Autos & Ships Find Their Post-pandemic Bearings

CHANGE has been a significant constant for the automotive and shipping industries.

Even before the pandemic, major global factors were exerting their own forces on these industries. Climate change, sustainability, carbon footprints, electrification, pollution are just some of the issues buffeting the mobility and logistics sectors.

Added to that, it’s been a particularly rough couple of years for everyone with the pandemic.

This WED WEB CHAT — Future Of Demand: Autos & Ships speaks to experts with deep knowledge of the changes that these industries are undergoing.

The panellists for the discussion are  Mark Pirie, VP, Purchasing & Supplier Management, Asia-Pacific at Schaeffler Manufacturing (Thailand), and Daniel Chui, Managing Director of Oceanic Group.

The Schaeffler Group has more than seven decades of mobility experience as a global automotive and industrial supplier. Schaeffler manufactures high-precision components and systems, generating sales of almost EUR 14 billion in 2021. It employs 83,000 workers in 200 locations in over 50 countries.

Oceanic Group provides specialised cruise products — from start-up stage to on-board operations and general management — and has operations in China, Hong Kong and Singapore.

The discussion covered a range of issues, from the potential cost increases that could take place due to the various global circumstances, to the hiring and training of staff and adoption of sustainability practices that are not in sync within industries.

Managing Rising Costs

The cost of doing business has risen significantly.

Mark Pirie of Schaeffler has seen the price of steel rise by 30% or more, so the aim is to eliminate waste, reduce the use of steel and recycle.

Daniel Chui of Oceanic Group has seen fuel costs rise along with staff and food costs. The challenge is to figure out how much of these costs should be passed on to the customer.

Watch the video below. You can watch the full discussion at the foot of this article.

Different Routes To The Destination

The various players in his industry have their own road maps towards sustainability, explains Mark Pirie of Schaeffler Group. 

Daniel Chui of Oceanic Group explains how the various industries that the cruise business straddles imposes different requirements on the industry.

Both industries are striving to do more, but the challenge of the old ways and new methods coming together does pose its own problems.