Society is built on trade: the prosperity of nations depends on that trade being carried out efficiently. That means engaging with the global supply chain infrastructure that has evolved to transport goods through sea, air and land to wherever there is a market.
DP World, a leading provider of global supply chain solutions, is at the heart of the world’s trade. As Tiemen Meester, Chief Operating Officer of Ports & Terminals at DP World says, it is the company’s mission to make trade flow better:
“Better trade is for everybody: it’s good for communities, vendors and society - if we do it well and sustainably. Traders can leverage the best infrastructure in port terminals, with the best technology and software, marine services and logistics, all combined. DP World is deeply involved in digital solutions around supply chains and making trade move faster, more economically, and more sustainably.”
The DP World ports & terminals division owns and runs sites all over the world, but Meester argues their strength is in remembering that individual terminals need to serve their local communities:
“Our job is to make sure that local teams get equipped with the best infrastructure, superstructure and technologies: the right software and processes to put it all together for our customers. The marine vertical in DP World improves our connectivity and this makes our terminals more competitive.”
Key to this competitiveness is the ability to reach more destinations. Jesper Kristensen, Chief Operating Officer of Marine Services at DP World, says that the company is committed to unlocking more remote geographies into global trade routes: “Participating in the flow of cargo brings the advantage of being able to trade and brings value to those societies. Marine Services connect the dots, working on the efficiency of the system, creating end-to-end solutions with the overall philosophy of DP World to become more environmentally friendly and with a greater respect for the world around us. We should remember, the most environmentally friendly way of transporting goods around the world is seaborn transportation.”
“Connecting the dots” is an ongoing process at DP World: Mohammed Akoojee, Chief Operating Officer of Logistics at DP World explains how the company is continuously investing in the mission of making trade flow better:
“We want to take products from point A to point B, providing services along the entire supply chain, without being constrained by our asset network. We've also added significant new capabilities, which include contract logistics, performance services, freight management, freight forwarding, as well as market access services. And now we provide logistics services across four continents.”
Technology plays a key role in driving efficiency throughout the operation. Mike Bhaskaran, Chief Operating Officer of Technology at DP World says that this gives the company an advantage by facilitating visibility for customers:
“Technology is at the center of all our customer solutions. We use technology for terminal operations and for tracking containers. At every step of the operations, we use technology to glue everything together to provide an exceptional customer service.”
Tiemen Meester adds that technology provides something that customers are increasingly reliant on - the data which underpins their own digital operation: “Customers require data. They require insights. They want to know what is your sustainability strategy, and of course your product development out of the gate is also at a much more sophisticated level, and our customers are telling us this. So this gives us confidence. The future is now.”
Jesper Kristensen agrees: “The future of marine services in DP World is very much about connecting the DP World ports and logistics assets around the world, opening new routes, opening up for a broader coverage of our services around the globe. It's also very much about the environment, which is going to be a very important part of our future.”
This future is one that Mohammed Akoojee sees as full of opportunity: "The future of DP World Logistics is to expand our current services and capabilities across many more markets so we can really be end-to-end and provide sustainable solutions to our clients. The future is also about using the technology to connect the world’s supply chains.”
For Mike Bhaskaran, it comes down to how the company can meet the increasing demands of the customer in a fast-moving world: “We are excited about developing new solutions for our customers, allowing them to pick from multiple options and doing rapid decision making, finding the best cost, the best routes, what's the quickest way to get a product, and where's the availability of the product. All of these questions will be answered in a more immersive experience.”
