President's message:APT 35th anniversary !Message of the President of APTThe Professional Association of Freight Forwarders of Mauritius (APT in French) will be celebrating its 35th anniversary in year 2011. Since its creation in 1976, our association has contributed to the advancement of international trade between Mauritius and not only our traditional economic partners (mainly China, India, France or the United Kingdom) but also, with countries all over the world. As the President of the association for 2010/2011, I will strive to build on the legacy left by the previous executive committees and take up the new challenges that emerge as a result of the never-ending process of amendments brought to existing laws and the introduction of new legislations. The association will also voice out its opinion so as to ensure that such changes have a fair impact on freight forwarders and are not detrimental to our profession. Moreover, with the continued support of our members, the Professional Association of Freight Forwarders of Mauritius (APT in French) will help those already in employment or aspiring to join our industry, to follow training courses and be exposed to the latest knowledge through seminars, for the ultimate objective of achieving still greater professionalism. In addition, we will try to extend the reach of the association beyond our borders and enter into mutually beneficial cooperation with freight forwarders associations of the Indian Ocean region and further. Last but not least, it is rejoicing to note that another major milestone has been achieved with the election of a woman on our executive committee of the Professional Association of Freight Forwarders of Mauritius (APT), a testimony of the growing number of women working in the logistics sector in Mauritius. François Lan The global crisisIn light of the global crisis and the difficult economic situation we are facing, years 2009-2010 will for sure provide us with its load of challenges. In this context, forwarding agents have a crucial role to play with regards to the optimisation of logistic flows. They should get closer to their customers than ever before, be attentive to understand their business patterns and the direction in which they are moving. Freight forwarders ought to innovate and offer tailor-made logistic solutions in order to increase their competitiveness on the market.The objective is not to "reinvent the wheel" but to identify and offer various possible combinations to customers who will choose the best appropriate solution to their specific needs. My aim as President this year, is to pursue the work my predecessors began, in order to make the APT better known and recognized in Mauritius. Our organisation must become the main player in logistics on the island. In order to achieve our goal, we will encourage our members to participate actively in sub-committees, which we will put in place, to analyse and tackle specific problem areas. Furthermore, we will continue to hold our regular meetings with Customs officials with the objective of assisting them in reducing constraints related to the import and export of goods, contributing to reinforce the control of goods entering the country and fighting fraud and corruption. 2009-2010 will also be marked with the launching of the APT Training Centre. Our goal behind this initiative will be to offer high quality training standards adapted to the needs of our members, at reasonable costs. Furthermore, the Cargo Liner Community System, which will come into operation in the near future, will also be an important challenge for Mauritius. The APT, as its principal user, will have a paramount role to play at this level. With the support of the "Managing Committee" and our members, I am confident that we stand out as a strong and committed team and we will successfully achieve our tasks. Julien Audibert Reaping the benefits of economies of scaleThe 46 member companies of the ‘Association Professionnelle des Transitaires de l’île Maurice’ (Professional Freight Forwarders Association of Mauritius) conduct their professional activities with proper regard to the public interest and as President of the association, I will encourage proactive initiatives that contribute to uphold the highest standards in our daily practice.To safeguard the interests of our customers, mainly importers and exporters, we have established direct communication channels with other stakeholders especially shipping lines and the ‘Board of Airlines’ so as to express our views and concerns regarding any decision that might impact on our undertakings. One of the issues that we must constantly keep focus is the applicable freight rates in a highly volatile global environment characterised by increases in the price of fuel and in associated surcharges. Moreover, our web site has become a key interactive communication platform. Not only is the association able to disseminate useful information rapidly to its members but the member companies can also share information on any change in regulations or on any other topic be it in Mauritius or abroad. We invite our members and the public at large to express their suggestions through e-mail to help us continuously upgrade our web site. Finally, I wish that member companies of the association work closely together so as to reap the benefits of economies of scale, for instance in the field of co-loading and look into new avenues of cooperation regionally and internationally. Varen Andee President Welcome!Welcome to the web site of the 'Association of Professional Freight Forwarders' ('Association Professionnelle des Transitaires' in French), the sole representative body of the freight forwarding industry of Mauritius.Our web site has been designed with the primary aim of enhancing communication between the association and its stakeholders but also with the public at large, familiarising them with our broad range of services in the international transportation of goods encompassing the whole supply chain from customs clearing, import and export rules and regulations to warehousing. In addition, through this interactive web site, the 46 member firms of the 'Association of Professional Freight Forwarders' will have the unique opportunity of being kept abreast of the latest developments in the air or sea transportation, customs documentation regulations, freight security issues… in the 'Members Only' section. We also invite the members of 'Association of Professional Freight Forwarders' to actively contribute to the web site by posting news worthy information on their organisation, increasing awareness about their services to potential customers either in Mauritius or abroad. Each freight forwarder belonging to our association has a broad spectrum of competencies that have been critical in helping Mauritian exporters and importers acquire a cutting-edge advantage over competition in the current era of globalisation. Robert Hungley President |