60 seconds with...Lennart Heip, Dow

We had the pleasure of chatting to Lennart Heip, Global Modal Leader International Trade Operations at Dow about the top chemical supply chain strategic directions and his involvement in LogiChem 2022.

How has COVID-19 changed chemical supply chain industry and teams?

The pandemic, and even more so, the unexpectedly swift recovery and changing consumption patterns have elevated the importance of Supply Chain and Logistics specifically to the boardroom-level. The availability of transport reached saturation for a prolonged time for the first time in recent history and led Businesses to look at Logistics in a new way. Resilience is now topping many executives’ wish-list, even before cost.

Do you consider those changes fundamental, or do they have short-term impact?

Inventory, Sourcing, and Logistics strategies will strike a new balance between resilience and cost, but eventually cost will take top spot again. There is however a new kid on the block also in this equation – sustainability. Circularity of industry and lowering carbon footprint will become a prerequisite for any supply chain design. Even if the emphasis on resilience may dwindle again in future, the changes needed to make supply chains sustainable are here to stay. And another factor that is here to stay is the dynamic international trade environment that will increasingly only be navigable through digitalization.

What are the top 3 strategic directions chemical supply chain should consider to thrive in a future environment?

The top 3 strategic directions for supply chains are in my opinion sustainability, digitalization, and resilience.

Tell us about your involvement in LogiChem this year

I am very much looking forward to exchanging ideas with my colleagues from different industries around all the top priorities in supply chain. I will participate in a panel on the chaos in the MPC supply chain, and in a panel on sustainability – two aspects that are very close to my heart. I know these will be highly interactive discussions and a free exchange of ideas. So I am convinced I will take more away than I will bring to Logichem 2022.

Don’t miss Lennart Heip’s session on EU Green Deal at LogiChem 2022, being held in March at De Doelen ICC Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Download the agenda to discover all the key topics discussed.