NAFL Gathering

CSS ATTENDS NAFL GATHERING OF ARAB UNION OF LAND TRANSPORT

The National Association of Freight and Logistics (NAFL) on Sunday April 20th, 2014 hosted the Arab Union of Land Transport (AULT) annual meeting and  was inaugurated under the patronage of Sheikh Ahmed  Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Honorary Patron, at the World Trade Centre in Dubai, UAE. The event focused on enhancing the industry and to improve operational efficiency in the freight and logistics industry in the region, with one eye on elevating the standards of the industry in line with the UAE’s objectives of excellence.

Presentations on the industry were conducted by important senior officials and dignitaries. “NAFL is pleased to have hosted the annual meetings and its opening ceremony, and sees it as a chance to push the bar further up this year. This was an important event for our industry and we are proud to have had it in Dubai. The UAE has a modern and advanced infrastructure, which is vital for every growing economy,” said David Phillips, President NAFL at the conference.

CSS Group was represented by Ken Dinnadge, VP Business Development and Amith Horra, Marketing Manager, at the event.  The event saw an attendance of over 700 participants from around 15 Arab nations and the UAE.

The spokespeople at the event were Mohammed Ibrahim Al Tuwaijri Arab League’s Assistant Secretary for Economic Affairs, Abdulla Bin Damithan Director Commercial DP World, UAE Region, Saeed Al Tayer, Director of Jebel Ali Custom Centers, Atiq Juma Nasib Head of Dubai Chamber’s Commercial Services Sector, Eng. Mahmood Al Bastaki, CEO Dubai Trade and Fahd Al-Rasheed the CEO and Managing Director of King Abdulla Economic City who spoke about the Kingdom’s new project relevant to the industry.

“CSS is a NAFL member which is a non-profit organization with 310 members, including top multinational companies as well as large, medium and small national enterprises. NAFL is the official UAE representative of FIATA, which is the global body that represents the freight forwarding industry and works closely with UAE government bodies to help enhance the freight and logistics industry.  Attending this event was extremely important for CSS as it was an opportunity to interact with senior transport officials from member Arab states,” added Ken Dinnadge, VP Business Development, CSS.

The main event supporters and host of NAFL were leading members of the shipping and logistics fraternity as well as key government institutions such as Dubai Chamber, DP World, Dubai Customs, and Etihad Rail.

CSS Abu Dhabi Attends Etihad Customer Appreciation Event

CSS Abu Dhabi recently attended the Etihad Airways Cargo Customer Appreciation dinner which took place at the Sheraton, Abu Dhabi Arzanah Ballroom.  The management team of Etihad Cargo took the opportunity to express their gratitude and cooperation to CSS Abu Dhabi for their continued business and support throughout the year 2013.
It was an excellent platform for CSS Abu Dhabi and its team to network with the Air Cargo fraternity in Abu Dhabi, UAE whilst creating new business opportunities and fostering current ones within the air freight spectrum.
For further information, please log onto www.cssabudhabi.com

His Highness Visits Container Terminal 3

2014 opened with grandeur with the inauguration of Container Terminal 3, the World’s Largest Semi-Automated facility, by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

His Highness, accompanied by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, were welcomed to Terminal 3 by HE Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chairman, DP World, Mohammed Sharaf, Group CEO, DP World, Mohammed Al Muallem, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, DP World, UAE Region and other senior officials.

During the visit, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed viewed the construction of the pioneering Terminal 3, which will add 4 million TEU (twenty foot equivalent container units) capacity to Jebel Ali Port this year, taking total handling capacity to 19 million TEU.

Jebel Ali Port is the pride of the UAE, leading the industry by implementation of large scale automation. This includes 19 sophisticated automated quay cranes and 50 automated rail mounted gantry (RMG) yard cranes, all operated from a purpose-built operations building using remote control technology. This is also in line with His Highness’s vision of transforming Dubai with smart systems using technology.

Automation and new technology are our way of the future and will help our customers and the wider supply chain realise efficiencies on land that the new mega-ships generate at sea. Next generation vessels are a large support system to excellent customer service and will help us offer efficiencies as the country gears up to handle the cargo required for Expo 2020 preparation.

