GAC is local in action and global in attitude: Daniel Nordberg, GM

‘Willingness to work with clients to create innovative services and new bases to meet their needs is what our business is built on,’ says Daniel Nordberg, General Manager, Gulf Agency Company (Oman) LLC. Excerpts of an interview with him:

GAC is achieving milestones of 60 years of global operations and 45 years of excellence in Oman in 2016. What has been the driving force behind the consistent success of GAC over the decades?  

Our customers. They are at the heart of everything we do, and we aim to fully understand their needs. That’s why we have always striven to deliver excellent service, both here in Oman and around the world, and will continue to do so in the future.

That philosophy can be traced back to the beginnings of the GAC story 60 years ago when Swedish entrepreneur Bengt Lindwall set-up a ship agency operation in Kuwait. Since then, we have grown into the global provider of integrated shipping, logistics and marine services and solutions that we are today, but our commitment to our customers remains the same.

Today, the GAC Group has over 9,000 professionals working around the clock, speaking more than 100 languages, at more than 350 offices in 40 countries, where we deliver on our promise to our customers.

Locally, GAC Oman takes a long-term approach to business, and continues to invest and expand to meet our customers’ requirements. That willingness to work with clients to create innovative services and new bases to meet their needs is what our business is built on.

That’s what makes GAC what it is today – local in action, global in attitude.

Tell us about the strengths and achievements of GAC Oman in three key areas of its services – Shipping, Logistics and Marine Services.

As a service provider, our key strength is our people. We pride our self on the professionalism of our team and their willingness to go the extra mile for our customers – something particularly valuable in oil and gas operations.

GAC Oman is the country’s only fully integrated and independent logistics and shipping services supplier provider. Our services include air and ocean freight, bunker fuel supplies, clearance and forwarding, international moving, land transportation, offshore support, project logistics, protection & indemnity representation, ship agency, ship spares logistics, ship supply service, warehousing & distribution and a range of supporting services, which may be tailored to meet the specific needs of each customer.

What makes you distinctive from the competition when it comes to serving the oil and gas companies in Oman?

Our values as a company set us apart from the competition. We value long term relationships, seeking the benefits of sustained commitment and service over a matter of years rather than seeking a fast profit in the short term.

Another thing that sets us apart is what we call the ‘GAC Spirit’, a guiding principle, which defines our business ethos of dedication, loyalty, quality and respect. This is supported by the uncompromising GAC Code of Ethics as well as Quality, HSSE and Ethics policies applied to everything we do. Finally, specifically for our oil & gas customers, we have a dedicated team of specialists working to ensure our customers in the sector get the best
GAC service.

The oil and gas field developments and operations are getting more complex and challenging in Oman, for example, tight gas fields development by BP in Khazzan or deployment of EOR techniques by PDO in many of its aging fields or the expansion of new age downstream facilities. The partial opening of port of Duqm and closure of port Sultan Qaboos have also created new opportunities and challenges for the sector. How has GAC responded to this changing market environment to meet the expectations of its oil and gas related customers?

GAC Oman already has offices in all the country’s ports and we work closely with existing and potential customers. Their needs are what guide us on further growth and expansion.  Over the years, we have worked with most oil & gas companies in Oman. One of the key projects we are currently involved in is an offshore drilling activity off Duqm where we are handling the shipping and logistics.

Some of the things that makes us especially suited to serving the diverse needs of the oil & gas sector include:

• GAC has the resources and ability to meet the industry’s complex supply chain challenges, from on-site exploration, extraction and through to the refineries and export terminals.
• GAC Oman has an in-depth understanding and stringent implementation of all industry norms for special equipment, compliance issues and extensive safety procedures.
• We understand industry demands for urgency and need for transparency.
• Our willingness and ability to tailor solutions to meet every customer’s specific needs.
• GAC Oman understands Oman’s focus on ICV (In Country Value) and reached over 60 per cent Omanisation.
• We ensure full compliance to all regulations, both from our own people and from all the sub-contractors and suppliers we work with.

Oman has embarked on expanding and modernizing its overall logistics infrastructure. What is GAC’s strategy to become integral to this new phase of development in Oman and optimize on the underlying business opportunities?

We have a strong network in Oman and we are continuously expanding. Since the commercial cargo activities were transferred to Sohar in September 2014, we have doubled our workforce there and we are actively seeking out opportunities to further grow together with our customers. We have also expanded our activities in Duqm during the past year.

GAC Oman shares the Sultanate’s vision for efficient growth and development in new markets. The past four decades have brought steady growth with the company going from strength to strength, significant new business wins and contract renewals with large organisations that have helped to underline GAC’s credentials as an innovative, customer-driven organisation.

With more competition and rapidly changing technologies, the customers are becoming more demanding and looking at a greater control and transparency from the solution providers like GAC. What steps you are taking to meet their expectations on the customer service and tracking front?

Quality communication, upto date information and advance technology are all key part of giving excellent service to our customers. GAC has an in-house development team continuously working to develop and introduce new or enhanced features to further improve our customer service. Customers already enjoy transparency of operations related to their business through online tracking, giving them the ability to check on the latest status at any time that suits them.  We aim to react swiftly to changes and opportunities, to go where our customers need us. We never take anything for granted nor underestimate the competition. After 40 years of doing business in Oman, we’ve got a reputation to protect. We’re the market leader and we intend to keep it that way.

Lastly, it’s been more than a year for you in Oman. How do you find the country and its people?

Oman is a great place to live in. People here are very friendly and hospitable, both Omanis and expatriates. Many people who come here tend to stay for a long time and do not want to leave – that’s a pretty good endorsement of this beautiful country.

The operational environment in Oman is more business-friendly than in some other countries in the region. Our biggest asset is our people and their local know-how.

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