Freight to the Point

This month, Anne Sophie Fribourg, Zencargo's VP of Global Ocean Freight and Catia Fernandes, Zencargo's Head of Trade Asia and IPAK - Europe and Intra-Europe, hosted a webinar on ‘Rates: Our insights after Chinese New Year”. In the webinar they explored:Their observations post Chinese New YearHow shippers should approach contract negotiations and tender strategiesPredictions on the ocean market for the next few months of 2024ResourcesRed Sea Disruption Q&A: What Shippers Are AskingEverything Shippers Need to Know About Rates in 2024

How should shippers collaborate with their freight forwarders?“Shippers need to work in a partnership mode rather than a purchase mode with their freight forwarder. The main failure is that shippers are looking into transportation as a purchase service.”In the latest episode of Freight to the Point, we’ve featured Okyay Oztugran, VP of Supply Chain Europe at Spreetail. Spreetail is an e-commerce company specialising in selling a wide range of products through various online platforms, including their own website as well as marketplaces like Amazon and eBay. Okyay joins Lucie Phillips, Zencargo’s Chief Operations Officer, to talk about the world of e-commerce supply chains and how to create resilient supply chain strategies to work towards business goals. ResourcesAll together now: Coordinating for success in modern supply chains How digital freight forwarding is shaping the future of retail success

In the latest episode of Freight to the Point, we’ve featured our most recent webinar, recorded on 10th January on the Red Sea Crisis. Carriers have suspended vessels from passing through the Bab al-Mandab strait after the recent attacks by the Houthis which has had implications for the shipping industry. Our experts, Anne-Sophie Fribourg, VP of Ocean and Catia Fernandes, Head of Trade Asia and IPAK - Europe and Intra-Europe, share their insights on the repercussions of the crisis on:RatesTransit timesEquipmentCapacityDiscover how shippers should work with their freight forwarders and adapt their strategies to mitigate risks in their supply chain. From rate negotiations to pushing shipments back to a later date, stay informed on the latest developments by listening to this insightful episode. ResourcesWatch the full webinar: https://content.zencargo.com/redsea-crisis-video

In the most recent instalment of Freight to the Point, Lucie Phillips, Zencargo's Chief Operations Officer, engages in a discussion with Nicolas Vandeput, the CEO and Founder of SupChains, a company which specialises in demand forecasting and inventory optimisation. In this conversation, they delve into the significance of demand forecasting in supply chains and the potential it holds when combined with technology and machine learning.They explore:The starting steps for any company who is looking at demand forecastingThe KPIs that need to be put in place when it comes to forecastingWhat role technology will play in evolving demand forecasting.Nicolas VandeputNicolas Vandeput is a supply chain data scientist specialising in demand forecasting and inventory optimisation. He founded his consultancy company, SupChains, in 2016; and SKU Science, an online platform for supply chain forecasting, in 2018. He enjoys discussing new models and how to apply them to business reality. Passionate about education, Nicolas is both an avid learner and teaches at universities. Since 2020, he has been teaching demand forecasting and inventory optimization to master students in CentraleSupelec, Paris, France. He published three books: Data Science for Supply Chain Forecasting in 2018 (second edition in 2021), Inventory Optimization: Models and Simulations in 2020, and Demand Forecasting Best Practices in 2023.ResourcesEpisode 47: How should businesses approach inventory management?De-risking inventory in an uncertain market

As we prepare for the year ahead, it's crucial to consider the three pillars that will shape the freight industry in 2024: competitiveness in rates, quality of service, and sustainability.In our most recent episode of Freight to the Point, we’ve featured our most recent webinar, “Rates: What’s next for 2024?” which explores rate strategies going into 2024. Zencargo experts Anne-Sophie Fribourg, VP of Ocean, and Catia Fernandes, Head of Asia-Europe Trade Lanes, explore:The main trends and challenges for customers in 2024How BCOs are approaching tenders in the marketOur predictions for the market in the run up to Chinese New YearRecommended strategies on how customers can prepare themselvesResourcesEpisode 62: Mastering tender strategiesHeard of a diversified rates strategy? Here’s how to build one

To make the right changes in an organisation, it's crucial to attract the right talent, and diversity plays a significant role in achieving this. Diverse teams bring together people with different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, which leads to innovation, creativity, and better decision-making. Tune into the latest Freight to the Point episode as we’ve featured a Navigate session with Ilhan Hartigan, People Director at Zencargo, Sophie Swift, Head of Delivery at MATCHES and Lucy Harding, Partner and Global Head of Practice, Procurement and Supply Chain at Odgers Berndtson to discuss the opportunities and challenges of diversity in the supply chain industry. Resources Episode 68: How can we inspire the next generation of supply chain leaders?What will it take to bridge the supply chain talent gap?

