What is your job at CIT? How did you get involved in this sector?
My position today at the International Transportation Industry Chamber (CIT) is that of CEO, from where we have 61 member countries within the International Transport Network (RTI).
As for my connection with the sector, it all started with my father, who worked in the motor industry, which made me incline my tastes to that sector. At the age of 14, I started my military life and graduated as a lieutenant in the logistics area. Later, I had the opportunity to pursue a Master’s Degree in Transportation. I also experienced within the military aviation, I have an extensive background in the army.
I did a Master’s degree in Venezuela where I also lived for two years. When I got my doctorate I started writing books and became a teacher. I taught Logistics and Transportation at many Universities, although the one that marked me the most was the one in Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, USA.
When the CIT began to be built 22 years ago, I was called to work together with Dr. Paulo Vicente Caleffi, who is the current Secretary General. We had the arduous task of meeting country by country. At that time the countries had more differences than similarities. We had to get everyone to participate.
We must remember that the CIT is a non-profit organization; what we generate are links of knowledge, cooperation and ties. But today the IAC is recognized by the UN, OAS, ALADI and other entities.
Can it be said that we are going through a moment of transition in the world of transportation?
Of course, a transition not only at the operational level but also at the top level of companies. Those who started large logistics networks or transportation companies have already died, or those who are still around are passing their companies on to their children, for example.
There arises a problem that is very interesting, which is that many do not want to continue.
A generational change?
I believe that any transition has to take advantage of experiences. However, bring in what is linked to Generation Z, Generation Alpha. They will be the future, they are the ones who are going to bring the loads, the passengers and everything.
A future where everyone has peace, where good profits are generated for everyone, where it is a win-win for everyone, for the customer, for the entrepreneur.
And how does the CIT see this?
We do not work with money, we work with concepts, ideas, and we bring together many countries, many people.
We are beginning to perceive a willingness to break down frontiers, right?
Frontiers of knowledge. Let’s think that companies were used to a more vertical business model. Now things have become horizontal, to say the least. Before, the owner of the company was the owner of the information, and the operator of a load only worked. Today, this operator has access to that information quickly. So there is a clash, right? Experience is necessary, but also technology and innovation.
That is why, when we at CIT give courses, for example, we always try to bring together the more experienced people with the younger ones in small working groups. We try to incorporate agility in everything we do.
You at CIT are thinking about transportation outside the box, with a more open mind. Having a more generalist look, I understand?
Some time ago I started to perceive and discuss with my whole team that things have to change. The teaching model, for example. Young people today want to learn things through YouTube and perhaps the “certified” will not be so important for them.
Now we have to think about everything. In a broader universe. Transportation today is more than getting from point A to point B. You have to have another vision of transportation.
For example, to be able to think about a successful company, implies thinking about the first million, the half million and the last million. That is, first mile, middle mile, middle mile, middle miles and the final mile.
The model of doing only one thing is limiting, now we have to think about everything. And for that it is important to look at the younger ones, who add value, but this is not fast, it takes time. At CIT we think about this in the future.
Where does this “open-mindedness” come from? How do you nurture yourself? You are perceived with an innovative spirit and open to novelties …very enthusiastic.
At times I feel out of my class. I am not better than anyone else, I think the difference is the courage to face risks, because every change brings them. Studying made a difference, I stopped studying after I was 60 years old, because before I did it every day, in different languages and I did it in many countries. That nourished me.
I also appreciate having the ability to see “the latest”, I studied and trends speak volumes. People don’t deal with trends, but they help you a lot to see the scenario of the future.
That’s another problem in transportation and logistics, they don’t evaluate trends within companies, because they are very concerned with yields. But it is always necessary that one or two people are putting their eye on looking at trends.
As CEO of CIT, in your agenda every morning, what are the issues that are driving you today, that occupy and concern you today?
This agenda that you ask me about, for each case, is a case. On the international agenda, the pandemic changed everything. It changed everything. Many things for the better, but other things for the worse. Above all, for businessmen. The freight price has dropped a lot, because actors, players, have entered in this set, who do not provide quality, do not provide safety, do not provide anything, but they are there, in this competition. And those who are safe are suffering to keep their jobs, because they pay taxes, they pay everything.
This post-pandemic moment is complex. There are some conflicts going on, like the war in Ukraine, like what is happening in Israel, which also complicate the situation.
But the companies that are evaluating the trends, they are surviving, and they are preparing their future. That’s the secret.
One last special message for young people who are taking their first steps in the logistics and transport sector? To all young people who are finishing their studies, starting to work, or wanting to start their own company, my advice to them is to never do anything they might regret in the future, because there is a price to pay. It is important that young people value ethics, principles and values more. It is not only technology.
Interview source: Marcelo Felippes, CEO en Cámara Internacional de la Industria del Transporte (CIT) (movant.net)