nvadmin, Author at Lighthouse

WELCOME ON BOARD

Following the successful venture of the CSS Group into Saudi Arabia, we are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Britto Satheesh as Director, CSS Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Britto will lead the CSS Group’s business in KSA, driving the business development and support teams on all aspects of growing, enhancing the CSS Group brand in the Saudi Arabian market. We are convinced that he will add another layer of success to our quality efforts, while aligning processes at the CSS KSA enterprise with the rest of the CSS Group.

Britto brings with him experience in the aeronautical engineering, project and process management, and research and quantitative analysis sectors, graduating from the University of Nottingham, UK.

Welcome on board, Britto!

About Consolidated Shipping Services, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The Consolidated Shipping Services Group takes pleasure in commencing operations from three major cities in Saudi Arabia namely Riyadh, Dammam & Jeddah. The CSS Group’s Saudi Arabia branch – with its tailored infrastructure and skilled personnel – caters to end-to-end shipping and logistics requirements in the region. World class services are offered through all segments of operation, with swift turnaround times. Contact the CSS KSA office via email on info@csssaudi.com.

About the Consolidated Shipping Services Group

Consolidated Shipping Services Group is one of the fastest growing NVOCC in the region. The CSS Group today is one of the leading integrated freight forwarding solutions provider with close to 25 years of experience. The company – through its corporate diversity and willingness to keep learning and relearning – has earned its collective experience within the industry. With a team consisting of over 750 experienced and dedicated professionals across 20 offices, CSS is able to meet a client’s freight forwarding requirements – be it by sea, land or air.
The CSS Group adapts itself to the latest trends in the industry, offering efficient and feasible solutions to its clients’ and associates. For more information, visit www.cssgroupsite.com.

AN ORGANIC GROWTH PLAN IN PLACE

CSS Ludhiana completes its Third month of operations with opening great inroads in the market area where they operate.

CSS Ludhiana is located in such a manner that they can easily cover the industrial belt of Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Chandigarh, Zirakpur, Rajpura, Ambala, Mandi, Amritsar & Hosiharpur. These industrial belts are majorly known for Garments, Hosiery Items, Fabrics, Hand Tools, Bi cycle & parts, Tyres and last but not the least Pharmaceutical products.

“We have received a warm welcome from the entire shipping and logistics fraternity. The initial trends and really promising and the management support stands like the pillar for our future growth. We will soon be expanding our operational spectrum and adding more members to cover larger areas,” mentioned Meena Sharma, Regional Manager while talking to Lighthouse.

Recently CSS Ludhiana’s Custom Broking license has been registered with Ludhiana Custom, and with this now they are fully equipped to provide all logistics related services under one window.

Stiff market conditions and controls from the government machinery, are seen as some slight challenges for the overall growth graph. Apart from Garment industry CSS Ludhiana market is going steady after Demonetization & GST and with new stiff cut in “Duty Drawback” scheme from Government of India Ludhiana Garment industries are facing tough time like other parts of India. DRI has also put ban on 20 Garments exporter for bogus export fraud, but that is not a niche market for CSS Ludhiana.

“Most of the control measures pose a difficulty in the beginning. But in long run trust worthy business houses will reap benefits from such measures. That is what we have seen in the past in India. Hence CSS Ludhiana is very much confident” commented Rajesh Arora, Vice President North India.

The newly commenced Green field Ludhiana domestic airport is fully functional now and it is fully connected with all major airports in India.

It is too early to say about the challenges of business but for sure Ludhiana is an old and big market and most of the major players are operating from Ludhiana but Console shipping services India Pvt. Ltd Ludhiana are positive and sure that in very short span of time CSS Ludhiana will achieve the desired growth target.

CSS HOSPITALITY & HOTEL LOGISTICS – FOR COMPLEX NEEDS AND CHALLENGES

The Group’s Hospitality & Hotel Logistics division provides tailor-made logistics services to local and international luxury industries. CSS’s Hospitality & Hotel Logistics specializes in the management and implementation of Hotel Logistics solutions.
Armed with an aggressive wealth of experience in delivering, transportation, warehousing and installation solutions for International Luxury Hotels, the division offers turnkey solutions for large-scale construction projects and efficient, comprehensive maintenance and supply concepts logistics solutions for developers, hotel operators, FF&E and OS&E suppliers, and international agents for procurement.

The CSS Group’s extensive Supply Chain Management facilities include storage provisions throughout the Middle-East, state-of-the-art lifting and loading equipment and a fleet of vehicles for land transportation. Cargo is secure and monitored round the clock.
“A comprehensive and innovative approach is required when it comes to this unique division of Hospitality & Hotel logistics. We have system procedures to ensure fool proof execution, from shipping to warehousing to installation – as per a client’s planned room layout – conforming to all standards required for the job,” mentioned Rosh Manoli, Deputy General Manager, Sales & Marketing CSS Dubai.

The CSS Group’s decades of experience and diversified services, ranging from Ocean freight management to heavy equipment logistics to relocation and removals, has strengthened its resolve in becoming a global leader in the shipping and logistics industry.

