Singapore as the Gateway: Tandem Canada’s Strategic Expansion into Southeast Asia

In 2025 and 2026, Tandem Canada (Canaan Group) has committed to a deliberate and people-centric strategy: visiting every Tandem Global Logistics partner office worldwide, beyond the annual general conference taking place this year in Brazil. This initiative reflects a core belief—sustainable logistics partnerships are built face-to-face, through local understanding, trust, and long-term investment.

Most recently, Tandem Canada visited its partner office in Singapore (UEI Logistics), which represents Tandem within the region. The visit was not ceremonial; it was strategic. Against a backdrop of continued volatility in global trade—particularly between China and the United States—traditional east-west trade lanes are facing sustained pressure. Volumes will remain challenged. At the same time, growth patterns are shifting decisively toward China–Southeast Asia and broader intra-Asia trade flows.

While the Tandem network has historically been strong along traditional global routes, the future lies in Southeast Asia. As a board member, Tandem Canada is actively exploring how the network can deepen its presence and investment in this region. Singapore, though a relatively small domestic market, stands out as the natural gateway.

Singapore’s uniqueness lies in its role as a regional command center. It offers world-class port and airport infrastructure, regulatory clarity, financial depth, political stability, and unmatched connectivity to ASEAN markets. Economically, Singapore continues to position itself as a hub for advanced manufacturing, technology, finance, and digital trade. As companies diversify supply chains away from single-country dependence, Singapore remains the anchor point for regional orchestration.

Looking ahead, Tandem Canada and Tandem Singapore will work more closely to expand the network’s reach and service offerings across Southeast Asia. Areas of collaboration under discussion include enhanced joint sales efforts, shared IT and digital platforms, and the development of regional data infrastructure. In particular, Malaysia is emerging as a compelling location for data centers, offering significantly lower costs than China and other traditional hubs, while maintaining proximity to Singapore’s commercial and financial ecosystem. In parallel, Tandem Singapore has recently connected with CargoSoft alongside Tandem Malaysia, while Tandem Canada’s IT services arm, Trakking (www.trakking.com), continues to expand across Southeast Asia to support other Tandem offices with digital and data-driven capabilities.

This recent visit to Singapore marked the beginning of a deeper partnership—one focused on investment, innovation, and regional relevance. As global trade patterns evolve, Tandem Canada believes that success will belong to networks that understand local nuances, move decisively, and invest ahead of the curve. Southeast Asia is that curve—and Singapore is the gateway.

In the picture, UEI’s CEO Mr. Terrence Tan (on the left) with Canaan Shipping’s CEO Mr. Patrick Lo