Top global companies and logistics specialists at CIMC 2016

The Colombo International Maritime Conference has attracted global giants in logistics and specialists in the supply chain industry to address the 2016 sessions which begins in Colombo on 21 September at Galadari Hotel. The CIMC will be held during the Sri Lanka Maritime Week and its contents go beyond maritime to cover logistics as the emerging opportunity using the Sri Lankan ports’ location advantage.

Chairman of the organising committee Rohan Masakorala said that Sri Lanka aspires to go beyond the transshipment business, we want boxes re worked and to invite international logistic giants to be present in Sri Lanka. This will enable our companies to set up regional distribution and value adding service centres with international investments and joint ventures and expand into markets beyond the small domestic economy. Logistics is a capital intensive industry and technology is playing a big role in the advancement of the sector, we want the local forwarding SMEs to build larger logistics companies by expanding to regional business making Sri Lanka the focal point in South Asia. 

Sri Lanka has its shipping and geographic advantage and a regional population that is expanding with greater disposable income, therefore international and local companies can use the small island to enter into the profitable business of logistics. Asia is still considered an emerging region for logistic services. Most cargo is still controlled by shippers rather than professional companies who are involved in value addition and providing support services for the movement of goods across borders. As a result some manufacturers and traders don’t adopt the best practices when international trade is done. Today logistic costs can be expensive and lot of waste can take place if it is not properly managed. 

The CIMC conference throughout its two-day deliberations will have logistic related topics, linked to the maritime industry and a focused session on logistics is also allocated to discuss technology, new ideas and innovations and the regional markets.

The session will be joined by globally renowned industry leaders led by James R. Muhs, President/CEO, FedEx Trade Networks, Ashish Joshi, Director Logistics, Unilever South Asia, Yoshifumi Matsubara, Director of SG Holdings Global Ltd., Singapore, Madhav Kurup, CEO-Middle East, North Africa and South Asia regions –Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, Jonathan Beard, Head of Transport and Logistics Asia, Arcadis and Dorothy Chan, Global Advisor WILAT and Past Chairperson CILT. More details on www.cimc.lk.