Page 143 - July 2024 Issue 632

Taarek Hinedi

(Vice President – FedEx Express Middle East & Africa Operations)

AI is poised to become one of the most disruptive global forces of this decade

edEx connects people and possibilities through its worldwide portfolio of shipping, transportation, e-
Fcommerce and business services. It offers integrated business applications through its collaboratively
managed operating companies - collectively delivering extraordinary service to its customers - using the
expertise and reliability represented by the FedEx brand. Its people are the foundation of its success, and
FedEx has consistently ranked among the world’s most admired and trusted employers. It inspires its glob-
al workforce of more than 575 thousand employees to remain absolutely, positively focused on safety, the
highest ethical and professional standards, and the needs of their customers and communities. Al Bayan
Magazine conducted an interview with Mr. Taarek Hinedi, Vice President of FedEx Express Middle East &
Africa Operations and following is the Q & A.

• What is the added value behind your partici- newer and more efficient technologies. Our efforts
pation in Seamless Dubai? to reduce emissions center around vehicle electri-
- Seamless Middle East serves as a pivotal meet- fication and the use of sustainable energy and
ing point for decision-makers from diverse indus- fuels. Through a phased strategy, we are working
tries including logistics, payments, fintech, banking, towards our goal of transforming the entire FedEx
retail, e-commerce, and digital marketing, to con- parcel pickup and delivery (PUD) fleet to zero-
vene and explore groundbreaking technologies that tailpipe emission vehicles by 2040. Further, in our
are shaping the future of digital commerce in the commitment to providing sustainable solutions for
region. Its recent edition focused on the impact of our customers, FedEx-branded cardboard pack-
Artificial Intelligence (AI) across sectors. aging is 100% recyclable and composed of 45% FedEx Ship Manager™ automate the shipping
Visitors to the FedEx booth H1-A24 explored a range recycled content. process end-to-end and FedEx® Reporting pro-
of smart e-commerce solutions tailored to meet the Our hub at DWC is also a testament to our sustain- vides simplified access to shipping dashboards.
dynamic needs of e-tailers and their end-consumers. ability commitment. The facility aligns with Dubai FedEx also uses AI for delivery tracking purposes
This included FedEx Compatible Solutions, which Municipality’s Green Standard for sustainable build- to provide greater accuracy of estimated delivery
seamlessly integrates with business applications to ing and regulation and features 100% LED lighting, times and updates for early or delayed shipments.
streamline supply chain management and enable charging infrastructure for commercial delivery vehi- Our FedEx Advanced Tracking shares cus-
efficient order fulfillment. cles, electric ground service equipment such as fork- tomized and in-depth intelligent insights on ship-
These solutions add to an evolving platform of FedEx lifts and employee passenger cars, and an intelligent ment tracking and FedEx SenseAwareSM is a
digital services, which include WhatsApp notifications building management system to automatically man- sensor-based technology that provides customers
for FedEx® Delivery Manager to help recipients plan age cooling and lighting. It will also include solar pan- near real-time monitoring and information includ-
package deliveries around their busy schedules, and els that will generate approximately one megawatt of ing package location and temperature.
Picture Proof of Delivery for express residential ship- power. The excess power will be fed back into the • What are some new products you launched
ments, to ensure peace of mind for both e-commerce Dubai power grid, supporting the increase of clean
merchants and their consumers. energy’s share in the city’s energy mix. or are going to launch in the near future?
FedEx also sponsored the Seamless E-com- Our customers can also access our FedEx® - FedEx has made a long-term investment of more
merce University, an engaging stage at the con- Sustainability Insights tool on fedex.com, which is an than US$350 million (approximately AED 1.3 bil-
ference where experts from various industries advanced cloud platform that grants them direct lion) into the UAE’s economy through infrastruc-
shared practical advice on building, launching, access to near-real-time emissions data on their ture and technological advancements in this new
and growing profitable businesses. In addition to shipments within the FedEx network. They can then hub at DWC. This investment reaffirms the com-
leading dedicated sessions, we also invited some use the data to help make informed decisions on pany’s commitment to economic growth, aligned
of our customers to take to the stage and share their future shipping strategy to reduce their impact with the UAE’s ‘National Agenda for Non-oil
valuable insights. Delving into how businesses on the planet. Export Development’, which aims to increase the
can grow their operations through cross-border Additionally, we are supporting research on car- nation’s foreign trade. It also supports the growing
trade, FedEx hosted a presentation on bon sequestration science to help advance the e-commerce and trade demands in the Middle
‘Embracing E-commerce: Moving Your Business development of long-term carbon capture strate- East, Indian Subcontinent and Africa region and
Online’ as well as a session on ‘Unlocking Growth gies with permanence. beyond.
Opportunities for E-commerce Businesses’, as • What are some opportunities in the region We also recently launched our new FedEx Less-
part of the main conference agenda during the your company is addressing? How are you than-Container Load (LCL) Priority service, con-
event. FedEx also moderated a fireside chat titled approaching them? necting the Asia Pacific with key markets in the
‘Startup to Scale-up: Lessons Learned in E-com- - AI is poised to become one of the most disrup- Middle East. This one-stop multimodal ocean-
merce Expansion’ to highlight the significance of tive global forces of this decade, fueled by the road solution offers a customs-cleared port-to-door
logistics in scaling up businesses. and door-to-door service with a strategic balance of
increasing availability and utilization of data. The speed and affordability, while providing a new
Middle East region is expected to generate eco- benchmark in efficiency. FedEx has also introduced
Our hub at DWC is a testament nomic gains of up to US$320 billion by 2030 innovative digital solutions including the new auto-
to our sustainability commitment through the adoption of AI. Our solutions such as mated e-commerce capability in FedEx Ship
Manager™, which supports small
• Sustainability is one of the most businesses and e-commerce mer-
chants across the region to efficiently
important aspects discussed across
manage their shipments online.
all industries, how are you contribut-
ing to that? • How were your results in 2023 and
- Our sustainability approach and what do you expect from 2024?
carbon emission reduction plans - In FY2023, FedEx Corp. ended the
focus on three key ideas: reduce, fiscal year with revenue of US$90.2
replace, and revolutionize. We aim billion. For FY2024, we project capital
to mitigate the impact of our activi- spending of US$5.4 billion prioritizing
ties and operations, replace older efficiency improvements such as fleet
technologies and vehicles, and revo- and facility modernization, network
lutionize our fleets and facilities with optimization, and automation.
143 AL BA Y AN ECONOMIC MAG - ISSUE 632 - JULY 2024