Caspian Energy (CE): What special achievements has the company reached over the past year?
Rashad Abbasov, General Director, Representative Office of ASE Express & OCS in Azerbaijan: Considering the outcomes of 2012, the year was very successful for the company. And even though the year of 2012 was not so fruitful for all of the EU states, it was successful for Azerbaijan and the post-Soviet countries surrounding it (Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia).
Last year our company achieved its goals in opening new routes set in early 2012 and late 2011. We can state with a pride that the goals have been achieved and even exceeded.
The main achievement of the company in 2012 became the opening of new routes planned in 2011. In 2012 we opened a new direction – the so-called ‘groupage’ (transportation of consolidated cargo) from the United States. Through this route we gather cargo from all the US states, consolidate it in one point in New York and making the route closer, we send the cargo by ships and vessels to Hamburg port in Germany, where we implement the customs transit after which the cargo is supplied by automobile transport to Baku in 10-11 days.
We had no such service before; there was only the full load service that is the container was delivered here full. The customer who ordered his cargo in a definite amount (for example, 15-20 cubic meters) was to pay the cost of the whole container. We have made such orders more available.
The advantage of this route is that a customer saves money since he does not have to pay for the entire container and make an additional payment for the air transportation services. In addition, the client also wins some 15-20 days on average. Meanwhile, the whole process of delivery takes nearly 30-32 days on average.
By opening this route we also see the growing demand for it. We are already working quite successfully in this direction, consolidating nearly 7-8 containers a month.
CE: What is the spectrum of ASE Express services?
Rashad Abbasov: ASE Express is the only company in Baku that has incorporated three companies under its logo and by means of these three companies it offers several kinds of transportation. There are courier companies that deal only with the courtier transportation, there are forwarding companies that transport only big cargo, and there are companies involved only in transportation by the sea. ASE Express deals with all kinds of transportation from ‘A’ to ‘Z’. It’s very profitable for our customers to have a partner which solves all the transportation issues.
CE: What do you think is the difference between ASE Express and its competitors?
Rashad Abbasov: We offer nonstandard services in Azerbaijan. Today our company offers different transportation routes to its customers. Today we offer the ‘groupage services’ from the EU, Turkey, the United States and China to Azerbaijan.
Meanwhile, we use different transport means including railroad, automobiles and aviation for the transportation.
There is a definite way which we follow; other companies do not do this. In order to save our client’s time and money, we can transport the same cargo on the containers first and the rest of the way by cars and airplanes. Not every company can offer such services. Meanwhile, our company is able to mix different transportation ways, using one transport means for the half of the way and another transport means for the rest of the way.
For more urgent and expensive orders that the clients need to implement in 1-2 days, we offer the on-board courier service. Thus, we send our employee for a cargo or may demand from our partners abroad to accompany our employee with a cargo. There are workers with the US and European visas in the company whom we can send any time for any cargo. This will accelerate the process and we will be able to supply the cargo, for example, from the United States here in 18 or 24 hours. This is also a feature that differs us from our competitors.
CE: Do you have any discounts for loyal customers?
Rashad Abbasov: Just like every other company, ASE Express also has its permanent partners that develop parallel to us and accompany ASE Express in everything. Beginning since 1994 since the moment when ASE Express opened and up-to-date our company has had the partners who have always been with us and will be in future. Among them are such major companies as Coca-Cola, Panalpina, BP and others. From year to year we offer better services and different discounts to them. In addition, we sometimes even do not discuss the tariff discount with the company and provide other tariffs different from the standard.
CE: How do you see the perspective development of the company in the coming years?
Rashad Abbasov: It’s difficult to speak of the perspective development of the company without plans and goals. Every year we set definite goals and the peak that we must achieve. These are the definite turnovers of the company in tonnage, volume and quantity of supplies. And certainly, these goals also cover wider routes. We started the implementation of perspective development plan of the company last year and are now completing it.
Construction of our storehouses which cover nearly 25,000 square meters is underway, since they are among the biggest transport storehouses. Construction of storehouses will become a stimulus for a greater development of the company. We plan to provide the logistic services to local market. The possibility of the future development of the company for this year by 25-30% on average is envisaged.
CE: What countries does the company carry out the supplies to and do you plan to expand your activity?
Rashad Abbasov: ASE Express carries out the supplies to all countries of the world. Our company represents three brands in Azerbaijan. The first brand-ASE is our main brand with representative offices in all countries of the CIS and in Turkey. The second brand is called Overseas Courier Service. This is the Japanese company-the world’s fifth brand for the volume of transportation which has 38 private airplanes with ANA Cargo. We often import cargo by these airplanes to closer regions of Europe, as well as to Germany, Turkey and the United States from Asia. This brand is considered a giant in transport management and we represent it in Azerbaijan. And the third brand is UTI, one of the most powerful forward companies of the world which is the main transport means of the United States. We are sufficiently embracing the world including the US Brand that has over 400 offices and the Japanese brand with its 289 offices and ASE which has its representations in all the post-Soviet states including 32 offices. Not every company is able to offer services in Somali considering the wartime in this country. However, we were the first company to land Turkish Airlines airplane in Somali. We are the partners of the Turkish Airways and have recently signed an agreement with Qatar Airways too.
I would especially like to note that we carry out supplies throughout the world. Not a single private company has yet dared to offer the transportation services in Somali but by taking definite measures, we could implement this together with Turkish Airlines and extend humanitarian assistance so awaited by Somalis. We have also opened the joint representative office of Turkish Airlines and ASE in Somali.