As a result of smart system technologies, quayside jobs such as remote quay crane operations will be located inside the new Terminal 3 Operations building.  This has proven to be attractive to Emirati nationals, including women, who, we are delighted to note, make up a significant number of our new T3 team.

During his visit, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed talked with some of the new female recruits about their new roles and one of the women crane operators gave His Highness a live demonstration of a remotely controlled quay crane.

Planning for the long term and focussing on the next generation of Emiratis, is something DP World have always done and will continue to for the benefit of future generations. Indeed, 30% of the new quay crane operators recruited are Emiratis. The figure is even higher for RMG operators, with 70% of those recruited being Emiratis.

With the opening of Terminal 3, Jebel Ali Port will be able to handle ten of the largest vessels afloat simultaneously – the only port in the region able to do so. With the forthcoming connection of Etihad Rail to Jebel Ali Port, the port will be part of a multi-modal supply chain that seamlessly links sea-road-rail and air through the Dubai Logistics Corridor, reinforcing our position as the premier gateway for the region and the entire Middle East.

Abras -The Traditional Mode of Transport

Cultural Corner

Forget the luxury yachts heading to Dubai Marina, there are other traditional ways of seeing Dubai and hopping on an Abra is one of the most enjoyable.

Taking an Abra is the most cost effective and enjoyable way to cross the beautiful Dubai Creek. The Abra has been an integral part of Dubai’s history. It is a small motorized traditional commuter boat made of wood intended to travel across Dubai Creek, which in years gone by was one of the main modes of transport in Dubai.

It is still a vital mode of transport used by over 1 million people every month including local residents, business people and commuters trying to beat the traffic.
The Abra is now a well-respected tourist icon in addition to being a vital mode of transport. It’s not uncommon for tourists to privately hire an Abra to further enjoy the stunning Dubai Creek scenery.

An Abra ride commences when the boat is full, normally about 20 passengers, the driver sits in the centre of the boat, whilst the passengers sit facing out, circling the driver.  The fare for an abra ride is about 1 Dirham per person and is paid to the driver. The journey to cross the creek will only take around 10 minutes and is used by about 42,000 people daily.

If you are the type of person who likes to immerse themselves in tradition then an Abra ride is a must. It will expose you to the lesser known side of hustling and bustling Dubai. As you step on board there is a genuine feeling of history.

CSS Attends Arabian Travel Market

Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2014, the region’s leading travel industry showcase, celebrated its 21st edition which took place at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre from May 5 to 8, 2014. The exhibition welcomed over 4000 exhibitors from 95 countries with exhibition floor space covering more than 25,000 square meters.

Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the show has grown to become the largest showcase of its kind in the region and one of the biggest in the world.

One of the main highlights of the exhibition was the Middle East’s cruise sector which was highly visible and well represented at this year’s Arabian Travel Market. Having been in decline since the global downturn and the subsequent effects of the Arab Spring the cruise sector has seen a recent bounce back with significant infrastructure investment, easing visa regulations and creative marketing.?One challenge that the region faced was the lack of ports of call and the location of cruise facilities – most of the berths for cruise vessels were located within commercial shipping ports, which was not particularly conducive for leisure visitors. In response, Mina Zayed Port in Abu Dhabi is currently undergoing major redevelopment creating a dedicated cruise terminal. Dubai has been upgrading Port Rashid to accommodate seven vessels simultaneously, up from the current five, as part of its strategy to attract 450,000 cruise tourists by 2016.

ATM 2014 encompasses more than 40 wide-ranging seminar and tech theatre sessions which besides cruise tourism cover aviation, mobile trends and the rising demand for wellness tourism.

