English [pdf | 1 MB]

The Panalpina magazine
2_2003
connect
Long-standing
partnership
between Ericsson
and Panalpina
Page 4 Interview
Market leader in Asia-Pacific
Regional CEO Asia-Pacific, Lars-Ola Gunnarsson, on developments in the Asian economies and in Panalpina’s Asia-Pacific
business
Page 6 Logistics
Know-how and trust
Swedish telecoms company
Ericsson’s cooperation with
Panalpina in China
Page 11 Interview
Accelerate growth
The new Regional CEO for North America, David I. Beatson, talks about
his goals and management philosophy
Page 12 Partners
At home on all seven seas
Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) is one of Panalpina’s key seafreight partners
Page 14 High-tech
Page 16 Sponsorship
Page 18 Projects
Page 20 Automotive
Page 24 Human Resources
Page 26 Worldwide
Page 31 Publishing details
2
connect 2_2003
Partnership links Far East with Europe
Supply logistics for the German IT company Wortmann AG
A contribution to better sight
Panalpina is helping to finance a Swiss Red Cross project to combat
poverty-related blindness in Ghana
A plane full of masts
Panalpina transports oversize components for the national stadium in
Abuja (Nigeria)
Hand in hand
Logistics solutions for the automotive industry
Life-long learning
Knowledge and experience sharing thanks to the Panacademy virtual
learning platform
Partner of the high-tech industry
Ladies and Gentlemen
The high-tech industry is one of Panalpina’s four key industry groups, comprising not only manufacturers of computing, electronics, integrated circuits
and telecommunication equipment, but also their huge first-tier supplier
base.
Panalpina has been a prominent service supplier to this sector for some time,
and our customer list is graced by a growing number of Global Fortune 500
companies.
The high-tech industry is continuing to shift production capacity into the
coastal regions of China, benefiting from an almost limitless labor pool and a
growing top-notch infrastructure. China is being converted into the world’s
prime manufacturing location at breathtaking speed, aided by the legendary
savvy and hardworking attitude of its people. With over USD 50 billion
obtained through direct investments in 2002 alone, China has secured the
number one position in that league and seems unlikely to be toppled for
many years to come.
This issue’s cover story throws the spotlight on Ericsson’s impressive presence in China. Ericsson has been an established player in China for over a
century now, investing in building up its production and marketing capacities at times when other players were reluctant to do so.
Ericsson’s conviction and stamina have paid off, and today they are one of
the major suppliers of telecommunications equipment to the buoyant Chinese
communications industry. Their experience mirrors the development and
strategy of the Panalpina network in China. With the combination of our
detailed industry focus and professional key account management, we have
created a mutually beneficial partnership.
The Pacific Rim is key to the world’s leading high-tech companies, not only
for manufacturing and sourcing, but also for tapping the growing ranks of
affluent consumer markets.
Panalpina is already strong and well positioned in the Asia-Pacific region, and
our excellent platform will enable us to grow together with our customers.
Bruno Sidler
President of the Executive Board
connect 2_2003
3
Interview
“Asia-Pacific is a region with
tremendous opportunities in a
complex business environment.
Our goal is to take full advantage
of these opportunities.”
Market leader
in Asia-Pacific
Panalpina implemented a new Group management structure regionalizing its organization in 2002. The Regional CEO of Asia-Pacific, Lars-Ola
Gunnarsson, looks back on the regionalization and forward to the development of his region.
4
connect 2_2003
Mr Gunnarsson, can you describe
your experiences during the last
18 months after the regionalization
was implemented?
For me personally, it has indeed been an exciting experience to move from an established
and rather predictable way of life in Scandinavia to a region with an amazing energy and
drive. Asia is a region full of complexity and
diversity; the sheer size of the population
combined with the range of countries at different stages in their economic development,
has created a market place with remarkable
growth potential. It is a region with tremendous opportunities in a complex business
environment. Our challenge is to take full
advantage of these opportunities by introducing our standardized business processes and
products across entire regions while paying
the necessary respect to the local customer
and market needs.
In our region we have built a multi-cultural organization with strong functional
skills and capabilities which can provide the
best possible guidance and support to our
business units. The initial focus has been to
create a team spirit and to jointly establish
the direction and goals for our region in the
years to come.
Operational excellence and cost effectiveness were key targets in our business plan
process. In order to meet these targets, we
realized the need for creating critical mass
within certain business units as the base
for establishing management teams with
specific functional responsibilities and we
consequently created several “Areas” in Asia
Pacific, including South Asia, South East
Asia, Oceania, and China/Taiwan.
We also identified the need to strengthen
our customer focus as well as marketing and
sales activities in Asia, where Panalpina has
not been perceived as a very aggressive
player so far, and this is obviously an image
we want to change.
During the past 18 months, we have
strengthened our network, customer base,
range of products and services and seen
good business growth; furthermore, we are
convinced that we have the vision and
strategy in place to establish Panalpina as a
leading provider of forwarding and logistics
services in Asia-Pacific.
What is unique in dealing with customers in the high-tech industry?
In which countries does Panalpina
mainly work for high-tech customers?
Most of our business units in Asia serve hightech customers, whether global brand name
customers, contract manufacturers or vendors. The main activities are in China, Taiwan
and South East Asia.
The high-tech industry has suffered since
1999/2000 and the industry is now characterized by an uncompromising drive for achieving cost leadership as well as a changed focus
from supply chain to demand chain, i.e. market-driven rather than product-driven production. Asia is the main production and assembly base for the industry and the requirements
are somewhat different in Asia than in the
rest of the world. We get involved in providing
services on the supply side into assembly or
production as well as on the finished product
side to the final consumers. In close cooperation with clients, partners and in-house carriers we constantly monitor and improve our
services for the high-tech industry.
Apart from the core industries, which
other customers does Panalpina serve
in Asia Pacific?
Apart from the core high-tech, automotive
and healthcare industries, we have traditionally been among the market leaders in providing freight and logistics services for the retail
and fashion industry. Japan and Hong Kong
continue to be the main markets for luxury
and fashion products, and brand name companies have continued to expand with own
retail shops especially within China.
In addition, retail goods are Asia’s single
largest export industry with China, South
Asia and South East Asia as the main production centers. In view of all these market
advantages, we will strive to develop more
precise and tailor-made import and export
products to further boost our market shares.
The oil & gas industry in Asia is growing
with great potential while our involvement in
this trend in Asia is still low profile. Thus, we
have established a dedicated infrastructure to
capture the huge business opportunities in
this segment and bring our industry expertise
to Asia.
Panalpina is reorganizing its structure
by creating “areas” and “business
units” rather than operating in
“countries” and “branches”. What are
the advantages of this structure for
customers in your region?
We have developed a matrix organizational
structure by grouping the agents and small
business units into area organizations. This
structure will enable us to strengthen our network in Asia Pacific by using local synergies
and establishing "critical mass". Thus the
local structures will "mirror" the business
functions at regional level, tighten customer
focus, and enhance operational excellence,
competitiveness, cost awareness and ongoing growth.
Any comment as far as your outlook
and strategic topics are concerned?
