The future of perishables: 13th annual edition of cold chain conference

The ‘cooler’ side of container shipping is the cold chain. Reefer containers are behind everything from fresh fruits and veggies, flowers, meats, seafood, medicine, and any other perishable object that may need to stay cool for the ride. For 13 years, the Cool Logistics conference has shed light on this sub-industry of the containerized supply chain. Over the course of 3 days, the 2021 version focused on the impacts of COVID-19 and technology, analytics, digitalization, environmental impact, and sustainability. MundoMaritimo attended the virtual venue as exclusive media partner.

Day 1: reefer outlook & cold chain logistics

The first day began with the opening remarks from the entire Cool Logistics team, welcoming the attendees for their second completely online version of the event, and went right into the first panel of the day dedicated to the global perishables trade. Martin Dixon, Director, Head of Research Products Drewry kicked-off the session with a presentation on “Reefer Shipping Market Outlook,” highlighting how the seaborne reefer trade growth took a break in 2020 and that all eyes for recovery are on South America exports, with a projected annual growth rate for 2025 of 4%, mainly focused on bananas, citrus and fish in the WCSA trade, and up to 5% from ECSA to Europe and Asia based on meats. Next up was Michel Looten, Director Maritime, Seabury Cargo, who presented a “Reefer Market Outlook” with a look into the import markets. Bruce Marshall, Head of Reefer Solutions, A.P Moller-Maersk, was next analyzing what the customers are asking: “what type of discussions are we having with our customers and what kind of solutions are we providing. It is key to understand the customers’ needs; capability to deliver; and partnership.” Thomas Eskesen, Founder, Eskesen Advisory, joined in during the Q&A, providing insight on the current context and projections for the cold chain. The panel continued after a short lunch break with presentations from speakers Diego Barriga, Director Lancaster Logistics and Foodcareplus; Andrew Lorimar, CEO, Datamar; Robert F. Sappio, CEO, SeaCube Containers LLC; and Sarah Schlueter, Senior Director Niche Products, Hapag-Lloyd AG.

The afternoon panel “Global cool shippers forum - managing change, planning for disruption, building resilience & sustainability,” was moderated by Ole Schack-Petersen, Executive Officer, Broom Group, and had presentations from speakers Stefano Di Paolo, President and GM, Great White Fleet Ltd, Chiquita Brands; Marc Evrard, Commercial Director, BFV Belgische Fruitveiling cvba; Juan Andres Ferrari, Director Perishables Supply Chain, ACF Global Sourcing; Juan-Patricio Navarro, Directeur Général, ProEcuador; France David Sussmann, President, Seafoodia & Founder, Pure Ocean Fund; and Chris Swartz, Director Global Transportation and Logistics Services, AJC International.

Ole Schack-Petersen moderated as well the first day’s last panel “Cold chain logistics evolution – integration, consolidation, customer-centricity & digitalization,” where speakers Adam Forste, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Bay Grove Capital, Co-Executive Chairman, Lineage Logistics Holdings; Amit Hasak, CEO, Transship Corp; and Matteo Lagatti, Senior Specialist Food and Agriculture Supply Chains, Rabobank participated.

Day 2: focus on pharma

Medicine is a big player in the cold chain logistics industry, that is why there was an entire day of presentations focused on the needs of the medicine, pharma and vaccines transport and storage. Rachael White, CEO & Co-Founder, Cool Logistics Resources moderated the “Cold chain logistics priorities for pharma, medicines & vaccines” panel, where speakers Chris Catto-Smith, Advisor Vaccine Distribution, Agri-Logistics & Cold Chain Logistics SME at Asian Development Bank (ADB), Managing Director, Freshport Asia; Hristo Petkov, Global Vertical Head of Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare, A.P Moller-Maersk; Sebastian Steinmueller, Director Global Reefer Competency Centre, DHL Global Forwarding; and Tineke Van de Voorde, Key Account Manager, Shippers and Forwarders, Port of Antwerp discussed the challenges the pharma, medicine and vaccine market faces when it comes to keeping it cool on the road.

