- Anara Serikovna, let's start with a little background information. What is multimodal transportation, and how popular is it in Kazakhstan logistics in general?

- Multi-modal transportation is the transportation of cargo using several modes of transport. Rail transport, ferry transport, road transport, and air transport can participate here. If you combine all this, you will get a multimodal transportation. In this case, one contract is concluded with the client. According to it, the customer can apply for all types of transportation only to one coordinator, in this case to us, and Atasu Group will be responsible for the delivery of cargo from door to door, regardless of the complexity of the path. In Kazakhstan, this type of transportation is certainly popular, due to its convenience. This is most often practiced in the direction of import. Far abroad – America, Southeast Asia, Africa, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Russia, France, China, Japan, South Korea-very often it is impossible to transport cargo from these countries on one transport. Therefore, there is a multi-modal transportation. For example, from the United States to Kazakhstan, we transport equipment, cars and consumer goods across the sea and by rail. As a rule, we export raw materials, food products, legumes, etc. from Kazakhstan through multimodal transportation. Destinations here - European countries, Turkey, the Baltic States, China, Iran.

- And how is pricing built here? Why, it seems to be such a complex route, the client is much cheaper than transportation by one transport?

- For example, it will be very expensive to deliver cargo from Southeast Asia only by road. We can offer several options for transportation, for example, it will be a sea connection, which is considered very cheap, then we "overload" the cargo on a railway wagon. We combine vehicles, find the best option for the client. Multimodal transport is generally very efficient in terms of transportation. At the request of the client, you can find an option both more expensive and cheaper. But now the coronavirus pandemic has changed a lot. There was a shortage of containers that accumulated in Europe and the United States, and in China they were not enough. As a result, there was an increase in tariffs and small and medium-sized businesses suffer from this. Until now, the situation has not stabilized: if earlier our partners provided us with rates that did not change for a month, now they offer a maximum of 5-7 days.

-  Tell us how a multimodal transport logistics specialist works?

- From the moment of signing the contract, the entire process of transportation and communication with the client and partners is transferred to the logistics specialist. Its task is to ensure the delivery of the cargo on time, in one piece. How he will do it-depends on the image of the company and how the interests of the client will be respected. In the work, you need to take into account a lot – the characteristics of the cargo, the reliability of the agents with whom this transportation is carried out, and so on. When the work begins, that's when the fun begins. Sometimes there are pitfalls that the logistician can’t immediately take into account. We work with different cargo, such as dangerous, bulky, consolidated, excise, perishable. All this should also be taken into account. During transportation, all shipping documents must be in order. Incorrect registration entails a fine for the carriage of the cargo, regardless of the compensation for the carrier's losses caused by this circumstance. Also, during transportation, there are periodically such difficulties that can’t be solved quickly and it takes a lot of time and effort to overcome them. Again, this is a huge responsibility of the logistician, who literally gets used to this transportation. During the days, weeks and months that the transportation lasts, the logistician gets used to it, reports to the customer daily, monitors the cargo, and solves any problems that arise. It is difficult, but at the same time, it is a kind of challenge for the logistician, he wakes up the excitement. But every logistician does not have one transport, there are several of them. In other words, he starts living it. But just imagine what the logistics specialist feels when the cargo is delivered and he is happy to inform the customer about it. It's a satisfaction that's hard to describe. This is a small victory for every logistician. It is such moments that give an impetus, motivation for further work.

- How many multimodal transportations per month are carried out by Atasu Group specialists?

- About 180-200 shipments. Here it is important to understand that the transportation is different. There are different types of shipments-from one car to a container train. In one case, the labor cost is a maximum of an hour. And there are, as I said, when you need to spend months on one transport.

- Anara Serikovna, it turns out that in order to engage in logistics, you need to have a vocation for this. Not everyone will survive, not everyone will be able to. Let's understand the portrait of a modern logistician?

- That's right, in addition to professionalism, there must be a vocation. By vocation, I mean, first of all, the love of one's work, one's country. You know, there is nothing to do in logistics without a sense of patriotism. And the pride and love for the motherland is brought up just by logistics in the process of work. Thanks to her, we learn a lot about what is happening in the world. Recently, for example, we returned Kazakh construction equipment from Georgia. I began to wonder-why? As it seemed to me before, our construction companies build only in Kazakhstan. Turns out, no. One of our major construction companies won a tender in Georgia and is now building roads there. Isn't that a reason to be proud of your country? Or here is another, simply stunning, in my opinion, example. We were bringing yarn from Bangladesh. But not at all what we imagine when we knit socks or sweaters at home in the evenings. This yarn is designed to weave the basis for carpets. They were taken to one of the local production facilities in Shymkent.

And here it is also very important for the logistician to go to the objects where the cargo is delivered. There on the spot, you especially clearly understand what important work you are doing. Sitting in the office, you just imagine it, made calls, typed something. And when you arrive at the factory, you see what kind of goods you have delivered and for what purpose, it becomes clear-what benefit you have just brought to your people, your country, and the national economy. When I saw the huge equipment that weaves these carpets, when I felt the products of incredible beauty with my hands – this is an indescribable feeling, a tremendous pleasure, joy for my homeland, that in your Kazakhstan there is, it turns out, such a production and you help it function. A person is spiritually filled, patriotism grows in the soul, so he comes to his family, tells his children, parents. This is where patriotism begins. This is the main advantage of working as a logistician.

- Thank you for the conversation and for your love of the profession!