CSS Participates in FPS Sales Conference 2014

CSS Group participated in the FPS sales conference 2014 which took place in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam from May 20 to 22, 2014. CSS Middle East was represented by Fida Asghar, Team Manager, NVOCC CSS Dubai and Dean Landers, General Manager, CSS Kuwait. The three day conference consisted of presentations, networking session, one to one meetings, sales training seminars, personal selling skills case studies, team building activities, gala dinners and social sightseeing excursions.  “The one on one member meetings were extremely important as they were designed to build on the reciprocal sales activity and business opportunities between members,” added Fida Asghar.  The three day event was hosted by Johnny Khoa, FPS member for Vietnam who added, “The conference provided valuable workshops on Personal Sales Technique and Advanced Selling Skills.  It was a good opportunity to involve everybody in relaxed outdoor activities, entertainment, and to share an enjoyable stay here in Ho Chi Minh City.”

Celebrating 10 Years in Style- CSLC 2

The Supply Chain Management facility CSLC- 2, of CSS Group began its operations in June 2004, with limited customers and today, has grown to become the preferred partner for major multinationals within the region. Located in JAFZA, one of the largest man made ports in the world, the facility is located close to the main container terminal which is naturally convenient for all parties involved. The current infrastructure of the facility is spread over 25,000 sq.mtrs with 14,000 sq.mtrs of state of the art racked warehousing that has a cargo capacity of 1050 TEUs. In addition, CSS Group is looking to expand this space by an additional 3000 sq.mtrs by the end of this year. The office space is around 300 sq.mtrs with an additional dedicated area of 500 sq.mtrs for value added jobs.
Supply chain management (SCM) is a necessity in today’s business. It is a dynamic issue. It is the focus of key issues such as the global market place for sourcing and sales and with outsourcing. Consolidated Shipping Group, being a front runner in the field of freight forwarding in the Middle East and Indian Sub continent, their customer base and the requirements have to be successfully harmonized with the state-of –the art infrastructure and service qualities. CSLC-2 is a towering example of CSS Group’s commitment towards its clients. The Group understands the importance of its warehousing capacity and therefore has ensured that its infrastructure includes 22 Loading / unloading bays with dock levelers, multi tier heavy duty racking system, latest handling equipments- reach truck and battery operated forklifts, large staging area and space for value added activities and special cargo handling. In addition, the entire warehouse comes under special security surveillance.
For the hi-tech industry, dedicated storage area and special handling equipments are also available. The SCM facility has full-fledged Warehouse Management System, Real Time Transactions, Optimized Stacking & Cargo Removal, automated cargo identification using barcodes, infrared & radio frequency devices. Hareesh M Haridas, Manager, CSLC- 2 states, “Since our inception, innovation has always been the cornerstone of our success. Today, our facility boasts some of the most up to date equipments available in the industry that enables our clients to be assured that their cargo is in safe hands. With the recent EXPO 2020 win, we are looking at further expanding our infrastructure in order to keep up with an industry that will play a vital role for all nations participating at the EXPO.”
CSS Group has always been a leader in innovation and technology. The success of the CSLC-2 is evidence of the vision of the CSS Group management who has always ensured out-of-the-box solutions, customer driven service and up to date technology which is part of their core offering.
Contact Details:
Consolidated Shipping Logistics Centre 2 – SCM
PO Box 18595, Jebel Ali, Dubai, UAE
Tel: +971 4 8873999
Fax: +971 4 8818696
Email: info@fmcglogistics.net

CSS Sponsors India Club UAE Open Badminton Tournament

The 37th edition of the India Club UAE Open Badminton tournament got off to a colourful start with a record 595 participants in the men’s, ladies’, boys’, girls’ and veterans’ categories.

The competition is spread across 26 categories and the event has broken last year’s record of 560 entries in the same number of categories.

The tournament, which has been held every year since 1978, was inaugurated by Anurag Bhusan, Consul General of India to Dubai, Dr Ram Buxani, Chairman of the India Club, trustee board member Sunil Singh and Dr Nilanjan Chattopadhayay, Chairman of the School of Business at Manipal University in Dubai. CSS Group is the co-sponsor for this tournament and is pleased to be associated with India Club over the years for its sporting events.

“The India club badminton tournament is one that is rooted in the tradition of the club, and has become a vital part of the community as a whole. CSS Group is proud to be associated with India Club, which has given so much to the Asian community here in the UAE, since its inception. On behalf of the CSS Group we would like to wish all the players in the tournament the best of luck,” added Amith Horra, Marketing Manager, CSS Group. All matches are being played in the 21-points format in line with the rules and regulations of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).

