Connect, Communicate and Collaborate

As the informal community that brings together supply chain and logistics professionals in Asia, Supply Chain Asia is founded in 2005 based in Singapore to provide neutral and non-commercial platforms through electronic format. This time Shippingchina.com has the honor to interview Mr. Mark Millar, Vice President of Supply Chain Asia, to have an overview of this new community organizer.
J: According to your personal experience, you obtain very professional understanding about the logistics chain. So what are the main functions provided by SUPPLY CHAIN ASIA HK branch and what is your strong point in your business?
Mr. Millar: Supply Chain Asia is an informal community that brings together supply chain and logistics professionals in Asia – enabling them to network, share and learn from one another. The community focuses on providing neutral and non-commercial platforms to facilitate connectivity and communication amongst professionals in the industry.
Participating in the Supply Chain Asia community enables our members to …
… “Connect, Communicate and Collaborate”
Founded in 2005 by Paul Lim, Supply Chain Asia is based in Singapore and does not seek to establish a physical presence in different countries, but through our local Country Representatives we are raising our profile and supporting our members in connecting across and outside their own communities – frequently collaborating with local industry associations and industry partners.
In addition to our comprehensive web site - which averages 21,000 visitors each month - we publish a weekly e-newsletter distributed to over 15,000 subscribers, and a bi-monthly magazine “Supply Chain Asia”, with a circulation of over 8,000 industry professionals.
Our “Young Professionals Community” (YPC) is the link between the young and upcoming individuals and the veteran maestros of the logistics and supply chain industry. Our aim is to provide our Supply Chain Asia “Young Professionals” (age up to 30) with the opportunity to expand their network, which has been proven to be essential for career progression. Furthermore, we hope to impart invaluable knowledge of this dynamic and challenging industry, by tapping on the vast experience and expertise of our existing Supply Chain Asia veterans to assist in developing our young professionals.
We have recently established the Supply Chain Asia Consulting business unit and in 2009 will launch our Executive Diploma in Supply Chain Management – in partnership with Rasmussen & Simonsen International www.r-sintl.com 
The annual Supply Chain Asia ‘Forum’ will be held in Singapore on 7-9 July 2009
- see www.supplychainasia.com/forum2009/
With over 20 years international experience in supply chain and logistics, I am proud to serve on the Supply Chain Asia Advisory Council and act as a country representative for Hong Kong and China. I also serve on the Exco as Vice President of International Relations – this leverages my presence at industry conferences to promote and evangelize the mission and values of our community organisation – During 2008, this involved speaking at 14 supply chain, shipping and logistics conferences in the Asia region, including Dubai, Nanjing, Guilin, Shanghai, Mumbai, Shenzhen, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh and Hong Kong.   
Membership of Supply Chain Asia is Free – for further information, please visit www.supplychainasia.com

J: Recently the direct liner between China Mainland and Taiwan Strait has established, will this effect the shipping business in HK region? in your opinion what would be the effects to the market around China Mainland and Taiwan Strait in Asia?
Mr. Millar: The historic agreement to establish direct links between China mainland and Taiwan is a huge step forward. Enabling the direct cross-straits movement of air cargo and ocean shipments, as well as mail and people, will eliminate substantial inefficiencies from numerous supply chains and reduce traveling time and increase convenience for business people and tourists alike.  
There will be some impact on Hong Kong’s shipping industry - by nature of a reduction in cross-straits trans-shipments - although in the total context of Hong Kong’s shipping volumes, the effect will be relatively small.
From a holistic perspective, this major positive development in political relations, combined with significant economic benefits for all parties, must surely out-weigh the minor impact on Hong Kong’s shipping industry.

J: Now the world is suffering from economy crisis. In your consideration, how long will it last and what deep wound will this event do to the world economy? Is there anything that SUPPLY CHAIN ASIA could do in the process?
Mr. Millar: The global economic crisis is definitely in full flow and is impacting global supply chains as well as exports from the Asia region. I do see some positives amongst the doom and gloom – in these turbulent times, companies are increasingly looking to their logistics and supply chain functions / partners for more innovative solutions, providing improved efficiencies, reduced costs and optimized supply chains. This reinforces the contribution and importance of supply chain and logistics disciplines across all industries, and therefore boosts the reputation and credibility of our profession.
Also, here in the Asia region, we have many emerging economies that should continue to see growth in their domestic consumption markets, which will provide some relief from the rapidly decreasing export markets.
The impact of economic stimulus packages during the first half of 2009 – especially those in China and the United States – will determine how long this downturn will last. I am optimistic that we will see a recovery during the second half of the year - in time for a positive Christmas season in December 2009. If not, then the downturn will likely last through until the second half of 2010. Combining all our efforts on positive initiatives and harnessing all our talent to drive innovation will ensure that we can recover sooner rather than later. 
During this process, Supply Chain Asia will strengthen its position as a community organization, enabling connections for knowledge sharing and collaborative business opportunities to help our members manage through the downturn.

J: What is your belief in operating your business for your VIP customers? What is your most successful case and what are you going to upgrade for your business?
Mr. Millar: A major aspect of my 2009 business activities is ‘Delivering Knowledge’ – this includes sharing leading-edge case studies and lessons-learned with fellow practitioners in the supply chain and logistics sector; as well as providing leading market intelligence and research reports which enable companies and individuals to be even better equipped during these challenging times; and thirdly, providing best-in-class learning and development solutions for the shipping, logistics and transportation industry, especially in mainland China - where our sector is suffering from a severe shortage of trained and experienced logisticians.
My VIP Customers will benefit from knowledge delivery solutions that are customized to their particular requirements, are cost effective to deploy, and have measurable positive impact on their business. My successful track record is built upon many success stories, involving companies large and small, international and local – the key to success is to continually innovate and add-value for the client in ways that are both meaningful and measurable.

J: DIALOGUE has received great attention from her 250,000 members especially in the Chinese logistics market. What would you like to say to these Chinese logistics companies?
Mr. Millar: Having spent over 8 years living in China - working in the supply chain sector - I still find the Chinese logistics industry very exciting! Even amidst these challenging economic times, there are many opportunities for logistics service providers in the mainland market. Continuing growth in the local consumption economy will further drive demand for creative logistics solutions for efficient domestic distribution and effective customer service. Investing in people development will develop and grow the talent that will enable companies to become more innovative and gain competitive advantage that will enable them to successfully differentiate from their competition. Consider your people as your best assets, invest in them and they will deliver value for your customers and your business.
J: Thank you for your participation in DIALOGUE.

Journalist: Betty Chen