English [pdf | 5 MB] - Panalpina
English [pdf | 5 MB] - Panalpina
English [pdf | 5 MB] - Panalpina
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1 2009<br />
<strong>Panalpina</strong>’s project<br />
specialists air-freight<br />
a metro train to India<br />
10<br />
Sandro Knecht<br />
on <strong>Panalpina</strong>’s<br />
sales targets and<br />
SCM strategy<br />
4<br />
<strong>Panalpina</strong> works with<br />
Swiss Red Cross to<br />
deliver help where it<br />
is needed<br />
22
Core activity<br />
10<br />
Interview<br />
4<br />
Supply Chain Management<br />
8<br />
Corporate Compliance<br />
16<br />
Panacademy<br />
20<br />
Right to Sight<br />
22<br />
Worldwide<br />
26<br />
A day in the life of...<br />
31<br />
All aboard, please!<br />
In cooperation with <strong>Panalpina</strong>’s charter department, Panprojects shipped an<br />
entire metro train to India by air<br />
Economic crisis still presents plenty of opportunities<br />
Executive Board member Sandro Knecht sketches out <strong>Panalpina</strong>’s objectives<br />
and explains why the the company will emerge from the crisis even stronger<br />
Partnership with HP<br />
<strong>Panalpina</strong> takes on more responsibilities within HP’s supply chain<br />
Compliance pays off<br />
Markus Heyer, Head of Corporate Compliance, explains how <strong>Panalpina</strong><br />
tackles this issue<br />
Training – a key success factor<br />
The first cycle of the new internal training programme “Navigating our Future”<br />
has been completed successfully<br />
Assisting at local level<br />
A new eye clinic opens in Ghana thanks to <strong>Panalpina</strong>’s support<br />
<strong>Panalpina</strong> expands in Asia<br />
New branch openings in Asia, the shipment of a unique sports car, an outsize<br />
shipment for a hydroelectric power plant and more<br />
Elena Nikitina<br />
Sales Manager at <strong>Panalpina</strong> Moscow
Dear Readers<br />
Last year and in the fi rst few months of 2009, <strong>Panalpina</strong><br />
was hit by the worldwide fi nancial and economic crisis.<br />
Global freight volumes saw their steepest fall ever.<br />
The crisis cannot be ignored or denied, so rigorous<br />
cost management is necessary. This unfortunately will<br />
necessitate drastic measures, including job cuts.<br />
However, the current economic situation is no reason<br />
for <strong>Panalpina</strong> to bury its head in the sand or give up<br />
the fight. On the contrary, we are a reliable partner to<br />
our customers and we support them as they strive to<br />
operate successfully in their equally difficult markets.<br />
We are therefore listening carefully to what our cus-<br />
However, the current economic situation is no reason for <strong>Panalpina</strong> to bury<br />
its head in the sand or give up the fight. On the contrary.<br />
tomers want and meeting their needs by providing<br />
top-class service, transparent processes, innovative<br />
products and customized packages.<br />
This magazine provides numerous examples of activities<br />
of this kind, such as expanding the scope of our<br />
responsibilities within our customer HP’s supply chain<br />
(pages 8 and 9), or air-freighting an entire Bombardier<br />
metro train to India (pages 10 to 15). Another decisive<br />
factor in retaining long-term business relationships is<br />
of course the expertise of our colleagues in the many<br />
countries where we operate. It is thanks to their efforts<br />
that our customers can always rely on <strong>Panalpina</strong>. This<br />
is why our company places so much emphasis on training<br />
and professional development. On pages 20 and<br />
21 you can read about how <strong>Panalpina</strong> provides specialist<br />
individual training for its staff.<br />
Compliance with standards and legislation of every<br />
kind is crucial to our long-term success. <strong>Panalpina</strong><br />
therefore runs its business in accordance with the<br />
strictest compliance standards. More about how this<br />
works in practice is explained in the article on pages<br />
16 to 19.<br />
Operating globally also means accepting our social<br />
responsibilities. We take these seriously, striving to<br />
provide assistance where it will do most good – in<br />
other words, locally. This is why we are working with<br />
the Swiss Red Cross in Ghana to combat poverty-induced<br />
blindness: another eye clinic has been opened<br />
thanks to our help (pages 22 and 23).<br />
Monika Ribar, CEO<br />
connect 1 2009 3
Interview<br />
Interview: Martin Spohn<br />
An interview with Sandro Knecht,<br />
Chief Marketing & Sales and<br />
Supply Chain Management Officer.<br />
Sandro Knecht is<br />
head of Marketing &<br />
Sales and Supply<br />
Chain Management<br />
and a member of<br />
the Executive Board.<br />
He tells connect<br />
how <strong>Panalpina</strong> is<br />
coping with the<br />
current economic<br />
crisis and describes<br />
the company’s<br />
objectives.<br />
“<strong>Panalpina</strong> will emerge<br />
from the economic crisis even stronger!”<br />
4 connect 1 2009<br />
Mr Knecht, as a member of the Executive Board<br />
you have been responsible for Marketing & Sales<br />
and Supply Chain Management since the end<br />
of April 2008. That was when the first signs of<br />
the financial and economic crisis were just making<br />
themselves felt. What have the past twelve<br />
months been like for you?<br />
2008 was certainly a challenging year, and the global<br />
market environment is even more difficult in 2009. However,<br />
that’s no reason to stick our heads in the sand –<br />
in fact quite the opposite. Crises always offer plenty of<br />
opportunities, too. I am convinced that <strong>Panalpina</strong> will<br />
come through the current economic crisis in an even<br />
stronger position. But to return to the question: I have<br />
found the last twelve months exceptionally exciting and<br />
rewarding. I have an outstanding team whose members<br />
show great motivation and professionalism in pursuing<br />
our jointly defined objectives. We have strengthened our
Responding appropriately to customers and their needs is always vital – and not just in difficult times<br />
internal structures in the Supply Chain Management<br />
(SCM) business area. In Sven Hömmken, we have recruited<br />
a new head of SCM with an international<br />
reputation. He will drive forward the chosen growth<br />
strategy in a targeted way and help position <strong>Panalpina</strong><br />
even more firmly as a leading supplier of comprehensive<br />
SCM solutions at global level.<br />
During difficult times, in particular, it is crucial to proceed<br />
in a customer-focused, target-oriented manner and<br />
develop solutions that offer the customer maximum<br />
added value and competitive conditions. Our success is<br />
evident from the fact that in recent months we have been<br />
able to gain many new contracts as well as additional<br />
volumes from existing customers. We have a strong base<br />
and a wide-ranging customer portfolio, which we can<br />
continue to expand.<br />
You are a member of an executive board that<br />
consists of seven people. Isn’t that too many for<br />
effective work?<br />
Not at all. Each member of the Executive Board has<br />
particular areas of responsibility to which they can<br />
devote their full attention. Also, the individual mem-<br />
bers complement each other very well indeed, and<br />
there is always plenty of discussion and healthy disagreement.<br />
The management structure is oriented<br />
towards customers, products and the market, as evidenced<br />
by the three positions of Chief Operating<br />
Officer, Chief Product & Procurement Officer and<br />
Chief Marketing & Sales and Supply Chain Management<br />
Officer. These three posts cover the entire global<br />
core business.<br />
During difficult times, in particular, it is crucial to proceed in a customerfocused,<br />
target-oriented manner and develop solutions that offer the<br />
customer maximum added value and competitive conditions. Our success<br />
is evident from the fact that in recent months we have been able to gain<br />
many new contracts as well as additional volumes from existing customers.<br />
Sandro Knecht, Chief Marketing & Sales and<br />
Supply Chain Management Officer<br />
Is that why the Product & Procurement and Supply<br />
Chain Management areas are represented at the<br />
top level?<br />
Yes. The former is inseparably linked with organizing<br />
traffic flows in the global ocean and air freight business.<br />
The latter – Supply Chain Management – is a core<br />
business and strategic focus of the company.<br />
connect 1 2009 5
The SCM market is diverse and offers plenty of opportunities Indispensable: the globally coordinated sales organization<br />
So wasn’t there a need for this kind of structure<br />