What steps can we take to cultivate the next generation of supply chain leaders?“So it's about positioning the sector as one that is evolving, but that you can evolve with it”In this week’s episode of Freight to the Point, Bethany Windsor, Interim Director of Stakeholder Engagement and Relationship Management at the CILT, joins Alex Hersham, CEO and Co-Founder at Zencargo to uncover how to attract talent for modern supply chains. Together they explore:How the role of supply chain management has evolvedThe challenges the industry faces with recruitmentHow to make supply chain more attractive for new talentThe training resources that are available to grow careers in supply chainBethany WindsorBethany Windsor is Interim Director of Stakeholder Engagement and Relationship Management at CILT(UK). Bethany’s role centres around promoting the profession to underrepresented groups and securing the next generation of supply chain professionals through a wide range of programmes, including Generation Logistics. Her work with Women in Logistics won Bethany the 2015 Multimodal “Woman of the Year” award, followed by recognition as a finalist in the Everywoman in Logistics and Transport awards (2018) and securing the Talent in Logistics awards (2019), both for “Industry Champion”. As a former teacher, inspiring the next generation to choose the logistics sector is a personal and professional passion.ResourcesWorking around labour shortages in supply chainEpisode 4: How to become a supply chain leader

“And it's like a marriage, it takes some effort to maintain the relationship. It's about compromise and trust.”As the business landscape is constantly evolving, companies are increasingly recognising the need to build resilient supply chains to withstand disruptions.  Alex Hersham, Zencargo’s CEO and Co-Founder is joined by Frederic Gomer, Managing Partner of B2G Consulting, to talk about how collaborative relationships in supply chains can help drive supply chain resilience. Together, they discuss:Defining resilience in modern businessHow to establish collaborative relationships in the supply chainTechnology’s role in improving collaborationFrederic GomerWith an impressive portfolio spanning over two decades , Frederic has successfully assisted numerous industrial organisations in overcoming crisis situations. His past engagements include turnarounds, ramp-ups and restructuring powerhouses names like Schindler, Smiths, and Faurecia, showcasing his adeptness at navigating high-stake environments. ResourcesBeyond rates: Why it’s time for the value of freight forwarders to evolveHow digital freight forwarding is shaping the future of retail success

“If we focus on the logistics sector or the wider transportation sector, it's actually one of the highest emitting sectors on the planet.”In the latest episode of Freight to the Point, Alex Hersham is joined by David de Picciotto, CEO and Co-founder of Pledge. During the episode, we delved into the crucial topic of sustainability regulations that businesses must stay informed about, and explored effective strategies for examining and enhancing their supply chain practices to ensure compliance.Together they explore: The motivations for the creation of regulationsRegulations businesses need to look out forThe consequences of being non-compliant with the regulations.David de PicciottoDavid is the Co-founder & CEO of Pledge, a climate software company helping decarbonise the logistics supply chain through its accredited and integrated platform. Founded in 2021 in the UK, Pledge is backed by institutional investors including Zinal Growth, Lowercarbon Capital and Visionaries Club.Before Pledge, David worked for Partners Group, a global private equity firm, where he focused on growth equity investments and previously led International Expansion at Revolut, the UK FinTech. David is also the co-founder of media start-up iRewind, where he exited in 2016.ResourcesRead about Zencargo and Pledge’s partnershipEpisode 65: Driving change from the top: Getting C-Suite support for sustainability

Sustainability is a critical aspect of modern supply chain management, but achieving sustainable goals can be challenging. This is why it's more important than ever to get the C-Suite involved.By engaging the C-Suite in sustainability initiatives, it ensures that sustainability is integrated into the organisation's strategy and culture, driving stakeholders across the supply chain towards more sustainable practices.But how do you successfully engage the C-Suite in sustainability efforts?Listen to our latest episode on Freight to the Point as Jasmine Bosenick, Head of GTM at Zencargo and David de Picciotto, CEO and Co-Founder at Pledge give their insights on how to create a compelling business case for sustainability to the C-Suite. ResourcesRead about Zencargo and Pledge’s partnershipEpisode 37: Saving the planet, smarter

