Technology is a ‘productivity accelerator’: Brambles CEO Graham Chipchase

Machine learning has revolutionised this global company, yet the Brambles boss Graham Chipchase says Australia's biggest productivity opportunity is ahead of it.

Even the small initiatives with AI quickly add up, says Brambles boss Graham Chipchase who oversees the world’s biggest pallet operator.

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Economy

How would you rate the momentum of the Australian economy as we head into 2026? Are cost pressures in your business: increasing/stable/easing? Are you likely to increase, hold steady, or trim your investment spend or employment over the next 12 months?

We recognise that we operate in cyclical economic conditions and our focus is on leveraging our circular business model and data to drive productivity and efficiencies both for our own business and that of our customers.

Technology

Which best describes your organisation’s AI adoption? (Exploring/Piloting/Implementing selectively/Scaled across business) If implementing or scaled, are the productivity benefits starting to come through or do you expect more time for the full impact. Has the use of AI started to influence employment decisions across your organisation?

We have spent the past couple of years deploying AI in a targeted way. Perhaps most notably, machine learning has helped optimise transport routes, allowing us to recover assets more efficiently. We’ve also turned to AI to detect anomalies in customer declarations and orders, which both alleviates the manual burden for our customers and stops mistakes before they happen. These might appear to be individually small initiatives but, because we are operating in 60 countries, we are encouraged by the opportunity presented by scaling AI across the business.

Brambles is the world's biggest supplier of pallets used to move and store goods in factories. Picture: Bloomberg

People

Has your organisation evolved its approach to flexible working during the past year? Does your organisation have a policy around office attendance. What feedback, if any, do you have for governments considering prescribing working from home for a set amount of days per week?

We have taken a hybrid approach that’s been tried and tested over the past five years. There are variations to how it is adopted across geographies and teams but, on balance, it is working well for the business and for our employees. Particularly for people in roles with globally based teams and accountabilities, we know the ability to flex their working day and week is very important to them in balancing responsibilities and enjoyment in work and life.

For our service centre employees, who aren’t in a position to work remotely, we’re continuing to find ways to provide flexibility as well as enhance their workplace experience through facility design, greater use of automation and reduced reliance on manual handling.

Geopolitics

How significantly are global trade tensions/tariffs impacting your business? Is Australia getting the balance in managing its big economic and political relationships with major trading partners?

Our business primarily operates along supply chains within countries and regions, rather than intercontinental movement, so we are typically less affected by cross border trade issues. While we’re in a fortunate position of not being dependent on imports or exports, I don’t think anyone believes long term trade uncertainty is conducive to business activity and poor economic growth will weigh down consumer sentiment.

Reform

What would nominate as your top policy priority that can be used to lift Australia’s competitiveness or productivity? Should The Albanese government be pushing for even bolder policies around reform?

There’s a real opportunity for looking more closely at policies that encourage circularity in business models as a driver for productivity. The aim is ultimately about breaking linear consumption habits, but the pursuit involves maximising resource use, lowering input cost and lowering supply chain risk, which translate to a very sustainable model from both a financial and environmental perspective.

Technology is clearly set to be another productivity accelerator. We have seen it in our own business with our digital transformation unlocking asset productivity and network efficiency in operations, lowering the capital intensity of our business while also improving the service centre experience of our customers.