July 2017 IIFA Newsletter

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July 2017

Irish International Freight Association

In this Issue...

Limits of Liability (Cargo Claims)

Agus focail scoir

Interflow Logistics recognised with top Award at

IELA, the Int. Exhibition Logistics Association, Annual Congress

IIFA Full Trading Member Interflow Logistics were voted the number one Export Agent by a distinguished field of its global peers at the IELA - the Int. Exhibition Logistics Association annual congress in Prague.

Interflow Managing Director Niall Thompson was euphoric at the honour, and admitted that even after a few days he was still in disbelief that Interflow had emerged at the top of an esteemed field of exhibition Freight Forwarding companies in contention for the title.

"I'm very proud of the Interflow team. We were up against some of the biggest players in the business, and it is to my astonishment that we won this great honour," Niall said. "This is a huge stamp of approval for Interflow Logistics as we continue to grow our business and put our name in front of the world's top event organisers, associations, venue owners and international exhibitors," he added.

The 32nd IELA Congress (and 6th IELA Partnering Event) in Prague was the largest showcase and networking event for the international exhibition logistics sector in the history of the organisation.

This is the second year that Interflow Logistics has been given an IELA-associated seal of approval. Last year, the company had the honour of hosting and coordinating the IELA Congress in Dublin for the first time ever.

Interflow have expressed that through hosting that 2016 event, it truly marked its arrival amongst the top Freight Forwarding companies in the world-the big names in International Freight Transport who handle the trade show services, logistics and transport for world's most prestigious exhibitions. The latest IELA honour has been the highlight of a year so far for a relatively young company that has steadily pursued its goal of becoming a world-leading exhibition Freight-Forwarding agent, handling the international Freight Logistics for a succession of blue riband trade shows and exhibitions, either as Official Provider or an Affiliate partner.

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Formal Application for

2017 - 2018 IIFA FIATA Diploma course is now open

IIFA Members were this month notified that enrolment for the 10th year of the IIFA FIATA Diploma in Freight Forwarding is now open.

This course will formally commence on Wednesday 30th August 2017 when an Introduction Evening will take place whereby participants will have the opportunity to meet their course colleagues and the IIFA Course instructors for the 2017 - 2018 class group.

Details of the 2017 - 2018 Course:

Start Date: Wednesday 30th August 2017

Time: 18:00 - 20:00

Location: The Spencer Hotel, Dublin

Price: €1,950.00

(a sliding scale does apply for Member firms of IIFA entering more than one applicant)

IIFA's training material is updated annually to ensure that the content is timely and relevant. Earlier this year, IIFA presented its course material to FIATA's Advisory Body Vocational Training and were successful with the second re-validation of the Irish programme. The 2016 - 2017 class group sat their Final Exam on 27th July 2017 and 33 Participants from that class group will be presented with their FIATA Diploma certificate in September 2017.

A more detailed overview of the modules/ subjects is available from the IIFA Office for any who missed the original e-mail - please contact [email protected] for further information.

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Toga Freight Services offer direct link to Spain

IIFA Full Trading Members Toga Freight Services, headquartered in Dublin 12, have linked up with major logistics group, Euro Cargo Express Group (ECX), which is headquartered outside Alicante in Southern Spain. Toga Freight is now the sole agent and partner for ECX for the island of Ireland.

The connection between Alicante and Dublin has begun, and involves ECX Group handling collections for Toga Freight's Irish clients from the Valencia, Castellon, Barcelona, Alicante and Murcia regions of Spain, consolidating the goods in the main distribution hub in Alicante, before the trucks depart on Friday bound for Toga's Distribution Centres in Dublin and in London. The service, which is Driver accompanied and designed to be secure and fast, allows goods to reach the Irish Clients as quickly as is possible by road with double manned Trucks driving non-stop through the night to reach the Ferry Ports in Northern France in time for the Sunday sailings to Ireland and the UK.

A trailer is typically loaded with a mix of tiles, marble, footwear, jars of food, toys and fashion goods.

In addition, Toga Freight will be handling the distribution needs in Ireland for ECX's extensive Client base, which is focused on fashion, footwear, toys and general retail and industrial cargo. On arrival in Dublin, the trailers are unloaded and the hundreds of consignments on board are sorted for immediate delivery by the Toga Freight Dublin fleet and by Toga's network of 12 Irish Partners.

Speaking about this valuable new addition to the Toga Freight Partner Network in Europe, Managing Director, Martin Gately said: "We are delighted to have formed an alliance with such a respected logistics operator as Euro Cargo Express. Their work ethics and efficiencies very much compare to ours and we both strive to keep customers happy to give repeat bookings. We have long relationships with all our partners and are looking forward to the relationship with ECX being a permanent and mutually rewarding one".