“Digitalisation gives a retailer a platform to see their shipments from end-to-end, which drives a whole heap of benefits from data, but also to give them an ease of access to data and to shipment locations.”In our latest episode of Freight to the Point, Greg Tress, Logistics Operations Manager at MATCHES joins Alex Hersham, CEO and Co-founder at Zencargo on Freight to the Point to discuss how retailers can unlock supply chain success with digital freight forwarding. Together they explore: The requirements retailers should look for in a digital freight forwarder.How to leverage data from partners to optimise the supply chain.The importance of partnerships and collaboration in the supply chain.Greg TressAs the Logistics Operations Manager at Matches, Greg oversees all inbound freight activities, manages compliance operations related to CFSP/AEO Authorisations, and handles supplier management within the supply chain. With a tenure exceeding 2 years at Matches, Greg has a background of working in the retail freight environment. ResourcesMeasuring a freight forwarder’s valueEpisode 14: The value of strategic partnerships with Gareth Davies

As ChatGPT and other AI language models made significant progress this year, it has prompted all industries, including the supply chain, to think about how AI can drive efficiency. In this podcast episode, Alex Hersham, Co-founder and CEO at Zencargo and Tamir Strauss, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Zencargo discuss the impact of AI on businesses and the supply chain. Tamir, who boasts an extensive career in the science and tech space, shares his insights on existing AI technologies that have been in use for a long time, such as OCR and robotic process automation.They explore:How AI is being adopted by businesses to drive operational efficiency. How AI can revolutionise supply chain decision-making, especially in demand forecasting, inventory management, and optimising warehouse intake. How AI capabilities will evolve to help companies stay competitive and make data- driven decisions.Tamir StraussTamir has over 25 years of experience in product and tech, working with companies such as Huma and Snatch before joining Zencargo. Driven by analytical problem solving, strategic thinking and innovating Tamir’s goals focus on improving business processes.ResourcesEpisode 3: Tamir Strauss and Priscilla Parrish on how to build a smarter supply chainCheck out Zencargo’s platform

For Episode 62 of Freight to the Point, we’ve featured a great session from our webinar, ‘Mastering tender strategies: How to negotiate the best deals in shipping’ with Anne-Sophie Fribourg and Catia Fernandes from Zencargo. Together they explore market trends, how shippers can negotiate the best deals in shipping and what to look for in a partner that can help you during negotiations. They cover:Market uncertainty in 3 areasWhether contracting is the right choice How to mitigate risk in contract negotiationsWhat to look for in a partner during tenderingResourcesMeasuring a freight forwarder's valueMidyear Review: Four Key Trends That Will Define Supply Chains In H2Catia FernandesCatia Fernandes is the Head of Ocean Trade Lanes at Zencargo. Since starting at Maersk in 2005, Catia has worked in the supply chain space for over 15 years. At Zencargo, Catia is part of the pricing and procurement team, who develop relationships with carriers to help customers find the best rates and space for their shipments.Anne-Sophie FribourgAnne-Sophie has over 20 years of experience in the freight forwarding industry, having worked in Singapore, the Middle East region and France for a French freight forwarder. At Zencargo, Anne-Sophie leads the ocean team to obtain the best rates and space and build supply chain resilience for our customers.

Join us for an exciting new episode of our Navigate series, fresh from our most recent session held just last week, “A balancing act: Is restocking on the horizon?”.Tune into industry experts Sam Greenhalgh, Chief Revenue Officer at Zencargo, Sigrún Gunnhildardóttir, Chief Product Officer at AGR and Okyay Oztugran, VP Supply Chain Europe as they explore when the potential restocking period will happen and how businesses need to remain agile with inventory management solutions.They cover:Why businesses need inventory management solutionsHow business can adapt their strategies against volatile demandThe tools available to helpResourcesNavigate June 2023Episode 26: Balancing demand and supply with Finnur Bragason

In Episode 60 of Freight to the Point, we invited Jacob Nedergaard, CEO and Co-Founder of Qarma, which provides digital tools to help companies stay on top of quality and compliance in their supply chain. In this episode, Alex Hersham, CEO at Zencargo and Jacob delve into: Why quality is so important in the supply chainHow technology can enable transparency in the supply chainThe benefits of a bottom-up approach to drive supply chain optimisationJacob NedergaardJacob is the CEO and Co-founder of Qarma. Qarma provides a suite of easy-to-use digital tools to help companies stay on top of quality and compliance across their supply chain. Qarma works with some of the global leading brands, retailers, and manufacturers. Jacob is driven by solving everyday problems, simplifying processes while using data to demonstrate and drive real impact. He is a big advocate of contextualising data and believes that stakeholders need to understand their own data sources and demonstrate due diligence deep in their supply chains.ResourcesQarmaPartners of Zencargo

Join us for an exciting new episode of our Navigate series, fresh from our most recent session held just last week, “The future of rates: Should you lock in long term?”.Tune into industry experts Niels Madsen and Anne-Sophie as they delve into the dynamic landscape of the ocean market, uncovering key insights on topics ranging from schedule reliability to GRIs (General Rate Increases).They cover:Whether an increase in capacity will affect the marketThe future of alliances amongst carriersWhat shippers need to do to remain competitive on the rate market. Niels MadsenNiels has been working in the container transportation industry for almost 30 years, dispersed amongst almost all aspects of the transport solution, including logistics,intermodal, finance and sales, but primarily working on strategic route planning and operations. Niels began his career at Maersk Line in 1992 before joining Sea Intelligence in January 2021, as Vice President of Product and Network.ResourcesNavigate June 2023What does the future hold for schedule reliability?

