LIFETIME OF ACHIEVEMENT IN SUPPLY CHAIN
“ I ’ m an eternal optimist . When I wake up and see the sun shining I feel great , because it ’ s a new day ”
“ I think nearshoring is happening but we need to put it into context ,” says Meester .” If you have a global supply chain and you have production in four countries and decide to nearshore , then that is not going to happen quickly , it ’ s actually very slow .”
But Meester does concede there is a trend of production moving away from China , towards India in the east and Mexico – feeding into the US – in the west .
“ But it ’ s more that the growth out of China will mature and flatten , while the growth out of Vietnam , Philippines , India will accelerate ,” Meester explains .
He adds that the impact for DP World is “ knowing where to have the right ports and terminals in locations that may become more significant over time ”.
Sustainability is another issue close to Meester ’ s heart ; DP World ’ s ports and terminals across the world are transforming their environmental impact .
“ Maybe the biggest subject right now is decarbonisation ,” he says . “ It ’ s the single biggest subject outside the constraints and the physical movement of goods .”
He adds : “ We have our vision for 2040 and 2050 but it ’ s really about what we can do now , and what technologies we can deploy now for quick results .
Meester admits that fossil-based marine fuels will “ take longer to fix ” but points out DO World can buy green energy from sustainable sources “ wherever possible ”, adding : “ We rolled that out and the board gave us half a billion dollars in terms to deploy these measures .”
He also says that the focus in Ports & Terminals is electrification and that he and his team are set on moving
22 March 2024