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A leading supplier of technology products for the Middle East logistics industry, SNS has helped to modernise the regional supply chain, claims general manager Mario Ghosn.

SNS has emerged as a market leader for logistics technology in the Middle East. What is the history of the company?

SNS has three offices in the region, located in Dubai, Beirut and Saudi Arabia, with a team of 30 operational and technical consultants who are experts in the supply chain field. Our mission is to become the trusted advisor and partner of our clients by providing them with the highest quality services and holding ourselves accountable for their success in the market.

Which companies have you partnered with in the region?

We have two main strategic partnership in the region with SPAN Group and Infor, which are leaders in their markets. In addition, we have partnerships with other providers of supply chain solutions to ensure that customers have a fully-integrated solution available
at their disposal.

What are the core markets for your portfolio of supply chain technology?

In general, SNS targets any company that manages a logistics network. We offer consulting services, ranging from assessment studies of the full supply chain network to warehousing design, which aim to identify bottlenecks and recommend a solution that can minimise the cost and optimise the performance of supply chains.

Furthermore, we compliment our consulting services with software implementation, including warehouse management systems (WMS), transportation management systems (TMS) and route planning, in addition to customised solutions. Finally, we provide a full set of operational and technical training to ensure maximum knowledge transfer to our clients.

Can you name some of your recent customers in the Middle East region?

Over the years SNS has worked with some of the top players in the regional supply chain market. Our customer portfolio includes Agility Logistics, Pepsi Kuwait, Nestle, P&G, Aramex, Danzas, Fuel Group, Transmed, Jawad Group and Al Yasra.

How strong is the local market for warehouse management systems?

Through our partnerships with SPAN Group and Infor, we are currently the number one provider of supply chain services in the Gulf and Middle East. Our strength resides in our understanding of the Middle East culture, our customer oriented approach, our local presence and our expertise in supply chain management.

What are your predictions for future innovations in warehouse management technology within the Middle East?

There have been several advances in warehousing over the years to enhance the performance of operations. Voice picking, RFID, labour management systems and warehousing dashboards are amongst the top ranking new technologies. In particular, voice picking is one of the best systems available for picking accuracy and speed, while RFID is often utilised in the warehouse to minimise processing time and increase accuracy. Companies have also found that labour management and dashboard solutions are useful to monitor key performance indicators. We are proud to offer each of these new technologies and many others to the market.

How do you respond to competition from global players such as Manhattan Associates and RedPrarie in the region?

Although Manhattan Associates and RedPrarie are definitely leaders in the market, when it comes to the Middle East, SNS has the best track record of successful implementations for the past decade. We understand the requirements of the market, we speak the local language and we have the operational as well as the technical skills to succeed in our ventures.

How do you respond to the ERP players who are offering a WMS to customers as part of their overall ERP package?

We believe that the warehouse is at the heart of any business operation. Any down-time can have a severe impact on the entire supply chain. Based on this, we strongly recommend that medium and large businesses implement standalone warehouse management systems to ensure a high level of autonomy from the other departments of the company as ERP down-time will depend on each and every one of those departments.

In addition, our experience has shown that ERP providers offering integrated WMS applications as part of their full package face two major handicaps: implementation capabilities and lack of functionalities.

How are you planning to develop the business?

We believe in staying one step ahead of the market demand. We constantly seek to increase our services portfolio and enhance our training curriculum. In addition, we are expanding into markets outside the Middle East, such as Latin America and Africa.

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