Speaking about the added services, Transport Manager, Darragh Toner commented: "This alliance will now allow us to offer first class and direct services from Spain that will mirror what we offer from so many countries. A typical week will see us receive over 100 driver accompanied trailers at our depot here in Dublin 12 for distribution, from the UK, Holland, Germany, Switzerland and France, so to be able to offer the same services to our clients from Spain is a major benefit to us and our valued customers."

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FIATA Events in Germany and Kula Lumpur

FIATA will host two events later this year.

"Inland Hubs: Key Towards Rail Freight Corridor Development"

Duisburg, Germany

FIATA Market Place Seminar September 2017

This Market Place seminar will take place acrossThursday 14th and Friday 15th September 2017 and aims to create opportunities for increased cooperation and business development within the rail sector by offering a common platform for railway undertakings, freight forwarders and customers.

Some of the topics that will be addressed are as follows:

Transcontinental corridors myth or reality for business development?

Connecting land-locked regions

Accessibility of Freight Corridors

Paperless, on-line and real time

The programme will feature recognised speakers from Shippers, Freight Forwarders and Terminal Operators. The seminar's two half-day sessions will be linked together by a dinner which will allow Delegates and other Guests to network together.

Further details on the Speakers can be accessed via:

http://www.marketplaceseminar.org/Programme-35.html

Those IIFA Members interested in attending this event can register via a website for the seminar:

www.marketplaceseminar.org

The seminar fee is €290.00 and includes the full seminar programme, dinner on 14th September 2017 and a technical visit at the port of Duisburg on the same day.

2017 FIATA World Congress

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Following the successful Dublin event in October 2016, the 2017 FWC will take place across 4th - 8th October in Kuala Lumpur.

The Congress will feature a global selection of leading Speakers, tackling key issues impacting the Freight Forwarding and Supply Chain industry. In addition to its formal networking sessions, the cultural social program will add significant opportunities for Delegates to create new contacts and seek new business opportunities.

An information brochure about the Congress can be found at the below link:

http://fiata2017.org/pdf/FWC2017-info-kit.pdf

The 2017 FWC website is available via:

http://fiata2017.org/

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WTO, IMF, World Bank urged G-20 leaders to act on trade

On 6th July 2017, the leaders of the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank urged G-20 leaders to reinvigorate trade by reducing trade barriers and curbing trade-distorting subsidies while simultaneously seeking better policies to support workers who have lost their jobs.

In a statement released ahead of the G-20 leaders' summit in Hamburg, WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde and World Bank President Jim Yong Kim stressed that the economic wellbeing of billions of people depends on trade and that deeper trade integration coupled with supportive domestic policies can help boost incomes and accelerate global growth.

Evidence shows that opening of economies to trade, especially in the late 20th century, boosted incomes and living standards across advanced and developing countries. Since the early 2000's, however, the pace of opening has largely stalled, with too many existing trade barriers and other policies that favour chosen domestic industries over the broader economy remaining in place, and new barriers being created. Such policies can cause a chain reaction, as other countries adopt similar measures with the effect of lowering overall growth, reducing output, and harming workers.

Reinvigorating trade, packaged with domestic policies to share gains from trade widely, needs to be a key priority. One part of this is to remove trade barriers and reduce subsidies and other measures that distort trade. Stepping up trade reform is essential to reinvigorate productivity and income growth, both in advanced and in developing countries.

But these reforms also require thinking in advance and during implementation about those workers and communities that are being negatively affected by structural economic changes. Even though job losses in certain sectors or regions have resulted to a larger extent from technology than from trade, thinking in advance about the policy package that shares trade gains widely is critical for the success of trade reforms. Without the right supporting polices, adjustment to structural changes can bring a human and economic downside that is often concentrated, sometimes harsh, and has too often become prolonged.

This is why governments must find better ways of supporting workers. Each country needs to find its own mix of policies that is right for their circumstances. Approaches such as a greater emphasis on job search assistance, retraining, and vocational training can help those negatively affected by technology or trade to change jobs and industries. Unemployment insurance and other social safety nets give workers the chance to retool.

Education systems may also be important to prepare workers for the changing demands of modern labour markets; that requires a commitment to life-long learning, from early childhood education, to workplace training, to online courses for seniors, just to name a few. In addition, housing, credit, and infrastructure policies could be designed so as to ease worker mobility.

Recent analysis by the IMF, World Bank, and WTO shows that, when it comes to trade, we do not need to choose between inclusiveness and economic growth. Now is the time to press ahead with trade reforms that can deliver greater prosperity for all.

