Asean awards recognise vital transport, logistics role

First winners: At the first Asean Transport and Logistics Awards 2015 are (from left) Bee Logistics Corp sales and marketing vice-president Victor Tran Dang Nam winning in the Best Forwarder Freight air category, EFR-GLink Express Services Ltd chairman Kyaw Lwin Oo winning in the air, sea and land categories, Centre for Asean Logistics Studies chairman Datuk Wira Jalilah Baba, Transport Ministry deputy secretary-general Chua Kok Ching and PKT Logistics Group Sdn Bhd group chief executive and MD Datuk Michael Tio, winning in the sea category. See page 2

PETALING JAYA: The vital role of transport and logistics in spurring economic growth is recognised with the Asean Transport and Logistics Awards (Atlas) 2015.

Atlas brought together heavyweights in the freight forwarder industry to foster interconnectivity while saluting major players in the Asean region.

It was a potent strategy launched by the Centre of Asean Logisitcs Studies (CALS) and Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai in the advent of the Asean Economic Community (AEC) by Dec 31 of this year.

“Logistics provides the backbone in the supply chain, and is recognised as key to spur trade, facilitate business efficiencies and economic growth while strengthening our competitiveness.

“Given our strategic location, steady economic growth, good regional linkages and strong transport infrastructure, we are able to position ourselves as an ideal regional logistics gateway,” he said while launching the Asean Transport and Logistics Show earlier in the day.

The Asean-centric event on Sept 2 saw a tripartite celebration involving the award ceremony, three-day logistics exhibition, and Miss South East Asia Tourism Ambassadress 2015.

Playing out as a platform for the Asean logistics companies to examine the impact of the AEC, discuss future growth while also facilitating budding alliances.

Atlas winners are homegrown transport and logistics companies specialising in air, land or sea.

PKT Logistics Group Sdn Bhd group chief executive and managing director Datuk Michael Tio bagged the award for Malaysia’s Best Freight Forwarder for the sea category.

“It’s about time for us in the Asean region to get to know who is the best in every country and their respective areas as all these countries must be connected to each other.

“We cannot be the best in their area because for example language barriers and their know-how of the country, but to work with them would be a strategical move,” he said.

Tio said the companies had discussed setting up a network among themselves.

“Hopefully we all become part of the Asean Logistics Alliance by next year, a grouping of all the top players in Asean,” he said.

Landing an award for all three Best Freight Forwarder categories for Myanmar was EFR-GLink Express Services Ltd chairman Kyaw Lwin Oo, who founded the logistics company ground in 1996 with a meagre US$200.

“We are growing gradually with 28 companies in Myanmar with 1,000 employees.

“EFR is now a group of companies comprising logistics, trading, manufacturing, plantation as well as hotel and tourism.

“But our key business is still in the logistics sector and our group now controls 35% of Myanmar’s transport market share.

“We are already strong in the international market, so this year we are focusing on the local market. These awards are like a motivation for us to enhance ourselves in the future,” he said.