Donald Almeida:

During this discussion, I will also ask for participants’ views on the proper balance between optimising costs and ensuring that global supply chains are robust

During the session titled “Supply chains: ever more efficient, ever more vulnerable,” I will focus mainly on the specific steps that could be taken to make supply chains both more efficient and more reliable. During this discussion, I will also ask for participants’ views on the proper balance between optimising costs and ensuring that global supply chains are robust. How to find this balance is a very crucial question. Making commodities less costly and enhancing the reliability of their movement along the entire logistics chain, from producer to consumer, is a key factor in international trade. This involves a number of factors, including forming economically viable and secure commodity supply chains, coordinating various modes of transport, setting up transport hubs and corridors with state-of-the-art IT and satellite navigation systems, and harmonising transportation security standards. For sure, the session will also touch upon the overall benefits that the APEC region offers.

I will be pleased if we have and interesting discussion that is also right to the point and wraps up with a consensus on some concrete steps that should be taken concerning supply chains. I fully expect that participants will share their personal views with the audience as well as their experience in APEC and vision for the region’s future. All in all, I anticipate that the panelists will touch upon a range of global issues, including how the APEC region can benefit leading global players as well as a detailed look at the main challenges now facing supply chains.

The 2012 APEC CEO Summit is definitely major event for all APEC member economies, and especially those whose main interest is in cooperation to promote economic modernisation. First of all, this involves initiating an exchange of advanced know-how on how to go about shaping a favorable institutional environment that can foster innovative development and help create region-wide mechanisms for working together in science, technology and innovation. PwC was the Knowledge Partner of the 2011 APEC CEO Summit, which took place on 10-12November in Honolulu, Hawaii. And, once again, this year we will be publishing special APEC CEO Survey report. We’re confident that this unique publication will be of great interest for all participants. In general, we’re expecting the 2012 Summit to once again provide a unique forum for all participants to meet, network and lay the groundwork for further collaboration.

Session moderator: Supply chains: ever more efficient, ever more vulnerable?