“A coffee with…” ARNAU PERIS, Managing Director of Slimstock
Logistics Madrid: Looking back a year, do you notice that the logistics sector has changed radically due to the pandemic’s change in consumer habits? What advances do you see that have been made?
Arnau Peris: From my point of view, the logistics sector has been one of the main protagonists of the pandemic and, like all sectors, it has obviously also undergone changes. It could be said that the stressful situation to which it has been subjected has highlighted some of the problems or shortcomings that already existed. In key sectors, for example, product availability became much more important, causing many companies to see their supply chains affected by a lack of robustness.
A major breakthrough due to the pandemic has been experienced in e-commerce. While it is true that the vast majority of companies had planned to implement online sales, COVID-19 has forced this transition in an unthinkable way. It is important, however, to bear in mind that selling online is not as easy as it seems and can have a major impact on stock levels, distribution and preparation.
There has also been a more general change in companies, which are now more willing to invest in managing their supply chains efficiently. The demand effect has been more noticeable than ever and those companies that already had advanced supply chain management systems in place have been able to respond more nimbly to the situation and have consequently benefited more from it.
LM: And now looking to the future, what challenges do you think still need to be faced? What direction do you think the future of the sector will take?
AP: The biggest challenge facing the sector is to predict what the consumer model will be once we have overcome this health crisis. It seems logical that the trend is towards an increase in online sales, but in my opinion, people will want to experience physical shopping again. To go out again, to see and touch the product. To regain this routine that they have been away from for months.
I think the trend is towards a hybrid model. Companies must be prepared to offer a complete online and in-person experience and focus on customer service. In fact, for years now, industry discussions have focused on putting the customer at the centre of management. And now, in addition, we need to understand what they need and when they need it.
On the other hand, we need to take a step forward in technology, so that technology is always ahead of people. Companies should invest in direct applied technology, that which brings them short-term benefits, but with an eye on the medium and long term. With knowledge of the sector, I can say that we have noticed an increase in companies that want to invest in the implementation of cutting-edge technological systems to obtain fast, effective solutions that allow them to increase their competitiveness.
LM: Of the industry’s response to COVID-19, where do you think it has responded well and where do you think it could have done better?
AP: In my opinion, the industry has responded even better than could have been expected. This has been a new situation for everyone, and companies have had to juggle a lot to adapt to it and survive. We must bear in mind that each autonomous community has managed COVID-19 according to its own criteria and that, being in a situation of such unknown uncertainty, we have been experiencing constant changes on a daily basis. This has forced companies to continually adapt their logistics models in order to move forward. A major challenge.
Talking to our customers over the past year, they have referred to the employees of their companies as the real protagonists of this situation. On several occasions they have commented that their company has been able to move forward, and even stronger, thanks to the great management of their staff, who have worked their socks off. And that is to be admired and should never be forgotten.
As with everything in life, there are obviously things that could have been done better, but we should focus on appreciating the efforts made and understand that everything that has been achieved is of enormous value to companies and to citizens as a whole.
LM: What is your day-to-day life like at Slimstock now, what are your concerns and where do you think the key to the future of the industry lies?
AP: Our day-to-day life at Slimstock hasn’t changed much. We have been able to continue to support our clients and help those companies in need, especially in the worst phase of the pandemic, with complementary services. We also adapted our services to make it easier for companies to implement projects. It is very gratifying to see how companies of all kinds see in our software, Slim4, the solution to many of their problems. In fact, during this 2021 we have noticed an increase in demand for our services, especially from SMEs, which are betting on the implementation of our solution with the aim of knowing how far they can go.
We are very excited, because in our roadmap we have great new features related to AI and collaborative management that will allow Slim4, already one of the most powerful and intuitive solutions in the market, to become the backbone tool of the supply chains of any company.
We operate in Spain and Portugal, and my concern is mainly focused on the recovery of the Spanish market. It worries me to think that we are in for a long economic recovery, although I like to be positive and trust that we will soon be able to get out of this crisis.
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The 2nd AFE-APCE Congress starts today at the BEC with more than 200 participants
· Celebradas en IFEMA, ambas ferias han contado con la participación de más de 360 empresas expositoras de los sectores del packaging, la logística y el transporte, registrando 38.361 interacciones comerciales.
· En total, han ocupado más de 20.500 metros cuadrados de exposición, un 6 % más que el año anterior, subrayando su creciente impacto económico.
· “Estas cifras récord no solo indican el éxito del salón, sino también el estado actual y el potencial de crecimiento de los sectores del packaging y la logística en España”, afirma Oscar Barranco, director general de Easyfairs Iberia.
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