Storage solutions for the cold chain are just as important as the transport conditions, as the right temperature conditions must be respected all throughout the entire process from lab to patient. How to provide the best cool storage was the focus of the “Cool ports & cold stores: integrated perishables hubs of the  future” panel. Steve Cameron, Principal, Cameron Maritime Resources was moderator for the session, with the participation of Capt. Paul J. Gallie, Director, Business Development, A.P. Moller Capital; Johannes Nanninga, CEO and Owner, Guangzhou Port (Europe) BV, representing Port of Nansha; Ole Schack-Petersen, Executive Officer, Broom Group Port of Rotterdam; Anne Saris, Business Manager Agrofood and Distribution, Port of Rotterdam; and Sofie Tolk, Cluster Development Manager, SOHAR Port and Freezone.

The second day ended with the panel titled “Global food systems & supply chains in transition - smart, safe, secure, sustainable,” moderated by Andy Connell, Lead Technical Consultant, A-Bar-C Services. Speakers Joseph Mark Buhl, Co-Founder & VP Business Development, DataHarvest, President, Avotopia, CEO, Global Agricultural Technical Experts; Juan Andres Ferrari, Director Perishables Supply Chain, ACF Global Sourcing; Tim Moran, Regional Vice President, Lineage Logistics; Hanno Reeser, New Silk Way Logistics, Director, Strategic Development, H.Essers Synchromodal Transport; and Michael Yarwood, Director Loss Prevention, TT Club sessioned on the topic, addressing the challenges ahead for achieving a sustainable cool supply chain.

Day 3: technology & the future

A conversation session with Alfred Cheung, Founder, Green Society Association, Adjunct Professor, City University of Hong Kong, Chief Representative, Overseas Development, China International Cross-Border E-commerce Industry and Andy Connell, Lead Technical Consultant, A-Bar-C Services, the “Cool 4.0 - the evolving technology landscape: innovators, start-ups, entrepreneurs, investors & skills” panel resulted in a lively discussion of the technological advances present and future for the cold chain industry, as the initial session of the last day of the conference.

Alan Peart, Telematics Sales Manager, Global Container Refrigeration, Carrier Transicold; and Lissa D’Arcy, Solutions & Customer Integration Manager, Emerson Commercial & Residential Solutions were speakers at the “Cold chain visibility, monitoring, analytics & forecasting,” panel, which was moderated by Ole Schack-Petersen, followed by the session “Reefer tech & post-harvest operations: reducing waste & minimising environmental impact,” moderated by Andy Connell, Lead Technical Consultant, A-Bar-C Services and with Deirdre Holcroft, Consultant, Holcroft Postharvest Consulting; Theofrastos Mantadelis, Founder, dimetra.eu; Hans-Willem van der Waal, CEO, AgroFair Europe BV; and Eelke Westra, Programme Manager Post-Harvest Quality, Wageningen Food & Biobased Research, Wageningen University as speakers.

The final panel of the day was split into 2 parts: “digitalisation, data & smart reefer container operations - technology, standards & adoption,” moderated by Mark Bennett, President, Sun Intermodal. The first half of the session was focused on smart reefers, with the participation of Michael Abdul, Vice President Sales, Wireless Maritime Services (WMS); Olaf Habert, Director Container Applications, Hapag-Lloyd AG; Tadhg Kenny, SVP Marketing, PR & Strategic Partnerships, Druid Software; Don Miller, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Globe tracker; and Al Tama, Vice President and General Manager, Container and Ports Solutions, ORBCOMM; while the second part had the participation of Thomas Bagge, CEO, Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA); Fabiano Luciani, Logistics Coordinator, BRF; Fabio Poyer, Logistics Specialist, BRF; Gadi Ruschin, Co-Founder and CEO, WAVE BL; and Andre Simha, Global Chief Digital & Information Officer, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company.

Sponsors & live networking

One of the most missed parts of physical gatherings at conferences is the networking opportunities. Who hasn’t built a work-social relationship over a coffee break or a luncheon? So, replicating the networking experience is a challenge for online venues. The 2021 Cool Logistics event managed a lively format by hosting lunch-hour and coffee break with the team executives, such as Lunch with Helen Coffey and open mic, exhibition, and demos.

Port of Rotterdam was the host port, accompanied by sponsors such as Americold, Fruit Logistica, Emerson, Identec Solutions, Kuehne+Nagel, Lineage Logistics, Carrier Transicold, MSC, Thermo King, Traxens, among others who made the Cool Logistics 2021 conference a reality.

By MundoMaritimo