Q: As a pioneer in liner shipping, how is your company positioned to compete in the international market?

A: Liner shipping is one of the most important aspects of the global economy but the positive or negative growth of this sector is highly dependent on the fluctuations of the global demand for goods.

Hapag-Lloyd was able to select the optimal and sustainable strategy to compete in the international market while mitigating the inherited risk factors of the sector. A high quality and customer oriented strategy helped us to consolidate our position in the international market.

Lalith Witanachchi
Director
Vice President

Q: What is your assessment of the country’s economic landscape and its impact on your sector?

A: Demand for shipping is derived from the demand for goods. The buying power of the people, government policies and macroeconomic situation of the country collectively determine domestic volumes.

The recent import restrictions imposed by the government caused a considerable drop in our import volumes, which also has a negative impact on export freight rates due to the prevailing container imbalance situation.

However, healthy transhipment volumes helped us to maintain our profitability and performance.

Q: And what hopes and aspirations do you have for Sri Lanka’s economy in 2024?

A: We’re optimistic and hopeful that as a country, we’ll be able to carry out the restructuring process of foreign debts and we can expect a certain level of stability in the national economy during the year.

Q: Could you share your organisation’s brand philosophy for its Sri Lankan operations?

A: It is quality, automation and customer service. As the local agent for this German brand, we can proudly say that we’ve been able to position Hapag-Lloyd as one of the most admired brand names in Sri Lanka.

Hapag-Lloyd Lanka was recognised as the best shipping line agent in Sri Lanka at three prestigious industry level awarding platforms and we won six of the most competitive industry awards.

Q: How has your organisation adapted to the local market over the years?

A: Hapag-Lloyd Lanka is a joint venture between Hapag-Lloyd and Aitken Spence. Aitken Spence is one of the largest conglomerates in Sri Lanka, and with the synergies in its maritime, logistics and freight cluster, we have excelled in customising our services to provide a seamless customer experience over the years.

Q: German brands are renowned for their quality and excellence. How do these qualities play out in your portfolio?

A: Hapag-Lloyd has explicitly set ‘quality’ as its medium-term differentiation strategy. We have already made a remarkable investment in developing human resources and automating routine business processes with robotic process automation (RPA) techniques to ensure that we maintain the highest quality of service.

Q: Organisations of German origin are known for their professionalism, work ethic and reliability. How does your organisation live up to these values here?

A: Compliance is one of the highest priorities for Hapag-Lloyd. The company has been proactive in establishing a very formal mechanism to ensure the implementation of Hapag-Lloyd corporate policies on compliance, zero tolerance and ethical practices throughout the world.

As a responsible company, we are committed to maintaining the highest level of professionalism and setting industry benchmarks in promoting ethical practices. Our joint venture partnership is a testimony to this.

Q: How does your organisation capitalise on technological advancements?

A: We have been able to automate a number of business processes and presently, our customers are enjoying the benefits of these automated processes.

Telephone: 2499502 | Email: lalithw@hlag.lk | Website: www.hapag-lloyd.com