A Synopsis of the ITAP-LogiSYM event

The ITAP-LogiSYM Symposium, was physically held on-site on 23-24 November 2021 in a much bigger environment of an Industrial 4.0 Exhibition run by Hannover Messe at Singapore EXPO. 

As we approached the end of 2021 and a second year navigating a global pandemic, a sense of hope and anticipation was evident across all participants in each of the sessions. It felt like an inflection point where professionals were ready to meet face-to-face (within controlled guidelines) to share and discuss common challenges, but also charting the way forward. 

The LogiSYM Symposium brought together over 230 attendees and over 40 sneakers, delivering several presentations and panel sessions, in a well arranged programme over two days.  

This event offered an excellent view into industry trends, technology developments, strategic approaches, customer dynamics, changing demand patterns, technology impacts to manufacturing and an optimistic envision towards innovation and digital trust on the back of Covid-19 pandemic havoc globally.

Chair-woman Stephanie Krishnan opened the event, with an address on the main theme of the event – Stepping-up the Manufacturing Capabilities with Industry 4.0, Our Guest of Honour – Ms Cheryl Chan / MP East Coast GRC and Group strategy and Sustainability Officer ST Engineering delivered her Key Note address. 

Ms Chan talked about how important it is to form collaborations within and outside your organisation to deliver and products with efficiency and solutions. We need to be prepared and disrupt ourselves and our business models even before external events disrupt us. more than any other event, this crisis has exposed the fragility and inability to respond to unexpected changes. 

The key note was followed by industry thought leaders addressing key elements like risk and rewards in designing supply chain ecosystem v/s the traditional linear supply chains that we have been working with. How to integrate and orchestrate end to end supply chains capability for manufacturing outputs. Whether real integration is possible in an end to end supply chain or is it still an elusive dream given that in the last two decades global organisations have moved their supply chains more from a cost savings perspective rather than customer centric perspective.

The afternoon sessions, addressed important elements like what is the growth of Cold Chain / Temperature controlled requirements (for vaccines/ BioPharma products) and whether our current supply chain is capable or needs to change / transform its footprint. What do organisations need to do to ensure successful transformation avoiding pitfalls, using “fail-safe” approach, train and re-train your work-force to make them comfortable with digital technologies in the forward journey of transformation.

We closed the first day with a visit to the Smart Logistics Pavilion and iTAP exhibition booths.

Second day was all virtual. 

In the morning session was all about A.I / ML in factory manufacturing environment and using technology in Warehousing / Fulfillment and Last mile logistics. The sessions aptly addressed many key areas like how AI/ML / Robotics/ Voice enabled devices have augmented many decision making and materials movements in advanced manufacturing factories as well as fulfillment centers. The new technology has made it “hands free” and “legs free” besides, it is also almost error free as a large amount of information is captured via ASN,s  and Pre-alerts.

We closed the symposium with takeaways from 3 thoughts leaders in the last session.

This is the right time to be brave and address real issues in our Value Chains and be ready to disrupt ourselves before others disrupt the ecosystem.

• Amidst the huge attention to Technology Transformation, an all important message was the Integration of the people, process and marrying sustainability are equal / key aspects which will drive the future of supply chains globally.

• We may even have to go back to white board and chalk out a much broader roadmap which addresses, key elements like {Collaboration across industry, Communication with your people across entire organisation as well as the persistent need to re-skill and upskill your people all the time} 

• It also brought the element of Increased focus on supply risk management  using  control towers’ processes  and how organisations need to use the data for better decision making. We need to change the mindset and be more analytical to search for “hidden” trends which can be critical to business decision making.

• We need senior leadership to own and drive the communication (about transformation) from top to bottom, setting the direction and tone about learning, embracing digital technologies not from a cost perspective but getting our employees comfortable with the change. We need to market the objectives, the outcomes way better internally that what we are doing today.