News / Online platforms the great disruptor for traditional forwarders

© Nunthana Setila

There are a host of technological innovations that threaten to disrupt traditional freight forwarding, but according to DB Schenker chief executive Jochen Thewes, the greatest challenge is online platforms.

Giving the keynote speech at JOC’s Transpacific Maritime (TPM) conference in Long Beach yesterday, Mr Thewes noted that this was the area where most disruptors had invested – understandable, given that “platforms are easy for customers to do business with”.

However, he said, the challenge was not simply a case of platform-based digital forwarders competing ...