At the 2020 Cool Logistics Global conference, keynote speaker, Andre Simha, Chief Digital & Information Officer at MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company and Chairman of the Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA) explained how the industry can tackle shipping’s biggest challenges using digital innovation and technology.

Each year, 1.6 billion tons of food worth about $1.2 trillion are lost or go to waste. With these thought-provoking statistics, Andre Simha took the Cool Logistics Global virtual conference audience on a journey to find a smarter, fairer way of feeding the world.

While the container shipping industry has made some strides towards digitalisation in recent years, more needs to be done to meet customer expectations for greater efficiency, traceability and security for perishable goods. The only way to transform at the rate necessary to deliver goods to a growing population, estimated to reach 10 billion by 2050, is to do it together. “The challenge is enormous,” Andre stated. “There is a way forward. We move the world, so let’s be smart about it … together.”

Andre highlighted several on-going initiatives aimed at increasing traceability and improving interoperability along the supply chain. And he made the case for a collaborative effort amongst all industry players to establish new, shared standards. This common approach is necessary “to challenge traditional business models and drive the entire supply chain towards a new era of connectivity, transparency and efficiency.”

Find out more about this new era, and what it will mean for shippers, consignees and supply chain actors at large. See the full keynote address here.