MSC Digital Talks Ep.1: An Agency’s Perspective on MSC’s Digitalization Journey

INTRODUCTION (00:26)

Andre Simha: Hey, Philippe. Or should I say, bonjour, Philippe, it's a pleasure to see you. And it's a great opportunity to be in Paris with you today and talk about digital. I had a conversation with Soren Toft our CEO, where we discussed digital opportunities and digital solutions that we felt would help MSC to progress and bring benefits to our customers as well. And taking the opportunity of being in Paris with you I'd like to have your feedback as Managing Director of MSC France as to how your teams are coping and rolling out these solutions and what kind of feedback you are getting from our customers. 

Philippe Lestrade:  Thank you very much, Andre, and please to see you in Paris. Um Andre, I've been in shipping for more than 20 years now. I can tell you that at the beginning of my career, everything was nearly paper based. But because we were not willing to engage ourselves with technology, but there was just no technology. And as time has been passing on, we've been technology emerging in our industry and I believe the pandemic has even speeded up at MSC France. Here we have more than 500 people, we have 10 branches, we move close to one million TEUs of cargo and technology is helping us to handle our operation in a smoother way. I have to say that digitalization is at the core of our operations. It's helping us to move on at a faster pace. And that's why we are very keen to engage ourselves with anything related to digitalization. 

Andre Simha: Absolutely. That's impressive. It's a big organisation and a big responsibility. Now, if we look at the tools that we've been offering since a couple of months, such as the MSC e-bill of lading, of course, or myMSC, you know how do you see that being perceived by the customers? If you if you took the temperature, what would the temperature look like? 

Philippe Lestrade: Super warm. Since the beginning of the year, 100 percent of our clients have been using the online buildout. It's helping them to save a lot of time and actually act whenever they want to act on their, on their draft. I'm also very proud to tell you that as today we have 100, nearly 100 percent of our bookings, which are made online and out of which a quarter is made through myMSC. Our clients have understood the benefits of going online and we are very happy to accompany them in this because we've set up a support team which is assisting them with their technical issues, but also assisting them in any way they may need. We are going online, but we do not forget that what matters is to help our customers.

Andre Simha:  True and digitalization is not a way to distance ourselves for our customers. On the contrary, it gives us more time to spend with our customers helping them with their needs. Now looking at the MSC e-bill of lading, if I'm not mistaken, you were the first in France to issue e-bill of lading using that solution. So, you know, how did that work out back in 2020?

Philippe Lestrade: We were right in the middle of the pandemic. By then, planes were not flying or rarely flying. Anything that was paper based was either moving very slowly or not moving at all. And we issued this document for shipment from France to Benin in Africa. More and more clients since then I've been using the facility. I can tell you that they tried, they don't go back.

Andre Simha: You're absolutely right. And I've noticed that since we launched the official program in April of this year. Now what are the other key digital solutions and products that you feel will really benefit you, particularly in France? 

Philippe Lestrade: Smart containers. They are equipped with all kinds of sensors, which can give you more information that just geo-tracking. For instance, you have temperature or shock information. They are very important for security, as whenever a door is open, you get an instant notification.

Andre Simha: Oh, absolutely. Security is something which is critical to improving the supply chain both for ourselves, of course, and for our customers. Also looking at the unfortunate illicit trade and counterfeit moving around the world, I think we really have something very solid here where we can demonstrate that innovation can also be applied to something like a metal container. 

Philippe Lestrade: Correct, investing in our technology confirms our commitment to our customers. With digitalization and a lot of data we have, we are able to take the best decision at the best time and therefore provide the best service to our customers. 

Andre Simha: Yeah, a hundred percent, Philippe. And I think it's a journey and it doesn't stop at shipping lines. We need to work together with all the different actors to make this a reality. And don't forget in supply chain, we're only as strong as our weakest link. So, can you maybe tell me how that cross-industry effort has been received in France?

Philippe Lestrade: Well, French ports are very much advance in information sharing thanks to their port community systems. But we need standards to be able to improve systems interoperability. There are initiatives of which an important one the digital container shipping association, of which you are the chairman.

Andre Simha: Absolutely, absolutely. And we believe in the DCSA, you know, creating standards together with other carriers is the only way to allow that foundation to be built so that, you know, other companies, other partners can build solutions around that and bring a better digital experience with speaking the same language. So, Philippe, it's been really, first of all, great seeing you again, and thank you so much for sharing your opinions with me. And as you know, the door is always open. So, it was a pleasure.

Philippe Lestrade: Thank you, Andre.