“The CSS Hospitality & Hotel Logistics team provides customized solutions, keeps up with real time communication and displays global standards.” continued Rosh.
The CSS Hospitality & Hotel Logistics team is fully equipped to meet any demand from the industry, be it pre-opening or project execution phases

UAE TO INTRODUCE NEW TAX LAW

The United Arab Emirates has now framed a Federal law No. 7 of 2017 on Tax Procedures to introduce the tax in all the emirates of UAE. This new Tax Law shall explain the rules for regulating the collection of Taxes, defines the role of the Federal Tax Authority, penalties etc.

The Tax Law mainly categorise the tax into two, namely VAT (Value Added Tax) which will be introduced on January 1st, 2018 by Federal Decree Law No. (8) of 2017 and Excise Tax, which shall be introduced in October, 2017 by Federal-Decree Law No. (7) of 2017. The VAT is actually a consumption tax which is usually imposed on a product at each stage of production before the final sale. In simple words, it is imposed on the Customers. In UAE, the VAT will be calculated as a percentage, ie., at the rate of 5%, of the retail sale price of a product. Whereas the excise tax which shall be in force from the upcoming months, is imposed on the manufacturer and not the customer. The Excise Tax Law shall impact all the excise goods consumed inside the Country including all the free zones and Ports. This tax is set to discourage the consumption of products that negatively impact the environment and more importantly, people’s health, while the revenues it generates will go towards supporting advanced services for all members of society.

Since the draft UAE Tax Law is not yet published, it is generally mentioned that all business that provide taxable goods or services with annual revenue of more than AED 375,000 will be required to register for VAT.
As per the New Tax Law, it is to be noted that the accounting records of the companies/business not only have to be prepared and maintained in accordance with the provisions of the tax Law, but any submissions to the Federal Tax Authority shall be in Arabic. Since the recently introduced Federal Law No (2) of 2015 on Commercial Companies already requires the companies to keep the books of accounts and financial records and to prepare the annual financial statement, the companies may not find it difficult to maintain the same under the New Tax Law. But it is to be noted that the application of any penalties in terms of the Commercial Company Law, will be without prejudice to any penalties imposed under Tax law. Upon registration for the Tax, the companies (hereinafter the tax payer) shall receive a unique registration number and the tax payer shall use/quote this registration number on all payments and correspondences with the FTA. The FTA’s power to conduct Audit, includes the Audit on the tax Payer’s premises, and they would also check if the Tax payer has complied with the tax law.

The FTA has also given authority to issue Tax Assessments and administrative penalties on the following circumstances:

Where a taxable person do not register for the Tax
Where the taxable person fails to submit the return within the timeframe specified.
Where the taxable person fails to make any payments due
Where the taxable person submits incorrect returns or payments.

Apart from the situations mentioned above, the administrative penalties shall also be made payable when the Tax payer fails to submit the records in Arabic.
The penalties for Tax evasion will be imposed from the range starting from AED 500 to three times the amount of any tax amount due per violation.

For the companies that evade the Tax registration, the penalty shall include prison sentence and a monetary penalty of upto 5 times the amount of evaded tax amount. The penalty for tax evasion shall also be imposed on the below companies:

Charge and collect taxes when not registered to do so under any tax law.
Deliberately fails to pay the tax due.
Destroy, steal or falsify financial records
Deliberately submits false documents to FTA
Deliberately understate any tax amount payable.

Since the regulations regarding the Tax Law has not been issued and once the same is published, it will give more clarity on the responsibility and obligations of a tax payer.

(Contributed by
Advocate Joy Tattil,
joy@calliduscmc.com )

MAHABALI CRYSTAL AWARD

The Consolidated Shipping Services Group held an annual Pookalam (in Malayalam language, ‘Poo’ stands for ‘flower’ and ‘Kalam’ stands for ‘artwork’) Competition honoring the Keralite Onam Harvest Festival – throughout all its offices – for the coveted Mahabali Crystal Award on the 10th of September, 2017.
On the competition’s fifth anniversary, the CSS Head Office in Dubai won the award, followed by CSLC1 and CSS Logistics holding second and third runner-up positions, respectively. Each office engaged their best creative teams for this traditional celebration, where the front entrance has circular motifs of flower bed (Onapookalam) arrangements.
This year’s rules stated that designs had to incorporate the number ‘5’ for the fifth anniversary, as well as each team submitting their photographs for assessment by anonymous guest judges. Congratulations to all our participating teams!

Significance of Pookalam
The floral rangoli, or the ‘Pookalam’, is an integral part of Onam celebrations. According to legend, King Mahabali who once ruled the region visits during these ten days of the Onam festival. These beautiful motifs made at the entrance of Malayalee houses give his soul joy, ensuring happiness and prosperity forever. It is also said that the ten rings or the steps of the Pookalam represent the ten deities of the Hindu pantheon.

How is Pookalam made?
Nowadays, various flowers are used to get the desired design and pattern. Commonly used flowers are Thumba, Thulasi, Kadali, Mukkutti, Chethi, Shankupushpam, Manthaaram, Jemanthi and Chembarathi.
Pookalam forms a vital part in the welcoming celebration of King Mahabali whose soul visits the state in the ten days during Onam. Designs made at the entrance set the essence of the festival thus ensuring long-term prosperity and happiness.
Onappookkalam symbolizes unity in diversity. The use of many different flower petals to make a pookalam is symbolic in the coming together of hearts in society. Flowers of various fragrance, color and quality gather in one pookalam, banishing all discrimination, and expressing gratitude and devotion to the Lord.

