According to the survey, 74 percent of firms use four or five different modes of transportation in 2017. "In the wake of globalization and rampant digitalization, commercial trade flows have evolved dramatically," the report found. "At the crossroads of strategy, marketing, sourcing, manufacturing, business development and customer services, supply chain has become the key strategic ‘hub’ of companies' activities."

During the Air Cargo Europe 2017 show, Air Cargo World talked with two managers at the heart of this transition at Geodis, Joseph Fordney, regional sales director, EMEA, and Florence Gautrais, director of regional business development, EMEA.

Fordney, who transferred to Geodis’ Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA) region from North America a few months back, found the maturity of the European market to be “dramatic” and competitive. He noted that growing business in such a mature market is a challenge, forcing the company to “differentiate by adding value.” His observations align with the SCWS findings that supply chains were moving away from a cost-oriented approach to a value-oriented one, in order to maintain the level of service demanded by more customers.

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