Projecting prospects

Up and running is a new Indo-German joint venture called Master Voss International Projects Private Limited (MVIPPL). Prudential Shipping Agencies Private Limited, the agency arm of Bombay’s Master Group, has tied up with Voss International of Dortmund, Germany, a leading heavy lift carrier and project cargo forwarder. Headed by Bernd Voss, the company has a presence in more than 18 countries. And providing the masterstroke for the collaboration was an article in a magazine!

"Around three years ago my good friend and business associate Voss was looking for a partner in India. He requested me to help find one. I happened to read this long article on the Master Group headed by Capt Percy Master and it struck me that here was what we wanted!” narrates MVIPPL’s chairman Khurshed Thanawalla. "He (Thana-walla) contacted us with a proposal stating that a German company is looking for a joint venture for ODC (Over Dimensional Cargo) movement in India. We met and found a lot of synergy in our activity and then both of us flew to Germany to sign the deal. It was fortunately as simple as that!” relates Xerxes Master, Percy’s son, who is the new company’s managing director.

Voss International holds 51 percent of MVIPPL while Prudential Shipping has 49 percent, with management control in the hands of the Master Group which was established in 1983 by Percy, a Master Mariner who has over 40 years’ experience in the field. Master Group’s diverse activities include shipping, marine cargo survey, container repairs, CFS (container freight station) management, supply chain management, power generation, etc.

International collaboration: Xerxes Master (center) with Bernd Voss (right) in Germany

Master Voss specializes in worldwide end-to-end logistics solutions including custom clearance, port handling, etc. "The USP (unique selling proposition) of this venture is that we are the only company in India having its own ODC equipment in this country and in Europe by virtue of this joint venture. This will ensure that we have captive capacity to provide the customers the right product mix to ensure safe carriage of their cargo,” Xerxes explains. With heavy equipment like Goldhofer hydraulic axles, MAN pullers, low beds, dummy beds, girder bridges, goose necks, bolsters, etc under their belt, moving is not a tall order! "Our CAD (computer aided design) support enables us to plan and visualize loading and movement processes to scale before shipment takes place, thus minimizing problems on the ground. Application of patented technologies provided by our partner helps us to bring international best practices into the Indian scenario,” notes Xerxes.

"There are several heavy transportation companies for sure, but we in India often compromise on the safety aspect. The bringing in of the right technology and methodology by a foreign partner makes for faster learning. Indians are smart and pick up very quickly. For large projects like power, for example, if everything is handled by one company the client doesn’t have to bother about in-betweens. It’s a one-hand solution,” adds Thanawalla who is the managing director of Oerlikon Textiles India Private Limited and has vast and varied experience on the boards of several companies like Varun Shipping Company Limited, Stovec Industries Limited, etc. "My role is to steer MVIPPL as chairman. Xerxes will run the company.” Also on MVIPPL’s board are Bernd Voss, Percy Master and Sanjay Asher, managing partner of Crawford and Bayley Private Limited. Sumeet Ghildiyal is the chief executive officer. The mission is to provide services seamless and satisfactory "at optimum price effectively, efficiently and consistently,” asserts Xerxes.