Large transport organisations are experts in building and leveraging long term, large-scale infrastructure, whether road, rail, shipping or ports.  The strategic task is to create organisational capability to manage both daily efficiency in operations and high consequence, “bet the business” decisions about markets, technology and environment.

Investment decisions for capital intensive, long lead-time infrastructure components require effective collaboration between geographical business executives and their operations, finance and technology specialist colleagues. These strategic, collaborative decisions are even more challenging if set in new markets or new political, environmental or legislative environments. Private and public transport executives face increasing demands to also navigate and integrate new requirements for transparency, accountability, environmental and social impact into their strategic and operational planning.

Examples of Results

International Shipping Company

We worked with this organization annually for 5 years as an integral member of the executive planning team. The outcomes that resulted included entry into two new markets; barging and offshore wind farms. We assisted the multi-national business to create a strategy that understood, respected and nurtured the rich experience and success of the acquired South American business, and at the same time, blended the best practices and expertise of the global organisation.   The post-merger integration strategy addressed engagement and inclusion, crucial in developing the new vision and culture for the merged entity.

Freight, Logistics & Marine

This multi-year planning engagement addressed a common challenge faced by public authorities: changes in government bring changes to policy and delivery of the ‘freight task’. Executives need to rapidly refocus the organisation to reflect new policy changes. Transport projects span many years, so the leadership team has to select specific, strategic pieces of work to do in the current year, which respond to the subtleties of the new political regime and deliver tangible progress to the long-term book of work that spans decades.  Greater emphasis on intermodal industry approaches demand new ways of thinking to deliver relative efficiency improvements, especially as solutions are often limited by existing infrastructure and geography as well as the capability and commitment of stakeholders and key players in the supply chains.

Marine Safety Victoria

This multi-year engagement provided support to three different CEOs across six years of planning and strategy work. The organisation’s mandate is to make waterways safe for boating. Depending on who is at the helm and who is in government changes the strategic balance between focusing on policy creation and education or on regulation and compliance. During this engagement, initiatives covering both these areas of focus were created and implemented, from establishment of a self-generating safety culture to legislation that mandated the compulsory wearing of personal floatation devices (life jackets) on Victoria’s marine waterways.

Port Terminal Owners and Operators

This global organization owns and operates a significant market share with 65 marine terminals on 6 continents. The challenges addressed in this engagement included intensified competition from rival local firms as well as the arrival of a new international competitor. We helped the executive team consider attack strategies from the perspective of the new entrant to address threats in the areas of operations, infrastructure, technology and key relationships. This perspective was integrated and considered with the daily operational and profitability concerns of faster and cheaper throughput – the key competitive lever.