Part of Government’s drive to build global logistics hub
Saudi Supply Chain Conference Calls to benefit from TIR’s
RIYADH, 14 Nov. – More should be done to implement the tenets of the conference on International Transport of Goods, experts declared at the Saudi Supply Chain conferencet in Riyadh on the last two days.
The conference, organized for the first time by the Saudi Transport Ministry, saw the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s joining of the multilateral treaty.
Speakers praised the Kingdom’s long-awaited joining of the treaty, saying that the move will greatly boost Saudi Arabia’s level of export and import capabilities.
They called for expedited implementation of TIR regulations (The International Road Transports), starting with training centers to qualify officers who will be responsible for implementing TIR.
In his opening speech at the convention, Saudi Transport Minister Dr. Nabil Al-Amoudi said that the Kingdom aims to leap to the 25th rank on the logistics performance index, from its current 48th position.
Thanks to its strategic location, he added, the Kingdom is in the ideal place to become a global logistics hub.
The government aims to boost non-petroleum exports to make up as much as 50 percent of the Kingdom’s gross domestic product, from the mere 16 percent these exports contribute to the national economy today.
During the conference panel discussions, several officials and experts emphasize to create a globally interconnected world economy. In addition to several officials gave detailed presentations about the Saudi government’s efforts in administrating supply chains in accordance with the objectives of the Kingdom Vision 2030.
They showcased the support of the Transport Ministry and Saudi Customs for these efforts, as well as steps taken to unify procedures across the Kingdom’s ports.
Other experts underlined the importance of developing and unifying purchasing procedures and stressed that adoption of the latest systems and codes on a global scale would streamline the flow of any given supply chain.
In a discussion around the future of, and the latest technologies employed in the warehousing and forwarding sector, the proliferation of e-commerce necessitated new and different ways to store goods and products that facilitate rapid transit and delivery to customers, while cutting the need to physically market and display products.
In a session titled “The Involvement of Young Saudis in Supply Chain, human resources experts recommended that a framework of technical and professional standards for supply chain be put in place to keep up with the rapidly changing requirements of the job market.
Experts also reiterated for the official adoption of terms, phrases, and titles employed in global supply chain codes.
At the conference, a number of young Saudis who joined the supply chain sector showcased their experiences, while the second day’s sessions covered Saudi women’s desire to work in the sector.