F&L in 2017; letter from Philip Evans (republished)

F&L 2017 – 2025

Considering the speed at which the world has changed and the continued acceleration of that change, the remark “F&L and its work has never been more important as change in the supply chain accelerates and we all wonder about the near future” seems prescient.

In the last years we have focused on a plethora of topics simultaneously as as the world is no longer linear and much of what we must do in logistics overlaps and converges.  Input has included but is not limited to:

• Changing global trade flows – including SMILE (sustainable multimodal integrated logistics ecosystems), evidence of change, 4 bold futures for TEN-T, weaponisation of supply chains
• Innovation Measuring industry’s temperature – an environmental progress review of European logistics with Professor Alan McKinnon at the KLU
• Maritime decarbonization – actions by cargo owners
• Trade-offs & future leaders’ expectations of working in the logistics sector
• Risk mitigation vs opportunity in all forms
• Is innovation a way forward? Why are we slow to execute innovation in the logistics
  sector?  What is in our control that we can impact?  How can leaders address
  challenges in innovation execution in an environment where this month’s KPIs are
  always at the top of the agenda?
• Conflicting KPIs
• Peer to peer comparative priorities benchmarking: collaborating by design against a backdrop of febrile global trading blocs & concerns over competitiveness.

We have looked behind the scenes at 5G, the DHL Trend Radar, members’ operations including fashion warehouses, sports and footwear operations, Europe’s first CO2 neutral terminal, the largest logistics park in Europe, motorways platforms, the United Nations, the World Economic Forum and many more which we may – one day – document.

Competitiveness and sustainable growth requires a mindset shift from short-term optimisation to
long-term transformation.  There is a lot to do yet!

Philip

F&L Annual report 2018
Philip Evans, Secretary General

I have now been Secretary General of F&L for 12 months, so what are my initial impressions and thoughts for the future? I have spoken to many members but hope to catch up with more of you in Gothenburg and then at other gatherings and our November conference this year.

Taking over from such a well-established and enigmatic figure like Gavin Roser was always going to be a challenge. He made it sound so easy: you won’t have to do much, the Board and members are all easy-going and Audrey gets everything organised. Well, the last part is true and I am grateful to Audrey Macnab for her hard work and support. Her knowledge of how things work and what the membership expects is invaluable. I have enjoyed working with her.

F&L is a unique organisation and that special position needs to be used as a strength. If F&L has a weakness, it is that very few of our target audience are aware of it, what it does and what it stands for. F&L will always be a relatively small and select organisation but we need to ensure sufficient diversity for that uniqueness to continue.

F&L and its work has never been more important as change in the supply chain accelerates and we all wonder about the near future. How much will technology and price pressures enable and force change? How is value created in all parts of the chain? We may find some answers during our debates in Gothenburg, but this will be an ongoing discussion.

F&L must contribute to and support members as they map out their future directions. The Glasgow conference in May focused on particular issues including the importance of cyber security, with a fascinating live scenario provided by the Scottish Business Resilience Centre. In November in Antwerp we started to address two themes – uncertainty and collaboration,and what changes are coming/how can everyone manage that change effectively? Issues abounded in 2017 – not least rail disruption – but F&L provides an opportunity to ask questions and consider constructive ways forward. We continued working with academia and, led by VUB Brussels University, we carried out a review with members which highlighted the differences in preferences of stakeholders in the supply chain. Technology featured with an introduction to blockchain. And Brexit started to loom large with more questions than answers, but our Antwerp discussions moderated by Brian Simpson were lively and our subsequent webinar with the German BDI, the Port of Calais and the UK Government Department for Exiting the EU, proved popular. We will continue these themes in Gothenburg with technology, collaboration and sustainability all featuring.

My perception at this early stage is that Gavin with the Board and members has developed F&L into a successful “knowledge partnership” where everyone acknowledges that to gain the full benefits of the F&L network they should bring something to the table, whether that is ideas, potential new members or just thoughtful questions. An expression I have often heard in talking with members is that they “like to challenge” and that must continue. We will try to introduce outside contributors and speakers, create the right atmosphere and offer opportunities for members to continue to challenge, all in a welcoming and friendly environment.

What’s on our “to do” list? We will continue to build on the conferences schedule; 2019 will be F&L’s 25th year and will bring its 50th conference! We will continue to seek out new members who can bring diversity and new ideas and who fit into the F&L family. We will build further communication and events with members through the new website, webinars, interviews and one-off meetings. We will support all F&L groups and others organisations associated with F&L as they add value to the supply chain debate. We will continue to listen to members and welcome your ideas and contributions.

I will stop there otherwise Gavin may feel I am deliberately embellishing the work to be done! In his last report as Secretary General Gavin wrote of the challenges for his successor. Well, I have started to address these but it will take some time!

With the support of all members we will continue to make F&L a success. I look forward to meeting more of you in Gothenburg and beyond.

Philip Evans
2018