SLFFA to promote logistics excellence

There is much potential to improve the country's overall logistics environment to establish a centre of excellence in logistics in South Asia, a Sri Lanka Logistics and Freight Forwarders' Association (SLFFA) official said.

Referring to the Colombo International Maritime Conference (CIMC), Mrs. Tania Polonnowita Wettimuny, the first female to head the Association, said that a maritime hub needs the professional services of freight forwarders and logistics companies to service the demands of clients.

Sri Lanka has a mature industry, but its members need to go beyond the local market and develop as global partners with joint ventures and create large scale companies to add value to the local economy. "We should play a greater role in the maritime economy of Sri Lanka," she said. The SLFFA will encourage its members to improve the service levels, standards and HR capacities to service the demands of the trade. The Association has set a target to develop greater excellence, beyond freight forwarding and to facilitate its members to be full-scale logistics providers. The organisation sees Sri Lanka's potential to be a transportation hub, particularly in South Asia, to cater to the demands in Asia and other developing regions of the world.

The SLFFA joined the CIMC with a focused session on logistics, supply chain management and making Sri Lanka a hub for regional trade.

Chairman, organizing committee, CIMC, Rohan Masakaorala said that the role of logistics is becoming an important competitive tool for countries that wish to be globally competitive in trade.

"The element of logistics is a key component in today's supply chain. We see new enthusiasm in the logistics trade to move towards greater heights and we believe that the SLFFA joining CIMC is another achievement which will take Sri Lanka's aspirations forward and promote the country as a global destination and a hub in South Asia," he said.

Global Shippers' Forum

The Global Shippers' Forum (GSF) representing global shippers was incorporated and registered as a non-governmental organisation in the United Kingdom in June 2011. It's the world's leading trade association for shippers engaged in international trade moving goods by all modes of transport, it is the first time that GSF presented itself in a conference in South Asia.

The GSF was created in 2006 as the successor to the informal Tripartite Shippers' Group (TSG), first organised in 1994. GSF was incoporated to establish formal recognition, consultation status and accreditation with the major UN agencies such as the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the World Customs Organisation.

The GSF represents shippers' interests and that of their organisations in Asia, Europe, North and South America and Africa. The main focus of the GSF is to influence commercial developments in the international freight transport industry and the policy decisions of governments and international organisations as they affect shippers and receivers of freight.