BITO, the Belgian Institute for Transport Organizers, organized its fifth biennial seminar on Tuesday, this time with the theme: ‘Logistics and forwarding: between technology and turbulence’. In addition to fascinating keynotes from, among others, Erwin Verstraelen from Port of Antwerp-Bruges and ‘customs expert’ Kristian Vanderwaeren from FPS Finance, Olivier Schoenmaeckers from professional organization FORWARD Belgium gave his vision on the future of the freight forwarding profession.
“The role of the forwarder is changing dramatically,” he said. “The sector is evolving from an administrative intermediary to a compliance partner and director of complex logistics chains. While forwarders used to function mainly as a link between shipper and shipping company, international logistics is becoming increasingly difficult to predict today. Geopolitical tensions and international conflicts, such as today, ensure that shipping routes can change quickly. Shipping companies can decide to end a voyage prematurely and unload containers in another port. Then the forwarder has to solve it.”
Digitalization also plays an important role in the transformation of the sector. New SaaS solutions, AI tools and automation make it possible to better monitor transport flows and automate administrative processes. “The question arises as to where the boundary lies, because the human aspect still remains very important,” BITO director Leen De Paepe (photo) responded afterwards. “It is certainly important to dare to take that step towards digitalization and at the same time acquire the necessary knowledge, for example by collaborating with organizations, such as the port authority, that have a lot of expertise.”
