According to World Maritime News, the Danish, A.P. Moller Maersk integrates Damco’s supply chain services and the Maersk Line maritime transport line, thus combining their respective services as part of their plan to become an integrated transport and logistics company.
Once combined, the organization will operate with a management team, a sales force and a customer experience organization, led by Vincent Clerc, commercial director of Maersk.
Klaus Rud Sejling, CEO of Damco, will assume a new position as Head of logistics and services products for Maersk, and will depend on CCO, Vincent Clerc.
“Today we are taking new steps in the transformation of our business at the structural level and how we go to the market, which allows us to offer more solutions to our customers in a simpler way.” Our employees play a key role in making this happen and, therefore, we are at the same time empowering our front line organization that is closer to our customers, “said Søren Skou, CEO of AP Moller – Maersk.
The cargo transportation business of Damco, which serves customers that require air transportation or multiple carrier options in shipping, will continue to operate as a separate and independent business under the Damco brand. Saskia Groen In’t Woud will be the executive director of Damco Freight Forwarding, currently she is the operations director of Damco.
Furthermore, about 18,000 Maersk employees may become collateral by the large-scale integration of Damco and Maersk Line. Some Dual leadership roles in the regional businesses in particular could be impacted, Maersk Line CCO Vincent Clerc tells ShippingWatch.
In addition to these changes, three of A.P.’s regional carrier brands. Moller – Maersk, including MCC Transport, Sealand and Seago Line will go to the market as “SeaLand – A Maersk Company” as of October 1, 2018.
“MCC Transport, Sealand and Seago Line will go to market as Sealand – a Maersk company ,” said the press release. “The simplified naming structure will help strengthen brand recognition and ensure clarity of choice for customers.”
Singapore-headquartered MCC has a 20-year history in the intra-Asia feeder market, growing to become the 21st largest container line and a top-three feeder globally, operating a fleet of more than 70 ships on the main trading corridors.
The carrier employs more than 500 staff across 14 Asian countries and services more than 200 port calls a week in the rapidly expanding entrepreneurial markets.
Meanwhile, Seago has built a strong reputation in the European shortsea domestic and feeder markets, with a quarterly customer satisfaction survey recording high marks.
“We are fully aware that we are not there yet, so we stay on our toes to spot opportunities for improvement,” said a recent survey request from the Seago office in the Netherlands.
SeaLand, based at Miramar, Florida, was founded by the “father of container shipping”, Malcom McLean, in the mid-1950s and was acquired by Maersk in 1999. The name disappeared after Maersk purchased P&O Nedlloyd in 2005.
However, the SeaLand brand was resurrected in 2015 due to a “strong recognition throughout the intra-Americas region”, and it took over the Maersk Line network in the Americas.
“This integration marks a major milestone in the current growth path of Maersk towards the operation as an integrated company, and we are in a solid position to offer solutions that meet the supply management needs of our customers’ supply chain, thus taking advantage of the markets that cover the entire journey from the producer to the consumer, taking advantage of our commercial strengths, “added Skou.
