[Interview] Paul J. Swaak, CEO, LOGISA
Africa Business Communities interviews Dutch businessman and entrepreneur Paul J. Swaak, CEO of LOGISA:
Would you please introduce LOGISA?
LOGISA stands for Logistics Information & Innovation System East Africa. The LOGISA consortium will implement this system during the Fall of 2016.
In which industries does LOGISA operate and who are your clients?
We operate in the transport & logistics industry. Our clients are SME companies like shippers, forwarders, carriers and service companies (warehousing, insurance etc).
What are the USP’s of your business?
The main USP is that we offer a one-stop shop platform. Any actor in the logistic sector can work with our platform; gain or share knowledge or any content form and at the same time execute his operations through the supply chain part. For all our customers we offer different benefits. Overall it is about supply chain optimization: cargo offerings, easy quoting for transport, easy transport quality increase, full track and trace of assets and documents, geofencing to trigger alert messages all resulting in less idle capacity, better truck utilization and better revenues. This will lead to an increase in trade. Next to that we will facilitate online direct and mobile payments.
What did you do before starting LOGISA?
Personally I have been involved in transport & logistics for over 35 years now. First as a merchant navy officer, thereafter as consultant and interim manager, then COO of the biggest door-to-door short sea company of Europe, Director Strategy of the Port Community System of Rotterdam and since 2012 founder of TransportLAB which boosts innovations in transport & logistics.
What other companies have you founded?
I have founded Swaak Interim management, Roller barge, Swaak&Crooijmans BV, TransportLAB, and now I am involved in LOGISA and the TEUbooker concept.
Is participation in LOGISA expensive?
Until March 2017 it is all free of charge, as we are receiving 50% of the funds from Trademark East Africa for the development of the system. Thereafter we will use a two tier model. Bigger companies can have a monthly subscription with unlimited number of transactions, small companies probably are better off to choose the “pay per use” option.
In both cases the transaction costs is only a small per cent of the total freight sum. As we reckon, parties can save 5-15% on costs; in fact they will earn money.
Where is LOGISA registered as a company?
LOGISA is run by three companies at the moment: DSM Corridor group from Dar es Salaam, TransportLAB and Cofano from the Netherlands. However, in the near future we will register the LOGISA Ltd Company in Dar es Salaam.
How is the LOGISA management system?
As LOGISA is a community system it will mean that the actual users will have a big say in the further development of the platform. All users will be part of the LOGISA development board and every quarter will decide which new functionalities are desired. The daily business of LOGISA will be run be a small but experienced staff in Dar es Salaam.
What can you say about the targets, plans and ambitions of LOGISA in the second half of 2016?
We are looking for well managed Tanzanian SME companies in logistics (shippers, forwarders, carriers, and service providers) who want to join LOGISA and start testing the system. They can join as from September 2016. In the beginning of 2017 we will then roll-out the system for other users and other countries in Eastern Africa.
www.linkedin.com/in/paul-swaak
