During the delegation of FFFAI to the ‘World Expo 2020’ and ‘LOGIX INDIA 2022’ held in Dubai, FFFAI Office Bearers and Executive Committee Members visited Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) to experience the port infrastructure and cost-effective operations.
Jafza is a free economic zone located in the Jebel Ali Port area at the far western end of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, near Abu Dhabi. It is the flagship free zone of DP World and the integrated ports and logistics conglomerates’ leading trade and logistics hub.
The FFFAI delegation headed by the Chairman Shankar Shinde interacted with the top officials and team members of DP World Dubai headquarters Mike Bhaskaran, COO of Logistics and Technology at DP World and CEO, World Logistics Passport; Mahmood Albastaki, COO, Dubai Trade International; Mohamed Absaar, VP– Global Technology, DP World; Ayaz Maqbool, Head of Digital Products, DP World; M Ronald Van Der Meer, Director of Global Engineering, Boxbay; Ludgero Sousa, Head of Automation and Global Engineering, Boxbay; and Deepak Dobal, Product Sales, Boxbay.
“We thank DP World for warm welcome and hospitality extended to our FFFAI team during visit to their Dubai head quarter. It was pleasure meeting Mike and the DP World team exchanging ideas and areas of cooperation to take it forward to next level,” said Shankar Shinde.
Shinde pointed out that FFFAI has been associated with DP World, India team in past with port terminals, CFSs and SEZ units, in providing trade inputs and would be happy to continue providing the same to have develop more initiatives in aligning cooperation for mutual benefits to achieve seamless cost-effective EXIM trade movements.
The FFFAI Chairman congratulated the DP World officials and the team on the developments undertaken by DP World on IT modules to benefit logistics service providers/freight forwarders across India such as Cargoes Runner (ERP for Freight Forwarders), Cargoes Finance (Trade Finance Solution), Cargoes Flow (Track & Trace and Shipment Visibility) and DFA (Logistics Network for Global Freight Forwarders) and would further to show interest in developing Containers manufacturing /leasing and Shipping services.
Highlighting growing importance of IT in logistics, Shinde stated that it is well experienced that the future of logistics is digital logistics and the industry jointly can create more opportunities with the potential of logistics development foreseen with the growth of trade to benefit the logistics service providers.
He informed that FFFAI and DP World would jointly work to enhance technology-based solution to help logistics service providers and would initiate training measures to create talent pool in every area of logistics for creating infrastructure support to benefit FFFAI Members.
“We would also like to look beyond our discussion which would also include training and development, skill developments, creation of logistics institute infrastructure for next-generation and gender-inclusive participation in the logistics sector to build up the talent pool gap for our industry,” he added.
Shinde is confident that such initiatives will restructure the logistics sector to get it organised and evolve as a lucrative sector for next generation to look at it as first choice of industry and create professionalism.
He pointed out that FFFAI Biennial Conventions are organised to create such exchange platform, understanding the gap, to be built with industry requirements. The next Convention is scheduled to be held from 12th to 14th August, 2022 in Chennai with participation from cross section of the EXIM trade and logistics industry, and from across the country.
