We guarantee the best standards in customer service with cost effectiveness and time bound deliveries KAMESH JOSHI, Director, Om Freight Forwarders Pvt Ltd.
Om Freight Forwarders Pvt. Ltd. is a Third generation international logistics and freight forwarding company with over four decades of domain expertise, how has the journey been so far?
Om Freight Forwarders Pvt. Ltd. is a third generation company international logistics and freight forwarding company with over four decades of domain expertise. Headquartered at Mumbai, India and with offices & associates across 5 continents, we cater to over 700 unique national and international locations. With over four decades of operation & Handling expertise, we combine extensive customs clearing and forwarding experience with the latest in information technology. We adhere to strict quality policy for all our operations there by eliminating delays and providing reliable service to our customers worldwide.
What part of your business is driven by the European and British markets? Has Brexit made a difference to your business operations in these geographies?
We do cater to clients who regularly export to the European and British markets. Businesswise we are yet to see any major changes in the current state of affairs as far as these region’s are concerned, but many exporters are in wait and watch mode and the average business volume stands affected. This could be since some shipping routes may change and this will directly impact the fate of shipping insurance firms based out of London.
What are the tailor-made freight services offered by Om? What are the advantages of these services?
Om Freight Forwarder Pvt Ltd. offers complete import and export customs clearance services at all major air and seaports in India. We keep abreast of the latest customs compliances, regulations and procedures and offer clearance of import and export consignments by sea, air and road. Our services in customs clearing include guidance for preparing import and export related documents as per customs compliance. We guarantee the best standards in customer service with cost effectiveness and time bound deliveries. Our door-to-door services for all C& F assignments add to overall customer satisfaction. Our long term service contracts with many freight forwarding shipping lines and freight forwarding international airlines ensure confirmed shipments on pre-confirmed dates and at reduced cost. We provide a full range of charter services, 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. Whether you are shipping across the country, the country, the continent or across the globe, just give us a call and our team of expert multimodal professionals will fly into action. Our wide range of services provides you maximum control over your cargo regardless of its size, type, origin and destination.
How has the country’s burgeoning e-commerce sector acted as a game changer for the logistics industry?
India’s interest and curiosity in the e-commerce retail logistics is on a rise .The e-commerce retail market is among India’s fastest growing markets and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 52 percent to touch USD36.7 billion by 2020.This growth continues to be driven by various supply and demand side factors. Convenient payment options, customer- friendly policies, speedy deliveries and easy returns drive customers to online channels .Further concepts such as’ online and application (app) only ‘sales,’ by invite only ‘discounts special discount coupons, cash-back policies and special online festivals continue to drive customers to shop online. Logistics is thus a key to enable for growth of the e-commerce retail sector and is increasingly emerging as a differentiator in terms of customer service and satisfaction. To build- up their scale while sustaining business margins, e- commerce companies and logistics providers need to work in collaboration to drive the industry forward.
The logistics sector in India has not had the benefit of any structured training for the entry level work force. All training has been ‘on-job’ resulting in inefficiencies, how can this issue be addressed?
Around the world, population is ageing. In many developed economies, increasing number of workers are contemplating when to retire. That’s a major problem for some sectors like road freight. Transportation and logistics as a sector isn’t viewed as attractive by most job seekers. Many transport jobs are considered to be low paying dead-ends. Higher Skilled logistics roles with good pay and advancement potential don’t even make it to the radar screen of many talented graduates. The problem is compounded by a dearth of training programmers in many areas and an insufficient focus on learning and development within individual companies. There’s no doubt that investments will be needed. Logistics companies in emerging countries need to invest heavily in training, development and education for their young joining work force. In developed countries, training the next generation and adapting the work place to the needs of older employees will be the key. Transportation and logistics executives need to keep this fact in mind and the commitment should come straight from the top.
What kind of requisite infrastructure and policy changes should be administered by the GOI to ensure the Indian logistics sector can keep pace with its global competitors?
The logistics industry In India is evolving rapidly and it is the interplay of infrastructure, technology and new type of service providers who will define whether they are able to help its customers reduce their logistics costs and provide effective services (which are also growing). Changing government policies on taxation and regulation of service providers are going to play an important role in this process. Coordination across various government agencies requires approval from multiple ministries and is a road block for multimodal transport in
India. And this needs to be addressed effectively.
What is the set level of automation and mechanization in the cargo and logistics sector, and how does it add to the efficiency in the day to day operations of the companies involved?
Automation and mechanization is directly proportional to efficiency in any organization. In cargo and logistics sectors, it helps in better cargo handling reduces damages / wastage of cargo, reduces human errors and increase accuracy in particular. At Om we use GPS devices in all our vehicles to help us gather the real time position of vehicle and likewise we update the status to the customer so that everything can be planned and be executed in a timely manner.
