The digital imperative in container shipping

© Thomas Hedén

Long read from Boston Consulting Group, the current must-read on digitisation in the box shipping industry. BCG sees the main threat posed to ocean container lines by the revolution in technology as the loss of direct contact with smaller shippers – ie, those who pay the highest freight rates. This observation is nothing new – the industry has been talking about it for at least a couple of years. The real question is why it appears to have taken the lines so long to do anything about it. “We have found that many believe that creating a state-of-the-art IT environment is a must before launching a digital transformation. But this belief is a misconception. Embarking on the digital journey does not require an immediate large-scale and expensive overhaul of IT systems. Carriers should begin by leveraging their existing infrastructure, gradually enhancing systems as required.”