A collaboration between the National University of Singapore and the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Logistics Institute-Asia Pacific (TLI-Asia Pacific) provides the best of East-West expertise through academic, outreach programs and executive courses such as its Dual Master program in Logistics and Supply Chain Management.
“We can’t emphasise enough, the importance of logistics and supply chain education for the successful achievement of new innovative models and processes for the industry in our increasingly complex landscape,” TLI-Asia Pacific executive director Robert de Souza tells Logistics Magazine.
“Asia has a complex geography and regulatory environment in which the presence of large, consolidating multinational logistics organisations is consistently changing,” de Souza says.
“If we also take into account the socio-cultural diversity of the region and a general lack of readily available logistics-related skills, we get a highly variable adoption rate or penetration of new logistics systems and technologies.”
“Regional complexities such as trade flows, soft and hard logistics infrastructure, trade agreements, multiple levels of economic maturity and dynamic political scenarios represent challenging aspects to consider for the creation of a globalised supply chain,” de Souza explains.
“It must also be said, that rapid developments necessitate a new breed of logistics professional, who is increasingly expected to have a firm grasp of all these issues- as well as practical solutions- for their customers
Robert de Souza says TLI—Asia Pacific works closely with government agencies, industry and thought leaders to build long-term partnerships that promote supply chain innovation and foster talent across the region.
The Institute’s most recent collaborative research agenda has focused, among others areas, on the development of disruptive-risk mitigation models and practices within Asia.
“Our impact analysis study of risk factors in supply chain management provides insight into issues around risk assessment and a framework for prevention and mitigation strategies to deploy,” says TLI-Asia Pacific director for Industry Research Mark Goh.
According to Goh, emerging industry trends and new international regulations are producing a strategic priority shift away from cost reduction, network optimisation and profit maximisation towards carbon emission reduction, service level improvements and value creation.
“This new scenario requires an innovative strategic framework for global commercial organisations to work across the supply chain in a more pragmatic way,” he says.
“Further recent research from TLI—Asia Pacific analyses the causes and the impact of on-going consolidation in the Asian logistic landscape.
With the increasing number of mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, partnerships and strategic alliances between logistics service providers this impact is significant,” Goh says.
“A third area of research includes the designing of green supply chain networks that are aligned with international regulations.”
Goh points to global outsourcing, increased competition, innovation, economic and environmental concerns which are currently carving a new space for the Asian industry.
“Highly networked, dynamic organisations with global reach are proving to be early innovators,” he says.
“They’re creating market opportunities and making the competition irrelevant.”
In August this year, TLI-Asia Pacific will launch THINK Executive, a new think tank to debate ways to address critical emerging issues in the Asian industry landscape.
Assistant director Strategic Industry Liaisons Manuela Mercandelli says the summit will bring together a strategic line-up of key senior executives, supply chain thought leaders, academia and government agencies.
“We are confident our neutral position will assure a platform for the highest level of interaction, exclusive knowledge sharing and development,” she enthuses.