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Port Logistics Innovation: The engine behind a differentiated value proposition with business impact

Maritime transport, port and air logistics are facing unprecedented challenges in a global environment characterized by a tense geopolitical context, increasing supply chain disruptions and a relentless race towards energy transition. Innovation is an indispensable pillar to offer a differentiated value proposition to IDOM’s partners and clients, given the fierce competition between operators and hubs, as well as the macro trends that define each sector.

This phenomenon is no coincidence. Today, the maritime and port industries are increasingly perceived as “commodities”, with competitors offering similar services. This sameness is driving ports, logistics hubs and supply chain players to differentiate themselves through innovation, based on crucial aspects such as the speed of logistics flows, their reliability, resilience and transparency.

Logistics hubs and their ecosystems must focus their innovative efforts on two priority objectives:

1. Operational Excellence and Added Value: to achieve services that stand out for their competitiveness, quality, and sustainability, using new technologies and digitalization as key enablers.
2. Changing the mindset and cultural innovation: changing the organizational mindset and embedding innovation into the DNA of Port Community businesses, fostering a culture of innovation and an open ecosystem that embraces change and takes advantage of new opportunities.

So how can we bridge this gap through innovation? What elements do we need to consider?

Addressing the digital divide in global ports. Multidisciplinary innovation as a key to success

Innovation is inherently multidisciplinary. It requires the integration of knowledge and approaches from multiple fields to effectively address complex problems and create disruptive products, services, business models and organizational forms. We are talking about processes, ideas, challenges, start-ups, agile methodologies, pilots and living labs. IDOM’s knowledge and experience in the sector allows us to approach innovation from all angles, promoting alignment and feedback between business as usual and the innovation lifecycle. A cycle defined by what we call the “Pillars of Innovation”:

• Innovation strategy: the North Star that guides the design, management and execution of innovation programs and digital and technology portfolios that deliver tangible value to the business.
• Innovation culture: the development of innovative cultures and management systems to transform organizations and improve their ability to adopt and apply innovation, including talent management and knowledge dissemination and transfer tools.
• Open innovation: Implementing frameworks, tools and programs to foster open innovation and (intra)entrepreneurship, working with start-ups, technology companies, public-private partnerships and innovation committees with stakeholders to maximize impact on the ecosystems themselves.
• Innovation projects: managing innovative initiatives throughout the lifecycle of technological and digital projects, from proof of concept (PoC) and pilots, to seeking external funding, developing regulatory frameworks, and implementing solutions and processes, in order to facilitate the implementation of innovative solutions and products as quickly as possible and generate the highest possible value.
• Innovation centers: Establish centers of excellence, both digital and physical, that act as hubs of technology and talent, promote collaboration with universities and R&D&I institutions, strengthen public-private collaboration models, and enable demonstration centers and full-scale laboratories.

IDOM’s innovation projects in the Logistics-Port Sector

The IDOM team has specialized in a portfolio of products and services capable of covering with guarantees the entire innovation process from its inception, but at the same time offering flexibility in more mature stages where it is necessary to strengthen or boost a specific block.

In this context, it is worth mentioning that IDOM has supported the Algeciras Bay Port Authority (APBA) for more than 7 years through a Technical Office for Innovation Coordination. This strengthens their innovation processes, consolidates an open innovation ecosystem in Algeciras Port and positions it as an international reference in logistics-port innovation. We have also recently been awarded the project “Support for the Management of the Plan to Promote Entrepreneurship for Innovation in the Port Sector” by the public entity Puertos del Estado, better known as the Puertos 4.0 Fund. An ambitious program aimed at promoting and actively incorporating disruptive or incremental innovation in the Spanish logistics port sector and facilitating its transition to the 4.0 economy.

That’s why we at IDOM are ready to act as a link between the logistics port business and the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems. We will implement, stimulate and drive the results of innovation processes and train organizations (both public and private) related to the logistics port environment in their transformation process. As the saying goes, “The best way to predict the future is to create it”.