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BIFA Names New National Chairman

Mark Bromley has succeeded Fred Osborn as the elected National Chairman of BIFA - the British International Freight Association - for a two-year period.

Osborn becomes Immediate Vice-Chairman for a two-year term. Alongside him is John Stubbings, Group Director and Company Secretary of the Woodland group who was elected Vice-Chairman by the board.

Sir Peter Bottomley, MP, remains as BIFA president.

Bromley has been associated with BIFA for many years, working for BIFA Member Allways International Freight Forwarding. He was previously Chairman of BIFA's Surface Policy Group.

BIFA Director General Robert Keen comments: "In welcoming Mark and John into their new positions, I wish to express my appreciation for the contribution made by Fred Osborn over the past few years and pleasure that Sir Peter has agreed to continue in office."

"You can see where Mark's expertise in freight forwarding is, since he represents BIFA at CLECAT as Chairman of the Road Institute, as well as attending meetings of the FIATA Working Group Road. Mark's expertise alongside John's wide ranging experience in helping to run a successful freight forwarding company will ensure that BIFA and its members will benefit greatly from these new appointments."

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C.H. Robinson announces new Ireland - USA LCL Service

IIFA Full Trading Members CH Robinson have announced a new weekly consolidation service linking Ireland to the USA.

Through use of their Container Freight Station in New York, CH Robinson can utilize their network and position as a market leader on domestic trucking to cover the entirety of the USA.

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Graduates receive their Diplomas in the

Second Year

of the FIATA Diploma in Freight Forwarding Program in Turkey

Organized by UTIKAD (Association of International Forwarding and Logistics Service Providers, Turkey) and in cooperation with Istanbul Technical University Continuing Education Center (ITUSEM), 19 Graduates received their FIATA Diplomas in Freight Forwarding, FIATA Air Cargo Certificates, ITU Certificates of Expertise in Logistics and UTIKAD Certificates of Participation in the graduation ceremony held on July 11th, 2017 at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Istanbul.

UTIKAD President Mr. Emre Eldener noted that the honor and happiness of bringing the logistics industry together through an international training is experienced by UTIKAD. Highlighting the importance of education, Mr Eldener said, "I present my heartfelt congratulations to our graduates who made a great effort. Completing this demanding, 36-week, 296-hour challenging training is highly commendable. This prestigious training is probably the best logistics training that money can buy in Turkey. FIATA Diploma in Freight Forwarding can be seen as a master's degree program due to its content of practical information of our industry alongside the theoretical knowledge. Besides, the participants who have at least two years of work experience have joined the program for the purpose of transforming their current knowledge into world standards."

Holding the floor after Mr. Kosta Sandalci, UTIKAD Vice President, FIATA Extended Board Member and FIATA Region Europe Chairperson Mr. Turgut Erkeskin emphasized the importance of FIATA Diploma in Freight Forwarding and said "The fact that professional logisticians attach importance to training pleases us highly. We are of the opinion that this valuable training program is going to contribute to the careers of each of the participants to a great extent. On the other hand, we have an important expectation from our graduates. We expect that they make use of the training and experience they have received in adding new values to the industry. Our greatest wish is that they contribute to the creation and development of logistics culture in Turkey.

UTIKAD Board President and Members, Honorary Member of FIATA Mr. Kosta Sandalci and UTIKAD General Manager Mr. Cavit Ugur has presented the graduates their Diplomas. Mehmet Yavuz Kankavi, one of the Graduates of the program, expressed that he has been in the industry for many years and waited to receive this training for a long time. Indicating that FIATA Diploma in Freight Forwarding opens new horizons not only for the young colleagues but also for the experienced personnel in the industry, and expressed gratitude to UTIKAD for making this program possible in Turkey.

The celebration concluded with the cocktail party after the ceremony.

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Timocom Implements its new Application

- TC Transport Order

Handle orders digitally on the TimoCom transport platform

IT service provider, and IIFA Affiliate Member, TimoCom has enhanced its transport platform with a new another application. With TC Transport Order more than 120,000 TimoCom users handle their transport orders centrally on the platform and optimise their daily business process with digital operations.

TC Transport Ordermakes it possible for users to digitally carry out their operations directly within the transport platform.

Thus, transport negotiations are closed centrally in one place and that is where freight and vehicle space have met. "The new application consists of Order handling and Quote requests. It combines helpful features for both business partners making TC Transport Order ® the perfect application to cover specific requirements", explains Daniel Crosina, TimoCom Product Manager.