before?<br />
The global market environment is changing rapidly and<br />
customer requirements are becoming ever more complex.<br />
This necessitates exceptionally fast response times<br />
and flexible decision-making structures on our side. For<br />
many years, <strong>Panalpina</strong>’s efficient, customer-oriented<br />
capacity management expertise has been one of the<br />
Group’s greatest strengths. A central feature here is that<br />
One of <strong>Panalpina</strong>’s major strengths is the cohesiveness and interdependence<br />
of the Group, which shares its worldwide sources of expertise and<br />
deploys them effectively at global and local level.<br />
Sandro Knecht, Chief Marketing & Sales and<br />
Supply Chain Management Officer<br />
6 connect 1 2009<br />
we talk about transparent goods flows and trade lanes<br />
rather than emphasizing any particular transport mode,<br />
because we provide integrated solutions. Cus-tomer<br />
focus and market proximity are the basis of our success.<br />
These require a strong, efficient and globally coordinated<br />
sales organization. Giving SCM a place on the Executive<br />
Board is therefore a logical strategic step. SCM is one of<br />
<strong>Panalpina</strong>’s core activities, and we offer these products<br />
as self-contained solutions as well as components of our<br />
air and ocean freight services. It is ultimately the customer’s<br />
particular requirements that guide our decision<br />
on the exact form in which to offer these solutions.<br />
You mention optimizing goods flows. What’s<br />
that all about?<br />
<strong>Panalpina</strong> operates its own national organizations and<br />
business units on every continent. The individual subsidiaries<br />
are responsible for providing a local service to<br />
customers, but they also contribute to the optimal functioning<br />
of the global network that is essential to their work.<br />
Product & Procurement provides this network, as well as<br />
taking responsibility for trade lane management and<br />
developing the innovative forwarding products offered<br />
to customers. One of <strong>Panalpina</strong>’s major strengths is the<br />
cohesiveness and interdependence of the Group, which<br />
shares its worldwide sources of expertise and deploys<br />
them effectively at global and local level. In our business,<br />
the successful handling of an order involves at least two,<br />
and frequently more, branch offices. We therefore run our<br />
core industries – or “industry verticals” as we call them –<br />
and supply chain management business at global level,<br />
calling on the skills and knowledge of the entire Group.<br />
What exactly do you mean by supply chain<br />
management?<br />
SCM is a combination of services that generate added<br />
value for customers and contribute to their success.<br />
It revolves around activities that provide an integrated<br />
overview of the supply chain using information technology,<br />
while ensuring a seamless flow of information,<br />
arranging methods of transportation that function<br />
smoothly, and carrying out all the processes reliably.<br />
A typical supply chain begins wherever commodities,<br />
individual components or finished products are found,<br />
and ends with the consumer. <strong>Panalpina</strong> offers a wide<br />
range of services, from an integrated global product<br />
in combination with intercontinental air and ocean<br />
freight services through to self-contained solutions or<br />
partial solutions, according to the requirements of a<br />
particular supply chain.<br />
Is demand for SCM solutions declining as a result<br />
of the economic crisis?<br />
No, we’re not seeing a decline. Demand is steady or even<br />
rising. Many companies are optimizing their processes<br />
and supply chains in order to cut costs, and more logistics<br />
tasks are being outsourced because they are not part of<br />
the core business. The SCM market is unusually diverse<br />
and offers us plenty of opportunities. On the other hand,<br />
there is no doubt that margins have come under pressure.<br />
Have requirements changed in recent years?<br />
Tasks have become more complex. Customers in the<br />
automotive or telecommunications sectors, for example,
“Tasks have become more complex” SCM solutions thanks to a global network<br />
require customized products with integrated global air<br />
and ocean freight services, as well as excellent knowledge<br />
of the industry. Outsourcing of manufacturing<br />
facilities for key components to subcontractors also<br />
means that new concepts are needed. Many firms focus<br />
on developing and marketing their products, having<br />
outsourced production. Another factor is that the life<br />
cycle of many products – such as mobile phones – is<br />
much shorter than before. The same holds true for the<br />
textile sector: fashion chains replace their entire collections<br />
several times a year, so hitch-free delivery is<br />
hugely important. All these companies must therefore be<br />
able to rely completely on their suppliers and logistics<br />
providers. There’s no room for mistakes.<br />
At the moment the automotive industry is going<br />
through a very difficult patch. What impact is this<br />
having on <strong>Panalpina</strong>?<br />
Well, many companies in the automotive industry –<br />
from car manufacturers to suppliers – are important<br />
customers of ours. That means that the crisis in this<br />
sector has a direct effect on us, since the volumes<br />
shipped are decreasing. However, we are broadly<br />
based and do not depend on one particular industry.<br />
Our core industries – or industry verticals, as we call<br />
them – are the automotive, hi-tech, retail & fashion,<br />
healthcare, oil & gas and telecommunications sectors.<br />
This means that we are not at the mercy of any<br />
single industry group. It also means we are strong<br />
enough to help clients in the automotive sector serve<br />
their own customers as efficiently and cost-effectively<br />
as possible in these difficult times. We pursue<br />
a similar strategy in terms of our client mix: <strong>Panalpina</strong><br />
generates around 75% of its sales from the<br />
SME segment. Client mix is very important and I am<br />
convinced that in the long term, companies can be<br />
successful only if they provide an excellent service<br />
to customers from all segments – from SMEs to major<br />
corporations – and thus steadily increase their customer<br />
base.<br />
How does this focus on industry verticals help<br />
customers?<br />
They can be confident that they are dealing with specialists<br />
who don’t just know how to do their own jobs,<br />
but also understand the customer’s business. We speak<br />
the same language and can cater to industry-specific<br />
needs. We make the best use of our Group strengths by<br />
bringing together all the available expertise.<br />
Does the strong focus on SCM imply a departure<br />
from the asset-light model that has proved so<br />
advantageous?<br />
As a leading logistics provider, <strong>Panalpina</strong> concentrates on<br />
the service aspects, delegating the actual transportation<br />
and warehousing to selected partners whenever possible.<br />
We believe in our asset-light strategy and are<br />
once again seeing proof, in these challenging times,<br />
of how important it is to be able to respond quickly and<br />
flexibly, without taking up excess capacity. We use this<br />
business model as a deliberate way of differentiating<br />
ourselves from many of our competitors, who operate<br />
their own fleets, warehouses and other facilities.<br />
The automotive sector requires customized products<br />
connect 1 2009 7
Supply Chain Management<br />
Text: Kian Ramezani<br />
HP entrusts<br />
<strong>Panalpina</strong> with more responsibility<br />
Last year, the longstanding and reliable cooperation between<br />
the two companies enabled <strong>Panalpina</strong> to significantly<br />
expand the scope of its services to HP, one of its biggest<br />
and most important customers.<br />
The <strong>Panalpina</strong> HP Oceanfreight Inbound team in Stuttgart<br />
2009<br />
<strong>Panalpina</strong> has for some years now been responsible<br />
mainly for organizational tasks in relation to HP’s<br />
supply chain. This includes organizing the collection<br />
of hi-tech products from the customer’s suppliers<br />
in the Asia-Pacific region, making bookings<br />
with the shipping lines selected by the customer,<br />
and coordinating and monitoring the journey by sea<br />
to Europe and the Middle East, as well as postcarriage<br />
from the ports to HP’s warehouses. The<br />
Intrac tracking and tracing system provided by <strong>Panalpina</strong><br />
ensures full transparency right across the<br />
supply chain.
