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TPM and US review

Mar 20, 2024 | , , , , ,

Organised by the Journal of Commerce, TPM (Transpacific Maritime Conference) is the premier global shipping and supply chain conference, attracting senior executives from all areas of the industry.

Held annually in the port city of Long Beach, California, TPM brings together shippers, carriers, freight forwarders, intermodal operators and technology providers to discuss the most pressing global challenges and developments, for a week of essential networking, seminars, and relationship building.

With over one hundred presentations, interactive speaker sessions and networking events, and almost two hundred speakers, including leaders from the largest brands and carriers on the planet, TPM really is in a league of its own.

Metro’s Chief Commercial Officer, Andrew Smith, joined this year’s conference, to participate in TPM’s insightful panels and forward-thinking discussions to explore the global dynamics and challenges impacting ocean supply chains.

Andrew said “It was important to take the opportunity to travel out to Long Beach for TPM as part of my recent visit to the United States, to meet key customers, partners and carriers. It was a full on trip, encompassing seven cities across the country in just over a week, and the time spent talking to customers in particular was invaluable”.

“The Red Sea crisis was obviously a major talking point among delegates and in particular how to manage a situation which appears to have no immediate solution and is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.”

“TPM was as interesting and insightful as always and I think the key takeaways are well-worth sharing.”

“Keynote speaker Robert Gates, the former CIA director, painted a picture of a world where increasing local conflicts should be anticipated and with the global geopolitical landscape the most challenging it has been for decades, preparedness for future supply chain disruption is essential.”

“In this environment it is perhaps natural that so many shippers are looking at de-risking their supply chains. Resilience and flexibility are at the core of de-risking, with initiatives such as multi-carrier programmes, sourcing diversification, re-shoring and near-shoring.”

“Another takeaway worth highlighting is that despite all the current operational challenges, sustainability still remains top of the agenda for carriers and major shippers, and the TPM programmes reflected this, with nearly a third of the scheduled events featuring environmental, transformation and sustainability issues.”

“My visit to the United States, alongside Metro colleagues regular trips, reiterate our focus and commitment to this important market. This focus will continue and ramp-up further with a new route development role created to expand both customer and partner engagement.”

“To discover how we can support your Transpacific or Transatlantic trade needs, or to discuss any of the issues highlighted here, please reach out to me directly via EMAIL.”

metro tech

2024 tech road-map

Mar 20, 2024 | , , ,

Metro has been innovating leading-edge supply chain management, tracking and business-process technology for 20 years and in 2024 we will continue to increase our ability to integrate with stakeholders, share real-time data, accelerate workflows, automate processes and optimise our customers’ supply chains.

In 2024 we continue to focus on the core pillars of our technology strategy:

  • DigitalisationThe continued adoption of digital technologies that improve processes and create new opportunities
  • Digital twin: Creating indistinguishable digital counterparts to the physical supply chain
  • Platform Engineering: Accelerated development in customer facing applications
  • Big data: Integrate, manage, and analyse to uncover and deliver business value

The last quarter planning of 2023, including our cross-functional workshops, provided the springboard and momentum to start delivering against our product roadmap objectives, with the team achieving early successes in 2024 including:

January

  • Deployed comprehensive updates to our vessel tracking capability in MVT Track & Trace to provide customers with enhanced visibility, deviation reporting and insights resulting from the Red Sea crisis disruption
  • Development, launch and deployment of bespoke applications to provide enhanced control, visibility and regulatory compliance in specific parts of the supply chain for FMCG, Retail and Industrial & Manufacturing customers

February

  • Successfully completed the final cut-over from our legacy TMS to CargoWise CW1 product and initiated a continuous improvement programme to identify where we can drive further optimisation of business processes, with a blend of technology and automation
  • Successfully completed multiple system integrations to both customer facing (x6) and 3rd party (x1) systems
  • Initiated our ISO27001 information security accreditation, to demonstrate our commitment to compliance and cyber security practices in building customer confidence of our technology offering

March

  • Launched enhancements to our CW1 TMS and CUDOS customs platform application which further improves our customs clearance times and service delivery to customer
  • Further development to the Metro rebranding and new website, that showcases our services and commitment to deliver for our customers

These early successes spur us on to continue the delivery of our ambitious 2024-2025 plans.

We are excited to announce that we will be expanding the technical solutions team and, as part of our global strategy, we will leverage our wholly owned office in Chennai, India to base local developer talent to accelerate the pace of delivery.

We are confident that complementing our existing team with a cohort of colleagues in India will bring valuable insights, expertise, and creativity to our projects and help us achieve our vision.

If you know any high performing developers in India who are looking to join a dynamic, forward thinking and technology focused freight forwarder, please encourage them to submit their CV, via our careers page.

We are excited for what 2024 will bring and how our technology roadmap will aid the delivery of Metro’s strategic objectives.

Metro is leading the industry in developing the technologies and platforms that simplify and enhance optimal supply chain management.

Visibility, control, environmental, and customs modules, blend together with integrations of critical digital trade documents, including electronic bills of lading (eBL) to provide an unparalleled supply chain platform.