Digital quote requests

Companies needing vehicle capacity can send a transport quote request to various business partners simultaneously via TC Transport Order ® . This way, they receive relevant price information enabling them to compare and choose who should carry out the final transport order. The users who assign the freight have access to already created templates for recurring transport orders. The potential service providers submit their quote and increase the chance of additional business. All operations are available to consult at all time by both business partners, as they are documented centrally.

Central order handling

In Order handling, companies needing transportation can quickly and easily give out their transport orders digitally to their business partners. Orders can be personalised with the company logo, footer and documents and can be created by using templates for recurring transport orders.

The company that receives the order can then accept the received order, cancel it after it has been accepted or decline it. Upon agreement of both business partners, a binding contract document is attached to the transport order. All parties involved can then follow the order operations and their status centrally at all time.

The more than 38,500 TimoCom customers have yet another reason to rejoice, because they can test the new application for free until the end of August and convince themselves of the many advantages and new possibilities.

Find more information on TimoCom at https://www.timocom.co.uk/Transport-orders

The above article was sent in by Maria Toft Madsen

of IIFA Affiliate Member TimoCom Soft- und Hardware GmbH.

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In response to demand on the route from Rotterdam (Europoort) to Harwich, Stena Line is to increase capacity by changing to larger ships

The current RoRo ships the Capucine and Severine operating twice daily from Europoort in the Netherlands and Harwich in the UK will be replaced by larger ships, the RoRo ships MV Misida and MV Misana, when their present charter contracts expire in January 2018. The overall freight capacity of the route will hereby increase by some 20%.

The change coincides with the expected completion of a second berth in Europoort, part of a significant investment program in the port to ensure it develops into a strong multipurpose freight transport hub. The capacity expansion is also linked to Europoort developing as an important rail freight connection point to and from the UK.

Annika Hult, Trade Director at Stena Line North Sea says: "I am very pleased to announce that we will now take the next step in the strategic development of our Rotterdam (Europoort) - Harwich route. We have seen a strong growth in the transport market to the UK over the past several years and we are currently trading at very high utilization on this route. This has been further fuelled by freight volumes arriving to Europoort by train. The current rail connections between Poznan, Poland and Europoort, which changed ownership earlier this year, are running very well. We believe that this combination of rail and RoRo transportation will only increase in the future."

"We have seen a strong growth in the transport market to the UK over the past several years and we intend to maintain our strong position on the Continent - UK market. Europoort continues to develop as a key freight hub for Stena Line and we are confident our customers will react positively to our further expansion.

The new vessels will be chartered on a time-charter contract and will consequently be fully manned. Unfortunately this will impact our onboard staff. As a company we want to avoid as many redundancies from happening as reasonably possible and we will be looking at all available options including redeployment to other vessels within Stena Line ", she continued.

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With an increase in throughput of 3.9%, the port of Rotterdam can look back a good first half year. There was growth in eight of the ten market segments. The only falls were in the volumes of mineral oil products and other liquid bulk. In particular, the volume of containers handled (9.3% in TEU, 10.4% in tonnes) was the determining factor for the overall growth in throughput. Dry bulk increased (5.2%), liquid bulk decreased slightly (-1.0%) and break bulk was very much on the rise (10.8%). A total of 238.0 million tonnes of goods were handled in the first half of the year. The market share of Rotterdam by comparison with the other ports in the Hamburg-Le Havre range increased from 29.0% (Q1 2016) to 30.9% (Q1 2017) in the container sector.

Several companies announced major investments this half year, indicating business confidence in the Rotterdam port and industrial complex. Those investments consolidate the importance of the complex for the Dutch economy.

Sea port dues decreased by 0.4% (€0.6 million) to €146.0 million, while throughput increased by 3.9% because of a fall in some market segments of the average price per tonne due to the prevailing price structure. Income from contracts rose by 1.3% (€2.2 million) to €173.8 million. 'Other operating income' increased as a result of an accounting change and so revenue as a whole went up by €8.3 million to €342.3 million. To meet the corporation tax requirement effective 1-1-2017, 25% (€31.4 million) of the result has been earmarked, and profit after taxation is therefore €97.8 million. This is comparable with the result over the same period last year, when the interest rate swap was partially bought off for €32.0 million. The result is in line with expectations.

Ports in neighbouring countries receive considerably more support on a structural basis from their national governments than their Dutch counterparts. For example, there are now plans in Germany to halve the tariffs for rail transport, Dutch ports are the only ports that the European Commissioner requires to pay corporation tax, and the European limit for state aid has been raised to €150 million. In view of the importance of the port of Rotterdam and the challenges facing the port and industrial complex, support is needed that is comparable to neighbouring countries.

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