Each player is restricted to participating in only three events in a bid to create opportunities for more players to make excel. Matches are also being conducted in a separate pool for special needs students from SNF Development Centre and Dubai Autism Centre. There is also a separate pool for blue collar workers. The finals are scheduled for June 20, with cash prizes, trophies and gift hampers worth a total of more than Dh50,000 up for grabs.

Lucky Winner

As part of our continuous commitment to the freight forwarding fraternity, CSS initiated a thank you scheme over 8 years ago, whereby one lucky name out of the scores of business cards that are dropped into the raffle bowls placed at the Delivery Order Counter will be rewarded with a gift.
The winner picked selected and rewarded for the months of July-August 2014 was Meeran from Toll Global Forwarding who walked away with gift vouchers worth AED 200 from Carrefour, presented by Shelly Varkey, Manager- Admin., CSS Dubai.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars


As part of a CSS – CSR initiative, new bags and umbrellas were distributed amongst pre-primary and primary school children at Thrikkunnappuzha, Alleppey Dist. Kerala. Three schools which are running under the Government of Kerala aid were benefitted by this regular CSR programme of school aid distribution by CSS under the guidance of T S Kaladharan, Group Chairman. The schools were Govt. LP School Valiyaparambu, Govt. LP School Thrikkunnappuzha & Govt. LP School Panoor.
New bags and umbrellas brought beaming smiles on more than 600 little faces. The programme commenced with local authority members from the Panchayat wards welcoming the gathering.  All the children, their parents and the school authorities were present for the occasion.  On another occasion the school park and play area which was also donated by T S Kaladharan to Govt. LP school Thrikkunnappuzha was inaugurated the previous day by the Hon. Home minister of Kerala, Ramesh Chennithala. People’s representatives and the school authorities thanked CSS and Kala for this noble activity. G Unnikrishnan, Head-Corporate communications, CSS Group and Hareendran, Manager, Devas Farm house were present on behalf of CSS for the programme.

Chairman’s Message

When reading a particular book leaves a lasting impression, it usually brings inspiration when least expected. One such book, takes its title from an acclaimed English cricketer, born in Bangalore in 1932. Colin Cowdrey’s cover drive which was said to be like, “The Promise of an Endless Summer” evoked the book’s title. Cricket conjures up images of green turf, lazy sunny afternoons and the sound of willow hitting on leather. For many, these are things that dreams are made of. But it is one thing dreaming and another being spurred to do something about a dream.
At the time our Dubai lives were enlivened by the release of the Mollywood movie “1983”, which is based around cricket, my friends and I couldn’t stop thinking about the possibility of playing a team from the movie world. Just imagine such a match, with the KPL Dubai team owners eleven, would be an awesome game of cricket for us all. The stuff dreams are made of! “The Promise of an Endless Summer” drove us into action. Imagine a movie team transforming itself into a real life cricket team. But on the 11th April this dream, which arose from discussing cricket back in March at my Dubai home, became a reality when the cricket match took place. This was an auspiciously memorable occasion which was achieved by acting on ones dreams.
Many dream and, in the light of dawn, forget them and do nothing. Success, is brought about by believing in ourselves and being motivated to make our uplifting dreams a reality. It is such motivation which drives CSS onwards to even greater team awards. Being proactive, in response to our dreams, and having the determination to act is something I have always been resolute in achieving. The recent accolades CSS received from Emirates & Safmarine are obvious examples of such driving spirit showed by all of us. It is time to encourage everyone to join me so we can dream big, act bigger and reap the rewards and acclaim.

A Cricket Treat for the Eyes

KPL Dubai Teaser season 3 turns out to be a brilliant bat and ball game

Nobody expected such a stunning performance, when KPL team owners XI invited the team formed by the cast and crew of the famous Malayalam movie hit 1983 branded by the Concord ventures Group. Both team played professionally at the Sevens ground on the Al Ain road in Dubai. Concord ventures group team 1983 put up a formidable score of 152 as per the T20 standards, when they batted first. Some brilliant shots from actors like Kunchacko Boban and Madan Mohan helped 1983 team to put up a challenging score in front of the experienced KPL team owners XI.