EMAIL Ian Powell for further Information on our digital capabilities and how we can support your global trade and business growth ambitions.

Panama Canal

Sustainability key to long-term Panama Canal

Mar 20, 2024 | , ,

With 5% of global maritime trade and 40% of US container traffic using the Atlantic-Pacific shortcut, the Panama Canal is a critical link in global supply chains and the drought-driven disruption which started last year is finally relenting, with the key waterway expected to be operating at full capacity by September.

In the first 10 weeks of the year, nearly five million TEU left the Far East for the USA, an increase of 16% compared to 2023, with lines increasing capacity by 24% to meet demand and with capacity for the East Coast up 15% the Canal’s operational capacity is critical.

The Panama Canal transports ships 26 metres above sea level across the mountains and unlike the Suez Canal is reliant on fresh water, but lack of rain and the El Nino weather phenomenon have contributed to the second driest year in the canal’s 110-year history.

Since last summer the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has had to introduce water-saving measures, which has meant fewer ships can pass through the canal each day, eventually cutting transits by over a third.

Deputy Administrator Ilya Espino de Marotta was appointed as the Panama Canal’s first Chief Sustainability Officer in January, emphasising their ongoing commitment to sustainability.

Ms De Marotta has said that the rainy season starts in late April to early May and they are hoping to increase transits to 34 by the end of May, returning to the normal 38 transits by September.

The ACP is looking to ensure that the restrictions in place since last summer and the subsequent delays will not be repeated, with projects currently underway to ensure reservoir levels are stabilised for the coming year, including the reuse of water from one lock chamber to another, which is saving the equivalent of six daily crossings.

The authority is also considering building reservoirs, its first major project since it completed the new set of locks in 2016.

Another option is to build desalination plants, but it is costly and requires a huge amount of energy. Even seeding clouds to create more rain isn’t off the table and in the medium term ACP is proposing an additional lake, so water levels can be maintained and add between 11 and 15 passings each day, elevating daily transits to around 50.

The project is reliant on government approval and the existing Panamanian government is not supportive, but in May Panama is holding a general election and the ACP is optimistic that the new administration will ratify the project.

If you have any concerns relating to the Panama Canal or your transpacific trade, we can review your situation and outline your options, including road and rail transhipment, and alternative carriers, ports and routes.

Whatever your challenges, our long-term ocean carrier relationships deliver cost-effective, resilient and reliable ocean solutions. EMAIL Andrew Smith, Chief Commercial Officer to learn more.

India factory

Near-shoring boosted by supply chain disruption

Mar 20, 2024 | , , , ,

The post-COVID environment, geopolitical uncertainty, protectionism, climate-change events and now the Red Sea crisis have all put pressure on global supply chains and as we discovered at TPM, companies are increasingly considering the evolution of their global supply chains to minimise risk and security of supply.

In response to geopolitical risks highlighted by the Israeli-Hamas war, Russia’s war against Ukraine and by China’s threats against Taiwan, supplier diversification may add resilience, while near-shoring brings production closer to the point of supply, to shorten lead and delivery times, which potentially means lower levels of inventory and further reduces carbon emissions.

The trend towards diversification is clearly good news for emerging manufacturing power-houses like India, Vietnam, Turkey, Egypt and Mexico.

Over 5% of the UK’s importers are already trading with India and the number is likely to increase as more companies look to diversify their supply chains. 

There is no doubt that production moving away from China has benefited many countries around Asia, including India, Thailand and Cambodia, but there is still a huge proportion of the global supply chain reliant on China.

And research from the IMF suggests that there is no structural retreat from globalisation and that since the global impacts experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic have subsided international trade as a share of GDP has rebounded strongly, despite the fears of geo-economic fragmentation.

What this may mean is that companies could opt for supply chain diversification and resilience over efficiency, especially when security concerns gain greater weight in commercial considerations.

Many European fashion retailers have already sought to avoid long lead times and increased carrier costs by moving parts of their supply chains out of China and into EMEA countries including Turkey, Egypt and Morocco.

Zara’s parent company, Inditex, announced that a switch to near-shoring had helped them reduce waste by keeping a leaner inventory, boost low-order volumes and get clothes into stores in as little as two weeks, boosting profits by 80%.

As the threat of supply chain disruption persists and as competition grows, diversification and near-shoring could become a standard component in retail supply chains, building resilience and adaptability into operations.

For over 40 years Metro has helped customers open up new export markets and diversify sourcing across Asia and EMEA.

Metro’s integrated transport networks are designed to support JIT manufacturing requirements across Asia and within the EU, sub-Saharan Africa and Turkey and are ideally positioned to support the new sourcing requirements that de-risk supply chain operations.

We see diversification and near-shoring as a simple extension of a client’s sourcing strategy, so that if there is disruption in one area, inherent flexibility means the supply chain will continue to flow. 

Our global partner network, strategic carrier alliances and MVT supply chain platforms are all geared towards supporting the widest spectrum of supply chains. 

If you would like to learn how we can boost your ability to source from alternative global manufacturing regions, EMAIL our Chief Commercial Officer, Andrew Smith, to arrange a consultation and scoping discussion.

Category: Supply Chain

Logistics | Supply Chain

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