Challenge is adopting the changes; says new chairman elect of FFFAI

October 25, 2017: AV Vijaykumar, the recently elected chairman-elect, FFFAI, from Paramount Shipping Services based in Chennai, is unequivocal about the changes in mindset that Indian Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders should be striving for, especially when the landscape of this sector is changing phenomenally.

“Changes are too rapid and adopting these is a challenge. We are moving towards a trust based business environment with less paper, lesser physical interaction and least intervention. Change in mindset would be a task which will be a focus point for the near future,” he said. Vijaykumar pointed to the facts that presently there is huge transformation in shipment processing.

“From a manually driven procedure, there is a drastic shift to a process driven system. The Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) has accelerated this requirement and Indian Customs have taken the lead. AEO, SWIFT, DPD, DPE are few illustrations of changing dynamics of the International Transport business,” he explained. In his opinion, these initiatives from the CBEC have strong impact on the logistics industry –especially the Customs Brokers. “To touch briefly, we can perceive that specific amendments to Sec 46 and 47 of Customs Act ’62 will have a bearing on the performance of the Customs Brokers and the Importers given the fact that the responsibility of the Shipping Lines or the Consolidators are not fully covered by these amendments,” he underscored.

The new chairman elect is also bullish about the positive impact of FIATA World Congress 2018 to be held from September 25-29 in New Delhi. “FIATA World Congress 2018 is destined in New Delhi through tireless efforts of FFFAI for the past few years. It is an event of global significance not only for the logistics sector but the entire cross section of manufacturing and service industry. When the best of global talents assemble under a single roof to share their thoughts, the results have to be positive and this is what FFFAI is endeavoring to achieve,” he shared. He also appealed for support from the government to the Congress to make the event a great success, for the country’s ex-im trade’s point of view as well.