<strong>Panalpina</strong> is now responsible for container logistics too Volker Böhringer, Managing Director<br />
<strong>Panalpina</strong> Germany<br />
HP is a global leader in the IT sector and employs over<br />
311,000 people in more than 170 countries. The company<br />
offers a wide range of infrastructure solutions and<br />
equipment for professional office use, ranging from small<br />
mobile devices to high-performance super-computer instal-<br />
<strong>Panalpina</strong> expands its area<br />
of responsibility<br />
The customer has now significantly expanded <strong>Panalpina</strong>’s<br />
area of responsibility. The logistics group was<br />
very keen to play a more direct role in adding value for<br />
this major customer. HP, in turn, was anxious to optimize<br />
its incoming goods flows further. In order to make<br />
these two aims coincide, <strong>Panalpina</strong> had to tackle three<br />
additional challenges:<br />
1. Assuming entire responsibility for the post-carriage<br />
of HP ocean freight containers, including container<br />
logistics.<br />
2. Integrating another major supplier and the extra<br />
forwarding volumes associated with this.<br />
3. Implementing a new IT system that permits greater<br />
transparency throughout the customer’s entire<br />
supply chain.<br />
International team and<br />
improved IT solution<br />
Today, the 14-person HP Oceanfreight Inbound team<br />
in Stuttgart works with teams in Singapore, Shanghai<br />
and Dubai to look after HP and the majority of its timecritical<br />
hi-tech consignments from the Asia-Pacific<br />
region. Along with their colleagues from HP, they<br />
ensure that the goods are forwarded on schedule to<br />
the destination ports in Northern Europe and the Persian<br />
Gulf, before being delivered to the regional warehouses<br />
and final assembly facilities in Germany,<br />
lations. In addition, HP has an extensive portfolio of consumer<br />
products and services, from digital cameras and<br />
digital entertainment systems to computers and printers<br />
for the home office. The company generated sales of USD<br />
118.364 billion in the 2008 financial year.<br />
France and Dubai. The integration of the additional<br />
HP supplier, which doubled the previous forwarding<br />
volume to several thousand TEU per month, was carried<br />
out smoothly.<br />
Upgrading the existing Intrac IT system was more of<br />
a challenge: “Intrac is an excellent system, but it does<br />
not have enough fields to display all the customer requirements<br />
in this particular case,” explains Sigrid<br />
Renner, head of the HP Oceanfreight Inbound team in<br />
Stuttgart. <strong>Panalpina</strong> replaced Intrac with a supply<br />
chain application (SCA) so that it could meet the new<br />
requirements in full. Specialists from HP and <strong>Panalpina</strong><br />
use the SCA to control, manage and coordinate<br />
the goods flows in the HP supply chain while at the<br />
same time gathering data used in reports and performance<br />
measurement.<br />
HP is happy with the new arrangements: “This is a<br />
prime example of how <strong>Panalpina</strong>, as one of our most<br />
important global lead logistics suppliers, has developed<br />
an innovative solution for HP that not only offers<br />
the necessary transparency for shipments, but also<br />
ensures efficient deliveries in order of priority, while<br />
avoiding inefficient processes. The result? A major saving<br />
in time and money. In contrast with our previous<br />
system, significantly more containers are now being<br />
sent by rail, leading to a considerable reduction in CO 2<br />
emissions,” says Chaim Huijsman, who is responsible<br />
for procuring HP’s logistics services in Europe, Middle<br />
East and Africa.<br />
connect 1 2009 9
Core activity<br />
10 connect 1 2009<br />
Text: Martin Spohn<br />
All aboard,<br />
please!<br />
At <strong>Panalpina</strong>, the Panprojects department is responsible<br />
for special projects and heavy loads. Its specialist team<br />
recently arranged for an entire metro train to be flown safely<br />
from Germany to the Indian city of Delhi for our customer<br />
Bombardier Transportation.
Accuracy and precision needed<br />
Moving metro trains by aeroplane is hardly an everyday<br />
occurrence. This was evident from the illustrious<br />
throng of guests, dignitaries and press representatives<br />
keen to witness the loading of the first metro car. The<br />
vehicle was carefully hoisted onto the special low-bed<br />
truck at the Bombardier factory in Görlitz. In total, four<br />
such shipments were carried out. A complete train<br />
consists of four cars, the first and fourth of which are<br />
22.60 metres long, 3.45 metres wide and 4.10 metres<br />
high. These vehicles weigh 44.775 tonnes. The two<br />
central cars are only slightly shorter and weigh 43.811<br />
tonnes. These dimensions explain why a flight on an<br />
Antonov An-124 was required for each car. The transshipment<br />
of a cargo of this nature is obviously no<br />
straightforward matter. The Bombardier Movia car<br />
loaded in Görlitz was the first of a total of 424 vehicles<br />
intended for one phase of the new underground railway<br />
network being built in the Indian capital, Delhi.<br />
The train we shipped by air was needed for test purposes,<br />
so it was crucial to deliver it on time.<br />
When the truck had been successfully loaded, the<br />
special convoy drove from Görlitz to Parchim Airport,<br />
where the charter department of <strong>Panalpina</strong> Air & Ocean<br />
had ensured that the Antonov An-124 was awaiting its<br />
cargo. Parchim is in the federal state of Mecklenburg-<br />
Western Pomerania, some 90 minutes’ drive from Berlin.<br />
During the morning, all the preparations for loading<br />
were finalized, including positioning two mobile<br />
cranes and the metro car on the special-purpose<br />
The Bombardier Movia car loaded in Görlitz was the first of a total of 424<br />
vehicles intended for one phase of the new underground railway network<br />
being built in the Indian capital, Delhi.<br />
vehicle. The loading ramp was assembled at the<br />
same time, since otherwise the freight would have<br />
been impossible to transfer from the low-bed truck<br />
to the cargo plane. <strong>Panalpina</strong> had this ramp designed<br />
and built specially for the Bombardier consignment.<br />
Rails are fixed to the ramp, so that the car<br />
can be transferred into the huge aircraft’s hold easily<br />
and safely. This ensures that the cars never need<br />
to be removed from their mountings. Instead, they<br />
can immediately be secured in the aircraft.<br />
connect 1 2009 11
The customer arranged a special ceremony and press<br />
conference to mark the first loading. In the afternoon,<br />
the invited guests, journalists and Bombardier representatives<br />
watched as the car was hoisted onto the<br />
<strong>Panalpina</strong>-built ramp by a mobile crane and then lifted<br />
into the hold using the aircraft’s own winch. At 18.00<br />
hours, the Antonov and its precious cargo took off for<br />
Delhi, where it was received by VIP guests early the<br />
next morning. The well-wishers included the Indian<br />
Civil Aviation Minister, Praful Patel, and Chief Minister<br />
Sheila Dixit. Shortly after the first car had been<br />
hoisted onto the waiting truck, the ramp was retracted<br />
so that the aircraft could make its way back to<br />
Germany, where the second car would be ready for<br />
shipping the next day.<br />
The assignment<br />
<strong>Panalpina</strong>, via its Panprojects department, has been<br />
commissioned by Bombardier Transportation to forward<br />
a total of 424 metro cars to India for the Delhi<br />
Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). Of these, 36 are being<br />
transported fully assembled and another 76 are being<br />
shipped in knocked-down form by sea. In all, the order<br />
comes to 30,000 freight tonnes.<br />
At 18.00 hours, the Antonov and its precious cargo took off for Delhi, where<br />
it was received by VIP guests early the next morning. The well-wishers<br />
included the Indian Civil Aviation Minister, Praful Patel, and Chief Minister<br />
Sheila Dixit.<br />
12 connect 1 2009<br />
<strong>Panalpina</strong> designed a special loading ramp... ...on which the metro cars were positioned...<br />
Initially, four metro cars – i.e. one complete train –<br />
were shipped to India by air. The first trip, flown by<br />
an Antonov An-124 heavy cargo plane, took place<br />
on 25 February. This was followed by further flights<br />
on 27 February and on 11 and 13 March 2009. The<br />
planes took off from Parchim Airport in Mecklenburg-Western<br />
Pomerania. After a refuelling stop in<br />
Burgas on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, the aircraft<br />
went on to land in Delhi.<br />
Now that these first four flights have been successfully<br />
completed, the rest of the cargo is going as ocean<br />
freight consignments despatched at regular intervals<br />
from Hamburg to Mundra on the west coast of India.<br />
The project is due to be completed in autumn 2009.<br />
Panprojects<br />
Panprojects is the <strong>Panalpina</strong> department which handles<br />
the transport-related aspects of all kinds of special<br />
...so that they could be loaded safely
Majestic: the Antonov An-124<br />
projects. It provides integrated turn-key logistics solutions<br />
for engineering procurement and construction<br />
management companies throughout the world.<br />
In addition, Panprojects specializes in serving the mining<br />
and energy sectors as well as transporting heavy<br />
goods and arranging the forwarding and transshipment<br />
of oversized cargoes. Panprojects develops safe,<br />
practicable and competitive intermodal transport solutions<br />
for its customers.<br />
Mobile teams of specialists, which are assembled<br />
and deployed on a project-by-project basis in re-<br />
sponse to specific needs, take care of safety requirements<br />
and reliability.<br />
Transport Engineering is an important sub-segment<br />
of Panprojects. This unit begins simulations and tests<br />
on the feasibility of transshipping and forwarding<br />
goods at the very start of a project – sometimes even<br />
at the product design stage. 3D software specially<br />
developed by <strong>Panalpina</strong> experts enables each individual<br />
step to be viewed in minute detail, thus demonstrating<br />
to the customer how the goods will be<br />
moved. It is therefore common practice for <strong>Panalpina</strong><br />
Mobile teams of specialists, which are assembled and deployed on a<br />
project-by-project basis in response to specific needs, take care of safety<br />
requirements and reliability.<br />
to get involved in a project well before a decision can<br />
be made about which particular mode of transport to<br />
use – often months or even years beforehand. With the<br />
contract to air-freight the metro cars to India, Panprojects<br />
experts advised the customer a long time in<br />
advance and also designed the loading ramp that was<br />
eventually used in Parchim and Delhi.<br />
The aircraft was ready and waiting when the low-bed truck arrived<br />
connect 1 2009 13
Today, <strong>Panalpina</strong> is a global leader in complex forwarding<br />
projects. Arranging the shipment of exceptional loads or<br />
oversize freight is all in a day’s work for the members of<br />
the Panprojects team. Many projects are located in remote<br />
areas with poor infrastructure. It is therefore sometimes<br />
necessary to design – and have built – special types<br />
The projects business grew steadily: on numerous occasions, <strong>Panalpina</strong><br />
has thus proven its ability to transport outsize items such as locomotives,<br />
transformers, turbines, generators and even entire industrial tank farms.<br />
14 connect 1 2009<br />
The metro car is moved towards the Antonov... ...and carefully placed on the ramp<br />
of transport equipment, such as a floating platform or a<br />
customized truck. However, the projects division also<br />
adheres to <strong>Panalpina</strong>’s asset-light approach: like the rest<br />
of the Group, it cooperates with top-class partners<br />
rather than purchasing its own means of transport.<br />
Two large mobile cranes and the on-board winch... ...ensure it is loaded safely<br />
How it all started<br />
<strong>Panalpina</strong>’s expertise in dealing with exceptional<br />
loads can be said to date back to 1975. It was in that<br />
year that the company first forwarded a heavy consignment<br />
in West Africa – one which required special<br />
transshipment equipment and the involvement<br />
of <strong>Panalpina</strong> staff.<br />
In the years that followed, the projects business<br />
grew steadily: on numerous occasions, <strong>Panalpina</strong><br />
has thus proven its ability to transport outsize items<br />
such as locomotives, transformers, turbines, generators<br />
and even entire industrial tank farms. Panprojects<br />
is heavily involved with the oil and gas industry,<br />
taking responsibility for the forwarding and<br />
transshipment of components for rigs.