The Asia Pacific region remains the brightest
spot on the world economic map despite the
global recession and the SARS crisis. We will
continue to grow with our customers by
focusing on activities within our core industries in order to provide market-driven industry-specific services and solutions. We need to
further grow our network in Asia organically
and through acquisitions. We will continue to
focus on achieving operational excellence
combined with a strong focus on marketing
and sales. Development and training of our
staff will be an important role in our strategy;
we strongly believe that the spirit, attitude
and skills of our staff will prove to be our most
important key to success.
Curriculum Vitae
Name
Lars-Ola Gunnarsson
Civil status
Married, three children
Year of birth
1948
Nationality
Swedish
1969–1989
Various managing positions at
Ericsson Telecom AB, Stockholm
(Sweden)
1989–1993
Sales & Marketing Manager, Goingefrakt (Net Logistics), Osby (Sweden)
1993–1997
Multinational Accounts Manager,
Panalpina Scandinavia, Stockholm
(Sweden)
1997–2001
Managing Director, Panalpina
Scandinavia, Stockholm (Sweden)
2002
Regional CEO Asia-Pacific, Hong
Kong and member of the Panalpina
Executive Board
connect 2_2003
5
Logistics
6
connect 2_2003
Know-how
and trust
The Swedish company Ericsson is the world’s leading supplier of total
telecommunications solutions and one of Panalpina’s most important
customers in the high-tech industry. Panalpina and Ericsson work
together all around the world – notably in China, one of the key markets
for both companies.
>
connect 2_2003
7
Logistics
Some 40% of Ericsson’s business in the
Asia-Pacific region and approximately 10%
of its total global business comes from
China, where the company has been operating for over 100 years. “And we are still
growing,” explains Anders Karlborg, Head of
the Asia Pacific Supply Center in Nanjing
near Shanghai since last year. “China is one
of the fastest growing markets in the world
and will remain so in the foreseeable future
as well.” In 2000 the sales figure was some
RMB 15 billion (USD 1.8 billion), hence daily
sales averaging over RMB 40 million (USD
4.8 m). Together, Ericsson’s primary suppliers invested a total of RMB 15 billion (USD
1.8 billion) in China, not only creating a large
number of jobs in the country but also significantly expanding its export volume.
Ericsson, whose global workforce numbers some 57,000 in 140 countries, has a
long and successful history in China. Founded in Sweden in 1876, the company was
already active in China by 1892, and as early
as 1894 it delivered 2,000 telephones to
Shanghai. Its first representative office was
opened in Beijing some 20 years ago, and in
1994 Ericsson (China) Company Ltd. was
founded. With 3,600 employees, 26 local
offices and 10 joint venture companies, Ericsson is now China’s leading supplier of
telecommunications solutions and services.
“Ericsson’s big success in this hotly
contested market is based firstly on its commitment and delivery performance to its
8
connect 2_2003
customers. This includes providing innovative, integrated systems to all network operators to enable their current networks’
migration into future requirements like single broadband and multi-service networks.
This also necessitate considerable investment in research and development programs,” says Anders Karlborg.
In China Ericsson does not just sell its
products and services but is also actively
involved in the technological development
of the country by developing skills and competences – both of customers and of its own
workforce in China. In 1997, it founded the
Ericsson China Academy in Beijing and in
1999 a research and development center in
collaboration with the China Academy of
Telecommunications Technology ”With the
Beijing Institute of Technology we also
opened a technology research center for
mobile telecommunications,” says Anders
Lars-Olaf Björklund, Manager Distribution
and Logistics Development for Asia at
Ericsson.
Karlborg, proving the support China has
received from the company in the area of
technological development. “In 1999, Ericsson also established the industry’s first open
laboratory for mobile multi-media communication in China,” he adds.
Anders Karlborg, Head of the Asia-Pacific
Supply Center Ericsson.
Long-standing partnership with
Panalpina
Panalpina has had a presence in China since
1976 and today it has over 20 offices there.
The organization offers the full range of serv-
ices and has extensive know-how in complex logistics tasks. It is no coincidence,
therefore, that Ericsson trusts in Panalpina’s
services in China. “We’ve been working
together for many years, and Panalpina has
provided us both with traditional freight forwarding and with logistics services,”
explains Lars-Olof Björklund, Manager Distribution and Logistics Development for the
Asia Region. “It’s a demanding partnership
that is based on a lot of mutual trust,” he
adds. Anders Karlborg endorses that view.
“Trust is important because we depend on
Panalpina to a certain extent. We plan to
strengthen our ties still further in the future
and to integrate Panalpina more closely into
our supply chain,” he says. On the other
hand he points out that, like its other suppliers, Panalpina does not enjoy any special
status but has to keep proving itself.
The service portfolio that Panalpina
offers its customer Ericsson in China is
wide-ranging. Thus, Panalpina analyzes the
supply chain and draws up optimization proposals; it uses EDI tools to provide visibility
of the supply chain; it handles the return and
replacement management, consolidates and
clears products through customs, supplies
Ericsson factories and radio base station
project sites and organizes the provisioning
of the necessary products at the suppliers.
“On top of that we have two ‘implants’ working in the Ericsson plant in Nanjing near
Shanghai. They are Panalpina employees
who work exclusively for Ericsson and are
responsible for the entire operational side of
the functions served by Panalpina,” explains
Ivo Roex, Key Account Manager for Ericsson
in Shanghai.
Stephen Yeung, President Panalpina China.
The partnership with Ericsson, he says,
is an ongoing process of development. “A
close relationship like the one we cultivate
with Ericsson doesn’t spring up overnight to
suddenly find it functioning smoothly,” he
explains. “New requirements and improvements are constantly emerging, we are
always taking on new tasks. If something
hasn’t been handled in accordance with the
customer’s wishes, we sit down and look for
solutions. Of course it’s important here to
have a very open relationship based on
mutual trust. Even a globe-spanning network, innovative products, local expertise
and industrial competence won’t be enough
if the mutual trust is missing.” Lars-Olof
Björklund is happy with the service
Panalpina provides and its innovations, but
he knows that there is still plenty of
enhancements to develop. “We’re a long
way off having exhausted all the possibilities.”
Generally, he feels that the outsourcing
trend will persist for some time to come. Of
course, however far this trend is taken, no
company is likely to hand over complete
control of its supply chain to outsiders. Nevertheless, he believes companies will outsource more and more of their non-core
activities, while retaining the quality control
competencies in-house as well as a competent demand function.
Ericsson too sets great store by quality.
“We measure service level, delivery precision, transit times, condition of goods on
delivery and much more besides.”
Industrial competencies
The high-tech industry has been experiencing an unparalleled boom for some years and
is therefore also changing very rapidly. The
same is true of the growth market China.
Therefore companies are partnering with
logistics companies like Panalpina, which
not only provide global coverage but also
have excellent industry-specific and local
market knowledge. Lars-Olof Björklund confirms this and stresses, “In the logistics >
connect 2_2003
9
Logistics
High-tech competence
center
Panalpina offers its customers innovative, tailor-made logistics solutions.
Instead of offering general concepts
for sale on the market, Panalpina
pursues a controlled approach and
develops tailored, complex solutions
for its core customer groups in
defined industry segments. The
globalized structure of the economy
requires extensive knowledge of
one’s customer’s business combined
with high flexibility, which is why
Panalpina concentrates on projects in
which it can contribute its core competencies and offer the customer
genuine added value. Its success
builds on its industry expertise, its
global air and ocean freight network,
the “asset free” principle and a consistent partnership management
based on the best-in-class principle.
