Dear Readers,
Thursday 18th January has arrived and I am writing to you from the airplane (sitting in Y-Class) between Perth, Western Australia, and Hong Kong. I am reminded again how far away Australia is and how big the state of WA really is, let alone the continent of Australia.
As part of a business trip that involved Hong Kong for a few days, Perth/Fremantle for a day and then Kota Kinabalu, East Malaysia for four days, I will only be back in the Stockholm snowstorm early next week.
In Hong Kong, I met with an accountant friend who I have known since 1986. He told me that the world seems to be reacting on a much higher and coordinated level now against tax fraud & profit shifting.
This link http://www.oecd.org/tax/beps/ could be interesting for many to look into, especially for companies that do business across borders and that shift profits between countries. Hopefully, the main targets will be the big fish rather than little fish, otherwise, it won’t matter much in the grand scheme of things.
Hong Kong was nice as usual, this time with clear skies which you can see in this week’s featured video and photo.
In this issue, we have interviews with a project freight forwarder based in Shanghai and another based in Livorno, Italy. I think you will find the interviews and their background interesting.
The global world is indeed here and although what you know is important for your business it is becoming almost paramount to understand more about who you know rather than what. So networking, on many levels, is the key to success. Maintaining one’s network, both on a personal and business level is of overriding importance.
Wishing you a good read and until next time, I remain,
Yours sincerely,
Bo H. Drewsen
bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
New Chain Logistics – Shanghai, China
Interview with
Mr. Henry Hu
General Manager
For normal cargo, what are your main markets? For project cargo, have you specialized yourselves in a specific market or do you move projects everywhere?
For normal cargo, our main market is transpacific and India. For projects, we mainly service power stations and cement plants in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia and India.
Titan Project & Logistic Srl – Livorno, Italy
Interview with
Mr. Federico Bartoli
CEO
Tell us a bit about the main projects you have handled recently.
I’m currently handling big names, one shipment from Venice destined for Kuwait, around 1500 cbm. Another project coming soon consists of 1950 cbm to Sohar. I also have an incoming project from Ghana to Venice consisting of 2 x 100 metric tons.
Editor’s Note
The Latest from the Marine Insurance World
The company Skuld has an interesting update. You may find their circular useful. Being insured is, regrettably, a necessity in almost all that we do these days so that we avoid falling between two chairs. Read more…
News from the World
It is heartwarming to see that there is more and more active movement against corruption in many countries. Singapore, once thought of as safe from the scourge of corruption has recently found itself embroiled in a scandal involving dealings with Brazil, as reported in The Straits Times Singapore.
Shipowners and freight forwarders are also pulled into corrupt practices from time to time and the only way forward is to simply say no! Read more…
Maersk, IBM to Launch Blockchain-Based Platform for Global Trade
The world’s largest container shipping firm A.P. Moller-Maersk is teaming up with IBM to create an industry-wide trading platform it says can speed up trade and save billions of dollars.
Automotive
Mitsubishi Motors to Build Second Plant in Vietnam
Mitsubishi Motors is looking for a location to set up its second factory in the country. The plant costs approximately 250 million USD, with a manufacturing capacity estimated to reach 30,000 – 50,000 cars on an annual basis. Read more…
Plants & Processing
Amthor International Expands Operations in Gretna, Virginia
The company will build a new 115,000-square-foot plant to accommodate increased demand for fabricated tanker trucks and will designate the new Gretna facility as its official corporate headquarters. The company will retain 110 existing jobs and create 70 new jobs over three years with a total of 90 new jobs over five years in Pittsylvania County. Read more…
Global Equipment Specialist, SAF-Holland, Received a Milestone order from Chinese Transportation Business and Trailer Manufacturer, Changjiu
The delivery agreement covers a period of five years with delivery of the first systems already underway. Sales of around €15 million are expected in 2018 under this agreement. SAF-Holland said it is expanding its production capacity in China to realize the region’s strong expected organic growth in the years ahead, particularly for modern trailer axle and suspension systems. Read more…
An OOCL Container Vessel Passing Under the Tsing Ma Bridge in Hong Kong
