His Excellency the Minister of Transport Dr. Nabil Mohammed Al-Amoudi opened yesterday the “Supply Chains and Supply Chain Conference” organized by the Ministry with the participation of a number of officials and decision makers, a group of experts and specialists in the field of logistics and supply, representatives of major local and international companies, in addition to those interested in logistics and supply operations from inside and outside the Kingdom, and an exhibition in which major entities and companies related to the logistics and supply sectors participate.

The Kingdom is a global platform for connecting the world.

The Kingdom is a global platform to connect the world

During the opening program, Al-Amoudi explained that the Ministry of Transport started early this year to implement a strategic plan to make the Kingdom a global logistics platform and a hub to connect the three continents, with the participation of a number of government agencies, which will increase the gross domestic product from non-oil resources by 5% and the employment rate in non-oil sectors by 4 % by 2021.

Amoudi stressed that the Kingdom is a global logistics platform and a hub to connect the three continents, with the participation of a number of government agencies. <Al Amoudi stressed that the Kingdom's decision to diversify its economic base and develop its non-oil exports is no longer an option or an afterthought after Vision 2030 has shaped our path towards the future, especially with the Kingdom's distinctive geographical location that enables it to be a leading logistics platform connecting the continents of the world, and with the resources and wealth that our country is blessed with. His Excellency pointed out that the transportation system is working to provide competitive transportation services with added economic value while developing innovative concepts for shipping and warehousing, developing customs procedures, and integrating with local and international transportation companies to facilitate major transportation operations.

His Excellency pointed out that the transportation system is working to provide competitive transportation services with added economic value.

Growth and development of the logistics sector

<Al-Amoudi considered the “Supply Chain Conference” an important opportunity to exchange visions, ideas, expertise and experiences on the best ways and latest practices to improve the performance of supply chains and raise their efficiency and develop the logistics sector, to make the Kingdom a global logistics center, especially that the volume of global exchange passes through the Arabian Gulf. The volume of global exchange passing through the Arabian Gulf is estimated at 12%, pointing to the Kingdom's endeavor to achieve a leap in its ranking in the Logistics Performance Index from 49th to 25th in the world, and to raise the percentage of non-oil exports from 16% to at least 50% of non-oil GDP.

For his part, HE Deputy Minister of Transport Eng. Saad bin Abdulaziz Al-Khalib said that about 30 percent of the trade of East African countries passes through the ports of the Kingdom's west coast, and that about 70 percent of the total goods coming to the ports of the Gulf countries target customers in Saudi Arabia, he added during his participation in a session entitled “Modern trends in supply chain management in the Kingdom to reach Vision 2030,” noting that the cargo volume at our local airports reached 1.045 million tons in 2016.

Modernizing the regulations of the Kingdom's supply chain management to reach Vision 2030

Updating the regulation of freight transportation and freight brokers

During his participation, H.E. Dr. Rumaih bin Mohammed Al Rumaih, Chairman of the Public Transport Authority, spoke about the most important goals and initiatives that the Public Transport Authority is working on to raise logistics efficiency, including updating the regulation of cargo transportation and freight brokers. For his part, H.E. Ahmed Al Haqbani, Director General of Customs, referred to the Customs strategy in supporting logistics cities and free zones, and the work carried out by Customs to facilitate cargo clearance procedures and their tracking systems.

For his part, H.E.

Updates to the TIR Convention

<The two-day conference will discuss the importance of TIR updates to ease customs operations in a globally connected economy and its importance in supporting the movement of products in the Kingdom due to its important role in facilitating international transit and simplifying customs transit procedures and the international guarantee system. Modern trends in supply chain management developments in the Kingdom to achieve Vision 2030, the integration and standardization of port procedures and their development, in addition to advanced procurement methodologies (their significance in controlling and monitoring supply chain operations), and the essence of supply chain management (creating added value).