There has been lots of talk before the Breakbulk Europe decided to move its event from Antwerp, Belgium to Bremen in Germany but it seems to have worked and the success has even grown larger then before. With close to 8.000 visitors in Antwerp in 2017 to 10.000 last week in Bremen this the largest event for heavy lift & project freight and logistics.
More then 540 exhibitors have enjoyed the event and from what we have heard on the flor it has been a good conference with many quality visitors and lots of interaction. The many presentations, panel discussions and knowledge talks really add to the event and brings lots of new views to the industry. Some of these discussions were:
- Blockchain Supersession
This session had been presented in 2 parts, one part with a presentation, by Frank Bolten of ChainStep GmbH, explaining what Blockchain really is en how this could be useful to the industry
Part 2 was a collection of very short presentations by the panel members moderated by Cyril Varghese Global Logistics Manager of Fluor Corporate Supplychain Group. This was an interesting part as we heard what the applications of Blockchain are in this industry and where it may go in the near future. Mr. Alexander Varvarenko, Founder and CEO, ShipNext told the audience that they have been able to design the application around the ocean freight and that this is being tested in the market with great success.
Mr. Peter Bouwhuis, President and CEO, XELLZ BV explained that his company is in full testing mode with its online application, projeXsmart, completely in a blockchain environment and that apart from the speed that needs to be improved, it is working very well and could be ready for full implementation by early next year.
- Partner’s Perspective, A Conversation with Zeaborn
In light of the latest news in the Zeaborn company whereby they will have a joint venture agreement with Intermarine the discussions were around this topic. For years people have been saying that, like in the trucking business, the ocean freight should also look closer to “pooling” their vessels. With the JV in place this is a good step towards this goal and which wil benefit both companies and the industry as a whole.
- Shippers Panel: Consolidation and Contracting Trends in the Project Supply Chain
This became a little different discussion then planned. The initial topic “cargo owners and controllers are operating leaner and watching costs like never before” went to pricing and not so much the cost. On the other hand it is well known that in order to get the best cost overview and solutions/opportunities, transparency is key. However, it seems that some of these panel members do not believe in transparency and would rather have a closed environment where the real cost/price and its information they do not want to know. Mr. Thomas Skellingsted, Vice President, Global Heavy Lift and Project Operations of ABB told our reporter that ABB has tried transparency and open book policy and do not believe this is working for ABB. This would mean that ABB for its Logistics do not want to know how pricing is originating from, how its been structured.
Consolidation on the other hand, which had been the topic, is a good thing and it is known that ABB has been doing this for a number of years with good success. Not wanting transparency ABB says it is talking to smaller shippers in joining the consolidation setup and this would mean a challenge for freight forwarders(mixed terms & conditions) as well as liners for their administration and control.
There should be more events where open discussions are being organized and we are already looking forward to the Heavy Lift & Project Logistics Leadership Summit 2019 which is being held 6-7 February in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. It is being expected that this first runner up event to the Breakbulk will attract over 400 visitors, have 35+ speakers and very interactive panel discussions.