Mr. Jan-Hein Dissel
Vice President Global
Tell us a bit about the history of ISS-Palumbo to the naked eye the name looks like 2 companies that have been joining into one? Who are the actual owners of your company today?
The Palumbo Group was founded in Italy in 1974 by its current Chairman Mr. Andrea Palumbo. Since then, Palumbo has grown rapidly and increased its market presence around the globe, ranking among the top five project and logistics service providers within the Italian oil and gas energy sector.
Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS) and Palumbo formed a joint venture in October 2012 establishing ISS Palumbo Srl, to provide a combination of marine agency, project logistics, and project freight forwarding solutions to customers globally.
Where are your offices located around the world and is Rotterdam your head office?
ISS Palumbo’s head office is located in Livorno, Italy. Other Italian offices are situated in Genoa, Milan, and Rome. Globally, we have our own offices in Rotterdam (NL), Newcastle (UK), Dubai (UAE), Houston (US), Capetown (SA), Baku (AZ), Istanbul (Turkey), and Cairo (Egypt). Our teams with experienced, knowledgeable and motivated people, with a 24/7 attitude, are capable of handling all aspects of project freight forwarding and are always looking for the best possible solutions to our customers’ challenges.
I understand that you are strong in the oil/gas sector, but the as the prices go up and down can you elaborate on whether you can also provide other kinds of logistics services to customers outside of oil & gas?
Although ISS Palumbo’s main focus is on customers operating in the Oil & Gas sector, we do provide a full range of services to customers in other sectors as well, such as automotive, renewable energy, engineering and various industrial sectors. The majority of our customers work in the Oil & Gas and Energy sectors globally, with projects and consequently transportation requirements fluctuating with market conditions. We constantly try to adapt to these fluctuations and changing market environments, which keeps ISS Palumbo competitive on cost as well as pro-active towards our client’s needs.
Could you provide us with some examples (pictures and description) of projects that you have handled recently?
Within this interview, you will see some examples, for more you can visit www.iss-palumbo.com or our LinkedIn page at ISS Palumbo SRL.
Could you tell us whether you generally work with customers (shippers) direct, or do you also provide services to other freight forwarders?
ISS Palumbo generally works for the shippers that control the cargo/shipments, but of course, we also work with other freight forwarders across the globe. Through years of experience, we have built up strong relations with other forwarders in many countries, regions or for specific projects or shipments that will reach out to us and visa versa.
Are you currently part of any freight forwarding networks and/or associations and if so why do you think it is important to be part of such?
We have a number of local associations where involvement and contributions are important for the country and our office. From a global perspective, we don’t have any network memberships or associations, other than our recent association and membership with CLC Projects Network through our Netherlands office in Rotterdam.
How do you view the oil/gas sector in the coming year that has just about started? Do you feel that business is picking up?
We have seen an uptick in business since the second half of last year. Our customers have more cargo to move, and the time of shipment is nowadays within weeks, rather than months as it was during 2016. This is proof of the fact that investments in new projects and/or maintenance projects are being signed off, and that our customers are able to secure mid to longer terms contracts again.
We foresee market growth, although marginal in 2018 and 2019, and that investors’ confidence in the O&G and Energy sector will continue to strengthen. Oil prices are likely to remain in the $60-$70 range for this year, but time will tell. There’s still pressure on operating cost in general, and with regards to transportation budgets, this is no different. Adapting to this environment with continuous pressure on margins is something every business needs to do, to continue to be competitive as well as ensuring high standards of quality and service. It comes down to having the right people on your team. And as ISS Palumbo, we believe we have!
Now in order to provide services to the oil/gas industry, you need to have a lot of accreditations and you need to work according to certain tough standards – tell our readers a bit about the hard (some would say excessive) demands that the O&G companies place on their vendors.
Working for customers in the Oil & Gas Industry has its price. ISS Palumbo must operate at the highest quality standards and has therefore been properly certified since 1997. This is mainly due to our understanding of customer’s requirements and implementation of Global Health, Safety, Security and Environmental programmes together with the adoption of global ethical and behavioral codes. We have an integrated quality management system certified according to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 standards, and we are also members of the following associations: TRACE, FPAL, FIATA, IATA, BIFA.
Describe if you will what “integrated logistics” means to ISS-Palumbo?
ISS Palumbo has acted as a logistics provider for several prestigious industrial businesses for over 20 years, such as Bialetti, Ansaldobreda/Hiyachi, ENI/Agip, ExxonMobil to name a few. Our integrated logistics solution (3PL/4PL) assures the efficiency and effectiveness of each step of the logistic supply chain. Our customers are provided with a plan and standard operating procedure that is specifically tailored to their individual needs and closely monitored through our specially designed IT-platform, enabling us to provide them with the best service possible.
How to get in touch with your group if you are a aa/ potential shipper or customer wanting to move some project cargo or bb/ shipowner needing an agent in port?
All kinds of inquiries for ISS Palumbo are best routed to myself and David den Broeder for further internal distribution to the relevant country, office or specific department for the quickest response to any inquiry or information request. We will ensure a professional and timely response at all times.
Contact details:
Jan-Hein Dissel
Vice President Global
Jan-Hein.Dissel@iss-palumbo.com
David den Broeder
Managing Director
david.denbroeder@iss-palumbo.com
ISS Palumbo Netherlands
http://www.iss-palumbo.com/
