What crisis? It’s an opportunity!
In conversation with Nurgül Karabaki, LAM’s airfreight business development manager. Turkey’s skies are full of airfreight activities. Might the Iata World Cargo Symposium, which was scheduled to take place in Istanbul in 2020, return to the Bosphorus again next year? The Swiss-Turkish manager talked to ITJ editor Andreas Haug about the possibilities – and more.
Ms Karabaki, after six years with Qatar Airways Cargo, you joined the Lyonel A. Makzume Group of Companies in 2021. What was the attraction?
LAM is a well-established firm; its history has always impressed me. Originally it was a shipping agency, and now it has a good air cargo profile too. We operate in four countries, and are an Iata member. We also want to continue to develop our airfreight business in other countries. Our network is strong and we can work with any country, with just a few exceptions.
What caught my attention was the staff, as well as my position’s responsibilities at a global level. We have more than 600 employees working in more than 40 offices on four continents. I’m very happy to work for a company that grows and takes methodical and innovative steps forward.
What would you say distinguishes LAM from its competitors?
Our approach is to find out how we can customise the best offers for our clients, according to our skills and capabilities. Be honest about what your skill-set is, I always say, and about what qualifies you to address the main points better than your competitors.
What is airfreight’s significance vis-à-vis LAM’s other activities??
Well, we still have a long way ahead of us to make air cargo turnover an important part of our group. We estimate that airfreight contributes less than 5% to total group turnover. This is due mostly to the heavy ocean shipping and maritime activities in our group.
How has business developed in the last two (special) years since we spoke to managing director Timur Makzume in March 2020? (See page 25 of ITJ 11-12 / 2020.)
We’re now active in 14 countries and the group has grown in virtually every sector or industry that we serve. Our sophisticated virtual office system, which we already had in place before the pandemic, naturally proved to be a great tool to achieve what other international or semi-global groups couldn’t attain.
Our management is proud that in every crisis the company has grown, because the market seeks trustable, experienced and financially stable service companies. That is valid in a financial crisis, during turmoil in a given country or region, as well as for a global pandemic.
How did LAM battle Covid-19?
We had the opportunity to transport PPE and test kits worldwide. As you know we also operate a joint venture together with Sinotrans in Turkey, called Sinotrans Makzume, which was also very active during the pandemic, moving important shipments from Turkey to China.
Which are your biggest / most important air cargo markets?
Seoul Incheon (South Korea) has been our top destination for many years. Qatar, Dubai, India and Kuwait are also amongst our biggest export destinations.
What business activities would you like to expand in the short term?
Regional air cargo activities are likely to take hold more as an established shipping mode. Other modes, specifically road and ocean cargo, have their known limits. E-commerce is an irreversible trend, providing both speed and convenience. Our target is to develop e-commerce solutions in the group, to which end we’ve invested a lot in internal and external IT solutions.
You launched your career in Switzerland, and have now been based in Istanbul since 2015. How do developments in these two countries compare?
A lot has changed in Turkey, which has a lot to offer today. This country has fish and animal farms, in the south there are flowers and fresh fruit, and in the west and north there are the pharmaceutical sector and the construction industry too. Despite all this, Turkey is generally an import country.
There are many business differences between the two countries. Switzerland has a more streamlined system, but here everything is still developing, and continues to change a lot. Both countries have their advantages and disadvantages, and I’m happy to travel between the two and experience both cultures.