shipping Group for 7 years in Abu Dhabi and Muscat as Manage ment Accountant. Currently, he over sees a team of 1050 associates through the GCC and Sri Lanka.

Currently, his focus is on digitalisa tion. In the year 2020, he rollout the Yard Management system in automo tive logistics, which is the unique solution that has enabled the customer to receive the vehicles in 24 hours and reduce the cost of operation by 18%. This system is tailor-made and designed specifically for automotive logistics.

Al-Futtaim Logistics, a division of the Al-Futtaim Group of companies, is well recognized as a strong player in the Middle East region offering a full portfolio of supply chain solutions that include warehousing & distribution, automotive logistics, road transporta tion, sea and air freight forwarding, corporate transportation, international relocations and moving.

Kumar has extensive experience in managing the profitability of the business, expansion, customer and as sociate’s engagement, risk management and commercial aspects of the business in Al-Futtaim Logistics, ensuring that the company abides by local regulation and legislation.

In the initial few years, Kumar played a vital and dual role heading the com pany successfully during its restructure. Under his leadership as Managing Director, Al-Futtaim Logistics achieved many milestones which contributed to the outstanding achievements the company has had since 2013. He played a critical role in stabilizing and speeding the strategic decisions, which is indicative of his seamless change management, business relationships and people competence.

Under the leadership of Kumar, Al Futtaim Logistics achieved FIDI FAIM PLUS, International Standard Organ isation (ISO) certifications for Quality, Health and Safety, Environmental, Supply Chain Security and Food Safety

Management practices. The company expanded its footprint outside of the UAE market, including MENA and in ternational markets. The organisation achieved new heights in value added and new service offerings. Cost and Time saving initiatives were enabled and completed in record time attribut ing to faster decision making, commu nication and motivated workforce.

As such, the company is today a diversified logistics service provider, whereby it continued to focus on customer experience and operational business excellence. In particular, he has brought a new dimension of customer-centricity with the setup of the client relations department into the core of the company, embedding it as the basis of all its undertakings.

Kumar is also a responsible member of the UAE society, taking great inter est in the organisations contribution to the logistics industry. He has sup ported the nationalisation initiatives of Al-Futtaim Group, Dubai Trade events, Trakhees CSR environmental causes, Middlesex University student development. Kumar is a mentor for the ACCA students (nearly five students in the past three year) for their performance objectives (like thesis) and for the completion of course

Kumar active participant at the lead ing International 3PL Supply Chain Summit in Amsterdam, Europe and International American Association Conference in Canada, represent ing UAE in international forums as logistics hub to channel the logistics opportunities towards the Middle East.

He is a professional member of the International Chamber of Commerce Dubai Chamber, Indian Business and Professional Council, Dubai, Gulf Petrochemical Association, National Association of Freight & Logistics, Supply Chain Logistics Group, Green Freight Asia.

With an impressive track record in revenue and growth to match so far, Kumar has an open and transparent management style, and he is well able to connect to all levels in an organisa tion. Kumar received the ‘Best Manag er Award’ from Gallup for outstanding performance in associate engagement, consistently recognised over 3 waves. Last 3 years, employee engagement score stands at 92.4% consistently higher than benchmark.

Al-Futtaim Logistics achieved out standing results in all areas of business showing no signs of slowing down. Ku mar is a recipient of many awards dur ing career for organisational leadership and making the company successful in multiple transformational areas.

With an impressive track record in revenue and growth to match so far, Kumar has an open and transparent management style, and he is well able to connect to all levels in an organisation.

MADHAV KURUP

Regional CEO, Hellmann

Madhav Kurup has been with Hellmann for more than ten years, during which he’s had a formidable impact on the

lo¬logistics industry. Since taking over the company’s Middle East, North Africa and South Asian operations, he has created new benchmarks in the industry within the region.

Today, he has made the company one of the most successful players in

the region by transforming it from a transactional forwarder to a fully inte grated solutions provider with market leadership in Auto-motive, Healthcare, Fashion, Perishable, Chemical and FMCG logistics within the MENASA region.

