Gazi Anowarul Hoque :
He just finished his formal academic studies. He had the opportunity to opt any other profession. But he had started his career as a ‘freight forwarder’ that was contradictory to his academic background. At that time, it was a bit different and also risky profession in Bangladesh. But success was calling him.
With a lot of courages and expectations, one Nurul Amin started his journey at the end of 1979. He had no idea about transportation system where technology is must, as he studied in public administration.
He was grappling to overcome the uncertainty. He was waiting for the success. He found the answer, as he could clearly see — the world is becoming tech-fond and the new system will take place in the old.
The daily New Nation finds such a Freight Forwarder who shares his 35 years long journey with it.
Freight forwarding is a modern and advanced system of goods transportation. The person involved in the business, is called Freight Forwarder. His working hour and life style is totally different with other professionals. When a banker goes to sleep, freight forwarder passes his busy time, says Amin.
After completing Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Dhaka University, he joined in Cargo Department of Biman Bangladesh Airlines on September 10, 1979. He is currently the managing director of Tower Freight Logistics Limited by overcoming a long way.
His real career started in Saudi Arabia from September 5, 1983 when he joined in the freight-forwarding department of Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo. Kanoo was the oldest and famous company in the Middle East representing majority of airlines, shipping.
Nurul Amin said about freight forwarding that a freight forwarder or forwarding agent, also known as a non-vessel operating common carrier (NVOCC), is a person or company that organizes shipments for individuals or corporations to get goods from the manufacturer or producer to a market, customer or final point of distribution.
Information typically reviewed by a freight forwarder includes the commercial invoice, shipper’s export declaration, bill of lading and other documents required by the carrier or country of export, import, and/or transshipment. Much of this information is now processed in a paperless environment.
He said, ” After joining Kanoo, I started learning freight forwarding and its role in national and international trade as we were handling all segments of import, export and local transportation by road, rail, ocean and air, including warehousing and distribution.
“Sooner I came to know that freight forwarding has evolved since human evolution, from the necessity of transportation of goods from one place to another,” he added.
Nurul Amin says, in old days, goods were carried on human hands, shoulders, hips and heads, by way of animal drawn carts or wagons. All those modes were, however, slow and often dangerous. Later, with the introduction of pavement, roads and railway systems, goods stared moving on wheels, wagons, trucks and vans in a fast and safe way.
In latter, the invention of airplanes has created further option of transporting goods to far away destinations.
Today, we have huge cargo vessels, freighter planes and road networks to transport any size of cargo starting from small biological samples or vaccines, to race horses and huge sized machineries, in a faster and efficient way to and from anywhere in the globe.
He also learnt that during early days customers used to go directly to transport operators (trucking companies, airlines and shipping lines) to book their shipments. Later, operators realized difficulties in handling unique and specific requirements of shippers and shippers experienced that they cannot get many services, like packing, pick-up, documentation, consolidation space protection etc. directly from operators.
Initially, freight forwarders just used organize shipment for individuals, manufacturers or companies to a market, customer or final point of distribution. It was just a point-to-point transportation. Now, it is developed into providers of full range of services irrespective of whether goods are carried by their own means or not.
We pick a product off a shelf in one country and put it on shelf in another country and do all logistic jobs in between, packing, export processing, import clearance at destination, warehousing etc, he informed.
He realized that it is also challenging as it involves technology and competition. it is not really an easy job too as it requires continuous sales activities; providing quotations; receiving, pick-up, follow-up and deliveries of goods, handling discrepancies and so on.
It requires unlimited working hours as we work globally. We need to wake up early to catch some of the partners during day light for urgent requirements, go to bed late for same reason and sleep with worries that if things will happen as expected.
“We are responsible for your production delays, traffic jams, mechanical problems with trucks, aircraft and ships and depressed economic conditions overall. We are totally responsible for any lost or damaged freight and will personally replace it upon request,” expressed Amin.
He proudly said that despite all above, having worked in this trade for last 35 year in sales, marketing, networking and management of global trading and supply chain activities he enjoyed it.
Amin hoped that it will continue to be an integral part of global economy as cost of transportation being an average of 30 percent of products, affects the GDP in many countries.
