Specials - ITJ | Transport Journal

International Transport Journal 35-36 2013 Eastern Europe and Central Asia Special31The project cargo business in KazakhstanColossal opportunitiesKazakhstan’s raw materials are the basis on which many a logisticsproject has been built. In an interview with Christian Doepgen, KamillGafurov, CEO of the freight forwarder IFC Colos, describes his company’srange of activities and gives us an insight into IFC Colos’ future potential.IFC Colos was officially established afew years ago, but I believe you’ve beenactive since 2005, haven’t you?MunaiTrans, a specialist for the transportof oil and oil products, was founded in2005, but we soon reinvented our firmas a freight forwarder in 2007 and 2008.In October 2008 we joined the TS Servicegroup, which had offices in Russia,Germany and China. 2011 saw our breakthrough,when the restructuring of TS ledthe management to embark on a path ofindependent development. Our nameIFC Colos is an acronym of our sloganCOmprehensive LOgistic Solutions.How have your key performance indicatorsdeveloped since your founding?It’s symbolic that from the moment webegan work as IFC Colos, turnover increasedheavily, namely by 78% in 2011vis-à-vis the previous year and by another96% in 2012, bringing the figureto USD 37.9 million. The company andits branch and representative offices currentlyemploy 79 people.Your headquarters are in Almaty andyou have branch offices in Astana,Altynkol, Aktau, Sary-Agash, Chimkentand Dostyk. Are you planning toset up any more branch offices?Yes, we’re planning to expand our networkto other regions of Kazakhstan andopen new offices in Kyzyl-Orda, Aktobe,Ust-Kamenogorsk, Uralsk and Kokshetau.One of the key segments we’ll target areWestern European clients who need ourservices and experience in Kazakhstan.«We’re planning to acquire a railterminal in the medium term.»Transportation in Kazakhstan is heavilydominated by the railways. Howimportant is railfreight for IFC Colos?As IFC Colos specialises in out-of-gauge,oversized, fragile and heavy cargo, wehave only a small stakein the rail segment. Naturallywe nevertheless offerour foreign customers railfreightoptions, however.We’re also planning to acquirea railway terminal inAlmaty and construct a facility at Korgas-Altynkol, on the Kazakh-China border.Our studies of the rail market have shownthat there is currently demand for about500 rw-platforms for containers. We’renow working on getting a loan for this.Which of your project transportationtasks are particularly noteworthy?The firm’s key personnel was alreadyinvolved in providing logistics servicesfor an Agip KCO project for the developmentof the Kashagan field in westernKazakhstan between 2004 and 2008, aswell as for the Karagandinskaya powerstation project, where we cooperated withinternational partners. Ongoing effortsinclude delivering cargo for firms suchas Kazstroiservice, Sinopec and Saipem.One of our most interesting projects in2012 was arranging for the transportationof equipment required for the reconstructionof the Russian coal-fired power plantTroitskaya Gres. In 2011, IFC Colos specialistssurveyed the freight routes, analysedthe transport routes and modes andnegotiated with administrative representatives.Transportation of the main metalstructures from China to Russia startedin 2012 and this year we’re providingthe transportation for high-technologyequipment on the same route.How does membership in the IFLN affectyour international business?IFC Colos joined the InternationalForwarder Logistics Network (IFLN)in 2010. We analysed many forwardingassociations and chose IFLN, as ithas many young, dynamic and efficientmembers. Relations between membersare very good, and all the members haveCEO Kamill Gafurov’s company IFC Colos is involved in many alogistics project linked to raw materials extraction in Kazakhstan.common traits, such as a full openness,mutual readiness to help, and not least,promptness. In addition our membershipin a register of potential suppliers to theSamruk-Kazyna National Welfare Fund(from 2011), as well as our role in FirstPoint Kazakhstan, a register of potentialsupplier to the Kazakhstan oil and gasindustry (from 2012), are also very importantfor the company.«One of our most interesting projects isthe transporting of equipment toRussia’s Troitskaya Gres power plant.»WTO director general Pascal Lamysaid that Kazakhstan may join theWTO this year. What are your expectationsof the benefits this may bring?Kazakhstan’s accession to the WTO raisespositive and negative expectations. Asa logistician I see the situation positively,because many Euro–Asian transport corridorsrun through Kazakhstan, as didthe well-known Silk Road, so there maywell be new impulses. We assume thatrouting schemes will initially change,and that some decline in freight trafficwill take place, but then things may wellchange cardinally. According to an analysispresented by the Post-Crisis World Institute,a Russian think-tank, Kazakhstanmay become a new Asian tiger by 2050.What is the secret of your success?We don’t have a special secret, but whilerunning the company I assign primaryimportance to business values that focuson quality, professionalism, commitment,dependability, team spirit, selfrelianceand discipline. www.colos.kzPhoto: Construction partners