Madhav shares, “Since its founda tion in 1871, Hellmann has developed into one of the largest international logistics providers. With our highperformance products Airfreight, Seafreight, Road and Rail, and Con tract Logistics, we always offer the right solution for the complex logistics requirements of our customers and rely on future-oriented digital services for maximum transparency and more efficient supply chains.”

Hellmann is represented in the MESA region for more than 20 years, in 19 countries with around 80 locations and all product segments through its own offices and partners. It has grown in the region through geographical expansion and carefully created joint ventures.

Hellmann Worldwide Logistics and Dubai CommerCity signed a strategic partnership to support future growth of e-Commerce.

According to Madhav, there are some unique offerings and aspects which makes Hellmann not only stand out in the Gulf region’s economy but also constantly provide forward momen tum.

Under his leadership Hellmann has been at the forefront of innovation and setting higher standards in customer service, vertical specializations keeping in mind their people development as number one priority.

“With our high-performance products Airfreight, Seafreight, Road and Rail, and Contract Logistics, we always offer the right solution for the complex logistics requirements of our customers and rely on futureoriented digital services for maximum transparency and more efficient supply chains.”

RANJEEV MENON Group CEO, GWC

Regarded as one of the most renowned figures in the logistics industry with nearly 30 years’ experience behind him, Ranjeev Menon has brought new possibilities to the third-party logistics and supply chain solutions, leading GWC (Gulf Warehousing Company) to become one of the fastest growing companies in the MENA region.

Under his leadership, the company has developed its logistics infrastruc ture to over 3 million square meters, including the largest privately owned logistics parks in the region, offering end-to-end supply chain solution across 20 facilities and logistics hubs.

He has done so by optimizing opera tions, offering unique services, provid ing excellence in logistical support to small and medium businesses.

He has built up and been the driving force behind GWC’s reputation and services, which played a key role when the company was announced the Of ficial Host National Logistics Provider for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

GWC’s Logistics Hub and UPS Cus tomer Centre at the Ras Bufontas Free Zone is a world class infrastructure that has temperature-controlled ware houses and frozen storage chambers, offering unmatched logistical and last mile delivery options to the aviation, pharmaceutical and events industries including FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

Menon believes that the improving logistics environment has played a critical role in making it increas ingly easier to import and export goods to and from the state. “As the transport and logistics sector continues to enjoy infrastructure investments and new projects, there could be more opportunities for the logistics sector.”

He adds: “GWC is committed to making processes time-sensitive, quality-centred, customer-driven and efficiency-bound. This is where a partner like UPS gives us the op portunity to build trust, expand, and offer seamless services to our clients, especially the MSMEs.”

Menon holds a Master of Business in Supply Chain & Logistics Man agement from RMIT University of Melbourne, Australia. He started his career with such esteemed companies as MESCO, DHL, and Agility in the UAE and Qatar, until assuming his role with GWC in 2009.

“GWC IS COMMITTED TO MAKING PROCESSES TIMESENSITIVE, QUALITYCENTRED, CUSTOMERDRIVEN AND EFFICIENCYBOUND.”

GAURAV BISWAS

Chief Executive Officer, TruKKer

“Leading a fast-growing organization requires the leaders to set examples every step of the way, in many impor tant and trivial matters. You cannot be the big-picture guy all the time. This is the core of the leadership team that drives success at TruKKer” starts Gaurav Biswas, Founder, and CEO, TruKKer.

TruKKer is the region’s largest digital freight network, spread across 9 countries spanning MENA, Turkey, and CIS. The platform with a 45,000+ member fleet moves cargo across 40+ countries and specializes in FTL cross-border movements with 1000+ active trucks on an average day. Before founding TruKKer, Gaurav spent twelve distinguished years with international consulting firms such as AECOM and Arup across the UK, GCC, and North America.

