CEO Insights Magazine

In the last two years the supply chains around the world have added massive stress that pined the health of global logistics. Momentarily the pandemic-hit market caused disarray in the global trade, yet some confirmed the faster recovery in trades. It is reported that few have gained a stronger foothold in the industry as a result of the transformations they have undertaken to thrive in the face of a pandemic. Likewise, Chittagong, the chief barter port for petrochemicals in Bangladesh, is living proof of how logistics has survived the pandemic rash. Md Bashir Uddin Ahmed, the CEO, of AMC International Company, says that Covid along with global political unrest was the true catalyst behind Bangladesh’s logistic growth, as traders focused more on the quality services to succeed under the constraints.

This unique trade attitude in logistics has completely transformed the definition of freight forwarding ways. His critical sense for rational growth and his sharp wit for logistics management have created an obvious dependency on the company’s services in the local port. Md Bashir Uddin Ahmed,is a business development specialist with a Master's degree in Public Administration from the University of Chittagong and a demonstrated history of working in the Logistics industry. Below is an excerpt from the interview with him.

What inspired you to venture into the logistics domain and what drives you today?

Dwelling at Chittagong, the major sea port of Bangladesh was a stark advantage. Adding on to that I heir the lineage of merchants where my father had a strong grip over the on-port business which inspired me to cling to traditional goodness. Yet, my start with logistics was rather opportunistic. My elder brother was positioned in one of the most prominent logistics companies back then, which earned me a quick job on the container line. It was a pleasant opportunity for a college grad to learn the business basics in logistics at a very early age. I adhered to the skills only to use them as an advantage and work out complete logistic solutions under my wing.

What are the major challenges you have experienced in your journey so far? How did you overcome them and what did you learn from them?

The old trade that sped by in sea ports has been the logistic magnate to many traders. It has always attracted massive business tycoons over the ages. AMC International is right at the heart of- the celebrated port city, which had invited a few obvious competitions. Therefore to make business waters flow to my shore my biz-advantages were not enough. I battled out the odds and made steady yet rapid progress to cut down the competition. Building an exclusive logistic brand like AMC international at the grand harbour was indeed challenging. It takes both passion and patience to stem the growth and curve a growth-sided bend to climb up the competitive ladder. Therefore my current focus is to keep an eagle eye on my target. There is a lot more to be achieved and I cannot spare to fall off track of my dreams that I dream for the brand.

How would you define AMC International Company as an organization and its position in the market?

AMC International was a direct challenge to the old trade companies which related to C&F and shipping services. Even today, the sea port is responsible to handle 90 percent of Bangladesh’s seaborne trade and recently has started accumulating new world challenges. These shortcomings have started impacting the ports' exports and required cutting-edge freight management to mobilise the trades in both ways. My aim was to transform the trade waters with the most recent logistics solutions. Today, we maintain a unique management system that supports business culture and values with a hint of simplicity in attitudes. This helped me to optimize the global supply chains and have finer prospects that old traders had always dreamt to achieve.

How do you anticipate the market behaviour to change in the future, and what are the opportunities forsee to exploit the current market?

Bangladesh's maritime ports account for 94% of its foreign trade, according to the latest statistics. The government is determined in pushing the berth capacities of Chittagong and a few other deep-sea ports and necessitating modern equipment handling to further flourish trade and commerce. I would rather not miss the ship for logistic development when the tides are in my favour. I am at my best to atop the infrastructure development for the company in the most rational way. I believe that my way will imbibe better trade attitudes and have a more significant impact on the economy in each region, industry and people.

What is the future roadmap planned for AMC International Company? What role do you intend to play in it?

I believe to maintain my footing in the logistic industry we need to be more accountable and responsible. We need to close our minds to the drift in the logistic sector and avoid any political unrest that could affect the current trade. Balancing the bars, I am envisaging counteracting a proportionate benefit to the community to avoid any lopsided loss in my trade. As logistics plays a vital role in global businesses, I believe that smoothing out the policy needs helps both small and big companies coexist in the demanding market.

The future roadmap for AMC international Company is quite simple. As an established company, it enjoys more benefits than limitations. Provided the needed support, grants and funding I am planning to en-route my energy into making meaningful contributions via the walks of AMC international. And, I have only one message to share with the upcoming leaders in logistics - positivity and dedication will be the keys to earning success for many business days onwards.

Md Bashir Uddin Ahmed,  CEO,  AMC International Company

true professional and a passionate tradesman, Bashir holds a demonstrated experience in working with logistics and supports business values. He is known for introducing a seamless revolution in trade attitudes in the old seaport shipment services in Bangladesh.