Panalpina designs logistics concepts
primarily for customers in the automotive, high-tech and pharmaceuticals/healthcare industries. In all
these sectors the company has many
years of experience and extensive
know-how. Logistics specialists
develop tailor-made solutions and are
supported by a comprehensive key
account management system as well
as by Virtual Industry Competence
Centers. These are virtual groups
composed of key account managers
plus staff from operations and sales.
They communicate regularly via conference calls and workshops, develop
joint solutions, bundle and expand
their industry expertise and make
this available to the organization.
The Virtual Competence Center HighTech (VCCH) is headed by Ferwin
Wieringa, Global Key Account
Manager Seagate.
10
sector, we cooperate with companies that
are organized on similar lines to ourselves
and have a geographic coverage that is similar to ours. We are a global operation with
strong local organizations that know the relevant market and are also familiar with the
strategic objectives of the group. We expect
our suppliers to be organized in a similar
way.”
This, he says, is a precondition to understanding the specific requirements of customers, keeping up with their high tempo
and being able to offer them genuine added
value. A logistics company must act
extremely proactively, not only receiving
instructions but also taking on tasks that
previously were carried out in-house by the
customer. “Here we expect a partner to
accede to our individual ideas and present
innovative solutions,” says Lars-Olof Björklund. “Of course there are also forwarders
Ann Tang, Branch Manager Panalpina
Shanghai.
around today that concentrate exclusively
on transport, and I appreciate that they are
in perfect control of their business. But we
need a logistics service provider who optimizes our supply chain, offers transparency
and provides measurable services – a company that has a firm grip on costs and
reduces interfaces to a minimum.”
Ivo Roex, Ericsson Key Account Manager at
Panalpina Shanghai.
Interview
Accelerate growth
Panalpina has split its Americas Region into two separate Regions for
North and Latin America. David I. Beatson joined Panalpina in July as
Regional CEO for North America. The following interview highlights his
management philosophy and goals.
What attracted you specifically to
the job of a Regional CEO for North
America?
Panalpina has an excellent reputation as a
major global forwarder, customs broker and
logistics provider. In fact, Panalpina is one of
the best names in the industry. It’s great to
have the opportunity to build on such a
brand name and leverage it into an expanded market position in North America. However, while Panalpina in North America is
highly respected in segments such as project shipments, oil & gas, high-tech and automotive, it is not as well known in other industry segments. Therefore, for me it’s an exciting challenge to build on this brand name
and expand it into new vertical markets.
Panalpina has been growing mainly
organically in the last years. Will you
pursue this policy in North America?
Our objective is to grow both organically and
through acquisitions. First of all I am convinced that organic growth is absolutely
essential for our success. Companies which
aren’t growing organically have a problem –
it means that competitors are probably taking their market share. But obviously this
growth strategy can be complemented
through acquisitions at Panalpina, especially in a market like the US and Canada.
Acquiring companies which fit our strategy
will enable us to expand into new vertical or
geographic markets and help us expand and
strengthen our North American network.
Organic growth coupled with rigorous
expense control is essential. But, of course,
one can’t shrink to success. In order to grow
bottom-line profit, one must have top-line
growth through new business. That means
that we will increase our sales and marketing activities in order to sell more services to
current customers and to develop new vertical markets. The second pillar will be growth
through acquisitions as explained. Thirdly
we will put a lot of emphasis on the development of the transpacific tradelane which is
the biggest growth opportunity for North
America. Furthermore we want to develop
and introduce a full range of North American
domestic products including time-definite
air freight services and an expanded range
of value-added logistics services.
Can you explain this in more detail?
It will certainly be important to further develop customer-oriented domestic airfreight
products in North America. This is both an
offensive and defensive strategy. Offensive,
because these services will generate profitable sources of new business. And defensive, because we need a full range of services in order to prevent competitors with full
service offerings from penetrating into our
core international business.
What will be your top priorities?
First of all I want to meet all of our employees because I fully believe in a team environment. At the same time, I want to meet
and talk to as many customers as possible.
As I speak to our employees and customers
I will be conducting a brief SWOT analysis to
help me determine where we are doing well
and where there is room for improvement.
Another priority will be to review our financial performance and set some realistic
guidelines for the North American organization. Furthermore we will roll out a plan to
enable us to accelerate growth, improve performance and increase profitability.
What are Panalpina’s strengths?
Panalpina has numerous strengths as already
mentioned. Important factors are definitely
our experienced employees, our extensive
global network and presence, an excellent
reputation, a very well managed and profitable organization as well as a strong customer base.
What do you like specifically about
your job?
I am driven by working in a team environment to generate profitable growth for our
company. My managing philosophy is teamwork, good communication and an open
door policy. Work smart, work hard – and
have fun!
David I. Beatson
David I. Beatson (54) is an American
citizen who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Ohio State University and
an MBA in Finance and Marketing
from the University of Cincinnati.
He has worked in the transport and
forwarding industry throughout his
28-year career. After several years as
Vice President Cargo Sales and Marketing at American Airlines, he spent
seven years at Emery Worldwide, the
last four as President and CEO, followed by two years as Chairman and
CEO of Circle International. He left
the company after the merger with
EGL to establish his own consulting
firm.
connect 2_2003
11
Partners
At home on all
seven seas
Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) is one of Panalpina’s foremost partners in
the seafreight sector. Having enjoyed many years of close collaboration,
the logistics company and the Japanese seafreight carrier are now
seeking to further strengthen their ties.
Panalpina, along with its subsidiaries and
central capacity management agencies,
ASB Sea and ASB Air, meticulously selects
its partner carriers in the airfreight and
seafreight sectors according to the best-inclass principle. The carrier Nippon Yusen
Kaisha (NYK), a member of the Japanese
Mitsubishi group, is one of Panalpina’s oldest and closest business partners in the
seafreight sector. The original association
over a decade ago, then confined to routes
between Asia and Canada, has since burgeoned into a cooperation spanning all the
world’s oceans and trade routes. What is the
secret of this success? “Efficient collaboration at all levels – both at management level
and on the front line – is certainly one crucial
factor,” ASB Sea Managing Director Thomas
Eisenblaetter explains. “A good rapport
12
connect 2_2003
between executives is little use if there are
hitches on the operational side – and vice
versa.”
“On top of that, NYK delivers quality”,
Eisenblaetter continues. “Apart from obvious things such as shipping network and
punctuality, the company sets high standards in areas such as information flow,
documentation, invoicing, container and
capacity management, even during the
peak season.” In Eisenblaetter’s opinion,
these are key elements in forging a successful partnership. “In offering customers
first-rate, time-definite products, Panalpina
ultimately depends on business partners of
NYK’s caliber”, he adds. “NYK’s excellent
freight space management system enables
Panalpina to plan accurately and efficiently.”
Reliability…
By the same token, Panalpina’s reliability is
particularly appreciated at NYK. Panalpina
supplies NYK with precise details of its
short- and medium-term capacity requirements, which the seafreight carrier confidently factors into its planning. This degree
of dependability directly benefits both partners, as Minoru Sato, Chairman of NYK
Europe, underlines: “NYK’s recent history of
global expansion in the container liner sector has undoubtedly been influenced by the
close partnership with Panalpina. At NYK,
we are proud to have received the backing
of a company of Panalpina’s standing during
the expansion of our global container business, and we look forward to the many years
of collaboration that lie ahead.” Minoru Sato
is convinced that the international container
sector is poised for further substantial
growth and that, working in tandem,
Panalpina and NYK will reap enormous dividends in the future.