The first of a total of 424 metro cars leaves Görlitz<br />
The vehicles shipped to India by Bombardier Transportation<br />
and <strong>Panalpina</strong> were the first of 424 units of a brand<br />
new fleet of Bombardier Movia metro trains, which Delhi<br />
Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (DMRC) ordered from Bombardier<br />
Transportation in July 2007 and March 2008. The<br />
order is worth EUR 514 million in all.<br />
The Movia metro trains are intended for use on the<br />
60-kilometre Phase II expansion of the DMRC network.<br />
The vehicles comply with the latest economic and environmental<br />
requirements. Incorporating Bombardier’s<br />
EC04 portfolio of technologies, they are designed to<br />
provide a cost-effective and environmentally friendly<br />
solution that is both economical and highly efficient.<br />
They feature lower energy consumption, minimal noise<br />
emissions and recyclability levels of up to 90 percent.<br />
The first 36 metro cars are being built in Görlitz, and the<br />
rest at the Savli site in the Indian state of Gujarat.<br />
“The project is a prime example of collaboration between<br />
Bombardier Transportation and its customers across<br />
different countries and sites,” says Stephan Krenz,<br />
President of the Germany & Scandinavia business unit<br />
of Bombardier Transportation’s Passenger Division.<br />
“Our international team developed and supplied a brand<br />
new vehicle in just eighteen months, while at the same<br />
time establishing a new production plant in India.”<br />
The installation of the production facility in Savli is being<br />
supervised by staff from the Görlitz factory, who are also<br />
training their Indian colleagues. Bombardier is providing<br />
training in Germany as well as India, sending 60 Indian<br />
employees to Görlitz to receive basic and advanced training<br />
on metro train production.<br />
From Görlitz<br />
to the world:<br />
Bombardier manufactures Movia trains<br />
for the Indian capital<br />
International cooperation<br />
A number of Bombardier plants throughout the world are<br />
involved in the design and manufacture of the Movia<br />
metro train. The Västerås site in Sweden is responsible<br />
for design and project management. The Swedes also<br />
developed the drive system in conjunction with colleagues<br />
in Mannheim, Germany and Bucharest, Romania.<br />
Bombardier’s sites in Derby, United Kingdom and<br />
Siegen, Germany have collaborated to produce the<br />
bogies, while the railcar bodies come from Hennigsdorf<br />
in the German state of Brandenburg.<br />
Leading manufacturer of<br />
metro trains<br />
Bombardier Transportation is the world’s leading manufacturer<br />
of metro trains. More than 3,600 Movia vehicles<br />
have been ordered so far. Bombardier metro trains are in<br />
operation in cities such as New York, Montreal, Toronto,<br />
Paris, London, Berlin, Bucharest, Stockholm, Shanghai,<br />
Shenzhen, Guangzhou and many others. The company<br />
has been one of <strong>Panalpina</strong>’s major clients for many years<br />
now. Six years ago, for instance, the logistics group was<br />
responsible for air-freighting Bombardier metro cars from<br />
Germany to China.<br />
Bombardier Transportation’s global head office is in Berlin<br />
and it has branches in over 60 different countries. More<br />
than 100,000 Bombardier rail vehicles are in operation<br />
throughout the world. The company has had a presence<br />
in India for over 35 years. Bombardier Transportation<br />
belongs to the Bombardier Group of Canada – a global<br />
corporation whose product portfolio ranges from regional<br />
aircraft and business jets to rail transportation technology<br />
along with the associated systems and services.<br />
connect 1 2009 15
Corporate Compliance<br />
16 connect 1 2009<br />
Interview and text: Jörn Wagenbach and Martin Spohn<br />
Interview with Markus Heyer<br />
Compliance
Markus Heyer, Head of Corporate Compliance E-learning plays a key role in training<br />
How is Compliance organized at <strong>Panalpina</strong>?<br />
Our compliance team is made up in line with our<br />
reporting regions. When necessary, we work closely<br />
with experts from the Legal Department and those<br />
responsible for the corporate audit. In addition we<br />
can, if required, count on the assistance of about<br />
fifty colleagues in Human Resources around the<br />
world.<br />
We also work with external lawyers, of course, and we<br />
have a further valuable source of outside support: the<br />
Basel Institute on Governance (BIG) advised us on drafting<br />
and defining our compliance programme. As Head<br />
of the compliance organization, I report directly to CEO<br />
Monika Ribar and to the legal committee of the Board<br />
of Directors.<br />
Is there a training programme?<br />
Yes. We have created an e-learning platform through<br />
which employees can receive training and then be<br />
tested. Management staff also receive on-site training.<br />
Alongside the Code of Conduct itself, the programme is<br />
divided into three training modules: an anti-bribery<br />
programme, fair competition, and compliance in commercial<br />
relationships. The e-learning modules are continuously<br />
updated and expanded and are specifically<br />
tailored for certain areas.<br />
pays off<br />
How does this differ from the way the issue of<br />
compliance used to be handled?<br />
Naturally, it has always been necessary to obey the law and<br />
act in accordance with the applicable regulations. However,<br />
there was formerly no central organization to supervise and<br />
review this. The real difference today is that we cooperate<br />
closely with the relevant authorities – as well as customers<br />
and suppliers – to ensure that our Code of Conduct is implemented<br />
and to take corrective measures when necessary.<br />
Compliance breaches used to be handled at local level. Today,<br />
we have an organization that deals with this issue at global<br />
At <strong>Panalpina</strong>, compliance is now a transparent, dynamic process.<br />
Markus Heyer<br />
level in a structured and systematic manner. At <strong>Panalpina</strong>,<br />
compliance is now a transparent, dynamic process, from the<br />
initial analysis and checking through to the corrective measures<br />
taken and the subsequent review of the situation. There<br />
is now clarity on the consequences of violating compliance<br />
standards – we take any such cases very seriously, imposing<br />
penalties that may even include dismissal.<br />
What made <strong>Panalpina</strong> focus more on this issue?<br />
Two events acted as triggers for our renewed efforts on<br />
the compliance front: investigations into possible unlawful<br />
business conduct by <strong>Panalpina</strong> customers in Nigeria,<br />
and the debate about alleged price fixing.<br />
connect 1 2009 17
All partner companies must comply with <strong>Panalpina</strong>’s standards<br />
Nigeria is a country where the rule of law is not firmly<br />
established. That is why we withdrew our local services<br />
in September of last year. <strong>Panalpina</strong> still delivers consignments<br />
as far as the national border, but from then<br />
on, all forwarding services are carried out by other companies.<br />
Our resolution to withdraw is viewed as an exemplary<br />
action within the sector. Our customers also<br />
greeted it as the right decision. However, there has been<br />
a price to pay: the overall impact on <strong>Panalpina</strong>’s global<br />
network and customer accounts, including the costs<br />
connected with the ongoing investigations, came to 100<br />
million Swiss francs in EBITDA terms last financial year.<br />
We have classified the 160 or so countries in which we are active and<br />
in which we monitor compliance with our guidelines into categories, on<br />
the basis of Transparency International standards.<br />
Markus Heyer<br />
18 connect 1 2009<br />
The other trigger was the debate about alleged price<br />
fixing. There is in fact a fierce price war going on in our<br />
extremely competitive sector. A number of competition<br />
authorities have however begun investigating several<br />
forwarding companies in relation to price fixing – investigations<br />
that are still in progress, although no specific<br />
allegations have been made as yet.<br />
Compliance is a key element of <strong>Panalpina</strong>’s strategy<br />
“We support our partners when they need us”<br />
How do you ensure that your partners also abide<br />
by your compliance guidelines?<br />
All our partners, suppliers and sub-contractors are contractually<br />
bound to fully abide by our standards. In addition,<br />
we sometimes decide to carry out evaluations<br />
through dialogue on a case by case basis. We also use<br />
detailed catalogues of questions, which companies<br />
contractually linked to us have to answer. The important<br />
thing in this context is that all ideas are centrally managed.<br />
Is that sufficient to ensure that compliance standards<br />
are implemented?<br />
When necessary, we assist our partners with employee<br />
training – using our e-learning tool, for example, which<br />
is available in numerous different languages. We have<br />
classified the 160 or so countries in which we are active<br />
and in which we monitor compliance with our guidelines<br />
into categories, on the basis of Transparency International<br />
standards.<br />
Is compliance a selling point yet?<br />
Our achievements and compliance organization can<br />
certainly be described as competitive advantages. <strong>Panalpina</strong><br />
has a high profile as a global supplier of forwarding<br />
and logistics services, and can talk openly about the<br />
progress made in this area. We are naturally aware that<br />
our competitors have also acknowledged the importance<br />
of this topic and are working on structures and internal<br />
regulations of their own – although not at the same pace.<br />
In the energy industry, for example, compliance is a central<br />
factor that may well be decisive when awarding a<br />
contract. Companies in the Oil & Gas sector, as <strong>Panalpina</strong><br />
calls this customer segment, are closely monitored to<br />
check that they are obeying the law, and are therefore<br />
not prepared to run any risks in this regard. In addition we<br />
have noticed that compliance is becoming increasingly<br />
important when tendering for other types of business.<br />
The fact that we are also winning new contracts in countries<br />
with exacting legal requirements provides particularly<br />
convincing evidence of our customers’ confidence in our<br />
compliance measures.
