We just concluded our 15th Global Network meeting on Amelia Island in Florida. Many of the participants have regarded this as one of, if not the best, conferences to date. Not only was the venue in a splendid hotel with wonderful ocean view rooms and spectacular food, but the content of the meetings proved highly valuable. It seems everyone went home with a sense of accomplishment and great expectations for the future.
Our organization has been growing successfully, and we expect this to continue even through difficult times. 2017 could be such a year with the uncertain political events; however, the first quarter looks promising.
Rather than write a long editorial for March, I encourage you to read my notes from the network meeting below.
Have a great month of April and a happy Easter time.
Happy Birthday to our grandson Kai who is turning a year old on March 31!
Best regards,
Jo Frigger
Chairman
Jo Frigger's Annual Meeting Speech - 2017
This Island, the southernmost of the so-called Sea Islands, has had a very interesting history and has flown the flag of many nations over the centuries. The island was named for Princess Amelia, daughter of King George II of Great Britain, and changed hands between colonial powers a number of times. This setting, in conjunction with the purpose of our gathering, reminds me of a quote from John Donne, the early 17th century English poet who wrote (in a somewhat less politically correct time) that “no man is an island”, meaning that we do not thrive when isolated from each other.
I believe this concept, the notion that we are all connected and dependent on each other, to be of fundamental importance. This idea not only applies to the members gathered here today, but also to the interdependency of the nations of the world. The fact that isolationist tendencies appear to be gaining traction in many areas around the world is definitely of concern, especially for us and our industry. Our very existence depends on a robust market of global trade along with the movement of goods and services across international borders with minimal economic and regulatory barriers. Simply put, the stronger the global market place, the better off we are.
The quote “no man (or woman) is an island” also applies to our group in another way because in order for us to succeed we require close collaboration and open dialogue with each other; our success is directly related to how we perform together. Our advantage lies in our flexibility and quick decision making ability. This enables us to rapidly adapt and transform with ever changing market conditions, something that is only achievable through close and constant global network cooperation.
The United States is still, without a doubt, our strongest segment of the global marketplace within the group, and while there may be changes to import and export ratios, these changes will come gradually. American industry will need the overseas know-how of high-tech development in the machinery and automotive sectors for quite some time to come, and the American consumer will still be inclined to purchase less expensive consumer goods manufactured overseas. Considering recent political developments, both here in the U.S. and elsewhere, it does appear that target markets will eventually begin to shift.
I suspect that trade among other regions like Asia, Europe, Latin America, and Australasia will increase as business with the U.S. may somewhat decline; however, we are well positioned in those other countries. That being said, we have to make sure that our sales efforts are focused on and within these countries and that we pay close attention to those shift changes, which are looming on the horizon.
Tight financial control and preserving a strong cash position will be key to the health of the whole group. We have to maintain our debt free position. As a privately held company, there is no shareholder pressure for quick expansion nor need for inflated revenue numbers. A good revenue-to-profit ratio (with an industry average of 3% to 6%), achieved through organic growth, will satisfy our investment needs. We have to spend money for IT development, operations, and communications systems. We have to expand training programs for new apprentices and further educate our people in customer service matters, including regulatory compliance and vigorous, well-structured sales activities. We are privileged to have some of the finest people in this industry working with us, and it is simply prudent to invest in them and provide them with the tools they need to do their jobs prosperously. This will take us a long way towards continued Success by Performance.
We have to maintain the philosophy that we are better than the competition because we are. We must continually strive to prove this point, not only to ourselves, but mainly to our customers as well. The specter of complacency is ever present and must never be allowed to manifest itself within our group.
This is our 15th global meeting, and each of those meetings has helped all of us to come to better understandings with more vigorous business development and better profits. Even with fierce competition all around us, we have grown and developed new markets successfully. Let us make sure we stay on that course.
No member of this group is an island; let’s remember this to constantly improve our cooperation, build upon our strengths while identifying weaknesses, and work together to remedy those situations when they arise.
All the best, and see you next time.
Team Building Event
While the ultimate goal of the EMO Trans’ team building event was to Support Our Troops, we found the combination of competitiveness, creativity, and the use of strategic skills were all needed for an unforgettable experience. Our individual groups, nicknamed after some of the top military forces, captured the theme of transportation and logistics.
Our participants, after earning tokens for their completed exercises, were able to trade in their winnings for essential supplies for the troops. With some imagination, we were able to transform those supplies into an airplane, train, freight container, and a bridge to just name a few. The American flag, along with the EMO Trans name, proudly displayed our full support! Once completed, all the supplies were dismantled and packaged in order for them to be sent to our overseas troops.
