Over 15 years of operations, Al Madina Logistics Services (AMLS) has spearheaded Oman’s 3PL landscape, established the country’s first dry port followed by two more, with logistics facilities at Barka Hub, Duqm Freezone, Mazunah Dry Port, and the latest Sohar Logistics Hub, while expanding its exclusive network of freight partners to cover 289 offices across the globe.
We sat down with AMLS’ Chief Operating Officer, Nader Hakim to discuss the company’s combined 3PL and dry port solutions offering and how it enhanced customers’ experience, particularly in the food and beverage (F&B) sector.
A combined offering
AMLS’ combination of services has allowed F&B customers to have their shipments customs-inspected at cold docks and later handled and stored in appropriate zones, maintaining cold chain integrity throughout the process.
Multiple government authorities are involved in the inspection and clearance processes of food import and export, as well as approved laboratories for quality testing, Hakim explained, “border points may not always have the infrastructure to ensure this and laboratories are off-site, creating an additional logistics burden.”
He further underlined how AMLS addressed the challenges on a country level, “the Sohar Logistics Hub is a one-stop-shop consolidating the services of a dry port, 3PL operations, and on-site laboratories, integrated within an electronic workflow. It’s purpose-built to enhance food safety.”
The 40,000 sqm project comprises cold and dry inspection docks, warehousing, greenhouse and fumigation facilities, quarantine zones, office buildings, food laboratories, a commercial complex, truck parking facility, washing and weighing facilities, as well as prayer and rest-areas for customers and drivers.
Hakim noted that the hub would enhance the overall efficiency of trade logistics while ensuring a robust food quality inspection process is in place, leveraging both infrastructure and technology to boost Omani trade.
Sustainable operations
In line with the global strategy to achieve carbon neutrality and tackle the rapidly intensifying climate change, AMLS has taken concrete steps to maximise green energy use by fitting solar plants at its Barka and Sohar logistics hubs, as well as recycling consumables, motor oils and batteries through third party agreements.
“Our 2.1 MW rooftop solar plant is grid-connected, allowing for a balanced load of solar energy and utility power and enabling us to reduce our carbon footprint by 2,400 tonnes per annum,” he explained.
Overcoming challenges
In 2020, AMLS provided free of charge cargo handling services in collaboration with Oman’s Chamber of Commerce and the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre. The facilities offered free storage and handling services for businesses to alleviate the pandemic’s economic impact, Hakim revealed.
He stressed that the company considers itself luckier than most, “being in the logistics services sector and having a diversified portfolio has allowed us to maintain throughput balance, despite the difficult times, we achieved growth trends in 2020 and 2021,” Hakim said.
AMLS also contributed to the logistics relief efforts supporting areas affected by Cyclone Shaheen in late 2021.
Technology-driven logistics
AMLS invested in proprietary supply chain management (SCM) applications to ensure all operations are electronic, interfaceable and that all data remains secure. As AMLS owns the system, the company can adapt it to customer requirements. “We have the flexibility to offer business visibility dashboards and customised reports, as well as complex requirements such as those of telecom and spare part businesses with unique solutions,” Hakim explained.
He pointed out that the company established a research and development division to further utilise technology to boost productivity, adding that the research centre’s current focus areas are port workflow systems, truck weighbridge integration, and enhanced picking technologies.
He further stated that AMLS has three cold plants controlled through supervisory control and data acquisition systems to monitor plant component health, storage chamber temperatures, and trigger automated alerts to detect any deviations. AMLS has also migrated its infrastructure to the cloud to ensure optimal system uptime and accessibility.
Moreover, Hakim noted that the company’s warehouse operations are run with network-connected handhelds to update the WMS data in real-time, while an in-vehicle monitoring system tracks and centrally monitors its fleet from the command centre’s transportation management system.
Looking ahead
With the logistics and supply chain industry overflowing with digital transformation trends, and companies rapidly adopting new technologies, from big data and AI to autonomous vehicles and drone deliveries, the logistics 4.0 revolution is well underway, said Hakim, highlighting that implementations are with varying levels of success, from what is seen currently. “E-commerce and last-mile have made great strides, accelerated by the pandemic, while other aspects of logistics such as trucking “uberisation” have seen limited success in disparate geographies,” he added.
Yet, great things take time, a fact AMLS is well aware of. “In 10 years from now, the digitalisation of logistics would have matured. We expect more market penetration by digital freight platforms. As government regulations continue to evolve, we expect to see more drone and autonomous vehicle applications in our region as well,” Hakim predicted, stressing that “it will be interesting to see how the adoption of blockchain will impact the industry.”