…and unwavering trust
“We know that our colleagues at NYK will
stand by their word”, declares Thomas
Eisenblaetter. He is particularly pleased
about this since, in his opinion, unbureaucratic handshake deals are losing currency
in today’s business world. “Of course, such
agreements are founded on a sound basis of
trust, such as that which exists between
NYK and Panalpina”, he hastens to add.
Minoru Sato likewise highlights this aspect:
“Our partnership is based on mutual respect
and trust.” As Bernhard A. Liebisch, Senior
Sales Executive at NYK Line in Rotterdam,
points out, the quality of the relationship
allows a timely and frank discussion of
potential difficulties so as to nip any problems in the bud. “Personal contacts remain
crucial,” he stresses. “Even if the notion of a
‘people’s business’ may sound a little trite
these days, it is a particularly fitting description of the container sector.”
Bernhard Liebisch values NYK’s commitment to the very highest standards.
“Panalpina is, after all, answerable to its customers for its choice of partners! Indeed,
Panalpina and NYK occasionally conduct
joint negotiations with customers, especially in the projects sector.” As Liebisch sees it,
a working relationship of this quality is an
absolute prerequisite for securing a topclass product for customers.
Cosmopolitan, yet traditional
Founded in Japan in 1885, Nippon Yusen
Kaisha (The Japan Mail Steamship Company) ranks among the pioneers of modern-day
maritime shipping. With the launch of its
liner service to Bombay (now Mumbai) in
1893, NYK was the first Japanese seafreight
carrier to operate a long-distance link of this
kind. 1968 saw the company become the
first Japanese carrier to introduce a full container ship, the Hakone Maru, which ran
between Japan and the US west coast. NYK
again set new standards in 1970 as one of
the co-founders of the legendary Trio Consortium that operated routes between the
Far East and Europe. Today, it is one of the
five members of the world’s largest container-sector consortium, the globally operating
Grand Alliance. The company operates
around 100 liners, of which over 70 are container ships. Overall, the NYK fleet embraces
some 770 vessels, including luxury cruisers,
pure-car carriers (PCC), bulk carriers, reefers
and tankers. NYK also has a logistics division that offers overland shipments plus the
associated intermodal logistics services.
While NYK remains deeply rooted in Japanese business traditions and takes its social
obligations very seriously, it is at the same
time a cosmopolitan, customer-oriented
company that has significantly raised its
international presence in recent years.
Christening of NYK Artemis
The close ties between Panalpina
and NYK were strikingly illustrated at
the christening ceremony for the container ship NYK Artemis in Hiroshima.
Godmother Marianne Sidler, wife of
Panalpina CEO Bruno Sidler, dispatched the ultra-modern ship down
the slipway on the first of many
journeys across the world’s oceans.
Boasting a GRT of 75,484 metric tons
and a capacity of 6,492 TEU, the vessel will run between Asia and Europe.
The freighter is some 299.95 meters
long, 40 meters wide and 60.8 meters
high from keel to mast top and is fitted with over 533 refrigerated container connections. Its service speed
is 25 knots.
connect 2_2003
13
High-tech
Partnership links Far East
with Europe
Panalpina has forged a close partnership with the German IT company
Wortmann AG in the field of supply logistics. The cooperation ensures
efficient, on-time delivery to German PC dealers of goods originating
from Far Eastern suppliers.
The high-tech, automotive, healthcare and
oil & gas industries are Panalpina’s core
businesses. For these key industries, the forwarding group provides integrated logistics
services at the global level. Among the hightech customers is the German IT company
Wortmann AG. Just over two years ago,
Panalpina took over this company’s supply
logistics and has since been organizing air
14
connect 2_2003
and sea freight shipments for Wortmann
between Asia and Germany.
A smoothly functioning team
Most of Wortmann’s IT products and
computer components (monitors, notebooks, motherboards, etc.) are produced in
Taiwan and China. A team assembled from
Panalpina staff in Taiwan, China and Ger-
many, as well as from the in-house carriers
ASB-Air and ASB-Sea, see to it that the
goods are shipped to Germany within the
(often very tight) schedule demanded by the
customers. All the parties involved – the
suppliers and dispatch points in the Far
East, the customs offices, airports, truckers
and Panalpina representatives – work
together with Wortmann as a close-knit
team to ensure that the consignments are
handled efficiently, quickly and without
snags.
in the air...
Wortmann decides whether the goods are to
go by air or sea. Airfreight is flown from Taiwan or China via Luxembourg to Münster/
Osnabrück, where it is cleared by customs
and delivered to Wortmann the same day.
ASB-Air buys in and manages airfreight
capacity on behalf of the Panalpina Group.
Both in Taiwan and China, this Panalpina
subsidiary has developed a dense timetable
of flights (daily departures), ensuring that
sufficient capacity is available even at peak
times. In 2002 Panalpina handled 502 airfreight shipments for Wortmann totaling
some 340 tonnes.
... and on the oceans
Goods that are sent by sea – either in consolidated shipments or as full container
loads – are dispatched (depending on the
manufacturing site) from Yantian, Fuzhou,
Shanghai (China) or Keelung (Taiwan),
reaching the North Sea port of Hamburg via
the Suez Canal. Panalpina Bremen, the
Group unit responsible for business with
Wortmann, arranges customs clearance by
means of the ATLAS program on-site in
Hamburg. The goods are then delivered
straight to the customer.
Like ASB-Air does for airfreight, ASBSea purchases and manages the necessary
seafreight capacity. The volumes shipped
depend on the season, reflecting Wortmann’s orders. Up to four departures a week
are offered from each of the departure ports.
The tight schedules call for great flexibility
all round: a special sales drive, for example,
can involve shipping fifty 40-foot containers
full of computer goods from Asia to Germany.
Panalpina is the vital link between the
Far Eastern manufacturers and Wortmann’s
end-user customers in Germany. The flow of
goods is accompanied by a steady flow of
information, ensuring that Wortmann is able
to plan its activities ahead – and that the PC
dealers have the necessary goods on their
shelves the moment they are needed.
Wortmann AG
With about 5500 resellers, 240 inhouse staff and 2002 sales totaling
approximately EUR 225 million,
Wortmann AG is one of Europe’s
largest independent IT companies.
Still relatively young, its first 16 years
have been a continuous success
story. Wortmann AG is a qualityand service-driven manufacturer of
notebooks, PC systems and servers
(equipment is sold under the Terra
brand) and a distributor of peripherals and components. The products
are sold through medium-sized specialist dealers and systems suppliers
as well as to public authorities and
schools.
connect 2_2003
15
Sponsorship
A contribution to
better sight
Over the next three years, Panalpina will be helping the partially
sighted in West Africa by contributing 550,000 Swiss francs to a Swiss
Red Cross project to combat blindness in Ghana.
Panalpina CEO Bruno Sidler and Daniel
Biedermann, Director of the Swiss Red Cross,
signing the sponsorship agreement.
