A positive charge for the ASEAN supply chain

The region covered by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is becoming a hot bed of automotive production, including for electric vehicle (EV) production. Output is growing in Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, from factories run by domestic and foreign carmakers, including a number of significant joint ventures. BYD, Hyundai and VinFast are among the main makers of battery EVs. 

To support that EV production, DP World is developing a certified network of battery-ready logistics hubs across the region to ensure safe, compliant battery management. According to Glen Hilton, CEO and managing director of DP World Asia Pacific, each hub integrates dangerous goods-certified warehousing, temperature monitoring, state-of-charge (SOC) control, and fire-zone protocols. 

“Through digital platforms such as CARGOES Flow, customers gain end-to-end visibility and compliance management, aligning infrastructure and data to de-risk EV supply chains,” says Hilton. “DP World plans to expand these certified hubs in step with customer demand, especially in Vietnam and Thailand where OEM investment is growing.” 

Cargoes Flow is DP World’s digital solution for tracking shipments across land, sea or air with AI-powered precision. The tool provides real-time monitoring and integrated safety compliance, positioning ASEAN as a secure, scalable base for EV supply chain operations. 

Hilton says that the most active corridors for lithium-ion battery shipments for EV makers include Vietnam–Thailand–Malaysia–Indonesia, where OEM production is scaling rapidly. 

“To meet surging demand, we’re introducing containerised alternatives to ro-ro, increasing battery throughput, and enhancing multimodal routing to reduce dwell times,” explains Hilton. “Our experience re-engineering trans-Atlantic battery flows for a global OEM is being directly applied in ASEAN.” 

That cross-Atlantic re-engineering refers to DP World’s help for a global OEM which was facing battery delivery delays from the US to the UK. The logistics provider solved the issue by creating new routes and off-dock storage facilities. 

Alongside using containers to bypass ro-ro constraints, DP World is deploying digital tools that give customers real-time control over inventory in transit. This ensures that as demand spikes, supply chains remain resilient and predictable, according to Hilton. 

Managing cross-border risk

One of the main challenges for the transport and storage of lithium batteries across the trading region is its uneven regulatory landscape, which adds risk and complexity to cross-border lithium battery logistics. “For example, Vietnam and Singapore are relatively advanced in EV readiness compared to others in the region,” notes Hilton. Singapore enforces advanced dangerous goods regulations with strict warehousing standards, while Thailand and Vietnam are developing evolving frameworks for battery storage and recycling. Indonesia, meanwhile, is more focused on raw material extraction than harmonised logistics standards. 

DP World is mitigating this regulatory risk through certified hubs, embedded safety controls, and control towers that align cross-border flows with dangerous goods protocols. Hilton says this enables OEMs to scale across diverse jurisdictions without compromising on compliance or performance. The certified hubs have fire zones, temperature scanning and emergency protocols. “Our regional control towers also integrate regulatory compliance into planning, reducing the risk of hold-ups,” says Hilton. 

DP World’s Cargoes Flow digital platforms provide documentation, customs clearance, and regulatory visibility, reducing the risk of missteps. “Our role helping one global OEM troubleshoot and integrate new warehouse management systems across multiple CKD [complete knockdown kitting] sites demonstrates how regulatory and system complexity can be managed to ensure smooth cross-border flows,” says Hilton. Equally important is our work with regulators and industry bodies to shape common standards that will smooth regional ASEAN trade over time.” 

DP World has global experience in managing CKD kit logistics, an advantage as CKD logistics is scaling up as OEMs localise assembly in the region. The company manages more than 800,000 units, now applied in ASEAN via automated order scanning (AOS), export packing and fully yard-to-plant connections. 

Controlling inbound flows 

The company has put in place digital control towers to enable real time tracking, exception management, and cross border compliance. “Inbound logistics is a core strength, with services spanning procurement, consolidation, pre-assembly, kitting, and sequencing,” says Hilton. “Our global platform supports more than 30m line picks each year, ensuring just-in-time delivery for major OEMs.” 