Neeraj Ramamurthy, owner of Wayanad Highlanders, and Shiva Pagarani, owner of Thrissur Dynamites, bagged two wickets apiece, while Farwaz of Kasargod Leopards chipped in with one wicket. The 1983 team scored 152 for the loss of five wickets in their allotted 20 overs. The KPL team made the chase looks easy, thanks to a brilliant opening partnership of 82 between Zamin Jaleel of Kannur Veerans and Biju Nair of Trivandrum Royals. Jaleel hit seven boundaries and scored 40 off 22 deliveries, while Biju scored 35 off 24 balls with five hits to the fence.

Madan sent back both openers as the KPL team lost three wickets in quick succession with the score reading 84 for three. But Qais Farooq of Calicut Zamorins played a crucial knock of 24 while Nashwan S chipped in with a useful 18. Neeraj remained unbeaten on 10 as the owners’ team reached their target in 18.4 overs.

KPL Brand ambassador and super star Suresh Gopi and celebrity guest Narain were also present to cheer up the crowd.

KPL directors Paul T Joseph, T S Kaladharan, CTK Nazir, Thomas C Philip and Ajith Thayyil presented the prizes for the winners after the match.

KPL PRESS CONFERENCE

Prior to the teaser match in Dubai, the KPL Management committee and the 1983 movie crew jointly conducted a press conference both in Cochin & Dubai.

The media packed press meet in Cochin was held at Holiday Inn which was attended by Actors Nivin Pauly, Anoop Menon, and Director Abrid Shine on behalf of Movie 1983 and T.S. Kaladharan (Chairman, CSS Group), Ajit Thayyil (Director, Space Max Contracting LLC), Paul Joseph (Managing Director, AAA Group) and Sridhar (MD, Concord venture Group) on behalf of KPL Dubai. BCCI member and KCA president T C Mathew also attended the function.

In Dubai the press conference conducted at The India Club on the 09th April was attended by Actors Suresh Gopi, Nivin Pauly and Joju George on behalf of Movie 1983 and T.S. Kaladharan (Chairman, CSS Group), Arjun Bose (Director, CSS Abudhabi & Owner, Alleppey Ripples team) Paul Joseph (Managing Director, AAA Group) and Sridhar (MD, Concord venture Group) on behalf of KPL Dubai.

About KPL (Kerala Premier League)

The first of its kind T20 Cricket in UAE – Asian Cricketing with Middle Eastern seasoning! A total of 14 Glorious Teams named with 14 Districts from Kerala. Each team consists of a minimum of 3 players preferable from the respective districts of Kerala in a playing XI and the remaining from local talent with one player under the age of 22 and maximum of 2 overseas players. KPL Dubai is the biggest ASIAN sporting event providing you with the opportunity to be known to and reach, one of the largest communities in the region.

After the super hit Indian Premier League and in consideration of the 4.5 million Asian populations in the UAE – the highest number among all expats, Kerala Premier League Dubai was formed under the guidance and support from the Dubai Cricket Council, and the generous patronage from the sponsors and the cricket loving community in Dubai. KPL successfully completed 2 seasons of cricketing festival in Dubai and is now entering the third season with a bang. A team of successful businessmen with passion for sports supported by experienced professional advisors formed the KPL DUBAI.

The KPL Dubai management expressed their sincere gratitude to the team members of 1983 Movie led by Abride Shine, and consisted of actors like Nivin Pauly, Joju, Gregory, Saiju Kurup and Kalabavan Prajod and the celebrity guests, Kunchacko Boban, Naraine, Martin Prakkat and Sugeeth who were present for the event. A special thanks to DJ Kips and Riyaz for their live performance at the venue.

Special Achievement Award

CSS RECEIVES AWARD FROM EMIRATES SKYCARGO

Emirates SkyCargo presented its top agents with special achievement awards at a dedicated event held in March 2014 at the JW Marriott Marquis in Dubai. These awards recognise the important role of cargo agents and forwarders in contributing to the airline’s success during the year 2013.