Panalpina has been active in West Africa for
many years, and we thus have strong links
with the region. At the beginning of this
year these flourishing local ties led us to support a project launched by the Swiss Red
Cross (SRC) as part of the international
“right-to-sight” program. The SRC, which is
the largest Swiss aid agency, has been
active since 1990 in preventing and treating
poverty-related blindness, which affects
184,000 people in Ghana. Its activities focus
on two regions in particular.
Social responsibility
CHF 1 million will be spent on the project
between 2003 and 2005, after which the
SRC’s Ghanaian partners will take over full
responsibility for it. Panalpina is contributing CHF 550,000 to the program. “The
important thing is to provide concrete aid for
sufferers where they need it,” explains
Panalpina’s CEO Bruno Sidler, adding:
16
connect 2_2003
“Every company has a social responsibility.
We are discharging ours by supporting this
SRC project.”
Dr. Maria Hagan, the eye specialist who
heads the Ghana health authority’s national
eye program, gives the following reasons
why poverty-related blindness is so prevalent: “More than 80 percent are blind
because they suffer from cataracts caused
by the widespread trachoma infection that
is associated with poor hygiene, or from
sight loss due to vitamin A deficiency.” And
she instantly says how these causes are
countered: “Cataracts are treated by a simple operation, while we take preventive
measures to combat trachoma and vitamin
A deficiency, which affects children in particular.”
Prevention, treatment,
vision correction
As part of the international “right-to-sight”
project, the Red Cross – in conjunction with
the health authorities – is focusing on three
areas: prevention, treatment, and the manufacture and distribution of corrective aids.
The objective is to halve the incidence of
poverty-related blindness to 0.5 percent of
the population by 2010.
Over 30,000 people have already been
treated in 2003, 1,658 of them undergoing
operations for cataracts. The first half-year
was also used to renovate four eye clinics
and to train both Red Cross volunteers and
opticians.
Win-win situation
Hagan is happy with activities to date. She
points out that every partner contributes:
“We cannot achieve our objective of pre-
venting poverty-related blindness without
the help of the SRC and donors like
Panalpina.” Ron Bannerman, the SRC official
responsible for Ghana, details the allocation
of roles: “Together with the health authorities we concentrate on establishing and
expanding eye hospitals, training doctors,
nurses, opticians and Red Cross volunteers
and setting up optician centers – while
Panalpina’s financial commitment means
that we don’t have to worry about where the
money will come from.” Panalpina’s support
– Panalpina is concentrating its sponsorship
activities on this project – thus enables the
SRC to concentrate on the program itself,
collaborating with the health authorities to
drive it forward. In the final analysis, everybody wins – but above all Ghana’s visually
impaired, its many sufferers from povertyrelated blindness.
Poverty-related blindness
There are over 40 million blind people
in the world, and the number is
increasing every five seconds. Most
of the blind live in the countries of
the South. 80 percent of them went
blind unnecessarily – as a result, that
is, of diseases which can be cured or
prevented by simple means. This
poverty-related blindness has grave
social and economic consequences.
For further information, visit
www.redcross.ch
connect 2_2003
17
Projects
A plane
full of masts
Panalpina Nigeria and our in-house carrier ASB-Air have set new standards
in an assignment for construction company Bilfinger Berger AG: masts
22.4 meters long and 1.25 meters in diameter have been shipped by an
MK Airlines cargo Jumbo for the first time. The masts were needed for the
velodrome at the ultra-modern sports stadium in Abuja, Nigeria.
18
connect 2_2003
Major construction projects like the national
stadium in Abuja, Nigeria, are a challenge to
all concerned. Individual components come
from many different countries or even continents, they tend to be heavy and unwieldy,
and they have to be delivered to the site just
in time – i.e. exactly when they are needed.
No easy undertaking, especially since this
sort of major project always involves countless partners.
“The transportation partner in projects
like this must have the complex processes and the various interfaces involved
completely at its fingertips, otherwise
there are bound to be construction holdups”, explains Wolfgang Essig, Panalpina’s
Senior Vice President Nigeria Coordination
and the company’s chief account manager
on this project. “Flexibility and short, fasttrack decision-making processes are
absolutely central to this sort of transportation venture”, adds Johannes Lichti of
Panalpina’s in-house carrier ASB-Air in
Luxembourg.
Velodrome supports
Panalpina Nigeria and ASB-Air did a brilliant job, handling many different types of
consignment for Julius Berger Nigeria plc, a
subsidiary of the German group Bilfinger
Berger AG that built the Abuja National Stadium. One of them meant flying three enor-
mous masts for the velodrome, weighing a
total of 54 tonnes, from Luxembourg to
Abuja. These had been transported to Luxembourg from various European countries,
largely by the suppliers themselves. The
project as a whole was managed from Basel
(Switzerland) and Luxembourg, in close
coordination with the client in Wiesbaden
(Germany).
Lifted into the hold by high- and
low-loaders
The 50-meter masts, divided into three sections for shipment, were delivered on lowloaders. Two mobile cranes transferred the
masts from the low-loaders to two high-loaders, lifting devices that placed them directly
in the hold of the Boeing 747-200F through
the forward freight hatch. The process took
around four hours. The sections were so long
(up to 22.4 meters) and thick (1.25 meters in
diameter) that they occupied almost the
whole of the plane’s payload area.
On arrival in Abuja the process was
reversed. After unloading, which took
around three hours, the special cargo was
hauled to the construction site.
The Boeing was chartered by ASB-Air
from MK Airlines, a Panalpina partner of
many years’ standing. The time factor had
prompted the client to choose air rather than
sea freight, which would have been less
costly. As a result, construction work proceeded seamlessly and was completed on
schedule.
Abuja National Stadium
The National Stadium in Abuja,
Nigeria, was opened in April this
year. An architectural gem, it has
already been given an apt nickname:
“the Theatre of Dreams”. Covering
32,000 m2 and accommodating
60,000 seats, this ultra-modern
temple of sport caters for countless
different activities. The stadium
and velodrome were built for the
All-African Games, which will be
held in autumn 2003.
connect 2_2003
19
Automotive
Hand in hand
Panalpina’s focus on the logistics needs of its automotive customers has
defined new standards for service and partnership.
By Arnold Davis
In the wake of a volatile global economy,
OEMs, Tier I and Tier II suppliers in the automotive industry have been experiencing
pressures to cut costs, increase velocity of
production, and generally do more with less.
That has caused pressures to be felt up and
down the entire manufacturing supply chain
and controlling that flow of parts and finished products has become increasingly
complicated. Companies are learning they
can’t do it alone.
The automotive industry is an environment where trust must be earned. In this
environment, Panalpina’s Virtual Compe-
Michael Wills, Head of the Panalpina “Virtual
Competence Center – Automotive”.
tence Center - Automotive (VCCA) has been
experiencing great success in building partnerships and setting new standards for service. VCCA is headed by Michael Wills,
Panalpina’s Vice President and Global
Leader of the VCCA. Since it was formally
launched less than a year ago, Panalpina’s
VCCA has been successful in highlighting
Panalpina’s automotive excellence to the
industry.