About the Consolidated Shipping Services Group
Consolidated Shipping Services Group is one of the fastest growing NVOCC in the region. The CSS Group today is one of the leading integrated freight forwarding solutions provider with close to 25 years of experience. The company – through its corporate diversity and willingness to keep learning and relearning – has earned its collective experience within the industry. With a team consisting of over 750 experienced and dedicated professionals across 20 offices, CSS is able to meet a client’s freight forwarding requirements – be it by sea, land or air.
The CSS Group adapts itself to the latest trends in the industry, offering efficient and feasible solutions to its clients’ and associates. For more information, visit www.cssgroupsite.com

A SMALL RULE ON WISHES

I am sure all of you have sent and received several messages on Diwali.
A small rule on wishes. You can give only what you have. So when you wish health wealth happiness to someone, make sure you have enough of it yourself.

The world has reduced everything to a Happy something – which is the 1st level of experience of anything. There are deeper levels that exist. If you think of it:

LISTENING IS DEEPER THAN TALKING

THINKING IS DEEPER THAN LISTENING

FEELING IS DEEPER THAN THINKING

And so on… we don’t even know how many layers are there but all will agree that they exist because we have felt them. So here below I present a small story on the festival of Diwali. When you read, you will listen, which you will think of, which you will feel and experience it on many layers.

Once there was a king who had 7 beautiful daughters.

One day, he asked all,

King: Who is it that feeds you?

The first 6 daughters said in praise of the king: It is you father, the greatest king, who feeds us.

Only the 7th daughter said: It is god who feeds us all.

The king got very angry. He married his 6 daughters to handsome rich princes but got the 7th one married to a poor and leprosy inflicted person.

The 7th daughter was very happy in her life however. She told her husband never to come back empty handed when he came back home from work every day.

So each day he would bring some fruit, vegetables, wood etc. back home.

One day he went to the jungle but couldn’t find anything to take back home, but found a dead snake, so he took that with him. When he showed to his wife, she asked him to throw the dead snake on their hut’s rooftop.

Meanwhile, the king of the state where she was married had a wife, who went out bathing one day to the riverside. At the riverside, she kept her expensive diamond necklace on the banks while she bathed.

Suddenly an eagle snooped down and took the necklace with it. She was heartbroken.

The eagle meanwhile realised it is of no use to him and saw the dead snake on the poor 7th daughters huts rooftop , so it snooped down and kept the necklace and took the dead snake which it could eat.

The king meanwhile announced that whoever finds the queens necklace would get a reward he desires.

The 7th daughter asked her husband to take the necklace to the king and whispered in his ear what to ask.

The king was very happy and asked the man: “What do you want?” He said nothing. The king forced him. He again said he wants nothing. The king ordered him: Ask you must, what is that that I as king can do.

He then told the king that his wife has a wish that on Diwali, no one light any diya in the whole town except for their hut. The king thought about it but for his word, said yes to it.

So on Diwali, the whole town was dark (being Amavasya, a no moon night) except for the poor man’s hut where the diya was lit.

So when Goddess Laxmi arrived, she saw that its dark everywhere and so went to the poor man’s hut and knocked on the door.

The 7th daughter, the poor man’s wife, asked: “Who is it ?”

“It’s me, Goddess Laxmi”

Wife: “Why do you need to knock, please come inside”

Goddess Laxmi walks in and is very happy and asked them: “What can I do for you, you are the only ones who lit a diya for me”

The wife said: “Now that you have come, never leave, stay with us”. And with that, she shut the door.

And Laxmi stayed there forever.

And so friends, with this small longish story, I wish you all a very happy Diwali. It is the feeling you invest into mythology that connects us from the material world to our souls. It tells us that with internal grit and determination and planning, even the gods can be captured by overcoming all our obstacles. It is not mere sweet eating and cracker bursting and bhajan singing, it is basically invoking the powers that lie within all of us. To invoke the powers, one needs concentration and for that one needs seclusion from external gimmicks.

MARITIME ARBITRATION: A Global Analysis

The arbitration process in the Middle East is developing in a way which is quite promising. The Middle East region is reasonably well-equipped with arbitration facilities. There are a number of significant regional arbitration centres – for example, Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC); DIFC/LCIA situated in the Dubai International Financial Centre; the Abu Dhabi Commercial Conciliation and Arbitration Centre (ADCCAC); Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre (QICDRC); and the Bahrain Chamber for Dispute Resolution/American Arbitration Association (BCDR-AAA). However, the judicial intervention and uncertainty in the enforceability of arbitral award is a matter of great concern. It has been noticed that the judiciary in the Middle East has not achieved the same standards of excellence in arbitration as others in more favourable jurisdictions. There have been instances where the lawyers conducting arbitration were subjected to prosecution for unfavourable outcomes. As a consequence, they were sometimes declining appointments and even resigning from ongoing cases as they were unhappy about the risks they were running. Under DIAC Rules, there was no appeal process. Further, as awards had to be signed within Dubai itself, this sometimes meant arbitrators having to fly in and out solely for this purpose.