“The agents we work with are an integral part of our accomplishments in achieving growth across all of the markets that we operate in. Through the years, we have developed strong relationships with the top agents in the country,” said Nabil Sultan, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President Cargo. “Our discerning customers work with us every step of the way and it is important to commend their hard work, for we rely on their quality service and support around the clock.”

In congratulating the top performing forwarders from across the country, Emirates SkyCargo presented Consolidated Shipping Services L.L.C. an award in recognition of their continued support. Accepting the award on behalf of CSS Group was Arjun Bose, Director, CSS Abu Dhabi and Chandrakala (CK), Manager Operations-Ocean Freight, CSS.

The awards were presented by Nabil Sultan, and Jassim Saif, Emirates’ Vice President Cargo Commercial UAE Sales. The annual agent awards are an important part of the Emirates SkyCargo award calendar and an opportunity to recognize all cargo agents for their tremendous contributions in supporting the on-going success of the award-winning carrier.

ABOUT EMIRATES SKYCARGO:

Since services commenced in 1985, Emirates SkyCargo has built a reputation for leading the industry in innovation, flexibility and service. It has received numerous international awards, including ‘Cargo Airline of the Year 2013’ (Air Cargo Week), ‘Cargo Airline of the Year 2013’, ‘Best Middle East Cargo Airline’ (both Air Cargo News), ‘Best Air Cargo Carrier Middle East’ (AFSCA), ‘Cargo Operator of the Year’ (SCATA) and ‘Air Cargo Excellence Award’ (Air Cargo World). With many more awards from prestigious organizations. Supported by a 213 strong fleet which includes 201 wide-bodied passenger aircraft and 12 freighters, Emirates serves a network of over 140 destinations in 80 countries.

Performance Excellence Award

CSS RECOGNIZED ONCE AGAIN BY SAFMARINE
CSS was recently recognized at the Customer Award Night by Safmarine, at a dinner held at the Murooj Rotana in Dubai, UAE on April 9th 2014. In attendance to receive this award for CSS was Ajay Krishnan, Senior General Manager, Ocean Freight and Raufa Shaikh, Pricing Manager.
“Safmarine’s Customer Awards Night not only provides a platform for commemorating the support of our valuable customers but is truly a celebration of our strong partnership built over the years and our relationship with CSS is testimony to this. Together, we have grown tremendously in the past year and our aspiration is to raise the bar further in 2014. One of the elements that have been crucial to this growth is the coordination between the two entities. At Safmarine, we place immense importance on providing superior accessibility and best-in-class experience to our customers. We believe this has played a pivotal role in strengthening our ties with CSS. We look forward to a continued successful partnership,” commented Seema Nair, Managing Director, Safmarine.
The recognition of this award was for the growth and consistent performance for the fiscal year 2013 and it is the second consecutive year that CSS has been awarded by Safmarine. “On behalf of CSS Group I would like to thank Safmarine for the recognition it has extended to us over the years and this would not have been possible if not for the support the Safmarine team has extended to us since we have started this partnership,” added Ajay Krishnan, Senior General Manager, Ocean Freight, CSS.
Safmarine is an interntaional shipping line offering containerised services with presence in more then 120 countries. Formed in 1946 by South African Industrialist, Safmarine is now widely known as north/south trade and African specialist. Middle East and Africa are their core markets with more than 1200 Safmariners serving customers worldwide.
“Safmarine and CSS partnership was established 3 years ago. Since then CSS has been one of our key business partners in the UAE. It has been a wonderful relationship with CSS and we have gone at great lengths to jointly develop business across global markets. T S Kaladharan has been a driving force and we take this opportunity to thank the Management and staff of CSS for their valuable contribution,” added Sanjeev Saraf, Head of Commercial, UAE, Safmarine.
For further information, please logo onto: www.cssgroupsite.com & www.safmarine.com

GPLN 11th Annual General Meet

CSS GROUP ATTENDS 11TH GPLN ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING IN HUA HIN, THAILAND, MARCH 16-18, 2014