“Ours is a virtual center because we
include automotive logistics experts on six
continents who come together regularly to
focus on specific needs of our shippers and
continually look for ways to improve the level
of service to manufacturers, suppliers, and
vendors in the global automotive industry,”
said Wills. “The VCCA insures that automotive parts and finished products move
through the entire chain to and from any origin or destination on six continents.”
Collaboration as major success-factor
The VCCA partnership efforts work because
it forces Panalpina to listen to its customers
as it strengthens collaboration. In the
process, it enables Panalpina to significantly
reduce purchasing errors as well as transportation costs, and management gains a
valuable tool to take customer service, financial and operations performance to new levels. “Collaboration is how we manage information and information is the primary tool
for good logistics management,” says Wills.
Collaboration also was the means
through which Panalpina identified the
need for more flexible, expanded air charter
service linking the active parts manufacturing centers in Brazil with the rest of the
automotive world through Panalpina’s hub
20
connect 2_2003
in Luxembourg. The expanded service adds
65 tons of loading capacity on a fully chartered DC 10-30 aircraft that leaves Sao Paulo
every Wednesday. The new service complements an on-going Boeing 747-F- charter
that connects Sao Paulo with South Africa.
An exchange of experiences is key
Another example of collaboration is
Panalpina’s sponsorship of industry-specific
symposiums that bring together shippers,
carriers, and service providers in a crossorganizational forum to discuss mutual challenges, dependencies, efficiencies and opportunities. “Listening is the key ingredient
for the success of these symposiums just as
listening is an integral tool to foster our
growing partnerships,” remarks Wills. “VCCA
works because it enables everyone in
Panalpina to listen to our customers.”
At its most recent symposium in Traverse City/MI, the VCCA discussed its continuous effort to adapt to the marketplace
with tailor-made solutions, through a clear
strategy followed by solid execution.
Panalpina’s core competency challenges
shippers to push technology and logistics
innovations to find new ways to manage
logistics. “When we create internal and
external awareness of our capabilities and
goals and then create the tools and training
to reach those goals, we are much more
effective in developing new business and
current cross-selling opportunities,” says
Wills.
That is one of the reasons why
Panalpina’s logistic center in Detroit has
been a major success. The newly operational
62000 sq ft facility is close to the airport, and
using state-of-the art inventory man- >
connect 2_2003
21
Automotive
22
connect 2_2003
agement, is able to expedite products
through customs for fast delivery to all
regional auto production facilities. “If a spare
part is missing or just delayed by only an
hour, it could shut down an entire production line,” explains Wills.
Automotive symposium in Michigan
Effective order management was a key topic
for symposium speaker Wes Johnson, Director of Customs Service, Logistics and Planning at Robert Bosch Co. He emphasized
that cost pressure is as intense as it has ever
been. “Suppliers are looking under every
rock to reduce pricing because they have no
choice,” said Johnson. He agreed that visibility and collaboration built on trust are the
tools for doing business effectively, and he
advised that in order management, visibility
can be maximized when the logistics service provider, Panalpina, is brought into the
management and planning process early.
Partnership and trust
“Partnership with Panalpina works because
of mutual trust,” commented a Panalpina
shipper at the symposium. “Trust is necessary before shippers and their service
providers can collaborate to look at problems
with a mutual perspective.”
According to Wills, trust is the basic
requirement at the highest level of every
logistics partnership. At that level, only
reached by about five percent of logistics
relationships, the relationship is an exclusive partner base where both shipper and
service provider have mutual dependency
and shared goals. VCCA and its client relationships reach this level through close
interaction and trust.
“Collaboration built on mutual goals and
trust empowers automotive companies and
their suppliers to control their entire logistics process. When we work toward a common interest, we can provide complete visibility and pinpoint opportunities as well as
competitive hurdles.”
The success of Panalpina’s VCCA
proves that supply chain management can
determine the success or failure of a product
Customers and representatives of Panalpina at the Automotive Symposium in Traverse City,
Michigan.
or even an entire company and has redefined the relationship between shipper and
logistics supplier. Competitive prices are
still a factor in ocean and air freight forwarding, but the focus has changed to consider
the total delivery cost, i.e., all the various
cost elements along the value chain. The
VCCA uses state-of-the-art measurement to
track and measure factors such as reliability,
flexibility, and responsiveness.
This level of service means minimizing
the number of ad hoc relationships and
interfaces while building a solid partnership
between the shipper and the logistics services provider. “Obviously we are on the right
track,” says Wills. “Every company has different logistics requirements, and divisions
within companies have different logistics
requirements, but we have proven that our
relationships work when we are open to
explore new ways of managing the logistics
process.”
Arnold Davis is a freelance journalist who
lives in the US.
connect 2_2003
23
Human Resources
Life-long learning
To keep up with the increasing pace of business, having a sharp
mind is just as vital as being quick on your toes. Some three years ago,
Panalpina launched a virtual training platform under the name
Panacademy to provide its staff with a framework for continuing
professional development and help maintain today’s high standards
of customer service in the future.
With the business world continuing to
undergo rapid change, increasingly high
demands are placed on the workforce in
terms of flexibility, adaptability and the commitment to acquiring new skills. By the
same token, motivated employees with initiative encounter a wealth of opportunities
for personal and professional growth.
At Panalpina, a high priority is attached
to long-term corporate development, of
which advanced training is a cornerstone.
To ensure that performance and quality
are steadily enhanced and dovetailed to
the rapidly shifting client requirements in
this fast-moving age, the company launched a virtual training platform under the
name Panacademy in 2000. The advanced
training program enables participants to
sharpen their skills and improve performance by fully addressing the demands of the
market.
Heinz Zengaffinen
Head of Training & Development.
Panacademy graduates: Charu Arora Dua, Lesley Hume, Thomas Mittermair.
24
connect 2_2003
Growing with the company
Panacademy is by no means a centralistic
program for the privileged few. As an intrinsic part of the company, it is open to all
Group staff and, as such, fully in line with
the corporate culture, which guarantees all
employees equal opportunities for personal
growth. Yet Panacademy is not there to
“spoon-feed” its pupils: it demands initiative
on the part of the individual. Those actively
interested in their personal and professional
development will find an intriguing range of
advanced training courses that also mirror
corporate needs.
Charu Arora Dua’s career is a case in
point. Now Marketing Manager at Panalpina
India, she took on a summer job at the company four years ago and progressively developed her skills through training. Today, she
is responsible for strategic planning in the
South Asian region. “The Panacademy
courses taught me about various facets of
logistics and management and enabled me
to perform my duties more efficiently,”
explains Charu Arora Dua, who holds a Master’s in Business Administration with a special focus on international business/marketing. “Panacademy offers all Panalpina
employees the chance to learn new things
and grow within the company – an arrangement from which both individual and company profit.”
Client focus
The Panalpina Group’s Training and Development Officer, Heinz Zengaffinen, underscores the benefits for the company:
“Panacademy, like all Panalpina’s undertakings, is totally geared to the needs of its
clients. Our training program is a function of
our business targets. The strategy we pursue has two objectives: to satisfy employees’
needs for growth and to meet the demand
within the company for highly skilled specialists. Together, these two planks lay the
foundation for a first-rate customer service.”
