The story of CSS
'You cannot find other lands unless you lose sight of the shore'
Like with most things the first wave is always gentle and small. It builds on its own momentum and before you know it the synergy is causing its own thrust and the wave size is increased exponentially.
The story of CSS is much like that wave. It dates back to 1995, when T. S. Kaladharan (Kala) decided to bring in his professional experience in shipping to the table and see if it could make a splash. He decided to take up a small office in Dubai, UAE and embark on a journey that has crossed many milestones.
The risks were high but so was the immense satisfaction in both the journey and the getting there. For Kala there was a common purpose that of ensuring there was no compromise on service and quality. And there has not been any over these years. Weathering each storm, navigating each shoal with determination with a single-minded attitude, CSS today is a force to reckon with when it comes to movement by water and even by ground & air transportation.
CSS began operations in a 1200sqft office with just a handful of people. Today there are over 750 employees working out of 20 offices within the Group. Technology has played a vital role in the swiftness of this success story. The need for practical shipping and warehousing software put together by CSS was one of the most important elements for its smooth operations.
CSS' history reflected the growing option in the region and whenever there was a suitable dimension added to the infrastructure the company was there to make optimum use of it. With Dubai opening up the Free Zone in Jebel Ali (JAFZA), CSS in 1997 decided to open its sales and marketing office in a Leased Office Building. In 1998, it acquired a 5,000 sqft warehouse in JAFZA for CFS (container freight station) operations. CSS soon realized that the space was too small to cater to their fast growing operations. In the same year CSS strengthened itself by setting up the Air Freight division at Dubai Cargo Village. In 1999, a four-time' bigger 20,000 sq. feet warehouse was taken by CSS in the Dubai Ports warehouse at the JAFZA. In 2001, CSS was awarded the contract for its own Logistics Centre facility, "a Vision that became a Reality".
The 200,000sqft Consolidated Shipping Logistics Centre -1 has a 80,000 sqft warehouse, 12,000 sqft administration set-up and 100,000sqft open yard storage that has been fully operational since September 2002. Understanding the need for the demand in Supply Chain Management, CSS in 2004 began working on a supply chain facility and this vision saw the birth of CSLC-2. The 100,000 sqft custom-built facility within JAFZA has been providing a host of value-added services to many global brands, making the vital link in the supply chain.
Today CSS is ranked among the top NVOs in the UAE with an enviable Global Network and Partners. Team CSS’ determination to be among the best in the region has seen us establish a young and vibrant team, with a single-minded proposition of ensuring ‘Customer Satisfaction’. We have grown from a single entity to a group of companies with over 750 professionals, offering Integrated Freight Forwarding & Logistics Solution to an impressive clientele within this period. This impressive growth needs to be the driving force in the future.