GPLN successfully concluded their 11th Annual General Meeting at the Dusit Thani Hua Hin Hotel. A multitude of GPLN members, sponsors and trade media representatives from around the world had plenty of networking opportunities during intense meetings and social events to maintain and establish new contacts that will greatly benefit their business. The record breaking attendance of over 160 GPLN delegates was the highest in GPLN history. Raj George, Senior Vice President, Projects, Oil & Energy, CSS Group, Narayan RT, General Manager CSS Bahrain and Renjith Pillai, Branch Manager, CSS Abu Dhabi represented CSS Group during the three day GPLN Annual Global Meeting. As one the sponsors for the GPLN Annual General Meeting, CSS Group would like to extend their thanks and gratitude to GPLN for organizing the annual meeting. “It was planned well and informative as we were able to network with members and discuss various trends and market forecasts within the industry,” added Raj George, Senior Vice President, Projects, Oil & Energy, CSS Group.

The GPLN delegates celebrated the annual meeting in style and the gala dinner featured outstanding performances by local Thai artist at the award winning Dusit Thani Hua Hin Hotel.

The annual meeting was coinciding with GPLN’s 10th anniversary and every attending GPLN member office received a free copy of a specially issued commemorative GPLN Photobook with almost 400 pages showing the great moves that the GPLN members arranged in the past for their customers and also GPLN at the various events throughout the year.

CSS Homeward Bound at ARA

CSS HOMEWARD BOUND ATTENDS ASIAN RELOCATION ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE HELD IN BANGKOK, THAILAND

The Asian Relocation Association (ARA) was formed in early 2009, and consists of a close knit like-minded relocating companies within the Asian region. The conference acts as an excellent platform for relocation specialists within the region to network, and discusses recent trends and opportunities within the industry.

“The members of the ARA are very committed when it comes to performing their committee roles, CSS Homeward Bound was able to use this opportunity to build new and strengthen relations between the different partners,” added Suku Sudhakaran, General Manager, CSS Homeward Bound who attended the conference.

The ARA Conference was held from March 7th to 9th, 2014 at the Hilton Millennium Grand Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand and included informative sessions whereby senior members of the association shared their experience and insight into the relocation industry, given their vast experience within the region. CSS Homeward Bound would like to congratulate Boonma on their 50th Anniversary and thank them for making CSS a part of the anniversary celebrations, in addition to V-Pack who hosted a dinner at the conference as well. CSS Homeward Bound would like to extend their gratitude and congratulations to the President Sudeep Shah and his committee for such a well organized event.

Cementing Relationships

FPS ROTTERDAM VISITS CSS DUBAI
Saskia De Jong, Director FPS Rotterdam, visited CSS Dubai earlier this year to meet the entire team as part of their long standing business relationship.
“We would like to thank Saskia for visiting CSS Group here in Dubai as it allows us to strengthen our partnership while showcasing the facilities of CSS Group. The meeting allowed us to share sales leads, thus allowing for a mutually beneficial long term relationship with FPS Rotterdam,” added Siby Kurian, Senior General Manager, Sales & Marketing, CSS Group
During the course of her visit, Saskia De Jong was able to discuss their current levels of cooperation with CSS Group and how they may continue to grow using the expertise of both the organizations, in order to improve volumes and client satisfaction. Commenting on her recent visit to CSS Dubai, Saskia added, “Our focus is on building long-term relationships with our partners all over the world. We believe that these relationships can be best built and maintained through the continued provision of reliable and pro active services offered by FPS and CSS Group.”
For further information, please visit www.cssgroupsite.com & www.fpsrtm.com

Staff Party 2014

CSS GROUP CELEBRATED ITS 19TH ANNIVERSARY STAFF PARTY IN ABU DHABI

CSS Group celebrated its 19th anniversary staff party at The Club in Abu Dhabi on Thursday April 3rd, 2014. The annual party began at 8.30 pm with the employees and their family members arriving at the venue. The party commenced with the opening remarks from the CSS Group Chairman, T.S. Kaladharan. As part of the celebration the employees who had completed 10 years of service, Rejinish Chandra, Indran Jayandan, Sunil Panicker, Suresh Sukumaran, Anoop Peethambaran, were honoured for their valuable service.