India has huge potential to develop maritime arbitration but it would be a long and difficult ride before it is fully achieved. There have been significant improvements in recent years in India’s provision for structured arbitration. It was noticed that a properly functioning arbitration system was necessary if the country was to attract more trade and investment. The Indian Arbitration and Conciliation Act, amended in 2015, had introduced changes in respect of interim relief, public policy considerations, High Court involvement in arbitration and 12-month time limits to determine awards. This was aimed at countering concerns that arbitral awards in India were taking too long. However, the 12 months could be extended by agreement between the parties. The whole package has been improved. The Mumbai International Arbitration Centre’s Rules were approved in June 2016 and the Centre opened for business in October. The aim was to establish a cost effective and transparent process, focusing on procedures for multi-party and multi-contract cases, expedited arbitration and the scrutiny of awards.

China is a relatively young player in the international shipping arbitration scene. The Maritime Arbitration Commission (MAC) is the predecessor of the present China Maritime Arbitration Centre (CMAC). It seems that the MAC was more experienced than that the maritime courts in China in terms of handling maritime disputes. Also, maritime disputes in China are predominantly settled by conciliation and mediation. The attitude of the maritime court towards this organization is somewhat hostile exemplifying unfriendliness and competition. CMAC had revised its Rules in late 2014. The new CMAC Rules came into effect on 1 January 2015. CMAC’s Revised Rules allows an arbitrator much freedom in choosing the appropriate procedure. It also stresses that the parties are to be given reasonable opportunity to make submissions and arguments.

International arbitration is on the rise in all these regions, generating an increasing interest in the practice. Thus, there is an increasing trend towards convergence of arbitral institutional rules and rise in the number of arbitral seats where parties can expect a modern and pro-arbitration approach from the judiciary.

POORAM DUBAI 2017

CSS Group over the years has been actively participating in many social activities which include sponsorships of cultural events, sports and charity movements. As part of giving back to society, many such programmes were initiated by T S Kaladharan, Chairman CSS Group. Back in Kerala, thousands of school children benefit by ways of educational aids and kits from Kala, every year.
The moving and relocation division of CSS Group, CSS Homeward bound recently associated with a cultural event in Dubai called Pooram 2017. The event was organized at Etisalat Academy on the 27th of October 2017. This event was exactly the same as what you would witness in Kerala minus the real Elephants and the Fireworks. The actual professional artists and Musicians that take part in Pooram in Kerala were brought to Dubai to give the real feel of Kerala.
As an added and important attraction 1246 Indian women, who are all expatriate residents of the UAE showcased the Famous Thiravthira Kali (Traditional dance form). Like all firsts in Dubai the organizers have contacted Guinness World Records witness and record this event so that the number of participants may eventually be a record breaker.
Thiruvathirakali is a dance form performed by women on the day of Thiruvathira to the accompaniment of Thiruvathira paattu. The sinuous movements executed by the group of dancers around a nilavilakku embody lasya or the amorous charm and grace of the feminine. The dance follows a circular, pirouetting pattern accompanied by clapping of the hands and singing. Today, Thiruvathirakali has become a popular dance form for all seasons. A group of women dressed in typical Kerala style with mundu and neriyathu and the hair bun adorned with jasmine garlands perform this dance during festival seasons. Kaikottikkali spreads the message of joy and also illustrates the emotions of a married woman towards her beloved and of the unmarried woman longing for one. Thiruvathira is also known as the Kerala’s own version of Karva Chauth.

Chairman’s Message

It is invariably uplifting being able to highlight good news. To have equally superb tidings, from both the Middle East and the Indian Sub-continent, provides me with enormous pleasure. In the Middle East, CSS has commenced its services from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia whilst from India the excellent news is that we have started working from Ludhiana in Punjab. It is hard work and determination which has paved the way for these spectacular beginnings, from two new locations. I join with others in giving full credit to our colleagues and express my personal thanks to them for sharing such great news. Personally, it gives me a real sense of pride to acknowledge the achievements of our company although, at the same time, a feeling of responsibility arises at each and every new turn CSS takes.
I am reminded of a memorable quote from Arthur Ashe Jnr., the three times Grand Slam tennis title winner, “Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is more important than the outcome.” I wholeheartedly believe that from day one onwards, at CSS, we have engendered the habit of delivering the best of what we have from within us, enjoying the doing, without restricting or anticipating our expectations. The ‘doing’ really has been more important than the ‘outcome’. This may well be the reason for us continually remaining successful in our endeavours.
Our on-going vision for growth recognises that forward planning, coupled with strategizing our policies, enables us to seize the right opportunity at the right time. We should remain always thankful to all our stakeholders for the unconditional support they bestow on us. It is their trust that spurs us on to deliver what is best for everyone who use the services provided by CSS.

Ludhiana Becomes The 10th Office of CSS India

On its glorious one decade completion of services from India, Console Shipping Services India Pvt. Ltd rolled out red carpet from their 10th office to their clients. The doors of their tenth office were opened in Ludhiana, a widely known commercial center in Punjab, north of Delhi. Ludhiana, better known as the “Manchester of India” is an industrial hub in Northern India and one of the biggest dry ports. CSS Ludhiana commenced its services from the heart of Logistics Hub of Ludhiana in full-fledge.