TruKKer received the backing of some of the most prominent investors like Mubadala, ADQ, STV, and Riyad Taqnia Fund of Saudi Arabia. “We have strong fundamentals in our unit economics and scalable technology.

TruKKer has been growing expo nentially both in the home markets of KSA & UAE and several EU and CIS nations. It has encouraged stakehold ers and partners to constantly digitize and ride the innovation from TruK Ker’s technology stack. In addition to being the most prominent land freight operator, TruKKer offers multitenanted digital land freight procure ment solutions, instant pricing, digital fleet management, and real-time track and trace.

“Early this year, we doubled our markets by expanding into four new countries, with an addressable land freight market of almost $75B,” informed Gaurav. For the last few months, TruKKer Engineering Center has been majorly focusing on over hauling our existing products and new-age developments.

Gaurav believes it will add new momentum to the automation of the TruKKer freight network and allow

the monetization of multiple addi tional data points. Gaurav highlights, “Data, and the ability to develop its monetization opportunities is the big gest shareholder value that new age firms can create.”

“My first job as a CEO is to make choices and decisions. We are fortu nate to have an ace team and I can complement their passion, vision, and execution abilities with rapid decisionmaking, and calculated risks that allow getting something wrong once. No decision is worse than wrong deci sions.”

At the core of TruKKer lies a human-centric and meaningful quest that drives all the innovation - accord ing to Gaurav. It’s a common goal here to succeed sustainably and create solutions that facilitate lives and com munities. “The business winning, and its expansion part is surely essential, but it’s overwhelming when your success has caused positive changes in others’ lives,” states Gaurav.

The TruKKer platform promises the drivers and the transporters unlimited business availability. Picture it as an online marketplace buzzing with thou sands of fresh loads. For the shippers, TruKKer introduced the first instant pricing model in MENA. Meanwhile, the underlying AI systems analyze operating performance, prescribe future actions, and produce reports in customisable dashboards.

On the operations and supply side, TruKKer offers digital order manage ment, a multi-vendor environment, automated load allocation, accounts management, e-documentation, digital invoicing, collections management, and more. It’s tasked to end the laborious practices of calls, messages, emails, and reminders that are preva lent in the industry for simple task objectives.

“Our innovations assume greater re sponsibilities, which helps businesses solve their most complex logistics problems - all from one platform,” he says.

TruKKer wants to be more aggressive about its disruptions and evolve the tech stack more in the upcoming time. All this by channeling invest ments into its engineering, people, and infrastructure that contributes to the region’s environmental, socioeconomic, and long-term growth ambitions.

It’s best understood through TruK Ker’s aggregation of loads for the drivers sidelining any undue broker age or spot fees. Each driver is rigor ously trained and made aware of the new-age trucking conventions so that they act more like entrepreneurs. “We engineer solutions that better their quality of life, increase soft skills, and promise fixed revenue streams. Our upcoming array of financial tools is all geared towards promoting finan cial inclusion making them a part of the modern digital economy.”

Each year, this firm holds its part of the bargain by reducing carbon emissions impressively. The intuitive AI logically clubs load that are in a considerable vicinity and deploys transport for that route. This way, Trukker is saving million tons of CO2 per year as a part of the sustainability initiatives.

Gaurav elaborates: “Etching perma nent fixtures in the land freight world are something that we’re looking for, with focus on what can be imple mented for our users now, rather than sophisticated tools that challenge their abilities to change.”

Today’s journey of innovation leadership is demanding yet fulfilling if one embraces the rough terrain. It’s not only about ensuring excellence in each project but a definitive outcome for everyone. “There’s always a low and a high followed by a low and so on during our journey. All you need to do is keep going for whatever it takes. Persistence, hard work, and ability to create solutions define TruKKer and the team driving it,” ends Gaurav.

NABIL SULTAN

Divisional Senior Vice President of Emirates SkyCargo

With a career that spans three decades in commercial roles within the Emirates Group, Sultan began his career with the airline in 1990 in the IT department. Two years later he joined Emirates’ management training programme within the Commercial Operations department.

