Fish Inspectors will be the first product launched under the new FIS and AXA Assistance relationship. (Photo: FIS)

FIS, global giant AXA Assistance join forces

WORLDWIDE
Monday, March 23, 2009, 19:20 (GMT + 9)

Worldwide assistance services leader AXA Assistance - a subsidiary of AXA Group - and Fish Information Services (FIS), the leading provider of strategic information on global seafoood, fisheries and aquaculture, have agreed to jointly collaborate in developing existing FIS company information services and FIS-initiated E-service projects.

“Despite the international financial situation, AXA Assistance is continuing its development and is trying to identify new opportunities that both expand our assistance service and improve working and living conditions, in this case, the seafood sector. The formula is very simple; to join the experience that FIS has in the sector together with the enormous infrastructure and traffic of AXA Assistance. We will back FIS, not only in the commercial, but also in the array of services that they will begin introducing benefiting the sector,” commented AXA Assistance (Argentina) President Guillermo Aguilar.

FIS Japan's Yashuo Kunitmitsu (Photo: FIS)

President of FIS Japan Yashuo Kunitmitsu additionally sees the relationship with AXA as one that will considerably strengthen global seafood industry services: 

“With AXA’s backing, we hope to be able to improve our services to the sector by offering new products, improving information - while reducing costs - and complimenting our partner’s business. We have over 135,000 registered companies and over 13 years of uninterrupted experience as the industry leader in Internet services related to the global seafood industry. We have a dedicated team working 24-hours-a-day in several countries,” Kunitmitsu stated.

“Fish Inspectors will be the first product to be launched [under the new partnership]. This project will unite fish inspectors worldwide under one umbrella and make it possible for inspectors to both improve their professional reputations and work under standards through a common multilingual communication and administration system. The project will also enable them to work together with international inspectors through a network that has jointly been set up by AXA Assistance and FIS. This is a qualitative and quantitative step for the sector that is also absolutely necessary for the improvement of e-commerce - a field that has developed slowly in the seafood sector compared with numerous other commerce sectors,” explained Kunimitsu.

AXA Argentina's Guillermo Aguilar. (Photo: AXA Assistance)

“FIS already has several services in development, which will be presented to the public as the market and technology prove their readiness. Fish Inspectors will be followed by the launch of FishAgents, a part human - part computer controlled system that allow buyers and sellers to remain anonymous while maintaining a distance from brokers and intermediaries which currently bombard them with all sorts of offers and spam,” Kunimitsu said. 

“AXA is ready to move forward with the new projects,” added Aguilar. “From our perspective, we are ready for this project; it constitutes yet another product which requires training, which we do on a daily basis. The time schedule needed for the project to be implemented will involve an exhausting pre-selection of candidates, which will take many months. This includes processing thousands of CVs and references from applicants who currently work independently.”

According to Kunitmitsu, years of development have been put into the projects.

“Our unified database and operating system, which allows for efficient control and administration, enables us to operate globally at a low cost. We will receive and process individual candidates from April to November. We will then be online and in operation with new services early next year,” Kunimitsu elaborated.

“Our existing services provisioning independent news and strategic market information to the global seafood, fishery and seafood industries will also be strengthened. In order to keep the integrity of our news and information services, the projects will continue as separate divisions of FIS."  

AXA Assistance is an international assistance and services network present in more than 30 countries. (Photo: AXA)

About AXA Assistance:

An AXA Group subsidiary, AXA Assistance is an international assistance and services network that caters to corporate and individual clients. The company is present in more than 30 countries on 5 continents and employs more than 5,000 people worldwide.

The AXA Group is a worldwide insurance leader with some 145,000 workers and a client-base of 67 million. The Group’s 2008 revenues amounted to EUR 91.2 billion and was ranked 15th on the 2006 Fortune Global 500 list of largest companies in the world.

About FIS:

Fish Information and Services (FIS) is the world's largest online provider of information and services for the Seafood Industry. Founded in Tokyo in 1995, it provides wide-ranging information on fishing, seafood, and aquaculture. The site - which is available in three languages: English, Japanese and Spanish – is ranked first in its category in terms of overall online traffic, according to Alexa.com. 

By Terje Engoe
terje@fis.com
www.fis.com