Panalpina Annual Report 2011
Panalpina Annual Report 2011
Panalpina Annual Report 2011
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32<br />
CEO Statement<br />
We are planning a further expansion of our own logistical<br />
capacities in the years ahead. The focus here will be<br />
on value-added services rather than mere warehousing<br />
provision.<br />
Focus on specific sectors<br />
Crucial for the provision of tailored solutions for our customers’<br />
supply chains is an intimate knowledge of the<br />
forwarding sector’s key target industries. <strong>Panalpina</strong> has<br />
pooled this expertise in nine vertical centers of expertise<br />
known as “customer groups” or “industry verticals.” These<br />
are additionally supported by the Panprojects unit, which<br />
is charged with handling large industrial projects. Being<br />
conversant with the extremely diverse needs of customers<br />
in the different industrial sectors, the centers’ employees<br />
are able to deliver the appropriate solutions. While the automotive<br />
trade, for instance, gives high priority to just-in-time<br />
delivery directly to the production line, the pharmaceutical<br />
industry requires temperature-controlled door-to-door shipments<br />
in order to safeguard the quality of active ingredients.<br />
All industries in which <strong>Panalpina</strong> operates contribute to the<br />
Group’s sustainable growth. In our bid to achieve aboveaverage<br />
growth in our air freight, ocean freight and logistics<br />
business, we will concentrate in particular on the consumer<br />
and retail, healthcare, hi-tech, and oil and gas sectors over<br />
the next few years. By 2014, we are looking to earn a place<br />
among the top five in all the industries served by our centers<br />
of expertise.<br />
Own-controlled air freight network<br />
The <strong>Panalpina</strong>’s own-controlled air freight network, widely<br />
acknowledged in the market as a powerful unique selling<br />
point, will be a major asset for future growth. It creates a<br />
wealth of options for the Group to deliver customized solutions<br />
without any reliance on airline flight schedules. Our air<br />
freight network is due for a further upgrade in 2012 through<br />
replacement of the previously deployed cargo planes by<br />
two new Boeing 747-8F freighters. The new aircraft consume<br />
less fuel, are far quieter than their predecessors, and offer<br />
greater freight capacity. They are also equipped with wideranging<br />
facilities for the transportation of temperature-sensitive<br />
cargo.<br />
Maximum flexibility thanks to asset-light business model<br />
The two new aircraft epitomize two of <strong>Panalpina</strong>’s key corporate<br />
principles: its asset-light strategy and its PanGreen<br />
initiative. Asset-light means that the Group does not own<br />
vehicles and warehousing facilities itself, but purchases<br />
<strong>Panalpina</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> <strong>2011</strong><br />
capacity as needed from its suppliers. Accordingly, even<br />
the new planes will remain in the ownership of our longtime<br />
partner Atlas Air, while <strong>Panalpina</strong> concentrates on marketing<br />
and flight scheduling. This policy enables us to<br />
adapt more easily to fluctuations in demand than many of<br />
our competitors with their own vehicle fleets or warehouses.<br />
It also helps to minimize debt while boosting flexibility.<br />
Moreover, the asset-light approach is sustainable in<br />
that our procurement processes are highly transparent and<br />
help to cultivate trusting relationships with our suppliers.<br />
Ecological transport logistics<br />
The PanGreen program helps to sharpen both our own<br />
environmental profile and that of our customers and suppliers.<br />
The program makes it possible to obtain detailed<br />
information on the environmental impact of customers’ consignments<br />
as well as the options available for lower-carbon<br />
ocean shipments. In addition, as of mid-2012 the new aircraft<br />
will allow us to offer air shipments with a much smaller<br />
carbon footprint. The PanGreen program also benefits<br />
from our flexibility in that customers are able at all times to<br />
switch to a more ecological transport mode.<br />
Employee development as the path to excellence<br />
Our business is a people business. In other words, our<br />
service quality reflects the skills of our workforce. Hence<br />
the high priority which – in line with our corporate values –<br />
we attach to further training, talent management, and proactive<br />
succession planning. All forms of personnel development<br />
implemented by us worldwide are closely geared<br />
to promoting the organizational skills, individual competencies<br />
and commitment of our staff.<br />
Leverage through information technology<br />
To work efficiently and raise productivity, our highly qualified<br />
staff members rely on standardized processes and<br />
modern information technology. Greater speed, quality and<br />
transparency are required in the provision of data to both<br />
<strong>Panalpina</strong> and its customers. The immense importance<br />
attached to the continuous refinement of our IT platforms<br />
is reflected by the substantial annual investment in this<br />
field. One key IT project is the worldwide introduction of<br />
the SAP Transportation Management (SAP TM) system.<br />
This platform is currently being phased in, with completion<br />
scheduled for 2015.
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