Ludhiana has more small-scale industrial units, which produce industrial goods, machine parts, auto parts, household appliances, hosiery, apparel, and garments. Ludhiana is Asia’s largest hub for bicycle manufacturing and produces more than 50% of India’s bicycle consumption of more than 10 million each year. Ludhiana produces 60% of India’s tractor parts and a large portion of auto and two-wheeler parts. Many parts used in German cars like BMW and Mercedes, are exclusively produced in Ludhiana to satisfy the world requirement. It is one of the largest manufacturers of domestic sewing machines. Hand tools and industrial equipment are other specialties. The apparel industry of Ludhiana is famous all over India for its woollen sweaters and cotton T-shirts; most of the top Indian woollen apparel brands are based in Ludhiana. Ludhiana also has a growing IT sector with multiple software services and product companies having development centres in the city.

“It is an extremely proud moment personally for me as we start our services from our tenth office in India. A decade back when we started our journey in India, we were not sure about the Growth graph of CSS, but in the back of my mind I was sure that the determination of my colleagues will never dishearten our aspirations, and those proved true today” mentioned T S Kaladharan Chairman CSS Group.

The CSS team in Ludhiana is led by Meenu Sharma who will be working in the position of Regional Manager – North India and carries with her an impressive professional background of 16 years in international logistics and Custom clearance. Based at Ludhiana she will be covering states like Haryana , Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and the major business hub cities like Sonipat, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Chandigarh, Baddi and Nala Garh etc.

“We would like to thank all our well-wishers, stake holders and those who stood with us during good and bad times at this momentous occasion. Like any other office in India, CSS will be offering personalized & professional assistance to all segments of operations in the field of Shipping and Logistics, from Ludhiana as well. Our word is always our gurantee” commented Rajesh Arora, Vice President CSS North India.

CSS Mumbai Successfully Moves Granite Cutting Machines

CSS Mumbai successfully executed a factory installation project recently wherein large granite cutting machines were exported on Flat Racks and Open tops.

Despite of the torrential rains in Mumbai, the highly capable team did the entire operation handled movement of machines to port and to board the vessel giving utmost care of the cargo and its packing all through the operation. “High professionalism has to be displayed in handling critical jobs in Projects. The proven expertise and commitment could be the major factor why people rely on CSS Mumbai Projects team when it comes to complicated assignments like these” mentioned Rahat Talreja Vice President CSS Central India.

The machines were skilfully loaded onto special equipment needed for such large dimension and heavy cargo and lashed with rubber grips, nylon belts, turn buckles, wire ropes and covered with tarpaulins and loaded on board the vessel.

All operational issues like port congestion, berthing delays by vessel etc were handled professionally by the Mumbai Projects team. The close monitoring ensured the cargo was boarded in timely manner and sailed off Mumbai.

New Look and Feel

As part of expanding its digital presence and to enhance the marketing activities, CSS Group launches their revamped website recently. The website offers a totally new look and feel and will ensure a better user experience across various devices, including desktops and mobile phones.

The revamped website offers a unique navigational experience, as the various regions of the company are separately shown and the offices of that particular region are listed in that section. All main office addresses are readily available in the homepage map which offers more accessibility to the clients. The social media pages of the group company can be accessed by the person who visits the group site. Ten different language options is another unique feature of the CSS Group site.

Customers can track their cargo from the “Track & trace” link in the website. The revamped site also offers features like the “Sailing schedule” and the “Rate request” online. One of the major attractions of the website will be the online chat option, which offers cent percentage transparency in all operations activities of the group company. “More features are being planned to be incorporated soon. The whole aim of this new website is to give easy navigation and make it more user friendly to our customers. We are already receiving positive feedbacks from the users” commented Sasikala, Manager Marketing, CSS Group.

CSS Delhi Moves to a New Office

Aiming at providing more comfortable ambience to their customers, CSS Delhi moves to a new office space. The new office was officially inaugurated with a traditional ceremony in the last week of August. The company had announced their relocation and invited their customers and well-wishers to visit them at the new set up. The new address of CSS Delhi would be as follows:

Console Shipping Services India Pvt. Ltd.
A 35 , Upper Ground Floor
FIEE Complex, Ma Anandmayee Marg
Block A, Okhla Phase II, Okhla Industrial Area
New Delhi, Delhi 110020

We have always enjoyed doing business with you and appreciate your support. We hope you will get acquainted with our new location soon.

Team CSS Delhi

GST Impact on Shipping and Logistic Business

GST, an abbreviation of Goods and Service Tax has been finally implemented in India effective 1st July 2017. It is very early to judge after effect of GST ON Shipping & Logistic Business but in short Terms review we find some positive & negative impact of GST.

