As the official IMPA Publication, Marine Trader is circulated worldwide and circulated worldwide to purchasing staff within world leading ship owners and management companies, as well as marine suppliers. As an IMPA Member, Golden Harvest President, Mr. Tom Chen was asked to provide his insights and opinions on the development of the industry and his organization. Continue reading for the article:

“STILL WORKING UNDER THE SAME PRINCIPLE "EFFICIENCY,

PROFESSIONAL AND SAFE" PROVIDING THE MOST RELIABLE ONE STOP SERVICE TO THEIR CUSTOMERS ALL OVER THE WORLD”

what are some of the developments that have been affecting your area of the ship supply market lately? Any direct impact on your organisation?
A recent development has been the Pyrotechnic supply restrictions that have been put in place at several major ports in China, including Shanghai. The list of restricted items includes life saving equipment such as smoke signals, flares and line throwers.

Therefore we have had to inform our customers of this restriction in order for them to plan ahead and consider other ports for loading of these important items.

There is so much talk about digital disruption, political instability and economic uncertainty; what do you think are some of the biggest hurdles facing marine supply in the years to come?

Political uncertainty and international relations are for sure concerns; especially the ongoing trade war between the US and China. The tariffs implemented have meant a drop in trade between the two largest economies in the world, which will also have a direct impact on the number of vessel calls between the countries. In the simplest terms, less calls will mean less vessels to supply.

Do you think marine supply will be completely different a decade from now? Will a day in the life of a ship supplier look entirely different?

The logistical aspect will be the same in terms of delivering the goods on board, maybe drones will become more common, especially for anchorage supplies, making it much safer, as physical boarding by representatives will no longer be required.

For a General Ship Supplier, the process of generating quotations is very labour intensive and time consuming, even with the support of an ERP system, as hundreds of rfq’s are received each day. But I believe this will change a decade from now.

As e procurement systems improve and become more automated, more shipping companies will implement annual tenders and work on fixed agreed prices. This will allow vessels to have access to catalogue/price list and send direct orders to suppliers. This change will increase the efficiency and productivity of our office, a smaller team would be required and more emphasis placed on our own product sourcing.

What should we expect from Golden Harvest in the next year in terms of strategic developments?

General Ship Supplies has been our core business, but we look to increase our marine related service range such as logistics, repairs and safety inspection, the aim is to provide our customers the convenience receiving the best solutions through one contact point.

Golden Harvest is also exploring options of expanding its office locations in China, to be strategically close to some shipyards, allowing quicker response and improved on site support for Dry Dockings.
There will also be more investment of resources in our Food & Beverage operations, especially in terms of our Cruise Ship Supplies as China is currently the fastest growing market in the industry,

Do you think being a member of associations such as IMPA gives you an advantage in these ever-changing times?

Yes, being part of reputable associations likes IMPA and ISSA gives customers’ confidence that we are a reliable supplier. The conferences also provide a platform to show case our products. The networking aspect with decision makers gives us an opportunity to gain valuable information on changes in the market.

The original article can be found in the Marine Trader Journal, Issue 4. Click here