That these two objectives go hand in
hand was demonstrated by Thomas Mittermair, Seafreight Import Manager at
Panalpina Linz (Austria). He successfully
completed a two-year part-time course in
export/international management at the
Johannes Kepler University in Linz. “Apart
from the assimilation of theoretical knowledge, particular importance was attached to
client focus. I now more fully appreciate customers’ needs and can better cater for
these.” This shows how greater skills and
expertise directly benefit the client as well
as Panalpina.
at Cranfield University in the UK. These
include three key account management
courses (The Winning Pieces, The Winning
Strategy and The Winning Quality) plus
Navigating Our Future (a course designed
for the senior executives of tomorrow) and
the Leveraging Supply Chain Management
course.
Swapping know-how and experience
Lesley Hume, Business Development and
Customer Service Manager at Panalpina
Toronto (Canada), has attended the Leveraging Supply Chain Management course at
Cranfield University. Apart from the subject
matter covered, she particularly appreciated
the close contact with Panalpina colleagues
from around the world. “At last I could put
faces to the names,” Lesley Hume enthused.
“In fact, for me, the opportunity to learn from
other people’s experience made the biggest
impact on my routine work. By pooling
know-how from different national and organizational units, we are effectively creating
added value for our clients.” This was an
indirect tribute to one of Panalpina’s key
assets: team spirit. For the top-class services provided by Panalpina to its clients would
be inconceivable without effective interaction across whole countries and continents.
Wide-ranging course program
And how is training structured at
Panalpina? “The program embraces courses
at local, regional and global level,” Zengaffinen explains. “The locally organized
program – which embraces induction courses for new staff, specialist training, language, computer, safety and sales courses,
the Moving Forward scheme and lots more –
promotes the smooth running of day-to-day
business. The activities at regional level are
designed to encourage growth within a specific geographical area. Specialists and
managers from the relevant countries are
appointed to standardize procedures or
oversee change processes and discuss
regional business issues. At the global level,
the program features the traditional courses
connect 2_2003
25
Worldwide
Flashing down
the ice track
Germany/Canada Bobsleighers race down the ice track at
speeds of up to 150 kilometers an hour. A few thousandths of a
second can make the difference between winning and losing.
It all hinges on the bobsleigh itself – a sophisticated high-tech
machine: the best equipment is essential to success. So it follows
that transporting these precious sleighs is by no means a simple
undertaking. Panalpina has been handling bobsleigh transportation for the top teams for around three years.
After the European Championships in Winterberg (Germany) last
winter, Panalpina transported 22 men’s two- and four-man bobsleighs to Calgary (Canada), the next World Cup venue, for several
different nations: two belonged to Monaco, two to Russia, four to
Latvia, three to the Czech Republic, seven to Germany and four to
the USA. All the teams except Monaco brought their sleighs in
their transport containers to Panalpina Frankfurt themselves. This
unusual cargo, which was organized by ASB-Air, weighed a total
of around 15 tonnes.
On January 29, 2003 the precious consignment set off via Luxembourg for Calgary, where it was handed over to Adventix, the
agent for AIT World Wide Logistics. By February 3, 2003 the bobsleighers were already able to resume training, flashing down
the ice track on their sleds. On February 8–9, 2003 they did it for
real, at the World Cup event in Calgary’s Olympia Park. Panalpina
then returned some of the sleighs to Winterberg and St. Moritz,
Switzerland, via Frankfurt.
26
connect 2_2003
Dubai hub
United Arab Emirates Panalpina is strengthening its position in
the Arab Emirates. In early 2003 Panalpina Gulf LLC opened its
headquarters at the Logistics Center at Dubai airport. HH Sheikh
Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Head of the Department of Civil
Aviation of the United Arab Emirates and Chairman of Emirates Airlines, spoke to the guests assembled at the dedication ceremonies.
The new building includes modern office facilities and a 1450 m2
warehouse located right next to the tarmac. Because of its ideal
geographic location, the new headquarters in Dubai will be used
as a hub for airfreight shipments to the Middle East, Central Asia
and Africa.
Abdul Rahim M. Abdulla and
Robert Timmermann from
Panalpina Gulf LLC.
The safety net
USA In May 2003 Panalpina became a member of C-TPAT, the
US "Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism" program.
Launched by the US government together with logistics service
providers, the goal of C-TPAT is to protect world trade from acts of
terrorism. In order to join the program, companies must have
implemented a safety and security plan that complies with US
customs guidelines. Panalpina is certified in a number of categories: Licensed Broker, Air Freight Consolidator, Ocean Transportation Intermediary and Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier
(NVOCC). As a C-TPAT member, Panalpina benefits from accelerated processing of its shipments at the US border.
Taking the pulse of the auto industry
Switzerland The first-ever AutoLogistics
Europe Conference – the European counterpart of the AutoLogistics Global Conference
in the USA – took place this spring in Montreux, Switzerland. Panalpina, one of the
main sponsors of the conference, was also
an exhibitor, and Panalpina’s Thomas Blank,
Senior Vice President, took part in the
panel discussion. Representatives from the
automobile industry as well as other
providers of logistics services were also on
the panel. The conference was a useful
forum for car manufacturers, suppliers and
logistics service providers to discuss their
vision of the European automotive market.
connect 2_2003
27
Worldwide
Man vs. nature
Alaska/Canada/Arctic Panalpina organized six charter flights
from Alaska to the Russian Arctic for the Canadian mining company Bema Gold Corp. All the parties involved in the flights worked
together perfectly to make sure the entire shipping process ran
smoothly – even though the cargo, the destination and the Arctic
temperatures were anything but normal.
At the Panalpina end, the Charter department of the Group’s inhouse carrier ASB-Air in Luxembourg, the ASB-Air representatives in Anchorage, Alaska, and the Panalpina offices in Toronto
and Vancouver, Canada were all involved in the 7-day project.
An Ilyushin 76 operated by two different Russian airlines was used
to fly in the 180 tonnes of cargo.
The rather unusual cargo – a base camp for Bema Gold employees,
as well as drilling and testing equipment – originated in Canada
and the USA. The individual cargo components were transported
separately to Anchorage, where they were consolidated and
loaded onto the aircraft in 20-foot containers. The flight went from
Anchorage to the Russian city of Bilibino, which is located in the
Chukotka region of Siberia.
The biggest challenge came from rising temperatures in the Arctic
region. The cargo had to be delivered within a very short time, as
the ice runway in Keperveyem (Bilibino) had just about reached
the point where no more cargo planes could land due to the fluctuating temperatures. Anchorage International Airport proved to be
an ideal starting point for flights to Siberia because of its location
in the geographic center of the Northern Hemisphere.
28
connect 2_2003
Focus on the oil & gas business
Namibia Early this year the 7th Offshore
West Africa Conference and Exhibition was
held in Windhoek, Namibia, where oil and
gas producers and their partners met to
discuss developments in the industry.
Panalpina has been active in West Africa
for years and regularly participates in this
conference. This year, Panalpina companies
from Gabon, Angola and Nigeria, as well as
ASB-Oil & Gas, Basel and Safcor Panalpina,
Panalpina South Africa and Houston,
represented Panalpina’s activities in the oil
& gas industry, thus helping to further
strengthen their customer ties.
The team at the Offshore West Africa Conference: Andreas Nowak, Panalpina South
Africa; Georg Geiger, Safcor Panalpina; Nelly McCright, Panalpina Houston; AnneMarie Sickeler, Panalpina Angola; Albert Bismuth, Panalpina Gabon (l-r).