Between 1995 and 2008, Sultan gained extensive commercial experi ence working in various management and leadership roles both within and outside the UAE. In 2013, he was ap pointed to his current role taking the division from strength to strength. Un der Sultan, SkyCargo has continued to develop innovative, bespoke products.

Sultan completed his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Man agement Information Systems from the University of Portland in the US.

In January 2021, SkyCargo joined the Vaccine Logistics Alliance to speed up distribution of COVID-19 vaccines around the world and by the first week of July it had flown 150 million doses of the vaccines through Dubai.

It also signed an agreement with UNICEF in February to prioritise the

transport of COVID-19 vaccines, essential medicines, medical devices, and other critical supplies to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

The carrier has transported more than 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines on its aircraft. The air cargo carrier achieved this historic milestone within a span of 18 months from the first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines trialled in October 2020.

More than 4,200 tonnes of CO VID-19 vaccines, equivalent to over 1 billion doses, have been moved to over 80 destinations on over 2,000 Emirates flights. Close to two-thirds of the 1 billion doses were trans ported to developing countries.

The freight division of Emirates has also further strengthened its tempera ture sensitive pharma and vaccine handling capabilities in Dubai with the extension of its fully automated cool room with 94 airline pallet positions at its EU GDP certified dedicated pharma facility at Dubai airport.

The extended cool room will provide an additional 2600 sqm of temperature-controlled environment (2-25 degrees Celsius) for the storage and handling of vaccines and other pharmaceuticals.

Christopher Cook joined Maersk in the UK in 2002. His career has included postings across Africa, Asia and Europe and for the last 3 years in Dubai, UAE.

Cook has not only undertaken the commercial roles, but has focused a lot on developing strategies, designing market-oriented solutions and imple menting customer-centric approach throughout his career.

He says, “At Maersk, we believe in a connected and integrated world. For us global trade is beyond transporting food, clothes, medicines and the goods we rely on. It is also an exchange of cul ture, innovation and trust. Our ultimate goal is to improve life for all and raise global prosperity while ensuring sus

tainability for our future generations.”

Cook added: “We have come a long way in transforming Maersk from being a shipping line to an integrated logistics company by committing to solutions

that connect and simplify our custom ers’ supply chains. We are designing and implementing the logistics of tomorrow. But ultimately, what really excites me every morning is the fact that I am able to go to work and do things that brings our purpose, to improve life for all by integrating the world, to life.”

Prior to his current responsibilities, Cook was based in the Netherlands with Damco as the Global owner of the Lifestyle Industry Vertical. He was responsible for the global PNL includ ing strategy development and execu tion. Cook holds a Bachelor of Science degree with Honours, in Logistics, from the University of Cardiff in the UK.

CHRISTOPHER COOK

Managing Director of Maersk UAE, Oman, and Qatar

“We have come a long way in transforming Maersk from being a shipping line to an integrated logistics company by committing to solutions that connect and simplify our customers’ supply chains.”

Mohsen Ahmad over sees Dubai South’s Logistics District. Having set up its free zone and es tablished the Dubai Logistics Corridor, which connects Jebel Ali Port with Al Maktoum International Airport via a single, custom-bonded zone, he leads the overall execution of the district’s operations, manages its financial plan ning, and is responsible for setting its strategic directions and goals.

He also played a key role in launching EZDubai, Dubai South’s dedicated ecommerce zone that was developed in response to the rapid regional growth of e-commerce and to complement the e-commerce strategy he helped launch.

He was also instrumental in laying the groundwork for future developments toward ensuring the Logistics District’s sustainable growth. He did so by attracting local, regional and interna tional players to diversify the emirate’s economy and boost the logistics and e-commerce sectors across Dubai, in line with government strategies.

Mohsen had set his sights early on a career in supply chain and logistics, where he sought and earned a bach elor’s degree in logistics and transporta tion from the University of Tennessee, USA, following it with a Master of Science in logistics and supply chain management from Cranfield University School of Management in the UK.

