NAQEL Express has extended its focus into the fast growing market of e-commerce logistics, while holding on to its CARE philosophy

NAQEL Express, one of the largest domestic logistics service providers in Saudi Arabia, has ended 2019 on a fine note, having established itself as a ‘one-stop-shop’ solutions provider. The New Year looks even promising as the company taps into new opportunities.

NAQEL is firmly committed to its ‘CARE’ philosophy when reaching out to its thousands of customers in the region and beyond, ensuring to meet their specific logistics needs.

Naqel ... leading ‘one-stop-shop’ logistics provider

“We attach significant importance to our customer feedback and treat each and every complaint as a potential opportunity to further enhance our business processes and systems,” Norah Abdullah, Customer Service Director, NAQEL Express, tells Abdulaziz Khattak of OGN.

The company has been well serving the oil and gas industry, providing customers in the sector in Saudi Arabia with warehousing, customs clearance and distribution services. And while it has strong penetration in the upstream sector in Saudi Arabia, Naqel has realised potential opportunities in offering expedited freight, customs clearance and express distributions services to the companies in the downstream sector as well.

In 2019, NAQEL handled over nine million shipments, and established itself as the ‘one-stop-shop’ solutions provider, offering services in three categories:

• Express Services: These include standard ‘door-to-door’ transportation of time-sensitive goods to B2B (business to business) customers, both within Saudi Arabia and across the world.

• E-Commerce Services: This is standard ‘door-to-door’ transportation of goods ordered online, from various Saudi and global e-retailers to shoppers in the Middle East. Besides, e-fulfillment services are also offered to both domestic and international e-retailers, who are keen to outsource their storage, order fulfillment and distribute goods to their online shoppers.

• Logistics solutions: Here freight, warehousing, 3PL and 4PL logistics services are offered to customers in key industrial sectors, such as oil and gas, aviation, electronics, pharmaceutical, life sciences, etc.

NAQEL has diversified its services across both B2B and B2C segments and across a wide range of industrial sectors. The company has extended its focus into the fast-growing market of e-commerce logistics, which is growing annually around 30 per cent.

In 2020, NAQEL aims to leverage on its unique competitive strengths across a wide spectrum of logistics needs of customers and position itself as the leading ‘one-stop-shop’ logistics provider in Saudi Arabia and rest of the Middle East, says Abdullah.

She says, in 2020, the company is offering its customers new products:

• Bonded e-Fulfillment: In 2020, NAQEL will be offering bonded e-fulfillment to international e-retailers and trading companies in the Middle East. Abdullah says customers will be able to imports their goods via sea and air and store it in NAQEL’s new e-fulfillment facility at Jeddah Port for distribution across Saudi Arabia, the wider Middle East and rest of the world.

• Customs Clearance: NAQEL has established its own ‘state-of-the-art’ facilities in three key airports in Saudi Arabia: King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, and King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. The company is currently offering a seamless air freight and customs clearance services to all the importing companies in Saudi Arabia. Customs Clearance services has also been extended to the companies using sea freight.

About its ‘CARE’ philosophy, Abdullah says NAQEL is intensely pursuing it towards its employees and the community at large. The four letter words, she says, stand for its four values:

C is for ‘Competent’: NAQEL attaches significant importance in developing competent people, network and systems. The company currently has the widest networks in Saudi Arabia reaching the remotest locations in the country, in addition to having extended its distribution network across key countries in the Middle East. Besides, it has set-up its coordination centres in China, the UK, Germany and the US to support the exporting companies.

A is for ‘Accountable’: Undoubtedly, well trained people supported by competitive network and systems provides a solid a foundation. However, NAQEL recognises the significance of having great leaders and employees who take ownership in effectively meeting its customer needs.

The company has unleashed a unique leadership and career development programme called IDP (Individual Development Program) whereby qualified Saudi nationals including industrial engineers from major universities in the country are recruited and nurtured through specialised training programmes. These programmes assist its employees in confidently meeting specific needs of customers and thereby create sustainable value for the organisation.

NAQEL has created a full-fledged training division called NTC (NAQEL Training Center) which caters to the training needs of both its own employees and logistics community in the country at large.

R is for ‘Respectful’: Competent and accountable employees are indeed valuable assets for NAQEL. However, the company also believes that a culture of respect for employees and customers will enable innovation and a robust performance outcomes.

“NAQEL attaches high importance to promoting a culture of respect and positive attitude in the organisation. This is also factored during our hiring process whereby we hire the right leaders with the right attitude to successfully lead various business units within the organisation,” says the company’s Deputy CEO and Head of Shared Services, Adnan Al Mazrooa. The company is implementing a number of CSR initiatives aimed at supporting the wider community in Saudi Arabia. Currently, the company is working closely with an NGO called ‘Al Bir Charity’ and recruiting underprivileged citizens and providing them free training before inducting them into NAQEL’s work stream.

E is for ‘Engaged’: NAQEL’s competent, accountable and respectful employees are fully engaged in delivering a ‘best in industry’ customer experience. The company is a strong proponent of its fourth value – Engaged. Its leadership is focused in stimulating a high level of engagement both within the employees and with the customers.

“Our digital tools and implementation of innovative systems and processes plays an important role in enhancing our engagement with all our stakeholders – both internal and external,” says Norah Al Kahtani, NAQEL’s Digital Marketing Manager.