He just finished his formal academic studies. He had the opportunity to opt any other profession. But he had started his career as a ‘freight forwarder’ that was contradictory to his academic background. At that time, it was a bit different and also risky profession in Bangladesh. But success was calling him.
With a lot of courages and expectations, one Nurul Amin started his journey at the end of 1979. He had no idea about transportation system where technology is must, as he studied in public administration.
He was grappling to overcome the uncertainty. He was waiting for the success. He found the answer, as he could clearly see — the world is becoming tech-fond and the new system will take place in the old.
The daily New Nation finds such a Freight Forwarder who shares his 35 years long journey with it.
Freight forwarding is a modern and advanced system of goods transportation. The person involved in the business, is called Freight Forwarder. His working hour and life style is totally different with other professionals. When a banker goes to sleep, freight forwarder passes his busy time, says Amin.
After completing Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Dhaka University, he joined in Cargo Department of Biman Bangladesh Airlines on September 10, 1979. He is currently the managing director of Tower Freight Logistics Limited by overcoming a long way.
His real career started in Saudi Arabia from September 5, 1983 when he joined in the freight-forwarding department of Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo. Kanoo was the oldest and famous company in the Middle East representing majority of airlines, shipping.
Nurul Amin said about freight forwarding that a freight forwarder or forwarding agent, also known as a non-vessel operating common carrier (NVOCC), is a person or company that organizes shipments for individuals or corporations to get goods from the manufacturer or producer to a market, customer or final point of distribution.
Information typically reviewed by a freight forwarder includes the commercial invoice, shipper’s export declaration, bill of lading and other documents required by the carrier or country of export, import, and/or transshipment. Much of this information is now processed in a paperless environment.
He said, ” After joining Kanoo, I started learning freight forwarding and its role in national and international trade as we were handling all segments of import, export and local transportation by road, rail, ocean and air, including warehousing and distribution.
“Sooner I came to know that freight forwarding has evolved since human evolution, from the necessity of transportation of goods from one place to another,” he added.
Nurul Amin says, in old days, goods were carried on human hands, shoulders, hips and heads, by way of animal drawn carts or wagons. All those modes were, however, slow and often dangerous. Later, with the introduction of pavement, roads and railway systems, goods stared moving on wheels, wagons, trucks and vans in a fast and safe way.
In latter, the invention of airplanes has created further option of transporting goods to far away destinations.
Today, we have huge cargo vessels, freighter planes and road networks to transport any size of cargo starting from small biological samples or vaccines, to race horses and huge sized machineries, in a faster and efficient way to and from anywhere in the globe.
He also learnt that during early days customers used to go directly to transport operators (trucking companies, airlines and shipping lines) to book their shipments. Later, operators realized difficulties in handling unique and specific requirements of shippers and shippers experienced that they cannot get many services, like packing, pick-up, documentation, consolidation space protection etc. directly from operators.
Initially, freight forwarders just used organize shipment for individuals, manufacturers or companies to a market, customer or final point of distribution. It was just a point-to-point transportation. Now, it is developed into providers of full range of services irrespective of whether goods are carried by their own means or not.
We pick a product off a shelf in one country and put it on shelf in another country and do all logistic jobs in between, packing, export processing, import clearance at destination, warehousing etc, he informed.
He realized that it is also challenging as it involves technology and competition. it is not really an easy job too as it requires continuous sales activities; providing quotations; receiving, pick-up, follow-up and deliveries of goods, handling discrepancies and so on.
It requires unlimited working hours as we work globally. We need to wake up early to catch some of the partners during day light for urgent requirements, go to bed late for same reason and sleep with worries that if things will happen as expected.
“We are responsible for your production delays, traffic jams, mechanical problems with trucks, aircraft and ships and depressed economic conditions overall. We are totally responsible for any lost or damaged freight and will personally replace it upon request,” expressed Amin.
He proudly said that despite all above, having worked in this trade for last 35 year in sales, marketing, networking and management of global trading and supply chain activities he enjoyed it.
Amin hoped that it will continue to be an integral part of global economy as cost of transportation being an average of 30 percent of products, affects the GDP in many countries.