First we will see in short which seems to be Negative Impact of GST …

The worst affected are local traders now a days after GST Implementation , who from last so many years doing the business on CASH and not giving Tax to Government as desired. The Export & Import Trading business in India is very low now a days because of this problem reducing down the volume by approx 19%
The small export house are also affected as the RAW material has been priced hiked due to implementation of 18 % GST. Also due to GST implementation STAR EXPORT HOUSES and small / middle scale export house are now in same platform keeping competition a mammoth task for them
The Custom is still not clear regarding the impact of GST and no proper Guidelines made available to Custom and trade persons to tackle GST , which un necessary slowing the process of Custom clearance in Indian Ports.

Now, we must see the Brighter Side of GST, Al though it is not feasible to foresee the changes within 30 days of implementation of it, because nothing will change abruptly and it is a slow process which will finally become beneficial for Country…

As per Road and Transport Ministry the distance travelled by trucks per day has increased by at least 30% post the rollout of goods and services tax (GST), according to a document prepared by the road transport ministry on the impact of GST on logistics sector. Trucks are covering 300-325 km a day on an average against about 225 km a day before GST, it said.
The implementation of GST helped Star Export house to reduce their price in Export commodities as they do not have to pay VAT, STATE TAX and various other tax when they purchase RAW MATERIAL.
One Nation and one Tax this is the prime moto of GST and it replaces several State & Central Tax implications on everybody on Logistic Field also.
As per planned if everybody get the Reverse CENVAT TAX Credit then everybody will see the Huge impact on Export & Import business.

Let’s Hope for the best , indeed it is a very brave & great step to implement GST provided everything goes at planned.

One Decade of Glorious Presence in Mumbai

The CSS India journey, which started in 2004 from the picturesque South Indian towns of Tirupur, Tuticorin and Coimbatore, took a long stride ahead in June 2007 with the expansion of business to the finance capital of the country Mumbai and subsequently to New Delhi, which leap frogged the CSS Group business in India to newer heights.

The CSS Mumbai team, of which the core commercial team remained steadfast in all these years, proudly celebrated the completion of 10 years in business. It was a great moment for all and the experiences that have enriched all were cherished in these celebrations.

Under the stoic leadership of Rahat Talreja, Vice President, Central India CSS Group who was also the founder member of CSS India management team in 2007, the company has witnessed a turnaround of sorts with his sharp focus on business financials and investor like business approach with profitability and efficiency ratios being the highest parameters of his methodology. “This celebration is the result of hard work and determination. I am really proud about my colleagues and have full confidence in them so as to move forward onto greater achievements” mentioned Rahat.

It was a delight that the core and prominent members in the 10 year club, who have seen the company through in its journey , were all present to grace the occasion.

The CSS Mumbai team also had their annual picnic with the entire staff frolicking in the hills of Mahabaleshwar and enjoying the magical monsoons along with bonding and team building exercises which brought in an enriched spirit to an already close knit team.”

Indian Independance Day Celebrations @ CSS Mumbai

“At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity.”

—Jawaharlal Nehru, Independence Day Speech (1947)

What’s Your Business Type?

Rahat Talreja
Vice President – CSS Central India

As I write this article, the news of the moment is the resignation of the Infosys CEO. A lot of analysts (which is surprisingly a big job these days, in grounded part of India we call it “Bol Vachan”) are giving their views that the per employee revenue is up, the new technology verticals under innovation& automation are shaping well etc.

But the real issue (which basically means ‘my point of view’, people add the word real to assert their own point) was that the standard of governance in the board was down and investors (including the marquee promoters) had lost trust in the working of the board.

Now I don’t want to talk much on it except the point I am making through the headline of my article, what is your business type?

Let us see what the levels on which these evaluations are done are:

a) Value based analysis
b) Financial analysis
c) Hybrid model of the a + b

Value Based analysis

Hello Old school: I think you already know this word and its meaning “Values”

Hello New school: Don’t know this word? No problem carry on..

In this, the prime importance is laid on the values on which the business is run and the clear, defined & written policies which form the benchmark for any evaluation.

Financial Analysis

This is the most important criteria in our times. But most have different understanding of financials and therefore the analysis may not be absolute, it is always relative. Let me illustrate.

We have all seen the recent emerging market rallies wherein even India and its benchmark indices are all lifetime highs. Most common reasons coming out are that it is a liquidity rally since other asset classes have lost relevance and printed money of the central banks didn’t trickle into real economies, so liquidity in the system went into equities the most besides other financial assets and instruments like bonds and debt market. The main point to note is that earnings growth has been flat to negative over the last 4 years.

In this bargain, even a lot of non performing companies have seen their valuations run up. And this is exactly what happens when businesses are liquidity driven and not profit driven.

See in our industry for example – the consolidation, forwarding and logistics industry. Even if you lose a million rupees a month, you need at least 5 years to blow up a meagre investment of example 5 crores. And the best part is you never have to pay those 5 crores. You only need to pay 5 lakhs interest on it each month.

So many in our business run it on liquidity. The moment the liquidity dies, they either raise new funds or run helter skelter looking for newer options.

This is a business where if you run it on profits, you don’t need any investment from day 1. And let me assure you that a lot of people hide behind this liquidity survival for many many years in the industry and get away with it.

Hybrid model

This is obviously the model that most are trying to follow today. At least trying.

The crux of the above segmentation is that we need to see what our real business type is. Are we emphasising focus on volume, value, profit, liquidity or nothing. You may think you are focusing on profit but your actions maybe not in line with achieving it.