Mohsen played a key role in launching EZDubai, Dubai South’s dedicated ecommerce zone that was developed in response to the rapid regional growth of e-commerce and to complement the e-commerce strategy he helped launch.

Rising through the ranks since joining the Al Masaood Group fam ily in 2004, Mohamed El-Zeftawi has plays an active and important role in the continuing growth and expansion of CV&E and the Group.

He was appointed to his current position in 2013. Under this post, he has been leading his team in providing exceptional sales and aftersales opera tions of UD Trucks, Renault Trucks and Unicarrier Forklifts in Abu Dhabi, and of Oshkosh Fire Trucks and Shangrao Buses in the UAE.

Rising through the ranks since joining the Al Masaood Group family in 2004, Mohamed ElZeftawi has plays an active and important role in the continuing growth and expansion of CV&E and the Group.

Earlier this year in May, Al Masaood Commercial Vehicles and Equipment (CV&E) was selected as the authorised distributor for Toyo Carriers Manufac turing (TCM) in the UAE (Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Western region, Dubai, and the Northern Emirates). Mohamed believes that the partnership exemplifies its com mitment to bringing to the UAE market top quality products to support the operations of relevant local sectors.

“TCM is the latest in Al Masaood’s growing network of partnerships with renowned global brands, best known for its quality and excellence,” he points out.

With his more than 25 years of experi ence in the automotive industry and other sectors — working with Nissan Egypt and Halliburton in the past — he leverages his proven expertise and indepth market knowledge to cater to the needs of CV&E clients from the gov ernment, private, waste management, industrial and construction industries, among others. Mohamed holds a B.SC in Mechanical Engineering from Cairo University in Egypt.

General

DAVID DRONFIELD

David Dronfield is the General Manager of Swisslog Middle East, an intralogis tics provider that delivers robot-based and data-driven automation solu tions for customers across a wide range of industries including F&B, retail, eCommerce, pharmaceuti cals, spare parts as well as third-party warehouses and distribution centres.

David brings more than 35 years of professional experience in the warehouse automation sector with ex pertise across sales, market ing, business development, project management and in managing senior leadership roles.

David is responsible for growing Swisslog’s regional customer base and creating awareness about the need for professionally integrated warehouse automation sys tems, while also supporting businesses with the provision of custom solutions that gives them a competitive advantage.

Having worked in the industry for more than three decades, David brings with him a wealth of experience and industry expertise. Prior to joining Swisslog Middle East, David has served as Founder & Managing Director of Intralogistic Solu tion, a company providing intralogistic design, supply chain consulting & turnkey

equipment solutions.

Additionally, he has worked as the Regional General Manager for Al Futtaim Auto & Machinery Company LLC, implement ing initiatives for a strategic expansion of UAE based Industrial Storage & Han dling Solutions business operations across the GCC region, namely Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

David also managed busi ness operations in various locations, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Indonesia, and Thailand prior to relocating to UAE. David holds a B.Sc degree in Electrical and Electronics En gineering from the University of Surrey.

David is responsible for growing Swisslog’s regional customer base and creating awareness about the need for professionally integrated warehouse automation systems, while also supporting businesses with the provision of custom solutions that gives them a competitive advantage.

General Manager, Swisslog Middle East

Under Abu AlShawareb’s stewardship, Dubai Industrial City has been at the forefront of enhancing the UAE’s industrial sector as per the ambitions of Operation 300bn.

SAUD ABU ALSHAWAREB

Managing Director, Dubai Industrial City

Saud Abu AlShawareb has been with Dubai Industrial City for 16 years, where he remains steadfast in his vision to cement the busi ness district as a leading industrial and manufactur ing hub of the MENA region.

He also serves as the Executive Vice President of Industrial Leasing for TECOM Group. Crucially, his role in cludes facilitating strategic agreements to attract local, regional, and global industrial and logistics companies and build some of the region’s largest factories to elevate Dubai’s global com petitiveness in manufacturing, logistics, transport, trade, and investment.

