Lars Karlsson: CapacityNow

World Economic Forum (WEF) has published an interactive map that shows the scale and complexity of the world’s shipping routes. 

If you’ve ever doubted the scale of shipping around the world, here are 250 million things that will convince you of its sheer size.

Commercial shipping is vital to the movement of goods around the world, and a cornerstone of global trade. As this map from Kiln, a data visualization company, highlights, its complexity and size should not be underestimated.

I love this initiative. Read the article here

Customs compliance is the new black! We have talked about it for a decade already, but the last years we have seen how it works in reality on the ground. 

Today everybody wants compliance. In June KGH Education, together with ICI.BR starts a higher education programme to certify Trade Compliance Officers in Brazil. We have the opening conference and event of the new certification and compliance education programme, where I will give the Key Note Openlng Speech, on June 16 in Sao Paulo.

Customs are designing and implementing new Compliance Management models under the Authorised Economic Operator(AEO) Concept in the World Customs Organization SAFE Framework of Standards. The new AEO programmes are holistic and covering both compliance and security areas combining AEO with Trusted Trader model of WCO Revised Kyoto Convention. Many of those countries that already have AEO programmes are now in the process of updating and upgrading their programmes to AEO-TTP standard. For the moment we are helping seven countries to either design, develop and implement new AEO models or modernize and updating already operational programmes. We are champions and global market leaders on AEO, Trusted Traders and compliance management.

For private sector it is purely about common sense and good business to be compliant. Compliance is about getting better control over process, rules, competence and costs. There are studies showing that compliant companies are 20-25 % more profitable than non-compliant business. 

Compliance is king. So if you want to run a successful business related to international trade in the future, don’t miss this train. It is leaving the station and you should buy a ticket to future success right now. 

Wifi onboard. More and more airlines are introducing opportunities to access the Internet from the cabin while you are flying. It means that you can stay connected, if you want to. You don’t have to – but you can. 

The speed and quality is not there yet, but it will be soon. Some people don’t like it, since the flight cabin up until now has been like a freezone, a safe haven from the usual stress of an ordinary workday. You can still have that – just don’t connect. But this is The future.  As an example all Emirates A380s now have wifi onboard. As said the quality and speed still depends on where the route is going and what countries you are flying over, but these are challenges/problems soon in the past. The technology, as always, improves and this is a service that travellers want. 

For somebody like me, travelling all the world, it is fantastic. I read and write my emails, upload articles to the blog, update  my social media platforms and write text messages to people around the glovöbe while flying.