Illustratively, one should always focus on rich clients. And what is the definition of rich? Not that the client has a lot of wealth, his cars, his phones, his properties etc. This is the start of wrong analysis. Rich for us is the client who has rich thinking. A thinking where he is rich to think that after he has made all that money , his long term vendors also deserve their pie under the sun. And you will see majority of them are more miserly for others once they have achieved their financial goals.

Their vendors keep visiting them in the same train, same bus, from the same house etc. but the clients keep getting richer, getting into bigger cars, bigger homes etc. These are absolutely poor clients let us first understand that. In fact most shun their own business and start focusing on what you do. So they will call for quotes from 10 different forwarders, squeeze all, delay payment and have all the fun.

Shift gears to rich clients. The ones who value you, your time, your effort, they are certainly not big themselves. They are rich for us. They are loyal, let you earn, pay you on time, give you respect when you visit them, value your relationship.

So friends, I used a few analogies so that we all realise that our analysis should be real, in line with our goals and only then our actions will help achieve those goals. This is the best way to move forward in my view and lets answer the first question in that direction today – what’s your business type?

Lighter Side of Life – Group Selfie Contest

It was a wonderful and lovely afternoon for the CSS staff at Jebel Ali, as they got an opportunity to shed down the stress with sharing some lighter moments with the Club FM RJs, thanks to the selfie competition. The staff at CSS Dubai were engaged by the members of Club FM and Spoonfed APP on account of a very interesting corporate engagement programme, they jointly launched.

Club FM had announced for an office group selfie to be posted from the workplace and CSS team were the first amongst all to respond creatively towards that demand. That selfie fetched them a wonderful entertainment time with the team Club FM and Spoonfed APP as well as a sumptuous lunch sponsored by them. In fact that was the first lunch party organised by them related with the Selfie contest.

While 99.6 Club FM team included Pavithra Menon – RJ, Carl LaFrenais – RJ, Justin Raj – Producer, Neena Manila – RJ and Sivaprasad ( Driver ) the Spoonfed team were represented by Najeeb Abdulla – Business Development Manager and Pulastya Vishwas

The CSS team were excited and all the more happy to be in the company of the renowned RJs of the Club FM team and enjoyed the games organized by them. After the lunch was served, prizes were distributed by Club FM to the CSS team which was immediately followed by a photo shoot. Music was also played by the Club FM team to entertain the CSS Staff. The entire programme was held at the Jebel Ali regional headquarters of the CSS Group.

We had a great time with the Club FM and Spoonfed APP team. When we took the selfie, there was no good reason for us to believe that this event will start from our office. I am happy that the pro-active team at CSS proved that they are the best bet in the corporate world of Dubai. Thanks to Club FM and Spoonfed

Aparna Renjith,
Asst. Manager, Customer Service Desk.

Money Can’T Buy Everything In Life ?

How often do you hear someone say; “If only I had the money?” No doubt, just like the Kaleidoscope team, you have even said it to yourself. Having money seems to be the answer to many, if not all, of our problems. Money plays an important role in our lives because without it we cannot buy food, clothes and other essential things. Most of us will agree that money, and the more we have of it, enables us to own many things; houses, cars, the latest gadgets as well as gaining power and fame. However, whilst such things may satisfy our desires and needs, having them will not necessarily make us happy. A way to understand the role of money and how it affects you, for good or bad, it is consider that it is only a tool. If you do not know how to use it then it could injure or even kill you! Once you start on the money escalator, it’s said that you must never forget your roots, otherwise you will lose yourself.

Nearly sixty years ago ‘The Beatles’ wrote their worldwide hit song, ‘Can’t buy me love’. In the chorus they sing; “I don’t care too much for money, money can’t buy me love”. This statement is more revealing, when one considers its implications. Many lottery winners relate stories about how, after winning all the money, they seemed to lose their friends. Suddenly gained new friends turned-out to be ‘money’ friends who were only attracted to their new wealth. Having money and spending money buys you services, that brings with it courtesy and attention, which may be confused as friendship. The more money you have the greater the attention and service. People around you begin to say what you want to hear, rather than what you need to hear. They do so because they do not want to upset you. They need to keep either your friendship or their job!

Some years ago, one of the Kaleidoscope team visited Los Angeles for the first time. He was sneaked into a Universal studio lot where filming was taking place. It featured a movie-star who was known to be rather unpredictably emotional. Hiding at the back of the sound stage, imagine the astonishment of everyone when the star stopped the filming and shouted out; “Hey what are you doing here?” Thinking this was a sign of trouble there was a hushed anticipatory silence. This was happily broken when the star called to his manager; “Look after that guy. Give ‘em whatever they want.” It turned out that years previously, when completely unknown, the star had been a film extra, desperate for a meal. He hadn’t forgotten who had bought him one without asking for or getting any payment. It was now unexpectedly repaid in full. Maybe this was why the unpredictable emotional actor had such acclaimed acting qualities, he hadn’t forgotten his roots. The pleasure it gave everyone involved, remembering and chatting about things were when they both had very little money, gave real pleasure than money could buy.

