Singapore to host 18th TOC CSC Asia Conference and Exhibition, 8-9 April
Asia’s changing role in world trade, evolving trends in manufacturing and consumption, and the impact on global and regional container supply chains will be key discussion points at the 18th TOC Container Supply Chain Asia Conference and Exhibition, taking place 8-9 April 2014 at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, Singapore, the event organizer said in a press release.
Singapore was the host city for the first ever TOC Asia back in 1995. Now convened under the theme Asia’s Changing Role in the Global Trade Economy, TOC CSC Asia 2014 returns to Singapore as part of Singapore Maritime Week (SMW), running from 6-11 April 2014. Driven by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), SMW attracts international participation for a celebration of all things maritime during a week of conferences, dialogues, exhibitions and social events. With a wide range of activities and events organised by MPA, the industry, research and educational institutions, SMW reflects the vibrancy and diversity of Singapore as a major international maritime centre.
TOC CSC Asia will once again provide a macro-to-micro perspective on global and regional container supply chains and trade, bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders to explore current challenges and solutions. In a new format designed to promote peer group networking and knowledge exchange, the 2014 event will incorporate two concurrent debating forums – the Container Supply Chain (CSC) Conference and the TECH TOC Conference – supported by a common networking zone where attendees at both events will gather together for social events and joint sessions.
CSC is an executive-level forum on international trade, container shipping, port development and logistics, bringing together shippers, shipping lines, 3PLs, port authorities, terminal operators, government and other key supply chain members. TECH TOC is aimed at operational executives and focuses on the practicalities of port and terminal performance, with in-depth debates on facility design, automation, operations, equipment and technology from berth to gate.
Key shipper and carrier executives already confirmed to speak at the CSC forum include Christian Brath, Head of Ocean Transport Procurement Asia, Oceania & Middle East at Swiss food and beverage giant Nestlé, Mark Holloway, APAC Supply Chain Director at global drinks major Diageo and Thomas Riber Knudsen, Chief Executive Asia Pacific Region at Maersk Line. They will be joined by shipping, supply chain and port sector analysts including Jonathan Beard, Managing Director for ICF GHK, H.J. Tan, Executive Consultant at Alphaliner, Alan Murphy, COO & Partner, SeaIntel, Jason Chiang, Senior Manager, Drewry Shipping Consultants and David Wignall, Managing Director at David Wignall Associates.
Conference sessions at the CSC conference will cover macro-economic and trade forecasts; shifts in global and regional liner shipping strategy, including the impact of P3 and other alliances, mega-ships and the vessel cascade effect; the outlook for intra-Asia and ASEAN container trade; how shippers are approaching sourcing, risk management and transport procurement; regional port investment, capacity and competition; and the relationship between terminal productivity and supply chain performance.
Port and terminal executives speaking at the TECH TOC conference will include Richard Johnstone, Director, Business Systems Solutions for DP World Australia, Jang-Ho Song, Operation & Planning Team Manager at Pusan Newport, John Miller, Operations Engineer at Ports of Auckland, Roberto Locsin, Project Manager at ICTSI’s flagship Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) and Brendan McDonnell, General Manager Technology & Engineering, Patrick Terminals and Logistics.
Key themes on the TECH TOC agenda for Singapore will include next generation terminal planning, design and automation; operational challenges and priorities in the light of increasing ship sizes and call exchanges; the role of workforce management in enhancing terminal productivity; and adoption of advanced IT and process optimisation.
“Having driven the most significant changes in the world of international commerce over the past two decades, emerging market countries, particularly those in Asia, are now experiencing fundamental shifts within their own economies and their connectivity to the global trading system,” said Paul Holloway, Event Director at TOC Worldwide. “The migration of low-cost manufacturing away from China to countries such as Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Indonesia, and the rapid rise of the Asian middle class driving increased consumption, especially in China, India and parts of South East Asia, are just two of the big trends with tremendous impact for logistics flows, management and infrastructure across the whole region. We are delighted that TOC CSC Asia will return to Singapore in 2014 as part of Singapore Maritime Week to foster cross-party debate on how to make sense of these disparate, yet interconnected, drivers and their implications for the entire container supply chain.”