Compliance –<br />
a topic that crosses industry boundaries<br />
Compliance – this concept refers to abiding by norms, laws and<br />
industry standards as well as the provisions of self-regulatory<br />
measures and internal directives.<br />
A compliance programme enshrined in the corporate<br />
culture can contribute significantly to protecting<br />
companies from costly lawsuits, compensation<br />
claims and reputational damage. Breaches can lead<br />
to civil and criminal penalties for companies and their<br />
managing bodies, and may also of course tarnish their<br />
image and standing. In addition, a well embedded<br />
and implemented compliance programme pays off<br />
over the long term: it improves the organization’s<br />
efficiency and reassures customers, partners and<br />
employees.<br />
The topic of compliance has now spread far beyond<br />
the banking and finance industry, which was the first<br />
to be subjected to it, and is now being accorded attention<br />
and acceptance outside the financial sector,<br />
in the context of the debate about proper governance<br />
and the tightening of the criminal laws applicable<br />
to companies. Compliance is also under discussion<br />
at legislative level: at present, for example, there is<br />
discussion in various quarters about how far a company’s<br />
own antitrust compliance programme could<br />
exempt it from penalties under antitrust laws.<br />
It is evident that sector-specific framework conditions<br />
and the size of the company concerned also play a part<br />
when compliance measures are being introduced. For<br />
instance, compliance management requirements in a<br />
small or medium-sized company only active in one<br />
country will differ greatly from those expected of a<br />
major global corporation that does business in regions<br />
of the world where corruption is rife.<br />
Legal framework and self regulation<br />
Many countries have no government-imposed rules<br />
on preventing corruption. Instead, the emphasis is<br />
usually on self regulation. Examples include the<br />
“Rules of Conduct and Recommendations to Combat<br />
Extortion and Bribery” of the International Chamber<br />
of Commerce (ICC), dated 2005, or the “Business<br />
Principles for Countering Bribery” published by<br />
Transparency International and Social Accountability<br />
International in 2003. Since these guidelines are<br />
not legally binding, the following precautions –<br />
among others – are advisable, after a thorough, inhouse<br />
analysis of the business areas vulnerable to<br />
corruption:<br />
• A written compliance programme: this consists of<br />
a Code of Conduct that lays down rules of behaviour<br />
and describes how these should be implemented.<br />
Educating and training employees on this topic at<br />
all levels is also a key factor here.<br />
• The introduction of an internal controlling system<br />
and an effective risk management system: here, the<br />
central focus is on recognizing and responding to<br />
suspected or identified breaches.<br />
• Setting up a neutral contact point: this gives employees<br />
somewhere to turn to with their questions.<br />
Ideally, the contact point should be combined with<br />
a whistle-blowing hotline, which enables employees<br />
to report anything they have observed.<br />
Of course, it is not just the company itself that should<br />
be compliant: it also needs to ensure that its partners<br />
and suppliers abide by its guidelines. This is the<br />
only way to guarantee that overall performance com-<br />
Many countries have no government-imposed rules on<br />
preventing corruption.<br />
plies with statutory standards and directives. It is<br />
therefore recommended that delivery contracts include<br />
integrity clauses.<br />
Useful links:<br />
www.panalpina.com<br />
Information on our Code of Conduct can be found under<br />
Sustainable Growth/Ethical/Business Conduct.<br />
www.transparency.org<br />
Transparency International provides information such as<br />
the “Corruption Perceptions Index” of 180 countries, as well<br />
as support and links to regional pages.<br />
www.baselgovernance.org<br />
The Basel Institute on Governance offers organizations<br />
and companies assistance on questions to do with<br />
corporate governance and compliance.<br />
connect 1 2009 19
Panacademy<br />
Text: Martin Spohn<br />
Navigating our Future –<br />
driving the company forward from within<br />
<strong>Panalpina</strong> is committed to the professional<br />
development of its employees and managers.<br />
Panacademy, the company’s virtual learning<br />
and development centre, has for some years<br />
now been offering a range of programmes,<br />
regularly adjusting them to meet organizational<br />
and business challenges. The redesigned<br />
Navigating our Future programme, a flagship<br />
training program of the Panacademy, was<br />
successfully launched last year.<br />
The programme consists of three modules<br />
20 connect 1 2009<br />
Head of HR Alastair Robertson (right)<br />
presents the certificate<br />
Navigating our Future (NOF) is aimed at employees<br />
currently in the ranks of middle management: the programme<br />
nurtures their talent and development in a focussed<br />
way. It also helps them shape their career paths<br />
by providing the necessary skills and knowledge while<br />
ensuring that <strong>Panalpina</strong> will have a pool of talent to fill<br />
future positions. The participants are identified as having<br />
high potential: in other words, they are very talented<br />
individuals who are particularly well placed “to be an<br />
ideal support to <strong>Panalpina</strong> on its transformation journey<br />
as it implements its strategic goals,” explains Niti Khosla,<br />
Head of Learning and Development at <strong>Panalpina</strong>.<br />
“NOF is a platform that allows the participants to build<br />
greater self-awareness of their own personality styles and<br />
hone their leadership skills. This covers many areas. We<br />
want to help colleagues better understand and actively<br />
live <strong>Panalpina</strong>’s corporate culture, while preparing them<br />
for future challenges such as change management. At<br />
the end of the course, they should then be in a position<br />
to question and alter mindsets; execute and implement<br />
strategy in their work; take on the responsibility to learn,<br />
grow and manage their careers; and, play an influencing<br />
and enlarged role in the future of the company.”<br />
An intensive programme consisting<br />
of three modules<br />
The redesigned NOF programme, which was first run in<br />
2008, comprises three modules characterized by the<br />
intensive pace of learning. The training makes use of a<br />
combination of teaching methods, including classroom<br />
sessions, group exercises, candid feedback and experiential<br />
learning.
