Digitisation is transforming every industry and it will transform A.P. Moller – Maersk too in the coming years, with the creation of new products, better service for customers, operations that are more efficient and new sources of revenue.
“Digitisation is for all of us, from the CEO to the youngest man on the deck,“ says Ibrahim Gokcen about the digital vision for the Transport & Logistics division. "We all need to talk the same language. That is the only way we can succeed. We have to use our strengths to the maximum. That means multiple parts of the organisation working together to shape our digital future. This is being done in a coordinated way with the help of a single joint agenda.”
Gokcen is A.P. Moller - Maersk’s first ever Chief Digital Officer. He has been with the company for a year, and was appointed CDO a few months ago. He says Maersk is ready for the digital journey, the only obstacle being time.
“We have to get started, do things, learn and then take the next steps. While we need to be patient, we also need to continue experimenting. We cannot achieve a perfect design from the beginning,” says Gokcen. “Digitisation is a new area of endeavour and as such it can be a little uncomfortable at times. Nevertheless, I can see that everyone is open to understanding how we can deliver results, while adapting to what for many may be a new way of working.”
Be patient
Before joining Maersk, Gokcen helped lead a similar transformation at General Electric, which he describes as “a traditional industrial company that started to think of digitisation as a clear competitive advantage, and ultimately as a path to survival.” It is the same with Maersk. However, he is quick to underline that seven years later, digital transformation is still a work in progress at General Electric.
“It takes time, so we must be patient. We will of course see results along the way and I’m really excited about the journey. It’s a great challenge for all of us and it will make us much better as professionals, as leaders and also as a company,” he says.
Digital innovation is one of four Must Win Battles in the Transport & Logistics division’s new ‘Stronger together’ strategy, where the mindset is that the five brands – Maersk Line, APM Terminals, Damco, Svitzer and Maersk Container Industry – will perform better as one business.
Digitising container logistics
As laid out by CEO of A.P. Moller - Maersk, Søren Skou, digitisation is an important pillar for growth in 2017 and digital innovation will be vital in creating and expanding synergies between the five brands that enable Maersk to deliver on the new vision of becoming the global integrator of container logistics.