SHIPPERS VOICE\\\


It’s been a tumultuous few weeks in container shipping with three major merger announcements. Partly, this is in reaction to the introduction of the Maersk Daily service towards the end of last year but is also a wider response to the generally gloomy economic situation. In many ways, it’s a positive


development. Alliances such as the new ‘G6’ grouping between the six lines of the Grand Alliance and the New World Alliance could well lead to improved services – although the downside might be reduced competition. However, there is a big difference between mergers by shipping companies and operational alliances such as this. That the shipping lines are now


having to consolidate is largely a situation of their own making. They seemed to have forgotten all the lessons of the past and ordered massive new capacity at the very


time that the market was slipping back into recession. Whether the latest round of


mergers is enough to prevent any shipping lines going out of business or being swallowed up by predators remains to be seen, though I wouldn’t entirely rule it out, particularly among the smaller fry, but there clearly is a need for lines to get their costs down. At the very least, the lines need to take some capacity out. Very little tonnage has however been taken permanently out of service though a significant amount has been laid up. Probably what shipowners are doing is putting capacity into ‘warm storage’ and waiting to see whether or not the market picks up in the next few months. If it doesn’t then we can expect wholesale scrapping of older ships. There has been a parallel move in airfreight, with some


All change on the Web


The Shippers’ Voice website will shortly be converted into a restricted access website; but fear not, as we are launching a new service available to anyone. The new product is called the


Shippers’ Digest. It is a subscription- only service, but from as little as £8 per month – payable on a monthly basis and which can be cancelled at any time - offers direct links to important information for shippers that has been siſted and selected from the mass of on-line information by our researchers. It


will also link directly to the


source material covering what really matters in the trade, freight and logistics industry without the hassle and expense of time spent searching for it all yourself. A brief abstract will highlight the


major issues and provide links to further information. In these days in which we’re all bombarded with masses of information, we simply don’t have the time to siſt and read everything that comes to us. Too oſten, we reach for the delete key, simply to maintain our sanity, even though we know that we could be discarding valuable information along with the dross. In addition to news, there will


be a few feature-type articles to explain major issues of the day in more depth. Meanwhile, The Shippers’ Voice


website becomes the web portal of the European Shippers’ Council


(ESC), the shippers’ representative organisation in Europe, with a potential to reach tens of thousands of shippers. Under this exclusive arrangement, however, many of our existing users of the website will no longer able to access this site aſter 13 January unless they are or become members of ESC. It all forms part of the


European Shipper’s Councils strategy to increase its value to its membership and it will further help the The Shippers’ Voice fulfil one of the roles that it was always intended for, namely to increase awareness among shippers of the activities of ESC and its member councils. I hope that in time the move will also create even better communications between ESC and shippers generally. It also creates the opportunity


for other organisation, outside ESC, to gain access to thousands of shippers in Europe via our new portal. For example, if someone had raised an issue that they wanted shippers to be aware of, they could – with our permission of course – raise it through the portal to shippers and shipper organisations in a targeted fashion, rather than using the ‘scatter gun’ approach used in the past. Check out www.shippersdigest.


com to find out more. By the time this appears, we hope that the new site should be in operation; if not, you can still register your interest.


Multimodal is the UK and Ireland’s only event dedicated to more efficient supply chain management.


Multimodal is the only trade show that allows our members display their services and products. The show is growing year on year. The value of the networking opportunities that come out of the show are immense. All in all, it’s really good value for the effort and investment.


Roger Williams, CEO, United Kingdom Warehousing Association


We have exhibited at Multimodal 3 times and believe it’s a really good opportunity to promote our brand. When the exhibition launched 4 years ago it was the first of its kind on this scale and size and it has grown each year.


Nick Lowe, Managing Director, Dachser


Multimodal 2012 is already 75% sold out and there are only a limited number of stands available. To enquire about sponsorship and exhibiting opportunities contact Jenny Moore today and see how you can benefit from meeting and doing business with the leading shippers in the UK.


Tel: +44 20 7370 8957 Lead sponsors include Email: jenny.moore@clarionevents.com


This is our 3rd year at Multimodal. It’s really an opportunity to present the organisation as four modes under one brand; Air, Ocean, Road and Rail and our customers can come and talk to us across all modes. I believe the format of the show improves year on year.


David Harrison, Commercial Director, DB Schenker


Excellent and focused event. Saw who I wanted to and got all the responses needed. I went with a specific agenda and all went to plan!


Logistics Director, Whitbread Group PLC


carriers shutting up shop entirely - at least temporarily - and others announcing rationalisation plans. Much of this has been sparked by emerging difficulties in the all- important Chinese market, where many smaller firms are suffering because bank finance has dried up. Lately, many lines have been attempting to push up rates. I sense


that shippers are in fact looking for a new type of relationship in which price is not the be all and end all. If they are offered a price cut, shippers would obviously take it but if it were to be a choice of lower prices or better services, I suspect that many would opt for the latter. Not being able to plan ahead because shipping services are


Issue 1 2012


Stormy seas in the shipping market 19


constantly being chopped and changed is very frustrating for shippers, which is one reason why I so welcomed the Maersk Daily initiative, and now the G6 grouping seems to be attempting something similar. Meanwhile, there is no better


time for shippers to take a good look at their supply chains – if they are not already doing so. I would


challenge anyone to show me a supply chain in which efficiency savings of 10% at least could not be achieved and achieving this will become a business necessity – at least for those who plan to still be in business next year. As I alluded to earlier, a lot of these processes take time to implement, so you do need to start soon.


2012


Supply Chain Management & Logistics for Cargo Owners NEC Birmingham • 1-3 May 2012


Freight • Transport • Logistics • Supply Chain Management 1 – 3 May 2012, Hall 4, NEC Birmingham, UK


www.multimodal.org.uk


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