Are you interested in connecting / collaborating with the RMIT Australian Maritime Logistics Research Network (AMLRN) in the following Maritime Industry focus areas?
- Shipping business management and optimisation
- Port management and optimisation
- Talent management in maritime industry
- Logistics and supply chain management and optimisation
- Port management and optimisation
- Geography of maritime logistics.
Since its inception, the AMLR Network has attracted much support and participation, and has worked in collaboration with a diverse range of institutions and organisations from across academia and industry, including: RMIT University; Australian Maritime College – University of Tasmania; University of Sydney; Griffith University; La Trobe University; University of Newcastle; Swinburne University; Curtin University; Edith Cowan University; University of Western Australia; World Maritime University; Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development; Australian Peak Shippers Association (APSA); Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC); Customs Brokers and Forwarders Council of Australia; Ports Australia; Port of Melbourne; DP World Australia; Geelong Port; Patrick Terminals; Australian Amalgamated Terminals (AAT); QUBE Ports; Australian National Line (ANL); Mainfreight; Agility Logistics; Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Australia (CILTA).
If you would like to find out more about the Network and how you can get involved, please contact Dr. Vinh Thai, Associate Professor at the School of Accounting, Information Systems and Supply Chain, College of Business and Law, RMIT University, (vinh.thai@rmit.edu.au).
History, purpose and impact of the AMLR Network
The Australian Maritime Logistics Research Network (AMLRN) was founded in December 2019 by Dr. Vinh Thai, Associate Professor at RMIT’s the School of Accounting.
The Global Business Innovation Platform provided initial support for the organisation of the Inaugural Symposium where maritime academics and industry professionals in Australia came together to discuss contemporary issues in the maritime industry.
Vinh is known internationally for his research in logistics and supply chain management in general and maritime logistics in particular, specifically on maritime logistics service quality, maritime supply chain integration, maritime risk management and competency development in the maritime industry. His research publications have appeared in leading international peer-reviewed journals and book chapters in the field, apart from at international conferences.
The idea of a maritime research network in Australia was conceptualised from Vinh’s observation that maritime research in the country had been scattered across various institutions, generally working in isolation and with no significant efforts to consolidate these different activities to create opportunities for research through improved networks, shared resources, and synchronised efforts to optimise outcomes.
The Network’s primary aim is to enhance industry engagement for RMIT maritime logistics academics, through collaboration between professionals and organisations in the field, in industry-led research projects, joint research publications as well as joint consultancy and advisory projects.
The vision of the Network is, among others, to become a think-tank for the Australian Government for maritime logistics issues.
Since the Inaugural Symposium, the Network has continued to host annual Symposiums and other events. Symposium topics have included: operational risk analysis with blockchain applications in container shipping; data-driven ship voyage management; the impact of container shipping consolidation on service quality and customer satisfaction; the impact of IMO (International Maritime Organisation) 2020 on shipping; 4th Industrial Revolution in shipping and port; and many others.
Throughout 2020 and 2021, amidst tremendous impacts upon global trade and supply chains, as a direct consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMLRN was at the forefront of contemporary maritime logistics and supply chain research in Australia organising and hosting events that attracted great interest from maritime academics, industry professionals, policymakers, both in Australia and overseas.
The collaboration between academic members of the Network also led to the submission, and successful outcome of a grant proposal on ‘Maritime Supply Chain Security in the Indo-Pacific Region: Threats and Policy Implications for Australian Defence within the Strategic Policy Grants 2021 from the Department of Defence. More recently, two further grant proposals were submitted to the same funding agency for the Strategic Policy Grants 2022. These proposals were submitted collaboratively by researchers from RMIT (Vinh Thai, Associate Professor, Department of Supply Chain and Logistics, School of Accounting, Information System and Supply Chain, CoBL; Matthew Warren, Professor, Director of Centre of Cyber Security, School of Accounting, Information System and Supply Chain, CoBL; Prem Chhetri, Professor, Department of Supply Chain and Logistics, School of Accounting, Information System and Supply Chain, CoBL; Booi Kam, Professor, Department of Supply Chain and Logistics, School of Accounting, Information System and Supply Chain, CoBL); Australian Maritime College/University of Tasmania; and Curtin University.
To date, the Network can boast the establishment of a working mechanism (including a Network Secretariat consisting of Associate Professor Vinh Thai, Dr. Thuy Nguyen, Dr. Aswini Yadiapalli, Dr. Priyabrata Chowdhury); with an annual symposium, quarterly research workshops/seminars, joint grant proposals, joint academic-industry publications, and media expert interviews. Vinh’s high-profile media interviews have been broadcast on media channels both in Australia and overseas including Daily Cargo News; ABC Radio Australia; Herald Sun; Yahoo News; 2GB Radio Sydney; 2CC Radio Canberra; Wine Business Magazine; The Ken; CBS News Radio; Vietnam News Agency; Vietnam Business News; etc. Vinh has also been participating as a panellist in various high-profile panel discussion of various prestigious organisations such as the OECD, Asia Society Australia, Australian Food and Grocery Council, Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) International, etc.
What’s next?
Looking forward, Vinh expects the impact of academic research on the Maritime industry via the Network would benefit significantly by leveraging the existing academic-industry relationships established thus far. One way of achieving this will be through the upcoming 2022 AMLRN Symposium, which will be hosted by the Centre for Business Data Analytics, University of Western Australia, co-hosted by Curtin University and Edith Cowan University, and supported by the AMLRN Secretariat, based in RMIT, and other founding members. The Network is currently developing the Call for Engagement for this Symposium – details coming soon!
Contacts
If you would like to find out more about the Network and how you can get involved, please contact Dr. Vinh Thai, Associate Professor at the School of Accounting, Information Systems and Supply Chain, College of Business and Law, RMIT University, (vinh.thai@rmit.edu.au).
If you would like to find out more about the Global Business Innovation Enabling Impact Platform, please contact, Director, Professor Anne-Laure Mention anne-laure.mention@rmit.edu.au
