4 Takeaways from the Antwerp Supply Chain Summit

Yves Letange

Yves Letange

Managing Director, Europe

Together with PSA, BDP recently hosted our 2022 Supply Chain Summit in Antwerp, Belgium.

This full-day, in-person seminar brought together a select group of nearly 200 industry leaders and decision-makers, including PSA’s CEO Tan Chong Meng, BDP’s CEO and President Mike Andaloro and the Mayor of Antwerp himself, Bart De Wever. The day was filled with knowledge-sharing, networking, and camaraderie. Our all-star speaker lineup included top industry executives from the transportation, supply chain & logistics, compliance, sustainability, technology, and economic arenas. This exclusive group of industry leaders shared insights, market trends and outlook, unique perspectives, and innovative, agile strategies to build the future of supply chains.

Throughout the day, four key themes emerged:

1. The air, ocean and trucking markets are facing numerous challenges.

To kick off the sessions, we heard from Stijn Rubens, Senior Advisor at Drewry Supply Chains Advisors, Andreas Zink, Director LKW Walter Internationale Transportorganisation AG, and Achim Martinka, Vice President of Lufthansa Cargo. From driver shortages, to supply and demand imbalance, to a possible looming recession, to war in Ukraine and ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, one theme reigned supreme: the market is not settling down anytime soon!

2. The pace of change is faster than ever – and many are falling behind.

In the afternoon, we heard from Keynote Speaker Peter Hinssen of Nexxworks. Peter discussed how a return to “normal” is unlikely, and many workers of today may not be equipped to handle the challenges of the future. In this new “never normal,” businesses must prepare for the future far more readily and far more strategically than ever before. He encouraged companies to consider velocity, agility, creativity, innovation, network, and experimentation when planning for the future.

3. People, digitalization, and sustainability are keys to success in this new world.

Throughout the afternoon, key themes of focus areas emerged that companies must consider in order to achieve success; those include digitalization, sustainability, and people.

Neil Wheeldon, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, BDP International, walked us through executing a 4PL vision, in which digitalization is a key component to success. Filip Merckx, Regional Cargo Solutions Manager Euromed & Americas, PSA International, echoed these sentiments, explaining how innovation is vital to handling the challenges of today’s supply chain. Mike Yap, Vice President, Trade Compliance – Business of CrimsonLogic outlined elements for utilizing digital trade compliance to optimize trade flows in the face of today’s challenges, including geopolitical conflicts, the pandemic, and the rise of e-commerce.

Our panel discussion centered around the idea of creating superior value through sustainable logistics. We heard insights from Jon Bumstead, Founder, Neutral Supply Chain, Hanno Bruemmer, Senior Vice President, Covestro, Peggy Murphy, Vice President of Sustainability, BDP International, Isabelle Ryckbost, Secretary General, The European Sea Ports Organization, Didier Van Osselaer, Sustainable Transition Manager, Port of Antwerp-Bruges, and Andreas Zink, Director, LKW Walter, Member of the Board ECTA & ECTA President. Now more than ever, the new global environment demands that companies evolve to adopt greener and more sustainable daily business practices.

Mayor Bart De Wever outlined the strength of working together, as exemplified by the merger of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges. In all presentations, the importance of people was key – from digitalization to sustainability to facing the new “never normal,” one cannot succeed without the right team to execute.  

4. PSA and BDP are well-positioned for success alongside our customers.

Finally, we heard from colleagues at both PSA and BDP, including Chong Meng Tan, Group CEO, PSA International, Ghim Siew Ho, Head Group Strategy and Cargo Solutions, PSA International, Pascal Reinards, Regional Head of Business Development, PSA International, Mike Andaloro, CEO and President, BDP International, Hector Gonzalez, Global Chief Operations Officer, BDP International, and Bob Van Buren, Regional Director, North Europe, BDP International. In all discussions, it was clear that the acquisition of BDP by PSA only strengthens our position in the marketplace and allows us to better serve our customers, merging PSA’s assets with BDP’s non-asset-based expertise to deliver new and innovative solutions.

As we closed out the 14th annual Supply Chain Summit in Europe, it’s undeniable that the opportunities ahead of us are boundless, and we look forward to sharing in these successes together. Until next year!

Antwerp Slideshow Video

Antwerp Slideshow Video

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