EMO China Will Observe Tomb Sweeping Day
Please note that all EMO China offices will close to celebrate Tomb Sweeping Day, a traditional Chinese holiday, from April 2 to April 4.
President's Circle Awards Every year, EMO Trans recognizes the special accomplishments of its top performing sales people. “Our President’s Circle program celebrates significant employee achievements and the demonstration of our company values of Success by Performance,” says Jennifer Frigger-Latham, VP Sales & Marketing. “It takes dedicated teamwork and cooperation to provide the excellent service our customers expect.”
Winners were presented the award as follows:
EMO France Ships Heavy Mining Equipment to Sydney
EMO France is handling heavy-duty air shipments from its Strasbourg office to Sydney, Australia. A recent shipment was large enough to be divided into eight separate shipments. The customer is a large mining company who sends resin products to various destinations. EMO France has worked with the company since 2014, but the customer has significantly increased volumes with EMO Trans over the past year. EMO France has managed the constraints of space and time in order to get this customer’s shipments completed successfully!
EMO Miami Provides Race of Champions Logistics Support
In January, EMO Trans Miami spread its wings a bit to use its project expertise to manage some exciting Event Logistics.
The world renowned Race of Champions came to the U.S. for the first time and chose Miami Marlins Park as their venue. With the races taking place January 21-22, coordination and project mapping began back in late October. After the races, the reverse logistics phase began to send all the vehicles and gear to Europe. The project covered a wide variety of services, including Ocean Full Container Load (FCL) Intermodal, Specialized Vehicle Transportation, Crane Operations, Site Supervision, U.S. Customs Carnets, and assistance moving the 32 race cars and their gear into and out of the ballpark.
The project was a great success. Kudos to the entire Miami team for providing outstanding services for this event! They pulled together to demonstrate the flexibility to cover a new horizon in logistics for the branch. By overcoming the challenges of coordinating with numerous teams and entities, EMO Trans earned the opportunity to work with the Race of Champions next year when it returns to the U.S.
Project Logistics International Ships Large Machining Center
EMO’s Project Logistics International arm (PLI) arranged seaworthy export crating and transport of a large machining center out of East Chicago, Indiana to Germany. The oversized crate measured 18 feet long, 11 feet wide, and 15 feet high, and weighed 80,000 lbs. A special route, escort cars and, in some areas, bucket cars (to lift wires) were required. After arrival in Savannah, Georgia, the crate was loaded onto a MAFI trailer and shipped below deck on a Ro/Ro Vessel to Bremerhaven, Germany.
EMO Trans Germany will arrange the final delivery from Bremerhaven to the consignee located in south Germany. Machining centers are commonly used in industries such as aerospace, mold and die making, tool making, metal construction, mechanical engineering, general metal machining, automotive, and energy.
Meghan Balderelli joined Hartford’s Brokerage department. Alex Wood is a part-time Baltimore Imports associate. Birgit Danziger is Freeport’s (NY) newest accounting associate, and Jeanette Argir joined Philadelphia’s Imports team.
Correction: Adam Turkis joined Hartford’s Imports team, not Baltimore’s, as previously reported.
New Managing Director at EMO Trans Australia EMO Trans Australia's Board of Directors is pleased to announce the promotion of Duncan Smith to Managing Director. In addition to Australia, he will oversee New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. The Board noted that Duncan has been with EMO Trans for five years and during his career with EMO, he has developed a proven track record that displays the leadership skills needed to successfully develop the region.
Pictured above left: Duncan Smith is congratulated by Marco Rohrer and Thomas Klinkhammer at the Annual Meeting. Right: Marco Rohrer, Nigel Flinn, Tania Raudino, and Thomas Klinkhammer celebrate the promotion of Duncan Smith (center) to Managing Director of EMO Trans Australia.
Peter Jaeger has been promoted to Operations Manager for the Detroit office. "Peter has been with EMO Trans for four years, during which time he has held the position of Air Export Manager and proved himself as a committed company advocate," says District Manager Rob Harrington. "He came to us from another freight forwarder with the energy and enthusiasm to lead our employees to consistently improve their profitability. His background in business gives him an overall understanding of how to improve customer satisfaction, and his ability to motivate his team has led to his continued success in Detroit!" Peter is a proud dad and is pictured with son Lincoln and daughter Paisley.
Herschel Bowles was promoted to Branch Manager in the Seattle office. "Herschel took over the branch as Operations Manager in the middle of last year. With his hard work and qualifications, we were able to end 2016 with positive results," says Vice President Uwe Kaeding. "We thank Herschel for his dedicated work and success, and are pleased to promote him to Branch Manager effective April 1."
