The journey of Toll Global Logistics in Australia as seen by its Senior Operations Manager, Ryan Foenander
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Ryan Foenander from Toll Global Logistics told CeMAT Insider about his career path, the changes in the logistics industry and gave us a sneak peak of his upcoming presentation at CeMAT AUSTRALIA 2018.
Tell us about your background in the logistics and supply chain industry?
After studying commerce I made the move into a small, private logistics business, specialising in eCommerce and last mile. After growing the business successfully I joined Toll and have since worked in the Toll Global Express and Toll Global Logistics divisions. Both of these business divisions have been fantastic for my exposure in not only the domestic express parcels industry, but also the global warehousing market. I am now managing an operation with 200 people and moving close to 18 million units annually which is very rewarding position to be in.
What are a few of the major changes in the industry since you started your career?
The evolution of technology and crowd sourcing in the transport space have only really just begun here in Australia. As an industry it is something we need to embrace however, it needs to be done correctly. No one has quite got the mix right at the moment. How we adapt and accommodate these changes will something worth watching.
You’ll be giving a talk at CeMAT about Toll’s journey with Nike over the past 20 years – how have the industry changes you’ve described previously affected this journey?
Our customers are now more demanding than ever before. For some, cost is no longer the most critical leverage as more and more businesses are focusing on service to the consumer. Consumer visibility across touch points is probably the biggest driver of this, along with a much improved speed to market offering. Australia is geographically unkind when compared to other markets, I think we need to ensure our consumer expectations are aligned with our service potential. That being said, we still have an untapped service opportunity in our metropolitan regions.
What do you think is one of the most exciting things happening in the logistics and supply chain industry right now?
Without a doubt it is the technology. Transport offerings tomorrow, won’t be what they are today. Automation within warehousing will be the norm and when you have an end to end offering that comprises the two, you will win. AI has a role to play in our futures and I am of the strong view that our technology growth and development is outpacing what we can keep up with in the industry.
What are you most looking forward to or hoping to discover during your visit to the CeMAT Exhibition?
Along with the networking, it’s an opportunity to discover new technologies and business practices in operation and take back a heap of ideas to implement for tomorrow!
Ryan will be speaking about 'A look at Toll’s journey in Australia over the past 20 years: Challenges overcome and what the future holds' as part of the CeMAT 2018 Knowledge Theatre.
