Battling Challenges to Promote Transparency and Visibility

Jithin Manoharan (JM): Qafila is the region’s first digital freight forwarder that uses tech-knowledge and technology to solve that complexities around moving freight.

Since our inception in 2018, Qafila has been awarded with the Logistics Startup of the Year in 2019 and we are backed by incubators like In5 Tech, which is part of Dubai Holding’s TECOM and by Intelak, which is supported by Emirates Airlines, Accenture, Microsoft and Dubai Tourism.

There is a lot of talk about digitalisation in the logistics sector globally. Is the UAE on board in this space, and if yes how is Qafila as a major industry player helping buck the trend?

JM: The logistics sector is going through a digital transformation globally underpinned by adoption of new norms and innovative technology. It is well known that the UAE has a highly advanced logistics industry and has been on the forefront of this digital revolution within the Middle East region, with noteworthy innovations such as DP World Boxbay and DP World Cargospeed.

The UAE has also been pioneering the framework of the commercial drone ecosystem with the relevant Civil Aviation authority in developing laws to regulate drone delivery and flying taxis.

What are the two greatest challenges you perceive in the post-Covid phase for the logistics sector and how is Qafila planning to counter and mitigate the same?

Atif Rafiq (AR): The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the vulnerabilities of complex global supply chains. In my opinion the two greatest challenges in a post-Covid world will be transparency and visibility.

Bringing transparency in the relationship between buyers and suppliers which till today remains predominantly paper-based, is key. Digitizing the buyer-supplier relationship will be a fundamental element for building a strong and sturdy supply chain.

Wasiq