"After 12 years of delivering world class customer service and operational excellence in our Export Department, we are pleased to announce the promotion of Yvania Gamez to Operations Manager of our Chicago branch," says Chicago Branch Manager Darren Walton. "Yvania will play a key role as we look to further growth in 2017 and beyond."
EMO France Has Moved
Effective Monday March 6, please note the following address for EMO France:
EMO Trans France CDG – Paris
14 Rue de la Belle Borne
Cargo 8 – Sogaris
Bâtiment n°5 – CDG Handling
95700 Roissy CDG
New direct lines:
Juliette: +33.1.48.16.17.69
Salwa: +33.1.48.16.17.68
EMO Chile Opens New Office
EMO Chile is pleased to announce the opening of a new branch in the city of Talca, VII Region in Chile. Ms. Nicol Retamal Riveros has been named Branch Manager.
"It's important to understand that companies are made up of people, not resources, and people have motivations, problems, expectations, abilities, and dreams. Every project, every change, every process, is nothing without the people who carry it out," Nicol says. "The human component is the difference between success and failure. I want to convey this to our customers and position EMO Chile as one of the preeminent shippers in our country."
The new office's contact information is:
EMO Trans Chile S.A.
Uno Sur Nº690, Of.904
Edificio Plaza Talca
Talca, Chile
Tel: +56 2 2204 7000
Fax: +56 2 2204 4440
nicol.retamal@emotrans-chile.cl
FDA’S Food Supplier Verification Program (FSVP)
The FSVP is the continued implementation of the FDA’s Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA), with the intention of FSVP is to be a flexible, risk-based program to verify foreign suppliers and the safety of the food they produce. The FSVP Importer may be the importer of record but is not necessarily, the same party as the importer of record. The FSVP must be a U.S. party with a direct financial interest in the food product. The FSVP is the U.S. owner or consignee of the product. If there is no U.S. owner at the time of entry, the foreign owner of the food must appoint a U.S. agent who will be responsible for ensuring that supplier verification activities are conducted for each food product imported. The FSVP agent must be designated in a written document with signed consent by the agent. The FSVP agent should not be confused with the agent for food facility registration. They are separate and distinct roles.
FSVP Information required at the time of entry into ACE: Name, Contact Info and DUNS number. To be compliant with the May 30, 2017 implementation date, please contact your FDA compliance department to determine who will qualify as this entity and if the above information is available.
Key Points About the Foreign Supplier Verification Program
What are FSVP importers required to verify?
FSVP importers are required to verify that their foreign suppliers produce food in a manner that meets the same level of public health protection as the Preventive Controls for Human and Animal Food Rules (21 CFR Part 117, Part 507) and Produce Safety Rule (21 CFR Part 113), and that the food will not be adulterated and is properly labeled for allergens.
How are FSVP importers required to conduct the verification?
FSVP importers must conduct or obtain a hazard analysis for each type of food imported. The hazard analysis must consider biological, chemical and physical hazards. The hazard analysis must consider hazards that are natural, unintentionally introduced, and intentionally introduced for purposes of economic gain. For produce subject to the Produce Safety Rule, biological hazards do not need be considered.
Supplier Evaluation
Generally, suppliers must be evaluated and approved before they may be sourced from. The evaluation must consider the hazard analysis and the entities controlling the hazards or verifying control of hazards. The evaluation must also consider:
The foreign supplier’s procedures, processes and practices related to the safety of the food.
Applicable FDA food safety regulations and the supplier’s compliance with them.
The supplier’s food safety history, including available information about testing, audit results and corrective actions.
Any other factors as appropriate and necessary, such as storage and transportation.
Supplier Reevaluation
If the FSVP importer becomes aware of any new information related to the above factors, the FSVP importer must reevaluate the supplier promptly and determine whether it is proper to continue sourcing from them and whether or not the FSVP importer is conducting proper supplier verification activities. Reevaluations of suppliers must occur at least every three years.
Verification Activities
FSVP importers must verify control of hazards through the use of onsite audits, testing and review of food safety records and other appropriate activities. Many of these requirements may be outsourced to qualified third-parties, although FSVP importers are required to review and assess outsourced work and remain responsible for complying with them.
New Ocean Alliances To Start April 1, 2017 2M: Maersk/Hamburg Sud, MSC & Hyundai (HMM) Ocean Alliance: CMA CGM/APL, OOCL, Evergreen, Cosco/CSCL The Alliance: Hapag Lloyd/USAC, K-Line/MOL/NYK, Yang Ming
