The Indonesian freight and logistics market (henceforth, referred to as the market studied) was valued at USD 81.30 billion in 2020, and it is expected to reach USD 138.04 billion by 2026, registering a growth rate of 9.22% during the forecast period. According to the Indonesian Logistics Association (ALI), logistics companies have experienced an approximately 50% decline in overall business performance since the COVID-19 outbreak hit Indonesia in early March 2020. It is reported that logistics volume has been down by 60-70% across the board due to emergency measures taken by the government to prevent COVID-19 transmission. Business-to-consumer (B2C) and customer-to-customer (C2C) delivery services had experienced growth despite the outbreak, but the increase was too small to compensate for the sharp drop in the business-to-business (B2B) segment. The B2C and C2C segments recorded growth due to the increase in demand for food, perishables, and medical supply deliveries despite large-scale social restrictions.
Post COVID-19, as the industry positions itself for recovery and growth, technology will increasingly play a major role to enable all stakeholders, including shippers, transporters, warehouse owners, and vendors, to become more efficient in responding to changing market realities. Although logistics is the heart of domestic and international trade, uncertainty remains a huge problem in Indonesia’s supply chain, exacerbated by the country’s unique archipelagic makeup of 17,000 islands, which means goods cannot be transported using trucks on land alone. A multimodal system, using land and sea transportation as well as warehouses, is needed to reach remote areas of each island.
The shipping industry holds a major role in Indonesia’s trade since 90% of Indonesia’s export commodities are delivered via water transportation. Shipping lines face operational issues, such as port inefficiencies, causing increased waiting and turnaround time, and risks of labor disputes.
Market Trends
Growing E-commerce in the country
E-commerce is expected to expand in the high double digits in the future in Indonesia. Although the market is not as mature as e-commerce in Malaysia or Singapore, the Indonesian population of more than 260 million makes the absolute numbers of growth in the country high, with millions of new online shoppers every year. According to Industry reports, Indonesia is the largest and fastest-growing internet economy in Southeast Asia. It is expected to account for 50% of all e-commerce transactions in Southeast Asia by 2025. The population of freight trucks is expected to grow over the forecast period driven by the support of the improvement of toll road infrastructure and the expansion of factories of large companies.
The performance of these business services will be even greater if inter-modal synergies, namely cooperation between trucking service companies and ship and railroad transportation companies, also occur because the process of shipping goods will reach a wider area between regions and islands.
Increasing Trucks to Support the Increasing Demand for Road Freight Transport
The population of freight trucks is expected to grow over the forecast period driven by the support of the improvement of toll road infrastructure and the expansion of factories of large companies. The performance of these business services will be even greater if inter-modal synergies, namely cooperation between trucking service companies and ship and railroad transportation companies, also occur because the process of shipping goods will reach a wider area between regions and islands. However, government policy support is needed to facilitate truck transport mobility, so that the intensity and volume of trips also increase.
Competitive Landscape
The Indonesian freight and logistics industry does not have a high level of industry concentration, especially with regard to the international players. International players are responsible for approximately 30% of the market size. The remaining 70% is made up of local players. Within the 70%, the concentration is medium, and even the ten largest players do not make up for more than 30% of the local market. This can be attributed to the fact that the large players are more focused on freight transport and logistics infrastructure, and hence, they are more than just logistics infrastructure providers. Some of the key players in the market include Samudera, Siba Surya, Kamadjaja Logistics, and CKB Logistics, among others.
Conclusion
The Indonesian logistics and transportation sector is expected to continue growing at a fast pace due to the country’s strong demographics and the significant expansion of the retail and e-commerce sectors. Taking into account the steps the government has taken to improve the country’s logistical infrastructure, any fruit borne by these steps could deliver a dramatic impact that could grow the sector, and the country’s economy, even further.
