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.