Based in London, he will be responsible for overseeing Member service and business development across EMEA for the TT Club. Kevin is a qualified US attorney having joined Thomas Miller in 1996 and has worked across both the TT Club and UK P&I Club operations in their New Jersey, San Francisco and former Houston offices. He joined Thomas Miller’s Americas regional headquarters in New Jersey in 2006 managing the UK P&I Club’s Americas regional claims team and the claims performance of the TT Club’s North American Chassis program. Kevin replaces Andrew Kemp who has moved across to the UK
P&I Club. Charles Fenton, CEO of the TT Club, said: “Kevin’s expertise in the management of claims and legal matters and his understanding of the implications for the supply chain industry will be of particular benefit to the Club and its Membership”
TT Club appoints Regional Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa
WSS opens office in Abidjan
Supported by WSS’s North and West African management in Port de Bouc, France, the team in Abidjan is led by Rodrigue Alia. With a wealth of international and regional maritime and logistics experience, along with an MBA in Transport and Logistics from the Bordeaux Ecole de Management, Rodrigue heads up a team armed with decades of shipping industry experience.
“Building upon the almost instant success of our first foothold in West Africa, in Dakar, Senegal, which we opened just two years ago, this latest venture is the next step in the ongoing expansion of our operations in the region,” says Bård Bjørløw, WSS Regional Vice President Europe, who oversees West African operations.
As the world’s largest producer of cocoa, a major exporter of minerals, such as manganese and zinc and the key transit point for its landlocked neighbours to the north, the Ivory Coast’s ever-expanding ports are one of the key components in the entire region’s impressive economic growth.
“We see West Africa as an opportunity, like everyone else. When we talk to our customers, they want us there and they want us to expand further.”
However, despite the considerable opportunities offered across the region, setting up a new office, or working with hitherto unknown service providers and sub-agents can be difficult, time consuming and often fraught with potential problems.
“So, simplicity of set-up, coupled with the elimination of this risk are key drivers in WSS’s strategy of cautious steady expansion in the region,” says Bjørløw.
“Finding a suitable partner, who shares our company values and our governance is really difficult. So, we have to find the countries that are viable for us. One of
them is Ivory Coast,” Bjørløw adds.
Konecranes hosts the first industryhack hackathon event
The event combines knowledge and enthusiasm from coders and designers, and the technical experts of Konecranes.
The main idea of the IndustryHack event is to show the possibilities and get people excited around the Industrial Internet. Industrial Internet has become increasingly common in different businesses and not only does it enable increased safety and productivity, the potential for new business models and solutions is immense.
“Konecranes’ main target of the Hackathon is to get new “out-of-the-box” ideas for Industrial Internet in material handling,” says Juha Pankakoski, Chief Digital Officer of Konecranes. “We also think it is a great way to network and support start-ups and small companies that are used to coming up with good solutions fast.”
At the end of the event on Sunday afternoon, the results will be presented to a jury and the best innovation will be awarded.
Dubai's Centre Point Logistics to expand into Oman
The agreement will see CPL manage a 50,000sqm plot of land on the Freezone, and represents the first phase of expansion into KSA. It is also a significant coup for the Omani port authority, as UAE firms seek to take advantage of competitive energy and land rates, and transport links to KSA from outside the Strait of Hormuz.
Centre Point Logistics, with its pioneering Open Architecture model currently operates from several locations in UAE. CPL Logistics Hub in Jebel Al Free Zone, spanning over 200,000sqm, provides various value-added services to the logistics and supply chain sector and boasts an impressive range of local and global customers.
Saleh Saeed Lootah, Chairman of Centre Point Logistics, commented: “With our local and regional growth and changing dynamics of UAE logistics and supply chain market, there has arisen a more challenging business environment that needs ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking in order to provide more tailored solutions that meet the changing needs of customers. From the time business negotiations began, CPL has received a welcoming response from SOHAR Freezone and we’re excited to start operations.”
“We are glad that we have found what we consider the best possible solution for our customers, who have businesses in UAE and Oman. We believe that SOHAR Freezone will be a step towards CPL KSA expansion and serving both markets with our unique Open Architecture model,” he added.
With its strategic location and road network linking UAE, Oman, and Saudi Arabia, the agreement with SOHAR Freezone was described as a milestone expansion for CPL and will enable the company to offer its clients the most efficient and cost effective services. The road distance between Dubai and Sohar, via Al Ain, is just 243 kilometers and the drive time is two hours and 36 minutes. The business benefits are also comprehensive.
CPL plans to have its Oman Logistics Hub ready at the beginning of first-quarter of 2015, and will offer its services to local as well as to international companies. CPL also plans to grow its operations in Oman, from the initial with 50,000sqm of land, with the option to strengthen its footprint in the country in the near future.
As in Dubai, CPL will dispatch a highly skilled operational team to SOHAR Freezone, where it will serve the company’s Oman-based customers with added-value services that cater to new and existing customers.
Centre Point Logistics (CPL) was founded in 2005 by its visionary chairman Saleh Saeed Lootah, who is also the Executive Director of well-known UAE business conglomerate SS Lootah Group, established in 1956.