The first cycle of the redesigned programme was...<br />
...successfully completed by both groups. The lower photo also shows Executive Board member Dominik<br />
Tichelkamp (third from right)<br />
Module 1 focuses on creating an awareness of “Self<br />
& Team”. The participants become more in tune<br />
with their own personality traits and their interaction<br />
styles. “They also experience the fundamental<br />
processes of group dynamics and gain insights<br />
into what they individually contribute to teams,”<br />
says Niti Khosla, describing the learning method.<br />
In the second module, the focus shifts to leadership<br />
and change. “The participants familiarize themselves<br />
with their own specific leadership styles and<br />
find out how such styles need to be adapted and<br />
utilized depending on the situation,” says Alastair<br />
Robertson, Head of Human Resources and a member<br />
of the Executive Board. This module also builds<br />
and strengthens these managerial and leadership<br />
skills and behaviours. “We also assist the participants<br />
in understanding how to deal with transitions<br />
and forthcoming change, so that they are<br />
capable of taking responsibility during periods of<br />
change in the company,” adds Niti Khosla.<br />
Module 3 addresses <strong>Panalpina</strong>’s own business activities<br />
and is mainly concerned with driving and<br />
implementing the group’s strategic objectives. By<br />
the time they complete the course, participants<br />
understand the business drivers and the process of<br />
formulating company strategy, while also obtaining<br />
a better understanding of the “big picture”<br />
including the importance of contacts, relationship<br />
networks and interconnections. “It is important<br />
that our managers have a clear understanding of<br />
the cascade from group strategy, corporate objectives<br />
and value drivers through to performance<br />
indicators, to ensure that our strategy is implemented,”<br />
says Alastair Robertson, adding that<br />
employees must learn to recognize how they can<br />
make a concrete personal contribution to the company’s<br />
success.<br />
The following employees have all<br />
successfully completed modules of<br />
the new NOF programme:<br />
Kevin Ball; Neville Bokdawala; Roberto<br />
Fernaine; Matthew Gallagher; Patrick<br />
Gueth; Guillaume Lauprêtre; Jerry Liu;<br />
Alexandre Maruska; Karen McEuen;<br />
Bruce Ning; Paolo Radina; Marcus<br />
Reimann; Olivier Renger; Tony<br />
(Anthony) Romano; Marc Sawaya;<br />
Martina Scholz; Tanya Smith;<br />
Ralf Steiner; Silvio Strathausen;<br />
Gabriel Urtubey; Marcos Vargas;<br />
Marcos Vieira; Gregor Vrhunc;<br />
Jessica Wang; Philipp Weidlich;<br />
Jimmy Yiu; Florian Zehetleitner;<br />
François Zehr<br />
In February and March 2009, 28 of our globally<br />
nominated NOF candidates completed Module 3<br />
and received their NOF graduation certificates.<br />
On the final day, project leader Niti Khosla<br />
welcomed two members of the Executive Board:<br />
Dominik Tichelkamp, Chief Product and Procurement<br />
Officer, and Alastair Robertson, Chief<br />
Niti Khosla<br />
Human Resources Officer. They watched as each candidate<br />
presented an individual action plan showing how they intend to<br />
achieve their defined objectives and thus support the implementation<br />
of company strategy.<br />
Ms Khosla, are you satisfied with how the new-look NOF<br />
is going?<br />
Yes, very much so. We are in fact delighted with the results achieved.<br />
Was the composition of the course groups a decisive factor?<br />
We are a global company with employees from all cultural backgrounds.<br />
This means that the candidates have to be able to work in a global environment.<br />
We always make sure that there are participants from every<br />
continent and many different countries and the diversity they bring<br />
enhances the outcome of the learning. I would like to take this opportunity<br />
to congratulate all the course graduates again. We are proud of you!<br />
What happens next?<br />
We are now preparing to start identifying the next batch of participants –<br />
the company remains committed to the NOF program as a source for<br />
identifying and nurturing global talent.<br />
What are the key selection criteria?<br />
In the first instance, we will be looking at the results of the candidate’s<br />
performance management reviews and the recommendations of their line<br />
managers. An individual assessment will then be used to determine a<br />
candidate’s potential.<br />
What is a typical candidate like?<br />
A typical NOF candidate is usually mid level in the organization, probably<br />
in their mid-20s to mid-30s and willing to pursue an international or an<br />
intra-continental career. They will already have made their mark in their<br />
own business area through special talents and achievements. We invite<br />
all employees with this profile to get in touch with their line manager or<br />
Area Head of HR if they are interested in participating in the programme.<br />
connect 1 2009 21
Right to Sight<br />
* Astrid Steiner is a<br />
freelance writer and<br />
editor who lives in<br />
Wettingen, Switzerland<br />
www.astridsteiner.ch<br />
For many years, <strong>Panalpina</strong><br />
has demonstrated its<br />
commitment to fighting<br />
poverty-induced blindness<br />
in Ghana. In partnership<br />
with the Swiss Red Cross (SRC),<br />
the company has been<br />
delivering assistance locally<br />
and is convinced that this<br />
is the right strategy to adopt.<br />
Another eye clinic has recently<br />
been opened.<br />
22 connect 1 2009<br />
Text: Astrid Steiner*, Martin Spohn<br />
Commitment to social issues<br />
delivers help where it is needed<br />
There are many reasons why a business<br />
should make a commitment to<br />
welfare issues. For one thing, doing<br />
so has a positive impact on the<br />
company’s image. At the same<br />
time, the employees identify themselves<br />
more strongly with the firm.<br />
Studies carried out in England go<br />
further, indicating that a commitment<br />
to welfare issues has an important<br />
influence on consumers’<br />
purchasing decisions, and thus affects<br />
the company’s financial results.<br />
Another factor prompted<br />
<strong>Panalpina</strong>’s decision to support an<br />
eye care programme run by the<br />
Swiss Red Cross (SRC) in Ghana:<br />
“Our aim was to ensure that the<br />
financial help we have to offer will<br />
go to those in need directly and with<br />
the minimum amount of bureaucracy,”<br />
says <strong>Panalpina</strong> CEO Monika<br />
Ribar.<br />
The opening of a new eye clinic confirms the effectiven<br />
“It is only when a company has the<br />
proper attitude towards its social<br />
responsibilities that it can achieve<br />
long-term success,” says Lukas Sallmann,<br />
the SRC’s Head of Marketing,<br />
stressing the importance of social<br />
engagement. <strong>Panalpina</strong> shares this<br />
conviction. “Through this joint project<br />
with the SRC we are helping<br />
people at local level and making a<br />
huge difference to their quality of<br />
life,” explains Monika Ribar.<br />
Choosing the right<br />
partners<br />
In order to look after its various<br />
commercial partners even more<br />
professionally, some years ago the<br />
SRC set up a Corporate Partnerships<br />
department to focus on the<br />
wide range of opportunities and<br />
advantages arising from social
ess of <strong>Panalpina</strong>’s commitment Helping at local level is one of <strong>Panalpina</strong>’s central concerns<br />
responsibility programmes. It also<br />
designed an assessment procedure<br />
for the selection of new commercial<br />
partners. This laid down clear criteria<br />
that have to be fulfilled in any<br />
partnership between a company<br />
and the SRC. Considerable research<br />
is undertaken before the aid organization<br />
enters into a new alliance.<br />
“Ultimately, we too want to benefit<br />
from our commercial partners’<br />
good reputations,” explains the<br />
SRC’s Head of Marketing. He sees<br />
this as the only way to ensure a<br />
real win-win situation.<br />
Impartial approach<br />
safeguarded<br />
As Switzerland’s biggest and oldest<br />
aid organization, the SRC has<br />
an excellent reputation and has<br />
been carrying out wide-ranging,<br />
high-quality work in the humanitarian<br />
field for more than 140 years.<br />
And it is precisely because of the<br />
charity’s outstanding competence<br />
that no one else interferes in its<br />
initial choice of projects. In addition,<br />
its procedures are set up to<br />
ensure the independence of the<br />
individual aid projects at all times.<br />
This means that each project is<br />
conceived and designed before suitable<br />
financial partners are sought.<br />
The objectives of the project are<br />
thus always kept clearly separate<br />
from the fund-raising side.<br />
Although the SRC does not allow<br />
itself to be diverted from its strategy<br />
and goals when working on<br />
the actual project, it is nevertheless<br />
happy and grateful to receive suggestions<br />
