Over 7,300 participants from more than 60 countries attended the inaugural transport logistic Southeast Asia and air cargo Southeast Asia, with resilient supply chains, sustainability and digitalisation were the dominant themes at this first transport logistic Southeast Asia and air cargo Southeast Asia, which took place in Singapore from 1 to 3 November 2023. Singapore, the Netherlands, Germany, and China were represented with official country pavilions. During more than 50 conference sessions covering current industry topics, visitors had the opportunity to gain insight into industry trends.
The participation of 135 exhibitors from 23 countries and over 7,300 industry professionals at the first transport logistic Southeast Asia and air cargo Southeast Asia reflects the great economic potential of the region. Key factors include the advantageous geographical location, growing consumer demand and the desire of numerous companies to diversify their production and supply chains.
“The positive response to the inaugural transport logistic Southeast Asia and air cargo Southeast Asia shows the enormous interest in the Southeast Asian logistics market and is a confirmation of the decision to expand the transport logistic cluster to this region. The trade fair offered decision-makers an efficient and practical platform for exchanging ideas in person and establishing and expanding business relationships,” says Michael Wilton, CEO & Managing Director of MMI Asia, Messe München Regional HQ, Singapore.
Ravishankar Mirle, Vice President Cargo Commercial Operations, Far East & Australasia from Emirates SkyCargo, also confirms this impression: “I think it has been a very good experience for the last three days. We have had some action-packed activities, and it has been an opportune moment for the logistics ecosystem to convene together. We have been at the time where we’re just coming out of Covid, the production and distribution hubs in the region have been changing. It has been an opportune moment for us to meet our business partners, our customers, our clients – to share insights, share best practices, and to plan for the future.”
As an integral part of transport logistic Southeast Asia, air cargo Southeast Asia also brought together the entire air cargo industry in Singapore. In addition to the exhibition of leading international and regional companies such as Boeing, Emirates SkyCargo, Singapore Airlines, United Cargo, Jettainer, Garuda Indonesia, MAS Kargo, Vietjet Cargo and ACL Airshop, the conference program included, for example, a panel discussion on “Building resilient and reliable airfreight solutions for high-tech cargo”. During this session, experts from DB Schenker, Changi Airport and Etihad Cargo gave the audience insights into their corporate strategies.
Conference programs deal with trend topics
The conference program at transport logistic Southeast Asia comprised around 50 accompanying events on two stages, providing a platform for the latest industry trends and discussions. Among the highlights of the program were the sessions on the Southeast Asian countries of Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia: The experts explored the extent to which diversification strategies have impacted Southeast Asian production locations and their supply chains and clearly illustrated the potential in the region. During the “Germany: Logistics from Germany – Logistics for The Future” presentation at country-focused Germany sessions, hosted by Your German Logistics (YGL), companies like BlueBox Systems, PRIOjet Logistics, and Logwin Air + Ocean International discussed technical innovations and the reliability of supply chains between Asia and Europe.
On the Exhibitor Stage, companies from logistics, sea and air freight, such as DHL, dnata, Gebrüder Weiss, Incheon International Airport and Singapore Airlines, provided practical insights into their sustainability and digitalisation strategies, among other things. At the same time, the special conference on Project Cargo offered up-to-date information on trends, challenges and opportunities in the general cargo and heavy lift sector in Southeast Asia.
“I think it was a great conference, for us it was wonderful because it was very effective and impactful. We did get a chance to meet a lot of shippers, airlines and supply chain enthusiasts. Especially because Messe München originates from Germany, we did have a lot of leverage out of exposure into the European market, and Wiz as a company is definitely looking at Europe as the next step in terms of our expansion. There was also a lot of emphasis on digital transformation, which is of course something on which Wiz bases its expansion on. From that perspective, it did makes sense, and it was a great conference. Congratulations to Messe München!” summarises Bipin Chinnappa, CCO – APAC & Head – Global Accounts of Wiz Logtec Solutions.
