This episode is the second half of our conversation with Alexander Nowroth, a 16-year shipping industry veteran and sales strategy consultant. 

We explore the complicated relationships between carriers, forwarders, and tech companies in the drive to logistics modernization. From track-and-trace to IoT solutions, the possibilities for innovation seem endless but are choked by data availability and bureaucratic obstacles. Alexander brings a wealth of insight and ideas on accelerating the process.

What You Will Learn In This Episode

• The role shippers play in the adoption of innovative tech platforms
• Why forwarders often have a cynical view of track-and-trace 
• How forwarders can benefit from being more systems- and solutions-oriented
• How control tower solutions have benefited shippers and large carriers like Maersk

Money Quotes

"Why did Flexport or Project 44 [come to market]? Why didn't [DB] Schenker or Kuehne & Nagel create these companies and launch them under a different name? I think it's because [they're] busy ... squeezing out the current business model and dealing with the bureaucracy they have built up over the last few years ... there's an absolute overburden of bureaucracy in most of these large companies. So they literally don't have the time or resources to do that ... Sometimes the non-established, non-conformists have to shake up the tree." [12:25 - 13:12]

"There are startups like ... Arviem, who put a physical device in a container and said, "here's the uncompromisable, uncorrupted way to [track and trace]. If I put physical [technology] into it, the logistics are very difficult, and no one wants to pay for it. Because it's only perceived as a diagnostic tool, not as much a business-critical surgery tool." [15:56 - 16:17]

Mentioned in This Episode

• Alexander's book: https://a.co/d/6ZQJeEY
• Book: "Humanocracy: Creating Organizations as Amazing as the People Inside Them" by Gary Hamel: https://a.co/d/fXlNhtw
• Movie: "Free Solo": https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7775622/
• TPM23: https://events.joc.com/tpm/index.html
• TPMTech DevCon: https://events.joc.com/tpmtech/program/devcon.html
• Lebenswerk Consulting: https://www.lebenswerkconsulting.com/en/
• Alexander's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-nowroth-40300255/