Want to find out about our prediction for rate trends over the next couple of months?Then don’t miss out on the latest episode of Freight to the Point as Anne-Sophie Fribourg, VP of Ocean at Zencargo and Richard Fattal, Chief Commercial Officer and Co-Founder at Zencargo delve into the most recent updates on the ocean market. They talk about:The developing situation in the Panama CanalContract negotiations between ILWU and PMA Top rate market tips for shippersAnne-Sophie FribourgAnne-Sophie has over 20 years of experience in the freight forwarding industry, having worked in Singapore, the Middle East region and France for a French freight forwarder. At Zencargo, Anne-Sophie leads the ocean team to obtain the best rates and space and build supply chain resilience for our customers.Richard FattalRichard Fattal is Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Zencargo, the digital freight forwarder enabling organisations to make smarter decisions through real-time data of their supply chain. Based in London, Zencargo helps customers manage their supply chain such as Swoon Furniture and Ribble Cycles.ResourcesMay Ocean UpdateRates strategy consultation

How has schedule reliability improved over the past year? What will happen to the market after the 2M split?These are some of the questions we’ve answered in our most recent episode of Freight to the Point. In this episode, we take a deep dive into the current state of the ocean market and the challenges faced by the supply chain industry. As we reach the halfway point of the year, our guest, Catia Fernandes, Head of Ocean Trade Lanes at Zencargo, shares her insights and expertise. We discuss:the evolving nature of the marketblank sailings industrial actionthe dilemma of long-term rate locking Catia provides valuable perspectives and observations, shedding light on what we can learn from the ocean market in 2023 so far. Join us for this insightful conversation with an industry expert.Catia FernandesCatia Fernandes is the Head of Ocean Trade Lanes at Zencargo. Since starting at Maersk in 2005, Catia has worked in the supply chain space for over 15 years. At Zencargo, Catia is part of the pricing and procurement team, who develop relationships with carriers to help customers find the best rates and space for their shipments.ResourcesSubscribe to our weekly market updateHow can shippers plan around schedule reliability?

“It all starts with creating a win-win scenario where you're aligned for a mutually beneficial outcome.”This week we’re bringing you some insights on the road industry as Ahmed El-Alfy is joined by Michael Starr, Overland Commercial Director at Zencargo. Together they explore: How road freight has changed since before the pandemicThe main challenges for shippersHow shippers and carriers come together to build more value-driven relationships Michael StarrMichael Starr, Zencargo's Overland Commercial Director, brings over 15 years of expertise in logistics, freight forwarding, and SaaS across America, Australia, and Europe.ResourcesEpisode 50: Coping with labour shortages in 2023Zencargo’s freight forwarding solutions

“For us, when we talk about regeneration and regenerative impact, sustainability is no longer enough. And that's truly at the heart of what we believe as an organisation.”Tune into our latest episode of Freight to the Point as we’ve featured another Navigate session from February with Charlotte Pumford from Vivobarefoot on ‘Don’t forget about sustainability. It’s not going away.’Together we explore:Using B-Corp as a framework to implement sustainable practicesThe importance of data and how to set a baseline for GHG emissionsHow businesses can move from a sustainable business to a regenerative businessCharlotte PumfordCharlotte has almost 10 years of experience working in sustainability across the textile and footwear sector, spanning global FTSE 100 organisations, high-growth SME’s, local government and the management of a small-scale start-up when she founded her own brand in 2013.For the past 3.5 years Charlotte has been working at Vivobarefoot, a UK-based natural health brand making barefoot footwear and experiences that bring people closer to nature. Charlotte heads up their Regeneration team, managing their journey towards becoming a truly regenerative business, the strategy that delivers on that vision.This is also accompanied by their B Corp Certification and value chain environmental impact programme. Recognised by Edie in 2020 as one of the UK’s 30 under 30 sustainability leaders, Charlotte is a passionate advocate for the protection of our natural world. She believes businesses can be a force for change, identifying the regenerative solutions we need to address global challenges.ResourcesEpisode 9: Sustainability in the supply chain with David de PicciottoRegister for Navigate again