Born out of a desire to simplify shipping for small and medium enterprises, Twill is a multi-carrier digital freight forwarder that enables you to book, manage and monitor your shipments at the click of a button – from quotation and documentation right through to delivery. They take the complexity of getting your cargo from point A to point B and make it seamless. Now present in 19 countries, Twill is rapidly expanding worldwide.
Troels has been with the Maersk group since 2012, the first part of Maersk Tankers, then Damco and now Twill. He took the position of starting a start-up within a corporate. The idea was generated in a strategic assessment done 4 months earlier by Damco. The first task was to get a small team that relocated to Berlin …and I will let Troels tell you the rest of the story…
Listen to the full discussion here:
- Stream by clicking here.
- Download as an MP3 here.
Connect with the Guest:
Troels Randbøll Støvring: LinkedIn | Twitter | Company Website
Some of the highlights from the podcast:
- What is the Twill experience?
- Changing its brand affiliation from ‘Damco’ to ‘Maersk’ – why is it important?
- How does Twill use Agile to build fast?
- What makes Troels proud about building Twill?
Show notes:
- [01:10] How was Twill started, what is its story and where is it today?
- [04:00] Why did you go to Berlin to set up the team there in the first place?
- [06:48] We want to offer our customers ‘the Twill experience’. How do you define the Twill Experience?
- [08:24] What does Co-creating with customers mean?
- [10:31] What are the benefits of using an easy-to-use online platform like Twill?
- [13:50] Will Twill emerge to be the sole customer interface for Damco and Maersk, eliminating and replacing traditional customer front ends and communication channels, customer service teams, etc.?
- [16:01] Twill announced a change in its brand affiliation from ‘Damco’ to ‘Maersk’. With the announcements of Damco / Twill / Maersk Line recently. How will Twill work to position themselves in the market to create a competitive advantage?
- [18:35] Many companies will try to use artificial intelligence to predict customer demand and optimize routes. Damco/Maersk will have access to more data than a startup, and thus must exploit this competitive advantage to get to market faster. How much does this data help Twill make the best decisions for your clients?
- [23:33] How is Twill handling risk management in terms of which customers it accepts? Is this also formulated via an algorithm – if so what type of variables are being considered?
- [26:15] Twill is now present in 19 countries around the world. What are the next target markets? What is your target for the next 12 months?
- [27:45] What are some of the most important clients that your work with and what do they appreciate most about your service? One hypothesis that didn’t prove right is that we were expecting tech-savvy customers to be the first ones to adopt Twill. In reality, while a basic level of proficiency is needed, if you can buy anything online, you can book your shipping with us – there is no need to be tech savvy to use Twill. Our customers cover a wide spectrum of age, experience, and interests.
- [33:10] Twill’s startup culture is “move fast, break things” and you are very focused on being Agile. How did the agile culture impact the company and how does it help you deliver on your promise?
- [37:47] How do you use Agile in HR?
- [39:31] What were some of the lessons you learned so far as an intrapreneur? Key takeaways?
- [42:08] What are some of the key attributes you look for in the leadership team?
- [43:53] How do you determine ‘attitude’ and ‘passion’ during the interviews?
- [46:29] Looking back at the Twill story so far, what are the things that make you most proud of?
About the Host:
The host, Radu Palamariu is the co-author of “From Source to Sold – Stories of Leadership in Supply Chain”. He has been named one of the top 3 Global Supply Chain Influencers on LinkedIn and was featured in Forbes, Bloomberg, WEF, Bangkok Post, and MIT Supply Chain Talent magazine. Radu invites executives to share stories and perspectives around technology, logistics, e-commerce, supply chain, and manufacturing, and their views on how the future will look.
Alcott Global connects and upgrades the supply chain ecosystem by finding the right talent through executive search, developing talent through learning solutions, and meeting supply chain technology needs through a comprehensive crunch base marketplace.
The supply chain executive search has been our focus since the very beginning, offering recruitment services for top-tier supply chain roles at every level of the end-to-end supply chain: plan, source / procure, make, and deliver. Our consultants have years of experience in placing top talent, in North America, LATAM, Europe, the Middle East & Africa, and APAC, and besides speed, one of our biggest strengths is our network within the supply chain industry, and we capitalize on it to find the best solutions.
Through the years, we have grown as an organization and our offerings with it. One of our initiatives, the learning solutions- training and supply chain academy, is focused on transforming leadership- self-leadership, executive presence, influence capital, and business acumen. Through Supplify, we aim to match corporations with the top technology companies to solve their supply chain and logistics challenges with a focus on innovation and digital transformation.
We are in constant touch with the leaders in supply chain, inviting them to inspire the supply chain professionals in thought-provoking podcast episodes and events, and showcasing what is possible at the yearly Leaders in Supply Chain Awards.
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Episode #07: Tom Schmitt Board Member and Global CCO for DB Schenker
Episode #18: Ed Clarke Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Yojee
Episode #25: TradeLens – a blockchain project by IBM and Maersk