Social responsiblty

June, 2011

Kavassery Desam Get Together

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Kavassery Desam is one of the socio-cultural organizations in UAE. It is unique in its nature due the representation of all the Kavasserians from Palakkad district in Kerala. The family consists of over 300 members who are promoting cultural and social welfare activities across the UAE. As part of the 12th anniversary celebration they organized a get together for the members at the Royal Palace Hotel Apartments. The evening showcased several activities where the member’s family as well their children performed in various cultural aspects. As per Mr. Rakesh Menon, Senior Manager, CSS Logistics, “It was a proud moment for CSS Logistics as sponsors because we were able to be part of this auspicious occasion and network with the member’s.”

June, 2011

Green Logistics

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“CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IS NOT THE PLACE FOR COMPETITION”

Logistics is the integrated management of all the activities required to move products through the supply chain. For a typical product this supply chain extends from a raw material source through the production and distribution system to the point of consumption and the associated reverse logistics. The logistical activities comprise of freight transport, storage, inventory management, materials handling and all the related information processing. The main objective of logistics is to co-ordinate these activities in a way that meets customer requirements at minimum cost. In the past this cost has been defined in purely monetary terms. As concern for the environment rises, companies must take more account of the external costs of logistics associated mainly with climate change, air pollution, noise, vibration and accidents. It is important that we examine ways of reducing these externalities and achieve a more sustainable balance between economic, environmental and social objectives.

The ‘Green Logistics’ refers to plan, control, management and implementation of the logistics system through the advanced logistics technology and environmental management, aiming to reduce the pollutant emission. According to the logistics link, the evaluation criterions of enterprise green logistics are Green Transportation, Green Storage, Green Packing, Reverse Logistics and Green Technology.

What we call ‘Green Logistics’ represents the convergence of several strands of research that began different times over the past 40 years. In these years it has developed as a an academic discipline, extending its original focus on the outbound movement of finished products – Physical distribution to companies entire transport, storage and handling systems – Integrated Logistics and then to interaction with business upstream and downstream- Supply Chain Management. Other major contextual trends includes the growth of environmental awareness, regulations, and development of national and international standards for environmental reporting and management that many companies now adopt as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility programmes. Partly as result of these trends, the volume of statistics available to ‘Green Logistics’ researchers has greatly expanded.

In measuring the environmental effects of logistics it is important to distinguish the first order and second order impacts. The first order environmental effects are those which are directly associated with the freight transport, warehousing and material handling operations. Second order impacts results indirectly from these logistics and take various forms. For instance, the increase in air freight and other traffic is resulting from global sourcing is first order effect, where as the increase in infrastructure, such as roads, buildings in sensitive areas, is a second order effect.

A large body of survey evidence has accumulated to show that companies around the world are keen to promote their green credentials through the management of logistics. It is difficult to gauge, however this reflects a true desire to help the environment by enhancing public relations.

May, 2011

Safety Is Of Paramount Importance To CSS

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Abu Dhabi Is Now Focusing Heavily On Road Safety

As part of our own safety initiatives CSS is pleased to report that the Emirate of Abu Dhabi is now focusing on the importance of setting up a National Committee for Traffic Safety State was recently highlighted as an ideal framework to coordinate the efforts of various relevant parties.

The symposium recommended at the conclusion of its effectiveness in Abu Dhabi to include the proposed committee which includes representatives from all agencies and institutions and departments concerned with traffic safety as well as specialized NGOs, and that they have full powers in regard to issues of traffic safety.

The participants decided at the symposium organized by the Emirates Traffic Safety in cooperation with the International Organization for the prevention of road accidents and the Arab Organization for Traffic Safety, to raise the proposal of the General Secretariat of the Council of Arab Ministers of Interior and the Arab Organization for Traffic Safety. And to create an Arabic Monitor for traffic safety, entrusted with the establishment of an arab database and carry out studies to ensure a deeper analysis of the causes of road accidents and determine the terms of reference and sources of funding and a particular framework and methods of work.

The symposium was held over two days under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, and supported by the Ministry of Interior and the Department of Transport in Abu Dhabi and the National Transport Authority, The event aimed to set up national strategies to be consistent and integrated based on a scientific basis, taking into account the various aspects of traffic safety. Identifying the objectives and the financing possibilities for the implementation and scheduling of time and evaluation tools, and channels of review and correction of the progress of the various pivots on the basis of evaluation results.

The recommendations of the participants in the symposium highlighted the importance of paying attention to an ambulance and rapid medical intervention to road accidents, both at the level of equipment, or medical supervision or coordination systems and interference between the various parties concerned and they recommend creating a unified emergency number globally as well as rehabilitation of victims of traffic accidents by sending specialized centers.

Retired Brigadier General Ahmed Hassan Al Hosni secretary of the Emirates Traffic Safety and thanked the extent of His Highness Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior for taking care of the symposium, which was held over two days at the Armed Forces Officers Club in Abu Dhabi. This included participation of experts, researchers, academics and NGOs working in the field of traffic safety and government officials from different specialties related to road accidents. This had a large impact on the success of the symposium.