and encouragement from<br />
its partners. This kind of exchange<br />
of information is possible thanks<br />
to the intensive contact that SRC<br />
programme leaders cultivate with<br />
their commercial partners. For instance,<br />
the programme leaders for<br />
Ghana once received a useful tip<br />
from a <strong>Panalpina</strong> employee on how<br />
It’s always useful to receive tips like these, and they<br />
reflect the value of the partnership at a very practical level.<br />
Lukas Sallmann<br />
the organization could obtain vehicles<br />
at a good price. “It’s always<br />
useful to receive tips like these, and<br />
they reflect the value of the partnership<br />
at a very practical level,” says<br />
Lukas Sallmann.<br />
Thanks to <strong>Panalpina</strong>’s financial and<br />
practical support, another eye clinic<br />
has been set up in Ghana, bring-<br />
ing the total now in operation to<br />
eleven. CEO Monika Ribar travelled<br />
to Ghana for the launch in January.<br />
On arrival, she formally declared<br />
the newly founded Yendi Eye Clinic<br />
open. The event was organized by<br />
the Swiss Red Cross (SRC), the Red<br />
Cross in Ghana and the Ghanaian<br />
Ministry of Health.<br />
Yendi Eye Clinic is a modern, well<br />
equipped building consisting of two<br />
treatment rooms, an x-ray facility<br />
and a shop. The clinic is another<br />
visible result of the partnership<br />
with the SRC in West Africa. “The<br />
eye is one of the most important<br />
organs in the human body,” said<br />
Oscar Debrah, Head of the National<br />
Eye Care Programme, in his open-<br />
ing address. “Older people, too,<br />
should be invited to have their<br />
eyes checked regularly.” According<br />
to Debrah, there are 230,000<br />
blind people among Ghana’s population<br />
of over 20 million. Cataracts<br />
and glaucoma are the most<br />
common causes of vision loss.<br />
Trachoma (a chronic conjunctival<br />
condition) is another frequent cause<br />
of preventable blindness. It is triggered<br />
by infections that can be<br />
avoided by simple, cost-effective<br />
methods, yet it affects a growing<br />
number of people. Yendi Eye Clinic<br />
now offers a chance to diagnose<br />
many cases of trachoma in the<br />
early stages and offer appropriate<br />
treatment.<br />
Claudia Puppato<br />
Head of Marketing at SRC: Lukas Sallmann<br />
connect 1 2009 23
Worldwide<br />
<strong>Panalpina</strong> recently took over a brand new, up-to-date<br />
distribution and logistics centre in Singapore. The site<br />
covers a total area of 11,277 m 2 . Monika Ribar, CEO of<br />
<strong>Panalpina</strong>, formally opened the complex. In the presence<br />
of numerous guests and representatives of the<br />
Singaporean authorities, she highlighted the site’s<br />
strategic importance to the <strong>Panalpina</strong> Group.<br />
The new distribution centre consists of a number of<br />
offices and a warehouse, which alone takes up 8,546 m 2<br />
of the total area. Its up-to-date equipment and topquality<br />
safety features provide ideal warehousing conditions<br />
and ensure smooth goods handling. Designed<br />
with customer requirements in mind, it functions as the<br />
Volker Sachse takes visitors on a tour of the new building<br />
Monika Ribar greets guests and staff<br />
Texts: Claudia Puppato, Kian Ramezani, Martin Spohn<br />
<strong>Panalpina</strong><br />
expands in Singapore<br />
26 connect 1 2009<br />
(from l to r) Tan Choon Shian, CEO Monika Ribar,<br />
Volker Sachse (Managing Director <strong>Panalpina</strong> South East Asia)<br />
optimal distribution centre for goods from all our core<br />
industries.<br />
“We welcome <strong>Panalpina</strong>’s expansion in Singapore and<br />
are convinced that our outstanding access to transport<br />
routes, together with <strong>Panalpina</strong>’s first-class infrastructure,<br />
will help us to capitalize on Asia’s growth potential<br />
to the full,” said Tan Choon Shian, Assistant Managing<br />
Director of the Singapore Economic Development<br />
Board. The newly opened office and warehouse building<br />
is very close to Changi International Airport. The centre’s<br />
easy accessibility via major transport routes also<br />
complements the existing air and ocean freight offices<br />
and <strong>Panalpina</strong>’s other logistics sites. The new facility<br />
is therefore not only strategically convenient, but also<br />
acts as a central link to the rest of the Asia region. This<br />
will allow <strong>Panalpina</strong> to expand its range of supply chain<br />
management services throughout the Asia-Pacific region.<br />
“This facility is more than just another transshipment<br />
terminal,” said Monika Ribar. “It is also a symbol of our<br />
readiness to offer customers high-quality services anytime,<br />
anywhere!”<br />
The distribution and warehousing center is strategically located
New office in<br />
Ho Chi Minh City<br />
In April, CEO Monika Ribar also<br />
inaugurated new premises in Ho<br />
Chi Minh City. Speaking to customers,<br />
partners, the media and the<br />
employees of <strong>Panalpina</strong> Vietnam,<br />
she highlighted the significance of<br />
the Vietnamese organization to<br />
<strong>Panalpina</strong>. By opening the new<br />
office, <strong>Panalpina</strong> is also sending a<br />
clear signal about its forward-looking<br />
growth strategy, she added.<br />
“The financial and economic crisis<br />
has of course had a negative impact<br />
on <strong>Panalpina</strong>’s business, since the<br />
decline in output and trade directly<br />
Vietnam is an important market for <strong>Panalpina</strong><br />
affects our companies,” she explained.<br />
“But we are not joining in<br />
the chorus of pessimism: instead,<br />
we are looking ahead, constantly<br />
optimizing our range of services<br />
and expanding our network. <strong>Panalpina</strong><br />
is pursuing a clearly defined<br />
strategy and beating a path to success<br />
by means of innovation and<br />
customer focus.” <strong>Panalpina</strong> has been<br />
operating its own branches in Vietnam<br />
since 1992, and was registered<br />
as a fully operational company there<br />
last year. The organization employs<br />
about 70 people.<br />
Jörg Granzow, Managing Director (left) and Matthew Mahoney, Chief Representative<br />
CEO Monika Ribar opens the new office<br />
The staff are pleased with their new surroundings<br />
<strong>Panalpina</strong> aims to expand further in Vietnam<br />
connect 1 2009 27
<strong>Panalpina</strong> organizes charter<br />
flight to Zimbabwe<br />
for the Red Cross<br />
Monday, 1 p.m. The phone rings.<br />
It’s a call from the Finnish Red<br />
Cross. They need to charter a flight<br />
to Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe.<br />
The cargo consists of urgently<br />
needed material for the construction<br />
of two treatment centres to be<br />
used in the fight against cholera.<br />
The consignment weighs around<br />
19 tonnes and measures 120 cubic<br />
metres. The request is for a flight<br />
on Thursday.<br />
This is a case for the <strong>Panalpina</strong><br />
Charter Department in Luxembourg.<br />
In less than six hours they are able<br />
New premises for<br />
<strong>Panalpina</strong> Malaysia<br />
Imposing Kuala Lumpur skyline<br />
28 connect 1 2009<br />
to provide details of all the various<br />
possibilities. Another consignment<br />
is due to leave Oslo at the same<br />
time, possibly offering the opportunity<br />
to combine the two. Thanks to<br />
<strong>Panalpina</strong>, the Red Cross has three<br />
options open to it: a direct flight<br />
from Tampere in Finland, and two<br />
other routes via Oslo-Helsinki-<br />
Harare.<br />
Tuesday afternoon: the Red Cross<br />
books Oslo-Helsinki-Harare for<br />
Thursday. At the same time, <strong>Panalpina</strong><br />
Finland contacts the Oslo<br />
office, to make contact with the<br />
Norwegian Red Cross. A technical<br />
problem with the aircraft means<br />
that a 24-hour delay is threatened.<br />
Thanks to a change of timetable,<br />
along with the early delivery of some<br />
pallets by truck, it is nevertheless<br />
possible to keep to the original plan.<br />
Saturday morning: the plane lands<br />
in Harare. A total of 48 tonnes and<br />
264 cubic metres of medical equipment,<br />
primarily beds, tents and<br />
water purification systems, have<br />
arrived where they are needed.<br />
This is the result of impeccable,<br />
committed teamwork.<br />
After ten years in business, <strong>Panalpina</strong><br />
World Transport Malaysia<br />
is pleased to be moving to a new,<br />
larger site in Shah Alam. The big<br />
rise in the number of employees<br />
was only one reason for the move<br />
to the 8,000-square-metre premises.<br />
The new site near Subang Airport<br />
is in a good strategic location<br />
for capitalizing on the growing<br />
potential in Malaysia. The Marketing<br />
& Sales, Finance and HR, Administration,<br />
IT and Ocean Freight<br />
departments are now all under the<br />
same roof, further strengthening<br />
<strong>Panalpina</strong>’s position in the southeast<br />
Asia region.
