LONDON, UK: With container trade and shipping facing a rising tide of internal and external forces, including the shift from ‘globalisation to slowbalisation’, the 2019 edition of the TOC Asia Container Supply Chain Conference will bring multiple supply chain stakeholders to the table to discuss immediate responses and future scenarios.
Jeremy Nixon, Global Chief Executive Officer for Ocean Network Express will deliver the shipping line keynote address at the TOC Asia Container Supply Chain conference. Returning to Singapore for the 6th year running, TOC Asia take place April 9-10 at the Marina Bay Sands Complex as part of Singapore Maritime Week.
Formed in 2017 by the merger of Japanese carriers NYK, MOL and K Line, ONE is now the world’s 6th largest container shipping line. As of January 2019, ONE controls a fleet of 216 vessels with 1,514,100 TEU total capacity, according to latest figures from industry analyst Alphaliner. Mr Nixon took up the reins as ONE CEO in July 2017 following senior positions at NYK, Maersk and P&O Nedlloyd over his long shipping career.
Speaking last autumn, Mr. Nixon said that ‘raging waves’ are ahead for container shipping from a combination of increased customer demand for better supply chain accuracy and visibility, dynamic competition from giant e-commerce markets,digital disruptors in logistics, volatility resulting from climate change, energy costs, environmental regulations and geo-political tensions. Opening the TOC Asia conference on Tuesday April 9, he will share his views on the latest outlook for the liner industry, global container supply chain operations and trade, including digitalisation and regulation.
With container trade and shipping facing a rising tide of internal and external forces, TOC Asia Container Supply Chain will enable valuable stakeholder discussion Convened under the headline “Automation, Digitalisation & Standardisation: Achieving true industry collaboration in today’s remixed and re-shaped world”, sessions at this year’s conference include:the Asia Trade, Container & Business Outlook Forum 2019; Automation, Digitalisation & Standardisation: Next Steps for Maritime Supply Chains; Start-up Disruption in Ports and the Supply Chain; (Re)Defining the Port of the Future – Fusing the Physical & Digital Worlds; Protecting Assets and Operations – Cyber Security and Wider Supply Chain Risks and The Belt Road Initiative.
Senior industry analysts from Alphaliner, Bloomberg Intelligence and Drewry Maritime Consultants will be among those sharing latest data and forecasts for container trade, shipping and ports. Drewry recently downgraded its 2019 forecast for global port throughput growth to 4% on the back of weaker macro-economic indicators, but anticipated an improved supply-demand balance for liner shipping with lower newbuild deliveries, more demolitions and ships taken out of service for retrofit to comply with the International Maritime Organisation’s January 2020 sulphur cap. Drewry also noted ocean carriers’ greater focus on supply chain integration, which will once again be a key talking point at TOC.
Key carrier, 3PL, cargo owner, port and terminal executives contributing to the dialogue include Lars Christiansen, Senior Managing Director, Hapag-Lloyd Asia Region; Norman Pridipraj Geramia, Global Strategic Sourcing Manager – Logistics and Global Ocean Lead at Nestle; John McCauley, Vice President Transportation and Logistics and global container freight business lead for Cargill; Marco Neelsen, CEO, Port of Tanjung Pelapas; and David Wignall, Senior Vice President of Indonesia Port Corporations.
Digital disruptors, market-makers and start-ups will also be represented. This includes Igor Jakomin, COO at CargoX, the blockchain platform for shipping document transactions; Troels Støvring, CEO of Twill Logistics, Maersk’s SME-focused digital freight forwarding venture; and Don Chen, Managing Director – Asia for The New York Shipping Exchange (NYSHEX) digital ocean freight contracting platform. Rotterdam-based port innovation incubator PortXL will also lead a special session on ‘Start-up Disruption in Ports & the Supply Chain’. “With the fast pace of change in the maritime industry, collaboration between start-ups and corporates is now more important than ever. PortXL connects start-up innovation and corporate needs, so we’re excited to work with TOC Asia to further bridge the gap, by exposing more players in the container supply chain industry to cutting-edge technology that could revolutionise existing business models and streamline operations.” said Christina Teo, Director PortXL, Singapore.
“Just like the countless industries that it supports and enables, the container supply chain is going through a period of upheaval and uncertainty thanks to digitalisation and automation on the one hand and challenges to the established status quo of globalisation on the other,” said Paul Holloway, Director TOC Events. “That’s on top of IMO2020 and other climate change mitigation measures impacting shipping, ports and transport, not to mention ongoing challenges of adapting to mega-ships, ocean carrier consolidation and alliances. At TOC Asia and other TOC events this year, we will be facilitating the dialogue between established industry players, the ever-widening circle of newcomers, start-ups, regulators and policy makers. The global editorial programme we have planned for 2019 is very exciting and will take last year’s debate to the next level. Standardisation as a major talking point throughout the portfolio begins here in Singapore’.
