Jeena & Company, One Of The Largest Indian Freight Forwarders In The Global Market With Ideal Logistics And Supply Chain Solutions

"We provide our customers with 'an Experience of Excellence' as we truly believe that, a brand is not just about a logo or a tag line or a website, it's – an experience"

Jeena & Company

Spearheaded by the 5th generation of its founders, Jeena & Company, carrying its century-old legacy of experience in Supply Chain and Logistics holds its position strongly as the market leader in the global scenario for its distinguished professional services. 

As one of the top 3 Indian Freight Forwarder companies in India, it is making a significant difference in the thriving industry of supply chain logistics today with techno-centric pragmatic solutions driven by infrastructure, innovation, and impeccability.

Founded by Pallonji Katgara and Jamshedji Dastoor in 1900, the inherited expertise has been carried successfully by the 5th generation of the founding family with the continuous effort to change the conventional methods of freight forwarding industry. 

Today, pioneered by the industry experts, Jeena & Company is under the guidance of the three partners Sam Katgara, Homi Katgara, and Cyrus Katgara.

120 years of excellence and going beyond the call of duty ensuring that the customers are satisfied, for all the three partners, Jeena is not just business, it's an emotion.

The CEO Magazine in a conversation with one of the partners, Sam Katgara, got to know about the company's logistics, sustainable trade, services, innovations in technology, market visibility and more; 

TCM: Do you believe yourself to be a dominant industry leader and why?

Sam: We truly believe that great leaders are those who leave a legacy and Jeena, being 120 years young organization has a legacy of its own. We are trendsetters in the industry, still learning and growing. 

TCM: What purpose are you serving and how have you evolved from day one?

Sam:To its core, the role of a freight forwarder in today's modern society is a simple yet important one. These are the hardworking people who make the transportation of goods possible all over the world.

Anytime a product is successfully moved from the manufacturer into the marketplace or from a producer into the hands of a customer, you have a freight forwarder to thank for it. 

Nearly everything around today's freight forwarders, however, has changed dramatically – particularly as technology continues its dramatic march towards the future.

Pen and pencil were replaced by the printed press, which itself has since been supplanted by digital technology. Everything from quickly finding the best carriers to meet a current demand to consolidating orders to make record keeping as efficient as possible is now feasible, particularly as cloud-based supply chain solutions become the new norm.

In many ways, the evolution of the freight forwarding process is almost as interesting as the process itself.

TCM: Is the demand for your services going in India and how do you decide the nature of the right target audience? 

Sam:The demand till last year had been increasing at a brisk pace however 2019-20 has been tough for logistics as most of the industries like Engineering, IT, Telecom, Auto, etc are down, still, we have been able to manage quite well. Then, of course, the Indian market is very interesting based on its location, thanks to its proximity to the European continent and Africa, which are also rising markets and the right target for the future. 

TCM: Do you feel the influence of technology association has amplified over the years in logistics?

Sam:Technological advancement has improved the way supply chain runs. Technologies like predictive analytics, better visibility over the movement of goods and robotics that help warehouses and distributions centers (DCs) keep pace,will all play a majorrole in digital supply chain management.

The future of the logistics industry is also expected to change tremendously with the adoption of new innovations using IT, big data, advanced analytics, and machine learning. Technological innovations and changing customer behavior will drive these advancements.​ 

TCM: Do you feel about the transformation of the industry? 

Sam:Logistics and cargo industry is constantly at a stage of transformation. Evolving global dynamics due to the shifts in geopolitical climate resulting in economic turbulence, trade wars, etc have a direct impact on our trade. We do believe that digital disruptions and changing customer preferences are game-changers and will open new opportunities for the trade.

TCM: Do you chalk out a business model for a successful name, what are your marketing strategies?

Sam:Given the current environment, we are in; the biggest challenge is to remain compliant in all aspects of the business. We invest our major time in planning activities like Entry Product, marketing strategy, competition, value creation, financials, risk factors, etc.

Once all this is complete, we then work towards implementing our plan within the defined timelines, which is the key. At present, we are working on Transactional marketing, Social Media Marketing, Relationship marketing (Reference), Paid advertising, Events/Trade show marketing and word of mouth.

TCM: In the next five years, do you believe you would have achieved the status it was seeking? 

Sam:We have long term plans in place and so far, we are on the right track as far as the implementation of our plans is concerned.

We are becoming more forward-looking and are currently working on various projects like Data-driven plans through data visualization, improving collaboration/partnerships with all stakeholders and focusing on new target industries that are growing.

 TCM: Do you believe this is an appropriate time for an entrepreneur to venture into the industry? 

Sam:This is the right time to venture as Infrastructure enablement, Regulatory boost, and Leveraging technologies are driving forward India's freight forwarding market. 

TCM: How is the corporate ethos for the clients in your company?

Sam:As a group, we are currently associated with corporate customers, manufacturers, traders, services, merchandisers and hybrid businesses. We promote respect and openness which brings us together as one big family. We believe strongly in professionalism, teamwork, ethics, commitment, and excellence.

We offer a diverse range of services to our customers. With a constant mission to increase our service verticals, we also ensure that the quality and efficiency of the highest order are maintained. 

TCM: What are the achievements and awards earned?

Sam:We are rated as MSE-1 by CRISIL which is the highest rating for financial and operating strength. We have been winning 'Freight Forwarder of the year' from the last 3 consecutive years by Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL).

We have received numerous awards from shipping lines, airlines, CONCOR, Stat times, India Cargo Awards, etc which constantly keeps us motivating to go further.

TCM: What gives you an edge over your peers?

Sam:Proactive solutions, personal commitment, customer experience managers (CEM), mobile app, service excellence, sales excellence program are few of the USPs of Jeena which give us an edge. Our team of dedicated professionals toils to meet the expectations of our loyal clientele.

In order to deliver service excellence which is our motto, we strive to maintain transparency, credibility, and flexibility in our operations. We maintain the name value of the brand by being customer-obsessed, innovating, putting people first and implementing best trade practices.  

TCM: Is there anything that you believe should change in the industry?

Sam:There is one thing we feel should be implemented in the industry i.e. it should encourage the 'Go Green' initiatives and our custodians like customs should make a move towards going paperless. The smallest of changes make the biggest difference. 

TCM: Have you been associated with corporate social responsibilities? 

Sam:We contribute towards improving the world we live in via our 'Katgara Foundation' wherein we are contributing towards Daily Mid Day Meals, Organizing Free Eye check-up camps, Helping hospitals build cancer wards, funding shelter homes for old and abandoned people, sponsoring stray dog kennels, contributing for mobile crèche for working women and laborers, etc.