Looking ahead to future needs
Looking ahead to future needs
PT Jasa Bahari Birkart
In these times of economic and political upheaval, many employees are being laid off. However, there is at least one company which thinks about its employees' welfare.
PT Jasa Bahari Birkart's (JBB) Managing Director Sudiyono said his company has kept all its workers because they are vital. JBB is a freight forwarder which handles a wide spectrum of exports and imports by sea and air. Since June 1991, it has provided clients with on-time quality services and competitive pricing.
Sudiyono used the term "win-win", meaning that both parties benefit. Exporters and importers are deeply affected by the economic crisis, he said, and if they are unable to handle the situation, it will cause difficulties in taking orders from foreign companies.
The import business is badly affected, mainly due to the fall of the rupiah against the U.S. dollar; JBB is now concentrating on its export rather than import activities. The export business has seen immense growth. Unfortunately, Sudiyono said, carrier capacity is still the same, but with the good relationships JBB maintains with shipping lines and airlines, this problem can be solved.
JBB is looking for partners. The international freight forwarder, which is able to handle worldwide sea, land and air cargo, under the motto One call... Total Logistics Transportation Worldwide, currently has the following partners:
JOHANN BIRKART Internationale Spedition GmbH & Co. KG, which has offices in all the world's major harbors and airports; GEFCO, with branches in Great Britain, Italy, Spain and other European countries; TRANSWECO, Scandinavia; FAXION JP JANSSEN BV, Germany; ALLIANCE SHIPPERS INC/ALLIANCE INTERNATIONAL USA, and NVOCC, which has branches all over North America.
Others include EXPORT TRANSPORT INC, in the Illinois operations area, New York and California; DAVID KIRSCH, Canada; and HALFORD YOUNGS (Australia) PTY LTD, with branches throughout Australia and in New Zealand.
Optimistic that Indonesia has a good future in freight forwarding, he said there were challenges. These are what Sudiyono fears, including ensuring quick services and being on time. "Services will be the biggest issue." JBB always strives to provide up-to-date and accurate shipment information, both to shippers and overseas consignees.
He believes a businessperson must understand his own goals. "If we have the courage to start a business, it is with the aim of benefiting ourselves. But we must also be ready for losses, of course, with long-term business relationships also taken into consideration."
Indonesia will face the free market in 2003, and the opportunities to develop and compete in the freight forwarding business will be wide open. Sudiyono said: "The competition will be tougher. But as long as we can give satisfying services according to the consumers' needs, then there'll be no problem."
He said there also needed to be an increase in the quality of human resources, efforts to keep abreast of technological developments, exchange of information on overseas client's points of view, use of computerized systems in support facilities and, if possible, work reports must fit overseas partners' schedule.
"We will definitely be left behind if we don't make an effort," Sudiyono said.