The pleasure and joy of having a happy family is also something that money certainly cannot buy. Add to this respect and inner peace and it becomes more obvious that money really is just a tool, something which can be used to oil the wheels of life so they run more freely. Clearly a great advantage for those who have it but more dangerous for them, when they start to let the love of money drive their lives. Nowadays, as our world becomes ever more excessively concerned with material possessions and money-oriented, emotional, spiritual and mental welfare tends to take a back seat. We forget that only by using our money correctly may we achieve a happy heart and agreeable life.

Internationally acclaimed, singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran is someone else who appears to be determined to remain grounded in his roots.

He disclosed, during a BBC Radio programme that he employs, and surrounds himself, with his old school friends and family members. The reason is because they know him well enough, when he had nothing, to tell him when he is being stupid. If you stop believing your close friends, those who knew before you had money, you have probably started to create trouble for yourself. Guess how Ed summed up his attitude to enjoying what really matters to him? He said that, even with all his money, a luxury item he always makes sure he has, when touring, is a bottle of tomato ketchup.

If you think having more, and even more money, can give you the best feeling in life, maybe this true incident will convince you otherwise. When Big Bazaar opened their store in Trivandrum, Kerala; a customer noticed an elderly lady looking confused standing before an escalator. “May I help you?” he enquired. The lady replied that she had never seen ‘one of these before and didn’t know what to do’. The customer recalled later, to his friends, how much joy it had given him to see the pleasure in the lady’s face when they reached the top. The incident had made his day. I wonder what the lady would have said if she had known that her helper had been a millionaire film/record producer English tourist. The pleasure she had given him, with the look on her face, was worth something that money could not buy.

Which brings us to our punchline in response to the proposal; ‘Money can’t but everything in life’. Whilst money plays an indispensable part in our lives it is not everything because family, friends and love are the only things which may give us true happiness. Unless you feel happy, content and have a good sense of self, when you reach the top of the escalator, then clearly you will realise that money can’t buy you everything in life.

Maritime Arbitration: A Global Analysis

Maritime arbitration is being increasingly preferred as an alternative method of dispute resolution by the stakeholders in the maritime industry. Major maritime countries in the world have been upgrading their legal system with much emphasis on arbitration with the intention to project their country as an arbitration friendly forum. The contracting parties while deciding on the forum for arbitration basically seeks to resort to jurisdictions which provide for cost effective and speedier adjudicating procedure with finality of arbitration award, ensuring certainty in results.
London continues to dominate the maritime arbitration scene. It has been noticed that the London Maritime Arbitrators Association stood head and shoulders above all other dispute resolution centres. One of the advantage of the arbitration in England is that unlike other jurisdictions, the English courts usually allow you to raise questions on a point of law. This right of appeal can in a way prove advantageous to the parties. The full implications of Brexit for arbitration in the UK are being closely monitored by the industry, but it does not appear to have had any immediate impact. For a number of reasons, London remains a very attractive venue for parties to choose as a seat for arbitration. Apart from London, Paris and Geneva are also much sought after arbitration jurisdictions.
Commercial arbitration in the United States originated in New York which has a long and rich history of supporting maritime arbitration and continues to be a leading maritime and commercial arbitration centre. Party autonomy is the hallmark of New York maritime arbitration. The parties are free to determine most procedural rules, and to select arbitrators (or the method of their selection) and the law to be applied. The arbitration awards are final and not subject to appeal save on narrow, largely procedural, grounds. A great majority of maritime arbitrations in New York are conducted under SMA (Society of Maritime Arbitrators) rules. Awards are enforceable in any country which is a signatory to the New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral awards and the Inter-American Convention on International Commercial Arbitration. Maritime awards in New York are usually final and binding. There are very few specific grounds under which an award can be vacated, and these are confined to the fairness of the arbitration procedure. A mistake in law or fact is generally not a ground for vacating an award. Motions to vacate, modify or correct must be made within three months of the date of the award.
Singapore is gaining global footprint in respect of maritime arbitration. Its established record of neutrality has contributed to its development. The courts in Singapore have offered maximum judicial support to arbitration and minimum intervention. The Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) stands out above the other regional arbitration centres. The country boasts a state of the art, integrated dispute resolution centre that houses first class hearing facilities and offices of top ADR institutes and dispute resolution professionals. Furthermore, Singapore has a judiciary that supports arbitration and there is a constant re-examination of legislation to ensure arbitration-friendly laws and processes are in place to promote and support arbitration. According to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) 2015 Report, Singapore has consistently been ranked as the number one preferred seat for arbitration in Asia and among the top five preferred seats globally. The International Arbitration Act and the Arbitration Act only set the framework governing arbitrations in Singapore. Consequently, the provisions are generally not mandatory insofar as parties are free to agree on the specific rules and procedures that bind them. This is in line with the fundamental principle of party autonomy in arbitration proceedings. However, the provisions relating to the enforcement, setting aside and/or appeal of the arbitral award are mandatory. The main arbitration organisations in Singapore are the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the Singapore Chamber of Maritime Arbitration (SCMA).The Singapore government has built an impressive infrastructure to support international arbitration in Singapore and has actively been behind efforts to promote Singapore as the obvious and best choice for arbitration in the region.