The opportunities presented by the advent of the last mile was the focus of yesterday’s General Membership Meeting, which was held at the Magellan room of the Discovery Suites Manila in Ortigas Center, Pasig City.
The panel was part of the initiatives of SCMAP’s last mile collaboration group, one of seven groups which will closely discuss and promote colalboration among SCMAP’s members and stakeholders as they tackle pain points in the supply chain profession.
In the lead-up to the GMM, a focus group discussion was held last 9 April at the LF Logistics offices in Pasig City, in which several challenges were identified. These include cash-on-delivery payments, visibility and transparency issues, rider management and seasonal issues, such as sales. The results of this FGD was presented by the group’s lead, SCMAP director Dina Pilapil, and was later assisted by Dario Arive Jr. of SCMAP’s academe committee.
Some of these pain points became the center of discussion during the GMM. Alex Doronilla of Lazada Express and Ronaldi Bunyi of Robinsons Supermarkets helped delegates navigate the last mile through their experiences and insights, and also answered questions from the audience. A main point of discussion was whether third-party logistics providers are able to augment e-commerce operations during peak periods, particularly with fleet and personnel.
The GMM was the best-attended yet in SCMAP history, with just over 100 delegates, mostly from logistics, but also including manufacturers and retailers. Also represented were the government, with delegates from the Board of Investments providing insight into how government is helping boost capacity to support the last mile.
The event also saw the induction of thirteen new members. These are: APL Logistics, represented by Demetrio Gaston; Benson Industrial Cold Storage, represented by Justin Vincent Tan; Chelsea Logistics Holdings, represented by Raul Quisumbing; DSV Global Transport, represented by Raundolf Geronimo; FM Global Logistics, represented by Catherine Gayatin; Indigo Software, represented by Michael Hill; K5 Plus Logistics, represented by Carmel Maling; Mets Logistics, represented by Henry Reyes; Olympus Global Logistics, represented by Rubenal Cabanlong; PricewaterhouseCooper Consulting Services, represented by Victor Gabriel Ona; Transportify Philippines, represented by Noel Abelardo; and Victory Star Shipping, represented by Jessie Calinog.
This is not the end of our discussion on the last mile: a second focus group discussion will be mounted in the coming weeks, with the goal of further discussion during the SCMAP Supply Chain Conference this October. Meanwhile, our next General Membership Meeting on 15 June is expected to discuss the challenges of surge planning.