Day 7 - Institute of Shipping Analysis 2011 Executive Meeting and Ascom

The day started off with our return to the Institute of Shipping Analysis 2011 Executive Meeting, which opened with a seminar on the European Maritime Transport Strategy for 2018. This strategy can be summed into a focus on quality and of increased competitiveness of shipping in Europe and worldwide. The focus on quality is mostly comprised of increased safety, environmentalism, technology, and efficiency for new ships. Also, the increase in European competition may lead to a rapid growth of the Short Sea Shipping industry, which is freight being shipped over very short distances, usually only a couple hours away.  This would revolutionize European transportation not only on the sea, but also on the roads as less trucks would be used, which would be very advantageous for Europe's congested and over-crowded roads and trains. Short Sea Shipping has much potential, however must first overcome complex European laws and shipping procedures, and also implement new technology for a faster fleet. Finally, both new and existing ports would need to be developed for heavier traffic.

Following this presentation and a presentation on Arctic shipping, we visited Ascom Holding AG, a telecommunications company focusing on mission-critical communications. Ascom employs 2,500 worldwide, and also owns subsidiaries in 20 countries. While their corporate headquarters are in Zurich, Switzerland, we visited their Wireless Solutions  division's headquarters here in Gothenburg.  The vision of Ascom Wireless Solutions is "To establish wireless solutions as a world leader in enterprise mobility for mission critical communication".  In short, they make state-of-the-art phones that work on independent networks in hospitals, industrial settings, elderly care facilities, the retail sector, hospitals, and secure establishments. They have over 75,000 installations worldwide, and use industry-leading technology and security.  Ascom Wireless Solutions credits its competitive advantages of having the most premium products, the highest audio quality, the highest positioning precision, and high durability for its success.