“2025 – DIGITAL COLLABORATION, A CORNERSTONE AND FOUNDATION OF PCSs & SWs”
It’s again this time of the year, we are now approaching the end of 2025, and most people nowadays are getting slowly into the end-of-year break.
In extending my seasonal greetings, as usual we take a short moment for some reflections over the past year and looking ahead to what will be waiting for us in 2026.
Over the past year 2025, we have seen a continuous increasing attention for digital collaboration as people realise that in this rapidly evolving world dominated by technology, and in a disruptive economy where supply chains need to be flexible and efficient ‘on the spot’, we need to work together. And working together means as humans in a digital world.
This is the context where PCSs and SWs are operating in already for 40 years now. And those who are just starting or even need to start can rely on our IPCSA-members for their knowledge and expertise on how to optimise supply chain solutions for smooth and efficient business operations.
The global focus on the urgency for digital collaboration which you saw growing over the past year was as if we saw this coming … already early in the year the theme of our Annual Members meeting in Dubai Expo City was written down: “Digital Collaboration in future trade: The power of Communities”.
This year’s annual members meeting was a big success where we look back to with a nice feeling; a good mixture of members presentations and external speakers who both interacted greatly with each other to share and exchange valuable information with regards to the future evolvements towards community systems and single windows.
I will not expose on everything we did this year as this is not our annual yearbook of course, but I do want to highlight some great activities and achievements over the past year which emphasized again the big support and dedication from our members in which they contributed by sharing their experiences with others: the publication of our Sustainability guidelines by our wonderful Sustainability Working Group, our 2nd Foresight meeting with a 3rd to come in 2026 and the launch of our PCS Masterclass with the first edition in Oman.
Also, over the year we contributed together with a lot of global organisations in digitalising maritime and trade processes, like IMO (on FAL and EGDH), UNECE (on UN/CEFACT) and UNESCAP, ICC DSI to promote digital key trade documents, with IAPH / TIC4.0 / DCSA / FIATA on the Supply Chain Resilience in Ports project, and with WCO and the Private Sector Consultative Group (PSCG) on Customs matters. At the regional EU level we continued to engage with the Directorates-General MOVE and TAXUD, as well as with the Digital Transport and Logistics Forum (DTLF) on the implementation of the eFTI-regulation. Next to these activities we traditionally also supported our Associated members to attend, present and do panel discussions at their conferences: OAS-CIP,
PMAC, FONASBA, a.o.
In 2025, we also launched a EMSWe Working Group for our European members, and we decided to launch in 2026 yet another one on Artificial Intelligence – a subject nobody can avoid and a technology that definitely will change how PCSs and SWs will operate in the future.
Looking to the next coming year, without doubt digital collaboration will evolve from talking about shaping the ideas and pilot projects into the practical execution of sharing operational data with each other, in both the domains of port-to-port as well as the initial footsteps of practical ship-to-shore initiatives.
This digital collaboration will become inevitable in the current geopolitical and macroeconomic context, and the future we are looking to at his point. It will be the only way in which we can reconcile all three pillars and foundations of ‘sustainability’, and which will make global trade adaptive and resilient to face the next series of disruptions. Digital Collaboration in global trade is a synonym for participating in Port Community Systems and/or Single Windows.
Together with our members we will prepare ourselves in continuing to play the vital role in maritime and global trade solutions, to keep on orchestrating global supply chains and to take the next leap into the digital transformation of governments, ports and hinterland. IPCSA will continue to change and adapt to the needs and to act in the common interest of all our members. Together with the entire IPCSA Management Team we are looking forward to strengthening our community and family even further with all of you in 2026.
On behalf of the IPCSA Management Team, we hope you and your families will be in good health and will stay safe. May this time be filled with peace, happiness and the warmth of family and friends.
We wish you and your loved ones a joyful festive season break, an excellent end-of-year celebration, and a positive and prosperous 2026!
Warmest wishes,
Nico De Cauwer
Secretary-general IPCSA