Digitalisation key to shipping industry health in Covid-19 crisis: Maersk

Digitalisation key to shipping industry health in Covid-19 crisis: Maersk
Michele Labrut | Oct 29, 2020 https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/containers/digitalisation-key-shipping...

“The industry has been doing quite well during the Covid-19 crisis largely thanks to digitalisation”, said Robbert van Trooijen, senior vice president, head of Latin America and the Caribbean, AP Moller-Maersk, during the virtual conference TOC Americas 2020.

“Safety has to come first. I don’t think that work will ever be the same as before [the Covid-19 crisis]”, added van Trooijen.

Talking with Rachel White, Director content for TOC Events worldwide, in a one-to-one conversation, van Trooijen, who arrived in Latin America for the second time just when the Covid-19 crisis erupted, said that demand volatility is going to continue but global logistics integration will be key as well as digitalisation for the industry.

Maersk started the move to offering integrated logistics products in the 1990s. “We are not new to this. We want to offer integrated solutions to customers. In Latin America, we are better known for our ocean products, less knows in logistics. We are working on that and happy to see customers’ response.”

Specifically related to the current Covid crisis the new partnership with Covaxx announced this week represents a new model for integration and a great signal to the market. “We want to be part of the solution,” explain van Trooijen.

In Latin America, there is an imbalance situation because of strong exports and low imports and demand planning has always been an issue.

Technology is now of utmost importance. “At Maersk, we are upgrading our systems and we have a new platform which is one of the most active platforms globally. Digitalisation is expanding but there is a big difference between advanced customers and not so advanced customers.”