The final recommendations of the participants, review of the legislation based on studies calendar takes into account the extent to which laws supported in and how it influencing the behavior of road users. Merged with the particulars of economic, social and psychological for each country and the adoption of intelligent transportation systems and modern technology to control which leads to greater transparency in the preview traffic violations.

April, 2011

Marine Charity Ball

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As part of the Whiteboard Auction at the 2011 Marine Charity Ball held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Dubai, UAE on March 4th, CSS Group donated a limited edition Mont Blanc pen and an Airbus A380 aircraft model. Approximately AED 300,000 was raised for the various charities and this was due to the tremendous generosity of benefactors. It was a proud moment for CSS Group to be part of this event and contribution to this outstanding total.

March, 2011

CSS – Leading By Example

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“Going Green” has evolved as “The Talk of the town” in corporate circles since a couple of years. “Preserving the Nature”, “Protecting Future” are some of the metaphors we come across on a daily basis. But a million dollar question still hangs on: Who is going to do it? We at Consolidated Shipping Group have joined hands with a green fraternity with a notion that the real future is not tomorrow. It is now, which motivates us to take our small steps with a confidence that it can make a big difference in the near future. In this regard CSS Group is planning to implement certain environmentally friendly practices across the organization and also participating in global events like World Environmental Day, Earth Hour as well as regional activities.

Companies have tremendous strengths; they have extremely capable people, technology, access to money and the ability of geographical reach thus corporates are important stakeholders in society. Since its inception, CSS has been actively participating in CSR activities as part of the corporate ethics program and in 2011, we as a responsible group of corporates came up with an initiative of a Clothing Drive which is planned for the month of March 2011 for all the CSS offices in the UAE.

According to our Chairman, T.S. Kaladharan “Ethics is the new competitive environment and we were and will always look forward to the Triple Bottom Line of Business– People, Planet and Profit.”

March, 2011

Green IT Burden or Opportunity ?

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IT has fundamentally altered our work and life and improved our productivity, economy, and social well-being. An increased awareness of the harmful effects of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, new stringent environmental legislation, concerns about electronic waste disposal practices, and corporate image concerns are pushing businesses and individuals to Go Green. Going forward, IT now has a new role to play—helping to create a greener, more sustainable environment while offering economic benefits. Green IT is the study and practice of designing, manufacturing, and using computers, servers, monitors, printers, storage devices, and networking and communications systems efficiently and effectively with minimal impact on the environment. Green IT is also about the application of IT to create energy-efficient, environmentally sustainable business processes and practices. IT can support, assist, and leverage other environmental initiatives and help in creating green awareness. IT contributes to only about 2 to 3 percent of GHG emissions. The vast majority of emissions come from non-IT sources. So, broader applications of IT in other areas of the economy could bring significant energy savings and improve overall environmental sustainability.

Green IT will be a top priority for several years to come, as it is both an economic and environmental imperative. Several case studies on greening efforts reveal that businesses that reduce their environmental (carbon) footprint can also reduce costs and improve their public image. IT professionals, CIOs, and IT support staff are thus being called upon to deliver environmentally sustainable IT solutions. Even simple steps that one individual or organization take can make a huge difference when leveraged across the vast number of individuals and organizations across the world.

Green IT and Impacts on Value Chain: Green initiatives provide opportunities for return on investment, according to experts the business intelligence can help achieve sustainability and protect the environment by various methods:

To achieve the common goal of right product, right location, right time, manufacturers and retailers need to understand consumer demand and preferences in a given region. Business Intelligence through IT provides manufacturers with the capability to analyse vast amounts of information gathered from shipment data, retailers’ point of sale data and syndicated sources, to optimise operations. Using the right quantity of raw materials, labour, equipment and energy will reduce waste and eliminate the need to store items for long periods. Reducing energy consumption means lower costs and smaller carbon footprint, and in turn, a portion of these cost savings will pass down the value chain, increasing value to retailers and consumers.

Distribution centres receive goods in breakbulk from hundreds of manufacturers around the world. Warehouses break bulk and ship the right consolidated quantities to stores. Certain best practices within the hub and spoke distribution system can significantly cut lead times and transportation costs while reducing carbon footprint through lower fuel consumption. For example, cross-docking enables retailers to optimise redistribution of goods received from manufacturers to stores by packing, labelling and shipping products in a manner that shipments can be easily sorted and consolidated at the distribution centre for forwarding to stores. Inventory management is perhaps the most important step where Business Intelligence can improve efficiency. Excess inventory leads to waste (especially in the case of perishable products), affecting both the environment and margins. Most progressive retailers have implemented IT inventory systems similar to the installation of RFID to keep track of what is on the shelf, and advanced replenishment systems to forecast demand and generate orders based on past trends and current factors. Accurate inventory visibility in store is a key input for upstream operations such as manufacturing and distribution, to reduce waste, cost and carbon footprint.

However, there’s a disparity in the level of green IT understanding across companies, professionals, students, and users. Many don’t know how or where to begin or are unwilling to implement Green IT. Although green initiatives are catching the attention of the corporate world, some professionals, executives, and departments feel excessively burdened with the Green Philosophy. However, upon closer examination, they’ll find that going green is a sound strategy.