In today’s increasingly complex and unpredictable environment, supply chains are no longer just operational functions they are strategic enablers of business success. For global companies like General Motors, ensuring reliability, visibility, and agility across their supply chain is critical to maintaining production continuity and meeting customer expectations.

To explore what this looks like in practice, Lierson Gomes, General Motors’ South America Supply Chain Director spoke with Thessa Tozzi, Head of Sales, Maersk East Coast South America. The conversation highlights how strong logistics partnerships—built on trust, integration, and collaboration—are becoming essential to navigating disruption and driving performance.

From Service Provider to Strategic Partner

Traditionally, logistics providers have been seen as transactional vendors focused on moving goods from point A to point B. However, as supply chains grow more interconnected and exposed to disruption, this model is no longer sufficient.

As highlighted by Lierson Gomes:

“We don’t see Maersk as just a supplier. We see them as a partner that understands our business and works with us to solve challenges together.”

This shift, from vendor to partner, enables companies to navigate complexity with greater confidence.

A strategic logistics partner goes beyond execution. It understands the customer’s business, anticipates challenges, and actively contributes to solving them.

Ensuring Reliability in a Volatile Environment

For companies like General Motors, ensuring a consistent and reliable flow of goods is critical. In industries like automotive, even small disruptions can have significant downstream impacts.

As highlighted in the conversation:

“Our operations depend on having the right parts at the right time. Any delay can impact production, so reliability is absolutely key for us.”

A strong logistics partner plays a critical role in safeguarding that reliability by bringing:

• End-to-end visibility
• Proactive communication
• The ability to react quickly to disruptions

This level of coordination helps reduce risk and maintain operational continuity.

The Power of Integrated Logistics

One of the key advantages of the partnership between General Motors and Maersk is the move toward integrated logistics solutions.

Instead of managing multiple providers, GM benefits from a more connected approach:

“Having an integrated solution simplifies our operations. It gives us better visibility and allows us to make faster decisions.”

By combining ocean, inland, warehousing, and digital capabilities, companies can reduce complexity and gain greater control over their supply chain.

For General Motors, this integration supports a more agile and efficient operation, critical in a fast-moving and highly competitive industry.

Collaboration That Drives Continuous Improvement

A strong logistics partnership is built on continuous collaboration, not just execution.

As highlighted in the discussion:

“The relationship has evolved over time. Today, we work much more closely, sharing information and continuously looking for ways to improve.”

This level of alignment allows both organizations to identify inefficiencies, improve service levels and adapt to new challenges. It transforms logistics into a function that actively contributes to business performance.

Looking Ahead: Building Future-Ready Supply Chains

As supply chains continue to evolve, companies need partners that can support them not only operationally, but also strategically.

For General Motors, this means working with a partner that can scale, adapt, and bring new capabilities to the table:

“We need partners that can grow with us and support our future needs. It’s not just about today, it’s about building for what comes next.”

The partnership with Maersk reflects this forward-looking approach, focused on resilience, flexibility, and long-term value creation.

In a world where uncertainty is the new normal, logistics is no longer just about moving goods, it’s about enabling business continuity and growth.

“Having the right logistics partner gives us confidence. It allows us to focus on our core business, knowing that our supply chain is in good hands.”

For companies like General Motors, that confidence comes from working with a partner that understands their business, integrates seamlessly into their operations, and is committed to delivering continuous improvement.

Because in today’s environment, the strength of your supply chain is only as strong as the partner behind it.