Under Abu AlShawareb’s steward ship, Dubai Industrial City has been at the forefront of enhancing the UAE’s industrial sector as per the ambitions of Operation 300bn. The business dis trict signed strategic partnerships with the Ministry of Industry and Advanced

Technology (MoIAT) to further boost the UAE’s Industry 4.0 programme and ‘Make It in The Emirates’ campaign, as well as Emirates Development Bank, to provide innovative financing and bank ing solutions to SMEs in the industry. Another momentous agreement saw Etihad Rail, the developer and operator of the UAE’s National Rail network, begin work on an advanced freight terminal at Dubai Industrial City.

The 5.5 million-sqft terminal will enhance the UAE’s transport network covering air, land and sea, connecting the country’s industrial and manufac turing centres and opening new trade routes. It will also strengthen the sup ply chain, freight logistics services and delivery time for the business district’s customers and factories.

The new terminal is located within the Etihad Rail’s network which runs from Seih Shuaib to Dubai and Sharjah and forms a critical part of Stage Two

of the UAE National Railway. The past year has also seen Dubai Industrial City play a larger role in the UAE Net Zero by 2050 strategy, which aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. M Glory lay the foundation stone for an electric vehicles (EV) plant which is expected to produce 55,000 cars per year to meet a rising demand for green mobility and sustainable technologies. The factory will produce a variety of EVs, including the fully electric car ‘Al Damani’ DMV300.

Dubatt Battery Recycling broke ground on a 70,000-square foot, fully integrated lead acid battery (LAB) recycling plant earlier in 2022 – a win for the circular economy. The plant will be able to recycle up to 25,000 metric tonnes of used lead acid bat teries (ULABS) annually and produce 14,000 tonnes of lead ingots and 1,750 tonnes of plastic chips which will be sold to battery manufacturers and other sectors.

JOHAN BERGWERFF Managing Director, Emirates Logistics

Dutch national Johan Bergwerff has been with Sharaf Group – the parent company of Emirates Lo gistics – for over 20 years, heading the business unit as head of logistics and supply chain.

Under his supervision, Johan has led Emirates Logistics to offer total supply chain services such as 3PL logistics, land transport, freight forwarding, relocation, eCommmece and last mile delivery, breakbulk cargoes, and cus tom brokerage services.

In his role, he leads and oversees the operations of the company in eight countries. Johan’s efforts have led the firm to strategically established itself in the Middle East, Southeast Asia,

and the Indian subcontinent, enabling growth and expansion into newer mar kets aligned with its clients’ expansions plans. Today, Emirates Logistics has its global footprints in India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Malaysia, Egypt, and Kenya.

Johan, a keen environmentalist, has pushed the organisation to focus its resources on sustainability and the envi ronment, which are now key priorities of its business strategy.

“From solar panelling in our ware house, to energy saving initiatives in the offices, and electric vehicles for transport. We believe logistics can be conducted in an eco-friendly and sus tainable manner where all parties come out winners,” he reveals.

DEEPAK KHUSHALANI

Founder & CEO, Premier Logistics

Leveraging his degree in Business Management with specialisation in Entrepre neurship and Marketing from Indiana University, Bloomington, US, Khushalani accumulated over 15 years of global experience in spearheading businesses of FMCG distribution in Africa and real estate development in UAE & India managing multimillion-dollar P&L’s, before venturing into logistics in UAE.

An avid believer of innovation and digital disruption, he founded Premier Logistics in 2016 to focus primarily on digitisation of the age-old industry of

logistics within the Middle East. Under his leadership, Premier Logistics has grown from a three-member team to a 55-member team of logisticians.

With ambitious expansion plans in the next three years, Deepak’s focus now is to create an asset-light logistics company with his emphasis on scalingup the organisation by creating intra preneurs and expanding operations to three new countries through strategic partnerships and collaborations.

Under Deepak’s leadership, Premier Logistics has successfully established a Finished Vehicles Logistics (FVL) division in collaboration with a leading vehicle distributor in the Middle East.

