Innovation with impact

Kuehne + Nagel is expanding its global innovation footprint by launching the new Middle East and Africa Innovation Lab in Johannesburg.

Never before has our world been as connected as it is today. The reason for this is the digitalisation that is conquering our world at a rapid pace. Africa and the Middle East are not remaining unaffected and their digital transformation is growing rapidly too. Kuehne + Nagel has recognised the opportunity to serve these growing markets and to keep driving new value chains and business models in a lean and agile environment through the launch of a new Innovation Lab for Middle East & Africa.

“In 2018 and beyond, digitalisation will provide an important avenue for African economies to leapfrog not only logistics development but also development across other sectors of the economy. Our clients and people are at the forefront of our business, and the launch of the lab for this region was the next natural progression. It is indeed a very exciting time for us in the region,” says Marcus Balzereit, Managing Director Kuehne Nagel South Africa.

Based in Johannesburg, the newly launched Innovation Lab will be focused on driving efficiency on both internal and external processes with a main focus on process automation, partner integrations as well as trade solutions. The aim is to develop a deeper knowledge of the challenges and opportunities in identifying the process, as well as the technological innovations that will help to build competitive logistics and supply chain networks in those markets. Whereas Kuehne + Nagel is able to expand its current global innovation footprint, customers are provided with competitive advantages and an organic growth can be accelerated in the region. Innovation in the supply chain management can not only facilitate the moving of goods from an efficiency and customer experience perspective but also on a safety perspective.

“Driving value chains through people, expertise and technology is a key imperative for the MEA focused Innovation Centre. Although supply chain issues are deeply rooted in the region, solutions are there. Collective thinking is the key to unlock barriers. We feel it is essential to collaborate among the private, public and education sectors as well as the growing start-up ecosystem in the region. Now is the time to call on the market to understand and expand opportunities,” says Tracy Vance Innovation Manager Middle East & Africa.