JOHN WEGMAN
LOGISTICS & DISTRIBUTION
JOHN WEGMAN
TITLE: CEO
COMPANY: CUSTOMS SUPPORT GROUP
INDUSTRY: TRADE
As the CEO of Europe’ s top customs clearance and trade advisory firm, John is driving a digital transformation that modernises customs into a vital, datadriven element of global trade strategy.
The report notes this may lead to“ network redesign for new technologies” and increased electrification in urban centres, particularly in last-mile delivery.
The challenge is magnified by the sector’ s structure. According to Deloitte, 90 % of logistics businesses operate fewer than 10 trucks. This makes scaling up advanced routing technology and building future-proofed networks more complex.
However, when these small fleets work together, through shared networks or data collaboration, they can gain the scale needed to compete with larger players and push forward on sustainability.
Collaboration across the logistics industry is fast becoming a core strategy for delivering sustainability without sacrificing commercial performance. While competition remains, companies are discovering that working together in the right ways leads to operational advantages and environmental gains.
Carl argues:“ Collaboration doesn’ t have to come at the expense of competitiveness— in fact, it strengthens it. In logistics, working together can unlock efficiencies that benefit everyone: shared infrastructure, optimised delivery networks and coordinated route planning can reduce costs while cutting emissions.”
John offers some examples of effective collaboration and route planning.“ Several clients,” he explains“ have achieved major savings simply by rerouting shipments through ports with faster, more reliable customs clearance, cutting both delays and storage costs while improving on-time performance.“ To give an example, during recent congestion in Dutch and Belgian ports, our centralised, pan-European customs agents were able to help companies reroute their shipments to alternative ports with minimal disruption. Because their customs data and compliance processes were fully integrated, clearance was seamless wherever they landed – a huge advantage in volatile market conditions.”
Carl points to load pooling and shared investment in alternative fuel infrastructure as two examples where cooperation can bring tangible benefits. When businesses combine shipments or co-fund clean energy refuelling, they improve vehicle utilisation and lower the barrier to entry for sustainable technology.
“ Our research shows this approach works – over a third of companies that have actively reduced CO₂ also reported lower operating costs,” he says.
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