In an era of constant disruption, three elements remain key to building an effective global logistics strategy in today’s ever-changing playing field. 

The customer must remain at the heart of every decision. Moving from one crisis—or at minimum, one major change—to the next, companies need to be aware of the impact any change can have on the industry they serve, rippling down through the supply chain.

“Our business evolves rapidly but steadily . We should not be waiting for a breakthrough moment but continue to adapt and adjust the way we work to continue to optimise the supply chain of our customers with the help of new technologies,” Eric Martin-Neuville, EVP Global Freight Forwarding at GEODIS, stated.

“We prioritise flexibility in our logistics operations, allowing us to adjust routes and methods as needed to ensure continuity in service delivery. Building strong relationships with local partners and understanding regional dynamics further supports our efforts to navigate complex environments effectively,” Alexander Atanassov, DISCORDIA’s Director of Ocean and Air Transport, outlined.

Access to the right capacity at the right time is essential, something that an asset-right strategy, balancing owned capacity, long-term commitments, and the flexibility to navigate the volatile spot market, can provide.

“We’ve faced Covid-19,  Ever Given, the closure of the Russian airspace and the grounding of large Russian air cargo capacity, the Houthis attack forcing the rerouting of cargo away from the Suez Canal, the draught around the Panama Canal, the US East Coast port strike etc,” Martin-Neuville added. 

“We learn to adapt faster and better through each of these crises. The main focus is how we best keep our customers informed of events and impacts on their specific flows; what alternative solution do we put in place; and how quickly can we do both. “

Providing visibility under all circumstances is vital. In an industry where trust hinges on clarity, ensuring real-time tracking and transparency strengthens relationships and streamlines operations.

These principles form the backbone of a strong strategy, enabling providers to adapt, innovate, and deliver consistent value in an unpredictable world.

 “Transparency, technology integration, agility, sustainability, customer focus, and regulatory compliance are key elements. A strong network and international partnerships are essential,” Atanassov continued. “We are aligned with these principles, with a particular focus on our customers and upgrading our technology.”

Cost vs quality

Balancing cost efficiency with service quality is crucial for success in international logistics. This can be achieved by implementing dynamic multimodal transportation solutions and consolidating shipments, when possible, to optimise costs and processes.

It’s also important to focus on staff training and digital solutions to ensure that companies remain at the top of the customer service offering, keeping infrastructure up-to-date to avoid losing any competitive edge. 

“Frugality is a way of life in a low margin business such as ours. Therefore, the key is to allocate spend to the part which counts the most and typically avoids damaging the customer fronting part of the business or making decisions which risk impairing our capabilities to offer capacity when needed,” Martin-Neuville laid out.

“Our freight experts excel in strategic route planning, while strong collaboration with a wide range of first class transport companies as suppliers ensures flexibility and the best transport solutions tailored to our customers’ needs,” Atanassov explained.

Role of digitalisation

Technology is and will remain at the centre of any logistical developments. Data is power. To run a successful business, you need an efficient system that organises data, know-how and streamlines processes. Real-time insights enable the sector to quickly address disruptions and minimise delays. Additionally, historical data helps predict demand accurately, aligning inventory with customer’s needs. This data-driven approach enhances efficiency, reduces costs, and improves customer satisfaction in logistics operations.

“DISCORDIA is currently undergoing a major digital transformation by moving to the Cloud. This includes adopting leading global technologies such as Oracle Transport Management (OTM), RISE SAP S/4HANA Private Cloud for ERP, BTP, OCI, OSC, CPQ, and IOT solutions,” Atanassov outlined.

Besides back office functions the focus is on: Customer engaging solution, which includes the provision of full visibility on orders and shipments positions but are more and more extending into digital transactions [pricing, booking, documentation, invoicing, payment], reporting and performance management; efficiency improvement with a focus on enhancing the way we support our operators to provide the most efficient service at any given time; and pricing with the development of tools to collect, collate and manage dynamic pricing solutions. 

“We have the privilege to have a sound set of data with a large historical range. This provides extremly powerful data sets for analytics. We use them to work on predictive shipment milestones, on analysing historical trends for pricing and capacity management purposes,” Martin-Neuville stated.

“A typical and very practical usage of our robust data set is our ability to identify in a very short time spent the cargo impacted by a supply chain disturbance event such as the recent US port strike to define with our customers the best mitigating action plans for their shipments.”

Integrating sustainability

Sustainability is a full part of a logistics strategy nowadays. From a climate standpoint, there are two main focuses for a company: limit and lower the level of emission of its own operations and lower the level of emissions of the services provided to customers. 

“These are now conditions to do business. Our customers, shareholders, and employees are demanding that these efforts be made efficiently, measured adequately and communicated” Martin-Neuville expressed.

“A very large part of our efforts are aimed at improving our  emission measurements and at providing our teams and our customers with the best tool to analyse the various options and make the best decisions not only in relation to transit time or costs but also in CO2 emission level.”

DISCORDIA, although relying on subcontractors for ocean and air transportation, is also integrating sustainability by partnering with eco-conscious carriers and optimising logistics through shipment consolidation and efficient route planning prioritising Ocean and Rail transport modes.

This environmental commitment also extends to building eco-friendly offices in Sofia, Varna, Kyiv, and Cluj, sourcing recycled office materials, and using AWARE tracer technology to validate sustainability claims. Alongside that, its own fleet of 1,500 heavy trucks on average follows the strict internal policy of fuel-efficient driving, through which we drastically reduce fuel consumption and, consequently, the emission of harmful pollutants into the atmosphere. 

“This is a critical step for any company looking to grow and be recognised as a key player in the market. By embedding sustainability into our core strategy, we not only reduce our carbon footprint but also stay aligned with industry trends and regulations, ensuring long-term success and a competitive edge,” Atanassov highlighted.