The transport logistic 2023 from May 9-12, 2023 in Munich broke all records and attracted more than 75,000 guests from over 120 countries. The event was all about sustainability, digitization, alternative drives and the shortage of skilled workers, and there were many exciting developments in these areas. Here’s a more detailed breakdown of the key issues:
Shortage of skilled workers : The logistics industry faces significant challenges due to the lack of qualified professionals. In 2022, the cost of a driver shortage in Germany alone would be around 10 billion euros. In order to tackle this problem, Prof. Christian Kille from the Würzburg-Schweinfurt University of Applied Sciences emphasized the responsibility of the industry. Measures such as further training and the creation of a positive corporate culture are necessary to attract and retain skilled workers. Steffen Küpper, Chief People & Culture Officer at Leschaco, agreed and emphasized the importance of an improved image of the logistics industry on the labor market.
Digitization : transport logistic 2023 offered space for innovative solutions in the field of digitization. An outstanding example is the electronic delivery notice (Cloud4Log), which is used by 50 companies. This digital solution, developed by the Bundesverband Logistik (BVL) and GS1 Germany, offers simple and uncomplicated handling. It requires neither special software nor hardware implementations. The digital transport documents are stored in a central cloud and can be viewed there and supplemented with additional information. Companies such as the drugstore chain DM already rely on this solution and praise its user-friendliness.
Alternative drives and sustainability: In order to drastically reduce CO2 emissions in the transport sector by 2030, the transport sector must make its contribution to climate protection. Gerhard Schulz from Toll Collect emphasized the urgency of this task for the coming decade. There are three important steps to achieve this goal: First, more vehicles with new powertrains must be available. Daimler Commercial Vehicles announced that the number of zero-emission trucks will increase sharply from 2025 and the focus will be on the development of hydrogen-powered trucks. Secondly, the infrastructure for the new drives must be expanded. Andreas Gentzsch from the Federal Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) emphasized that a certain risk has to be taken by building networks with foresight.
Open Source Solutions and Collaboration: Returning to the top of the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index requires increased collaboration in the logistics industry. Mario Cavallucci, Vice President Europe at AIT Worldwide Logistics, emphasized the need to move away from isolated thinking. Collaboration is particularly useful in the area of IT and software. The Open Logistics Foundation is committed to ensuring that logistics companies open their IT systems and use common standards to take advantage of collaboration. This collaboration enables more efficient and seamless integration of technologies and makes companies more attractive to employees.
Alternative drives in focus:
a. Practical tests for hydrogen trucks: Following the success of e-trucks, more and more trucks with hydrogen fuel cell drives are being tested in practice. However, there is still some catching up to do in terms of infrastructure, especially in the case of filling stations for commercial vehicles. Nevertheless, the transport sector is important in order to advance the topic of decarbonization as a whole.
b. Gradual farewell to diesel: Michael Brell from Aral/BP realized that it will be a long time before diesel is no longer needed. However, the use of diesel fuel will gradually decrease by 70 percent by 2035. The purchase of alternative drives is currently only economically viable due to funding measures, and the charging infrastructure must be expanded quickly.
c. Special logistics real estate for electromobility: The urban logistics of the future will be characterized by electromobility. By 2030, 15 million electric vehicles are expected to be on the roads. There is already strong demand for logistics properties suitable for lithium-ion battery storage. The challenge is that different battery systems have different requirements for the real estate, and the authorities have yet to sufficiently address the issue of battery technology to facilitate real estate development.i.e. Alternative fuels and framework conditions: Logistics will play an important role in the market ramp-up of alternative fuels. However, it is crucial to define new transport chains for the development of production capacities and the distribution of fuels. Companies need long-term planning security, transparent regulations and a financing framework that takes the transformation process into account. There is a need for improvement in the EU’s restrictive taxonomy rules.
Sources: https://www.dvz.de/rubriken/logistik/detailnews/worauf-es-jetzt-ankommt.html und https://files.messe-muenchen.de/corporate/media/de/global_media/global_media_press/press_fair_websites/press_trl/trl_pr_2023/trl_pr_2023_05/trl_pr_2023_05_Ausstellerstatements_transport_logistic_2023.pdf
