Muscat: Taking part in the 2022 Qatar Economic Forum, Asyad Group reiterated its strategy to partner with the private sector as a key enabler in implementing the group’s expansion plans, both locally and globally, and underscored its in-country role in providing competitive logistics solutions that facilitate greater international trade flows into Oman.
During a high-level panel discussion on the realities of logistics, Abdulrahman Al Hatmi, Asyad Group CEO, highlighted that the group’s priority is to maximise returns by focusing on its core integrated logistics services and divesting non-strategic assets. He also reaffirmed the group’s ongoing efforts to enable private companies to offer their services to its business units, be it through direct investment or public offering.
Asyad Group CEO stressed that the group navigated the pandemic challenges and showed exceptional resilience with no significant downtime, thanks to a world-class infrastructure and innovative solutions added to Asyad’s service lineup by opening new direct import lines and maritime services. These capabilities were instrumental in positioning Asyad Group to adapt to consecutive crises, while major players in leading countries, such as the USA and China, struggled to weather the storm.
Al Hatmi addressed sourcing questions that arose in light of lessons learned from COVID-19, stating that onshoring may not be a realistic solution due to capacity, inflation and cost restrictions. Instead, the Group CEO called for exploring multiple sourcing and putting in place business continuity mechanisms to hedge against potential crises. He further underlined the need to strengthen co-operation between countries and businesses.
The Group CEO concluded in an interview with Al Jazeera Channel: “Omani ports proved their readiness, despite the challenges, to face economic downturns and meet food security and commodities’ requirements as Asyad succeeded to maintain its operational efficiency and competitiveness while expanding its strategic partnerships with various global maritime lines during COVID-19.
