Project Cargo Network (PCN) were delighted to welcome over 175 CEOs and Senior Managers from more than 70 countries to their 6th Annual Summit held at the Radisson Blu in Dubai.

An introduction video was played which highlighted details about both PCN membership and the meeting (available in the PCN Members Area). The video showcased impressive footage from Member's projects and PCN are in the process of creating a second version for Members to use as a marketing aid when bidding for new contracts.

View Gala Dinner & Meeting photos.

PCN President, Rachel Humphrey stated in the Opening Session; "As is well known, some of our Member's only handle oversize and heavy shipments whereas others are general forwarders looking to increase this side of their business. Nevertheless, each company must show us that they have the relevant experience and can handle such shipments and this is publicly displayed when new Members join (view online).

As our introduction video explained, we use our annual Evidence Audit to uncover and replace any unsuitable members with more experienced companies. It has always been PCN's policy to accept general forwarders and we are very proud to be a platform for such companies and that we are assisting them in developing their specialist departments.

To further support this policy, we will be launching a new and exciting initiative in 2017. Having skilled and capable staff is crucial and thorough training is essential in today’s heavy lift industry. Practical ‘on the job’ experience needs to be paired with theoretical knowledge, as this leads to a deeper understanding. However, official heavy lift training courses and workshops are often expensive and involve travel and time away from the office.

We have spent some time looking at whether PCN can offer a better option and we are pleased to announce that we are developing a comprehensive 5 module online training program on a specially developed PCN eLearning platform.

Besides the obvious benefits of not having to travel to a training centre, the additional advantage is being able to train at a date and time convenient to you. PCN has taken this a step further by breaking the training into 54 x 10 minute sessions that will be long enough to get an important point across but short enough not to disrupt your day. A list of topics covered is available in the Members Area.

Each module will have assessments to make sure that the subject has been fully understood before progressing to the next topic. When the training is completed the user will understand the practical, operational and engineering aspects of heavy transport, heavy lift and project cargo and will be able to ask pertinent questions at the relevant time and understand the industry terminology.

The training is set to be an exciting new benefit of membership and we plan to add more advanced modules at a later date to assist our more experienced members. After all, "It’s what we think we know that keeps us from learning."

The PCN Annual Awards were calculated from ratings and feedback provided in their recent Quality Control Survey.

• International Member of the Year: Coordinadora of Spain
• Regional Award for the Middle East & Africa: Turk Heavy Transport of Bahrain
• Regional Award for Asia & Pacific: Central Oceans of Singapore
• Regional Award for the Americas: Kronoz International of Mexico
• Regional Award for Europe: Fortune International of Italy
• President’s Award: Intertransport GRUBER in Germany

The second day of the meeting started with an impressive and interesting presentation by Mr Al Jourani of Dubai Maritime City Authority. DMCA is a government authority charged with regulating and supervising all aspects of Dubai’s maritime sector.

During the registration process, PCN raised over $3200 for the Tanzania Diabetes Association. Life expectancy for a child with Type 1 diabetes in Africa can be as low as one year. The cost of keeping a child healthy is only $340 per year so PCN are partnering with TDA to provide insulin, syringes, blood glucose tests and just as importantly, education.

The meeting ended with details of the next event which will takes place in Prague from 19-21 November 2017 at the Marriott Hotel. Read more.

"Thank you to everyone for making our 2016 Annual Summit such a fantastic event!"

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