With 18 years of experience, Abhinav Chaudhary has been a strategic thought leader in conceptualising and executing multidimensional complex tech-logistics projects in DHL Global Forwarding and the Indian Army. Since 2018, Ab hinav has been leading the Fero - Ro botic Process Automation in Logistics, Freight and Supply Chain domain.

Fero’s RPA solutions assist companies in freeing their employees, allowing them to focus on more important higher-value tasks. Fero RPA is a cloud-based SaaS that rolled out its 28 Product Modules for freight for warders, couriers, ports, transporters, distributors, manufacturers and 3PLs. Fero’s numerous clients across 12 countries realise the immense value in

their current processes by automating the ‘Decision Making’ and ‘Commu nication’ aspects in their logistics pro cesses from Fero’s patented technology.

“Many industries realised the impor tance of digitalisation and onboarded the latest technologies for a customercentric approach, but with low/no automation. McKinsey has estimated

that automating business tasks via RPA offers a potential ROI of 30–200%.”

“The adoption of automation strate gies has helped logistic leaders to outperform their peers. Fero’s vision is to enable organizations to multiply their resources in an effective way and achieve unprecedented operational ef ficiency,” adds Abhinav.

MOHAMMAD SLEIMAN

Mohammad Sleiman is a seasoned professional with more than 18 years of managerial experience under his belt, leading multinational firms such as West ern Union and Hewlett Packard.

Mohammad Sleiman is the ex-co-founder and managing director of Helpbit.com (a Souq entity) which was acquired by Amazon in 2017. He served under Amazon as a re

gional director, heading the After Market Service function for two years across the region.

In 2019, He founded Cartlow as a reCommerce platform which then grew to become the leading reverse logistics cloud-based technology platform in UAE & KSA. His vi sion for the future is to structure, transform and dominate the reverse logistics multi-billion-dollar market whilst creating a more sustainable environment.

He holds a BSc. in Management & Technology from Dublin, Ireland, holding extensive experience across mul tiple countries and a deep understanding of dominating different markets around the world.

Paula and Oceanwide Logistics USA (OL USA) set up Oceanwide Logistics (OL Dubai) in August 2016 to offer domestic and international freight solutions in the region.

In 2021 Paula relocated to the UK where she continues to be the remote Managing Director for the UAE office and has also opened OL Philippines in September 2021 and OL UK

in July 2022 which compliments the OL Group other offices within the USA and Canada completely.

‘’My 10-year journey within the UAE shaped me into the international businesswoman I am today, I regularly travel back to the UAE, for 2022 I have already been back 3 times and am planning future exhibitions/ presentations and meet ings within the UAE vibrant market for the remainder of the year and beyond.”

She was awarded the Woman Professional in Transport & Logistics in 2019 award, an accolade that has helping women in logistics to ‘find their voice’ alongside their male peers.

VINEET MALHOTRA

Vineet Malhotra is an accomplished strategist and techno-functional leader having extensive experience in various business functions across diverse Industries. In his time with Kale Logistics, Vineet is known to be a domain independent expert, who gets a quick handle on any given subject. His strength lies in simplifying what appear to be complex business ideas.

ALAIN KADDOUM

Alain Kaddoum has over 12 years of professional excel lence and leadership skills. He spearheads Savoye Middle East in its mission to become the leading au tomation, robotics, and software solutions provider for the region’s supply chain industry.

Prior to his position at Savoye, Kaddoum worked in the intralogistics field for many years. He also worked at UAE-

SOHAM CHOKSHI

CEO and Co-founder, Shipsy

Shipsy is India’s first and only endto-end global trade and logistics management platform that helps customers reduce logistics costs, achieve transparency and improve on-time delivery of goods across the Ocean, Air, Rail, and Road with an intelligent approach.

