Sucofindo ties up with Belgium to boost services

JAKARTA (JP): State owned superintending company PT Sucofindo and ABX Logistics of Belgium agreed here on Tuesday to jointly provide transportation, logistics, warehousing and inspection and assessment services to Indonesian companies and their foreign partners.

Operational director of Sucofindo Zafar D.Idham said the two companies, which will provide their services under the trade name of SCI-ABX Logistics, would be the first service provider in the country to offer such a combination of services.

"We will combine our expertise and provide a one-stop shop with competitive prices", Zafar told journalists after the signing of a cooperation agreement with the Belgian company.

Sucofindo, a member of the Societe Generale de Surveillance (SGS), is known for its services in export inspection, certification, as well as commodity inspection and trade facilities. Its partner ABX Logistics has expertise in transportation, warehousing and logistics and is backed up by an international network with 16,000 employees and 450 branches.

Executive officer of ABX Logistics for the Asia-Pacific region Eddie Dufrenne said they had targeted exporters and foreign companies sourcing raw materials from Indonesia as their customers.

Dufrenne said ABX Logistics, which is a division of Belgian Railways SNCB, would also cooperate in transferring its logistical knowledge and systems to its partner Sucofindo.

Sucofindo and ABX Logistics have signed a memorandum of understanding with state-owned domestic air carrier PT Merpati Nusantara Airlines to support the logistical side of their business in Indonesia.

Merpati's president Wahyu Hidayat said the airline was the first local airline company named by Sucufindo and its partner to support their transportation and logistical services in the country.

"The cooperation will also benefit us since we also need logistical services to handle our maintenance", he said.(07)