That core strength is being brought to bear in the ASEAN region where DP World’s proximity to ports and special economic zones (SEZ) allows it to integrate inbound flows with factory operations, reducing dwell time and inventory risk. As production grows, the logistics model keeps regional supply chains efficient and resilient, according to Hilton, reducing handovers, cutting costs, and providing OEMs with a single accountable partner. 

“Our customised solutions for BMW and Volkswagen, which combine export packing, sequencing and line feeding at scale, show how this model works in practice and why it can be extended to ASEAN’s growing EV network,” says Hilton. “This approach is supported by advanced digital visibility tools, ensuring OEMs can track flows at every stage. In ASEAN, where multiple OEMs are building EV production capacity simultaneously, integrated solutions allow them to scale confidently without fragmenting their supply chains.” 

Outbound and aftermarket

DP World provides end-to-end consistency in services for the manufacture of EVs in the ASEAN region through a single accountable partner model that covers the entire automotive supply chain, from inbound consolidation and factory logistics to outbound vehicle handling and aftermarket parts. Vehicle and aftermarket parts logistics in the ASEAN region are expected to grow as vehicle sales increase. DP World is supporting that growth through dedicated and shared warehousing, multimodal distribution and customs management. “We already manage aftermarket flows in Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia,” explains Hilton. “In Vietnam, we handle 47% of all Toyota imports and have expanded capacity at our Saigon Premier Container Terminal to accommodate 8,000 finished vehicles.” 

The Saigon terminal integrates on-site pre-delivery inspection (PDI) facilities, with further expansion planned to meet growing demands. Hilton says this has lowered costs and emissions while improving throughput, a model equally effective for managing service parts flows across ASEAN. “To further support OEMs as the regional aftermarket grows, we are expanding flexible warehousing to enable scalable, efficient operations,” he says. 

Sustainable supply chain

DP World is also working to make its comprehensive logistics services in the ASEAN region as clean as the EVs being manufactured and sold there. “Decarbonisation is at the core of our automotive strategy,” says Hilton. “We are electrifying port equipment, expanding barge and rail transport, and using containerised solutions to lower emissions per vehicle moved.” 

Shifting cargo from road to barge and rail are cutting transport emissions and the use of 53-foot intermodal containers maximises vehicle density per shipment, reducing carbon emissions per unit. Hilton provides one example, in Vietnam, where DP World reduced vehicle movements and associated emissions by creating on-terminal PDI facilities for Toyota. 

The company’s efforts at sustainable logistics support OEM Scope 3 reductions and align with the company’s commitment to reach net zero by 2050, including an interim target of a 42% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030. “For the automotive sector, we are adopting alternative fuels and developing multimodal corridors to reduce truck dependency,” explains Hilton. “We also collaborate with OEMs to ensure our sustainability actions complement theirs, resulting in lower carbon emissions per vehicle, transparent reporting and joint innovation for greener trade flows.” 

DP World is also providing reverse logistics services for used EV batteries. Those services include collection of batteries in certified containers, dismantling of packs and transport to recyclers for black mass processing. “For one global EV manufacturer, we embedded battery recycling facilities directly into logistics hubs, ensuring safe and sustainable management of end-of-life batteries,” says Hilton. “These capabilities are being expanded to ASEAN, where demand for recycling and second-life applications will grow rapidly in the coming decade. By embedding reverse flows into our logistics model, we help OEMs meet sustainability goals while reducing environmental impact.” 

Looking ahead at the burgeoning automotive market in the ASEAN region, Hilton says the biggest opportunities for DP World lie in creating resilient supply chains for EV batteries, scaling CKD kit logistics and expanding aftermarket flows. DP World also sees the potential in the region’s geographic diversity, which offers scope for multimodal corridors that reduce cost and carbon emissions while improving resilience. “DP World’s role is to integrate these different elements – certified battery infrastructure, inbound and outbound supply chain expertise, and sustainable multimodal networks – into a single ecosystem,” says Hilton. “By doing so, we can help OEMs accelerate EV growth while ensuring ASEAN cements its reputation as a global automotive production and export hub.”