International Supply Chain Conference 2021
Thesen am Tresen - The STILL Logistics Talk
Panel discussions live from the Congress
DATE
LANGUAGE
Bar talk language: German
Live translation: English
STILL turned the gourmet restaurant "Hugos" at the Berlin Hotel "InterContinental" into a recording studio during the 38th edition of the congress of the German Logistics Association (BVL). For 40 minutes each in a total of five talks, logistics experts from industry, trade, logistics services and science discussed provoking theses that are of concern to them today and in the future. The discussions at the bar revolved around the topics of globalisation, digitalisation, the environment, automation and security.
For those interested who did not attend the congress or participants who would like to review the talks, we have made all five "Theses at the Counter" talks available here as recordings.
Moderated by logistics journalist Anita Würmser - Recorded on Wednesday, 20.10.2021
The most important statements summarized:
Christine Mezger-Behan (Vice President Logistics System, KION ITS EMEA) - "Globalisation is not the problem but the solution. Globalisation will always fail disastrously if we don’t manage to create transparency."
Ralf Düster (Member of the Executive Board, Setlog Holding) - "Does globalisation not work (or not yet work) without China? Are people who are currently just thinking about reshoring and nearshoring throwing away the future of the company?"
Ralf Düster (Member of the Executive Board, Setlog Holding) - "If we carry on as we were before COVID-19, will globalisation blow up in our faces? "
Harald Seifert (Chairman of the Advisory Board, Seifert Logistics Group) - "It has to work without China. Production and supply chains have to be anchored more strongly in Europe again, even if it’s more expensive. Otherwise China will monopolise the whole supply chain."
Moderated by logistics journalist Thilo Jörgl - Recorded on Wednesday, 20.10.2021
The most important statements summarized:
Daniel Küster (Supply Chain Director, Warsteiner Group) - "The internal combustion forklift truck is dead – but there’s life in the old dog yet!"
Daniel Küster (Supply Chain Director, Warsteiner Group) - "With new developments, attempts to save money are often made in the wrong areas."
Rolf Beckmann (Director Engineering, FIEGE Logistik Stiftung) - "Green and clean – hydrogen is often ignored as a source of energy."
Frank Müller (Senior Vice President Brand Management / Sales & Service Steering, STILL EMEA) - "Hardly any businesses are opening their wallets for sustainability projects."
Rolf Beckmann (Director Engineering, FIEGE Logistik) - "The forklift truck itself is becoming obsolete."
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Schmidt (Chair of Technical Logistics, TU Dresden) - "A green forklift truck will not provide sustainable intralogistics."
Moderated by logistics journalist Anita Würmser - Recorded on Thursday, 21.10.2021
The most important statements summarized:
Professor Dr. Dr. h. c. Michael ten Hompel (Executive Director, Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML) - "The warehouse of the future is devoid of people. Swarms of autonomous trucks and robots are the future of the warehouse. These technologies will transform the warehouse of tomorrow – just as the multishuttle did 20 years ago. Only this time it will go much faster."
Jakub Piotrowski (Chief Information Officer / Chief Digital Officer, BLG LOGISTICS GROUP ) - "The algorithm will determine the success of digitalisation."
Tobias Zierhut (Senior Vice President – Mobile Automation, KION Group) - "Collecting data is not the right way to achieve digitalisation."
Moderated by logistics journalist Thilo Jörgl - Recorded on Thursday, 21.10.2021
The most important statements summarized:
Prof. Dr. Julia Arlinghaus (Director, Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF) - "The COVID-19 pandemic is not leading to any great revelations because the major drivers of automation are familiar factors."
Marina Hein (Vice President International Key Account Solutions, KION ITS EMEA) - "An inferior establishment that is digital is still an inferior establishment: many companies are very shoddy when it comes to doing their homework."
Kevin Kufs (Chef Executive Officer, Hermes Fulfilment) - "The end customer is not just the king – they are also disloyal and do not forgive broken promises."
Marina Hein (Vice President International Key Account Solutions, KION ITS EMEA) - "If automation providers do not change their perspective, they will be driven out of the market."
Prof. Dr. Julia Arlinghaus (Director, Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF) - "People are often forgotten in the area of automation."
Moderated by logistics journalist Thilo Jörgl - Recorded on Friday, 22.10.2021
The most important statements summarized:
Erik Wirsing (Vice President Global Innovation, DB Schenker) - "The safety situation in the warehouse is challenging. However, not everything that is technically feasible is also sensible and affordable."
Andreas Höll (Technical Industry Manager, SICK) - "The technology in the area of safety is too inflexible."
Prof. Alice Kirchheim (Chair of Logistics Systems Technology, Helmut Schmidt University) - "Cost-effective use of 5G in intralogistics is still a very remote prospect. "
Ansgar Bergmann (Technology & Innovation – CTR, Project Manager CTO, KION Group) - "The data protection rules are a killer, especially in Germany!"
Erik Wirsing (Vice President Global Innovation, DB Schenker) - "Business is no longer possible today without data security."
Prof. Alice Kirchheim (Chair of Logistics Systems Technology, Helmut Schmidt University) - "Moving everything to the cloud doesn’t make sense."