<strong>Panalpina</strong> Gabon<br />
celebrates 30 th anniversary<br />
Country Head Thomas Sypre welcomed<br />
CEO Monika Ribar and<br />
Mario Kropf, Managing Director<br />
of <strong>Panalpina</strong> Sub-Saharan Africa,<br />
to the celebrations marking the<br />
30 th anniversary of <strong>Panalpina</strong> Gabon.<br />
In her address to the guests, who<br />
included Orlando Steiger and<br />
Joseph van Dommele (the first two<br />
branch managers of <strong>Panalpina</strong> Port<br />
Taking to the road with<br />
a legend<br />
Last year, to mark the thirtieth birthday<br />
of its legendary M1 super sports<br />
car, which was first released in 1978,<br />
BMW surprised everyone by bringing<br />
out a spectacular concept car,<br />
the M1 Hommage. With its combination<br />
of futuristic and retro design<br />
elements, it is a real attention-grabber<br />
everywhere it appears, including<br />
at the Melbourne International<br />
Motor Show and the Bangkok Inter-<br />
Gentil), Monika Ribar described the<br />
important role played by <strong>Panalpina</strong><br />
Gabon in the Group as a whole.<br />
She stressed that this will remain<br />
the case, adding that Gabon is<br />
just as important now as it was 30<br />
years ago.<br />
The country (which straddles the<br />
Equator) is relatively small, with<br />
an area of 267,667 km 2 , yet it has<br />
national Motor Show this spring.<br />
To transport the 3.9-tonne (for vehicle<br />
plus container) air freight consignment<br />
from Munich to Melbourne,<br />
then on to Bangkok and finally back<br />
home to Munich, <strong>Panalpina</strong> used<br />
a specially made 6-metre long,<br />
2.36-metre wide, 2.15-metre high<br />
container which could be loaded<br />
through a side door onto an MD-11<br />
cargo aircraft.<br />
vast natural resources. Valuable<br />
commodities and rich oil reserves<br />
induced French companies to come<br />
prospecting for oil fields back in<br />
1928 and 1934. It took 20 years to<br />
discover the first one, in the Ouzouri<br />
region. Production started in 1967,<br />
with further oil exploration and<br />
extraction activities following in<br />
subsequent years.<br />
The BMW M1 Hommage impresses with its elegance...<br />
...and power<br />
The stylish sports car is made ready for its journey The special air freight container provides optimum security<br />
connect 1 2009 29
he move:<br />
<strong>Panalpina</strong> transports heavy compo onents for hydroelectric<br />
power station on behalf of f Voith Hydro<br />
The staff of Pan analpina na n Vienna’s prooject<br />
departmen e t or o ganized a very<br />
challenging shipme m nt to Iran for their<br />
customer Voith Hydro St. Pölten.<br />
Their task was to forward generators<br />
and turbine parts for the construction<br />
of a hydroelectric power station from<br />
St. Pölten to Bandar Imam Khomeini<br />
in Iran. The assignment was divided<br />
into several stages, starting with precarriage<br />
by heavy duty vehicle from<br />
St. Pölten to the port of Linz on the<br />
Danube, while the general cargo was<br />
being delivered by truck to Antwerp,<br />
where it was prepared for its journey<br />
by sea.<br />
To avoid the nee ee eed d fo for interim warehousing<br />
of the h hea eavy v com om o po p nents, the<br />
latter were loaded directly onto the<br />
barge from the truck, and then, when<br />
they reached Antwerp, directly from<br />
the barge to the ocean-going vessel.<br />
Meticulous scheduling of access, both<br />
in the port of Linz and in Antwerp, was<br />
crucially important to this process.<br />
Forwarding components of huge<br />
dimensions and great weight – the<br />
maximum breadth being 510 cm, the<br />
maximum height 440 cm, and the<br />
heaviest component weighing 105<br />
tonnes – might seem challenge<br />
<strong>Panalpina</strong> on the road for Voith Hydro: 450 freight tonnes shipped to Iran<br />
30 connect 1 2009<br />
enough, but it was also necessary to<br />
work out the most cost-effective<br />
solution for forwarding a total of some<br />
450 freight tonnes. <strong>Panalpina</strong> planned<br />
everything perfectly, both organizationally<br />
and commercially, and was<br />
able to deliver the power station components<br />
to the recipient in the port of<br />
Bandar Imam Khomeini on schedule.<br />
Close cooperation between all those<br />
involved (Voith Hydro, shipping partners<br />
and <strong>Panalpina</strong>), as well as the<br />
efficient exchange of information and<br />
communications, were vital to the<br />
smooth running of the operation.
A day in the life of...<br />
Text: Kian Ramezani<br />
Elena Nikitina<br />
Sales Manager, <strong>Panalpina</strong> Moscow, Russia<br />
The first thing Elena does when she gets to work at<br />
9 a.m. is make herself a cup of black tea – just what’s<br />
needed after her hour-long journey on the crowded<br />
Moscow underground.<br />
The <strong>Panalpina</strong> office in Moscow is in the city centre –<br />
near the Epiphany Cathedral in Elokhovo, where Russia’s<br />
greatest poet, Alexander Pushkin, was baptized. Opening<br />
hours are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. However, as a<br />
committed sales professional, Elena often stays late,<br />
giving tenders and presentations a final polish or taking<br />
calls from customers who have queries regarding their<br />
deliveries.<br />
Good time management is one of Elena’s most valuable skills. Whether at<br />
her desk or in meetings, on the telephone or answering e-mails, she constantly<br />
has to juggle several tasks at once in the areas of sales, sales support<br />
and customer service.<br />
Elena joined <strong>Panalpina</strong> in 2002 from another leading<br />
international logistics provider and has been working in<br />
the 12-person Marketing & Sales team in Moscow ever<br />
since. It is her job to gain and retain ocean freight customers<br />
for <strong>Panalpina</strong> – no easy task in such a fiercely<br />
competitive market as Russia, especially Moscow. Elena<br />
always strives to acquire as much knowledge as possible<br />
about her customers, until in theory she could<br />
carry out the job of her opposite number in the client<br />
company. This enables her to enter into negotiations<br />
confidently, knowing that she is fully prepared. It also<br />
means she has satisfied, loyal customers.<br />
Good time management is one of Elena’s most valuable<br />
skills. Whether at her desk or in meetings, on the telephone<br />
or answering e-mails, she constantly has to juggle<br />
several tasks at once in the areas of sales, sales support<br />
and customer service. Her job also involves travel, since<br />
most business in Russia is transacted in the urban centres<br />
of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Ekaterinburg and Nizhny<br />
Novgorod. Her customers are demanding and expect<br />
prompt feedback as part of a professional service. Meetings<br />
can turn into a real challenge because of the frequent<br />
traffic jams. For this reason, she often arranges to visit<br />
several customers in the same district or hold meetings<br />
outside the rush hour. In Moscow the traffic is the most<br />
common – and generally justified – excuse when someone<br />
arrives late.<br />
At lunchtime, Elena and her colleagues usually go<br />
to one of the cosy restaurants nearby, where they can<br />
have the set menu for 200 roubles (EUR 4.50). This<br />
will include salad, a traditional Russian soup such<br />
as borscht or schi and a main course plus tea and<br />
dessert.<br />
Elena looks after numerous customers in the hi-tech<br />
sector, since Russia, like Western Europe, imports large<br />
quantities of computers, telecommunications equipment<br />
and household appliances from the Asia-Pacific<br />
region. Customers are glad to rely on <strong>Panalpina</strong>’s secure<br />
and punctual service for this kind of high-value freight.<br />
Russia’s fledgling market economy, which did not get off<br />
the ground until the late 1990s, can present a particular<br />
challenge. Business customs and practices are still undergoing<br />
a process of transformation in many areas, and<br />
some are clearly at odds with the usual standards applied<br />
in the industrialized nations. Elena works within the<br />
clear-cut framework of the <strong>Panalpina</strong> Code of Conduct,<br />
which regulates all the company’s activities. She is convinced<br />
that the long-term benefits of following these<br />
rules far outweigh any short-term competitive disadvantages.<br />
<strong>Panalpina</strong> Moscow has been able to boost its<br />
ocean freight volume by 40% annually over the past six<br />
years. This is due not least to its reputation as a company<br />
that abides by the law in every respect – and of<br />
course to all the hard work carried out by Elena and her<br />
colleagues.<br />
After a busy day at work, Elena is sure that nothing<br />
in the world beats going home to her family. After all<br />
– apart from her two sessions a week at the gym –<br />
spending time with her family is the best way of destressing<br />
and recharging her batteries before she<br />
faces the challenges of another day at <strong>Panalpina</strong><br />
Moscow.<br />
connect 1 2009 31
Elena Nikitina of<br />
<strong>Panalpina</strong> Moscow<br />
routinely deals<br />
with several tasks<br />
at the same time<br />
31<br />
www.panalpina.com