Under Soham Chokshi’s supervision,

RITA HUANG

He spearheads Kale’s strategic forays and new industry initiatives across its areas of focus including airports, for warding, transportation, customs, chambers of commerce and other trade associations. He is also the member of Con federation of India Industry- CII WR Logistics Task Force 2022-23.

He has effectively led his team to increase ‘Technology Awareness’ in the Global Logistics Industry and driven focused groups to build the IT adoption levels across supply chains worldwide. Many of Kale’s next Generation Commu nity Platform solutions have set new Industry benchmarks under his able guidance, Industry Acumen and Research.

based Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, leading a research team to develop a breakthrough protocol for the country’s aerospace industry.

Kaddoum holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Elec tronics Engineering from INP-ENSEEIHT, and a master’s degree in Automatics, Informatics, and Decisional Systems from INP Toulouse, France.

He intends to contribute to the company’s success by build ing a strong and independent local team that consists of top talents and experts from the Middle East region. Further more, he fosters a positive work atmosphere by appreciating and acknowledging the efforts of his staff and empowers them through training and upskilling programmes.

the company has rapidly blossomed into a leading SaaS-based solution provider dedicated to reducing logistics costs and improving on-time delivery of goods across the ocean, air, and road transportation through its pio neering ‘Bloomberg for supply chain’ model. In his professional capacity, Soham spearheads the overall business growth of the organization.

His auxiliary responsibilities include ensuring revenue pipeline and ARR growth, maintaining key customer relationships, directing measures for

brand amplification, ensuring a strong product roadmap, fundraising, investor relations, and overseeing key processes and initiatives for people development.

An alumnus of the prestigious IIT Madras, Soham completed his B. Tech in Mechanical Engineering in 2013 where he achieved the highest bonus in the IIT batch during the first year. Before incepting Shipsy, he served as an Analyst at Deutsche Bank where he was attributed with commencing his own publication that went global within a year’s span.

she was relocated to the Middle East and Africa. This en abled her to gain insights into regional markets.

iMile was founded in 2017 to bring innovation and inspiration to the logistics and supply chain industry, as well as solve fundamental problems in the industry with creativity and confidence.

Huang studied biomedical engineering and later joined Chinese telecommunications giant, Huawei, which is when

In 2017, Huang was witnessing the boom of ecommerce globally. She noticed, however, that cash on delivery and last mile delivery were causing real problems for many eCom merce players.

After co-founding iMile in 2017, Huang has played a pivotal role in the rapid development of the company. With the onset of COVID-19, she assisted in the company’s quick response to enhance logistics services despite the circum stances.

Director and Co-Founder, Kale Logistics Solutions

Managing Director of Savoye Middle East

Founder and Chief Executive Office, iMile

An efficient, reliable & modern fleet solution

This is a first-of-its-kind Cargo SUV model which is now available across Al Masaood Automobile , Renault showrooms in Abu Dhabi & Al Ain.

DRIVE THE NEW WAY

NEW IVECO T-WAY: HIGH PRODUCTIVITY AND SAFETY ON OFF-ROAD TERRAINS

With a complete line-up of AWD and PWD versions and the the 16-speed HI-TRONIX automated gearbox, the IVECO T-WAY features a host of functionalities such as Rocking Mode, Off-road Mode, Creeping Mode and 4 reverse gears to tackle with ease the toughest off-road conditions. The new architecture of the EBS system, combined with disc brakes on all wheels, greatly improves the vehicle’s performance and the driver’s safety in the most demanding applications.

NEW IVECO S-WAY: HIGH TECHNOLOGY AND EFFICIENCY FOR ON-ROAD MISSIONS

The new IVECO S-WAY, with a completely redesigned and reinforced cab, offers a wide choice of Euro III/V diesel engines, a delivering class-leading power from 360 HP to 560 HP Euro III / 570 HP Euro V and superior fuel-saving devices, such as anti-idling feature, Ecoswitch, Ecoroll and Smart Alternator. 12-speed HI-TRONIX automated transmission with the most advanced technology in its category, electronic clutch and best-in-class torque-to-weight ratio.