After the award ceremony there were special performances by the CSS employees and their family members, which included dance solo’s, solo singing, group singing and dances. To entertain the guests, CSS Group arranged a special appearance by DJ’s & RJ’s from local popular radio station, HIT FM. A combination of musical performances from Riyaz on the guitar and percussions, RJ Nimmy singing, RJ & DJ Kips on the turntables and singer Shamir performed favourite Asian hits much to the crowd’s delight, which had them dancing into the late hours of the night. On behalf of the CSS Group, Chairman and the Senior management thanked the sponsors and overseas guests who participated and contributed to the CSS Annual Staff Party and all valued associates who had sponsored the prizes for the CSS raffle draw.

A special thanks goes out to the CSS Staff Party Committee who helped organize this grand evening for the entire CSS staff, as without their assistance the evening would not have been such a success.

CSS Attended Intermodal 2014 in Brazil

The 20th edition of Intermodal South America which is the 2nd largest event in the world of Logistics, Cargo Transportation and Foreign Trade took place in São Paulo Brazil, Transamérica Expo Center from April 1st to 3rd, 2014.

“Exhibitions such as Intermodal create an excellent platform for logistics companies to showcase their first class products and service offerings to an international audience. Intermodal allows CSS Group to network, nurture and create business relationships with associates from all continents, in one single arena. This allows an open discussion into latest trends and exciting opportunities that are opening up within our fast paced industry,” said Siby Kurian, Senior General Manager Sales & Marketing, who represented CSS Group at the exhibition.

Intermodal displayed over 600 exhibitors from all over the world presenting new products, the latest equipment and technology innovation and a vast conference program, which provided a unique opportunity and experience for more than 50,000 professionals.

MEACL 2014

CSS GROUP EXHIBITS AT THE MIDDLE EAST AIR CARGO AND LOGISTICS EXHIBITION AND CONFERENCE

The Middle East Air Cargo and Logistics Exhibition and Conference 2014 (MEACL 2014) organised by Arabian Reach FZ LLC and hosted by Etihad Cargo was held on 9th and 10th of April 2014 in Abu Dhabi. The Event attracted airlines, airports, freight forwarders and multimodal transport experts to discuss the trends and future opportunities in the logistics industry in the region.

MEACL 2014 was the first of its kind event highlighting the significance of UAE as multimodal logistics hub connecting air, sea and land. The panel discussions held at the event discussed various topics including Middle East Air Cargo and Logistics environment, Cool chain – trends in transport of pharmaceutical and temperature controlled goods, cargo security and opportunities provided by e-freight.

CSS Group exhibited its first class services during the two day exhibition and interacted with numerous trade delegations and trade visitors. Attending the exhibition from CSS Group were Amith Horra, Marketing Manager, CSS, Prakash Shetty, Sr. Sales Executive, CSS Abu Dhabi and Arun Kuriakose, Sales Executive, CSS Abu Dhabi. “Having a presence at the Middle East Air Cargo and Logistics Exhibition and Conference 2014 was crucial as it was the first of its kind in Abu Dhabi. Arabian Reach FZ LLC organized an excellent exhibition and conference and during the two days we were able to network with the shipping and logistics fraternity not only from the UAE, but from the entire MENA region. It was a platform to nurture existing business relationships within the industry while fostering new ones,” added Amith Horra, Marketing Manager CSS.

The first panel on day-one focussed on how transport infrastructure meets the freight forwarders’ need and discussed the possibilities of interlinking regional logistics; the session also highlighted the possibilities provided by the GCC-wide rail network and roadways. The second panel featured Multimodal logistics, and key-trend market characteristics and opportunities for Logistics Service providers in the Middle East. The third panel on Cool Chain logistics discussed distribution of cold chain pharmaceutical products across the Middle East and the challenges of the region with unique country to country GDP regulations. The final panel on ‘e–freight along the global supply chain’ examined the status of e-freight globally and in the Middle East.