Professional
work
Hong Kong/Canada/Australia In June, ASB-Panprojects China
and Panalpina Vancouver (Canada) arranged the hangar-to-hangar
shipment of four helicopters. The Sikorsky S-76 helicopters had
been sold by Hong Kong Flying service to Lloyds Helicopters in
Singapore. Three helicopters were sent by ro/ro vessel to Calgary
(via Vancouver), whereas one helicopter was shipped to Melbourne
(Australia). All helicopters were trans-shipped in Yokohama
(Japan), and all operations in Japan were supervised by personnel
of ASB-Panprojects Tokyo.
The business was acquired through Panalpina Vancouver which
enjoys an excellent reputation among helicopter operators worldwide. Lloyds Helicopters followed a recommendation and was
especially convinced of the technical expertise provided by
Panalpina in the transport proposal. Having been present during
the collection on especially extended low loaders and the loading
operation onto a RoRo vessel the owner and Managing Director
Mr. Chris Lloyd commented after successful operation: "Even
though Panalpina’s proposal was not exactly cheap, the method
statement contained therein convinced me that we are in good
hands. After having witnessed the loading operation set-up by
ASB-Panprojects in Hong Kong I am very impressed by the
professional service and will consider Panalpina also for future
shipments.”
connect 2_2003
29
Worldwide
The silver bullet
Germany/USA Mercedes’ exclusive CLK-GTR roadster features
a 6.9 liter V12 engine generating 631 BHP. The car has a top speed
of 320 km/h. Only 20 of these luxurious silver two-seaters were
built, and one of these was recently shipped by Panalpina from
Luxembourg to Los Angeles.
The dealer in Germany personally delivered the costly “silver bul-
30
connect 2_2003
let” by truck to the airport in Luxembourg. It took about an hour to
get the roadster ready for the flight: First it was unloaded from the
truck, then the body and sensitive vehicle parts were protected so
that the exclusive vehicle could be tied down onto an air cargo
pallet and transported safely. A Cargolux plane then flew the car to
the United States.
This unique airfreight assignment was acquired by Panalpina
Hanover, which also handled all the special arrangements relating
to this attention-grabbing automotive transport job.
Efficiency and
transparency
UK/Germany GF-X (Global Freight Exchange) is a neutral Internet technology-based marketplace for the airfreight industry that
Panalpina was instrumental in developing. Airlines notify their
available aircraft capacity on this virtual platform while the forwarding and logistics companies that participate in it either
announce their needs on the network or go straight ahead and
make a booking.
This summer, the GF-X Advisory Council commended Panalpina
London and Panalpina Frankfurt for their outstanding work in
connection with the roll-out of the e-commerce platform. This is
not only an acknowledgement of the Panalpina Group’s key role
in actively developing the GF-X electronic marketplace, but also
shows the high regard in which the virtual platform is held in
day-to-day business.
Precision work
Switzerland/Germany/Italy/South Africa Panalpina was
commissioned by the electrical engineering company ABB
Schweiz AG to ship an oversize consignment from Italy, Switzerland and Germany by sea to Richards Bay on the east coast of
South Africa. The freight comprised five 61-tonne and five 82tonne transformers, 770 x 352 x 456 cm rectifier cabins weighing
12.5 tonnes each and some 40 shipper-owned containers.
Under the expert management of Karl Tschui from Panalpina Basel
(Switzerland), the components were taken to the Hillside Plant job
site near Richards Bay, where an aluminum manufacturing plant is
being extended.
The goods were shipped between January and May 2003 in three
part consignments dispatched by ABB Legnano (Italy), ABB
Schweiz and ABB Deutschland. The first of these was routed via
Genoa, while the Swiss and German goods passed through Antwerp.
Precarriage to the port of Antwerp was mainly by inland naviga-
Natalie Kelly, Matthew Paxman, Richard Hartmann, Glenn Barnes, Steve
Williams, Sukh Guru, Lynne Stewart, all from Panalpina London (l-r).
Ewald Heim and Nadja Müller, from Panalpina Germany (front row, lr); Andrea Sinclair, GF-X; Jörg Meyer-Schuchardt, ASB-Air Frankfurt;
Christian Schink, Panalpina Regional Center Europe; Alexander
Mehr, Kerstin Schreiber, Ralf Buchberger, Volker Werner, all from
Panalpina Frankfurt (back row, l-r).
tion along the Rhine. Having arrived in Belgium, the freight was
handed over to seafreight carrier MACS, which directly serves
the port at Richards Bay. The initial leg of the journey from ABB
Legnano, on the other hand, demanded precision work and project
know-how due to the many tunnels to be negotiated between
Milan and Genoa. Indeed, the entire route was painstakingly
checked in advance given that there would be only centimeters to
spare in some cases. The components were finally transported
using special low-loaders.
The formalities at the Italian port were handled by Panalpina
Genoa prior to handover of the consignment to the Italian
seafreight carrier Messina Line, which operates a regular roll-on
roll-off service to South Africa. The freight was loaded onto Mafi
trailers for rolling over the ramp of the ro-ro freighter. On approaching its destination, the vessel put in specially at Richards Bay to
allow unloading of the ABB cargo.
Safcor Panalpina’s projects department, headed by Barry Cull,
supervised the handling of the components upon their arrival in
South Africa plus oncarriage from Richards Bay to the Hillside
Plant job site.
Publishing details: Editor, owner and publisher: Panalpina World Transport (Holding) Ltd, Viaduktstrasse 42, P.O.Box, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland. Internet: www.panalpina.com. Tel. ++41 61 226 11 11.
Responsible for contents: Martin Spohn, Corporate Communications. Editor: Martin Spohn, E-mail: martin.spohn@panalpina.com, büro:z GmbH, Bern. Distribution: Monika Dups, E-mail:
monika.dups@panalpina.com. Publication intervals/languages: «connect» is published several times a year in German, English, French, Spanish and Chinese in over 100 countries. Total circulation:
60 000 copies. Photos: Front, p. 6–10, p. 14, p. 25, p. 27 (C-TPAT, Montreux), p. 32 (ship): Peter Maurer, Weisslingen; p. 3/4,: Julian Salinas, Basel; p. 12/13: NYK; p. 15: Wortmann; p. 16: Werner Getzmann, Reinach; p. 17: SRC; p. 20/23: Grand Traverse Resort and Spa, Traverse City/MI; p. 21 bottom: Cargolux; p. 21 top/p. 22: Joe Wilssens Photography Inc., New Baltimore/MI; p. 31 top: GF-X. Design
and production: büro:z GmbH, Bern. Printed by: bdv, Basel. Printed on 100% chlorine-free bleached paper.
connect 2_2003
31
Francisco Domingo Paulo
Panalpina Angola, African Star.
“The combined air-sea ‘African Star’
service links oil & gas customers along
the West African coast with Panalpina’s
global airfreight network. I ensure that
the right goods are delivered to the right
place – whether it’s a port or a platform
on the open sea. What I like best is the
contact with the customers. When everything runs smoothly and my customers
are satisfied all round, I feel I’ve met my
goal. I enjoy my work a lot. Thanks to
Panalpina I’m always learning new things
and addressing new challenges.”
“Satisfied customers all round”
connect 2_2003