EUROLOG addresses the 6 driving levers to build agile, resilient and sustainable supply chains
- The ELA’s annual congress returns to SIL Barcelona for its 25th anniversary with the Centro Español de Logística.
- Big Data and analytics; automation and robotics; risk management and cybersecurity; sustainability; collaboration between supply chain actors; and talent make up the 6 levers of the CEL.
- We are at a key moment to ensure the future competitiveness of logistics activity, where associations take on a more relevant role as generators of knowledge and as a meeting point between the professionals in charge of this redesign”, Ramón García, general director of CEL.
Barcelona, June 2023 – The Centro Español de Logística and the ELA (European Logistics Association), in collaboration with the Consorcio de la Zona Franca de Barcelona, have organized EUROLOG, the ELA’s annual congress, on 6 and 7 June. Tomorrow, 8 June, the congress will end with visits to the logistics facilities of Estrella Damm, SEAT and the Port of Barcelona.
EUROLOG kicked off this Tuesday with a welcome cocktail reception for all attendees and a visit to the Dfactory facilities, a hub for the creation of a system to boost the promotion and development of Industry 4.0 managed by the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona.
The highlight of the congress is to be found today, on its second day. Under the slogan “The future of the Supply Chain: disruptive environments, changes in consumer habits and talent management”, senior executives from leading European companies and institutions have presented, through presentations and success stories, the 6 key levers identified by the Centro Español de Logística: Big Data and analytics; automation and robotics; risk management and cybersecurity; sustainability; collaboration between actors in the supply chain; and the sixth and last, talent. All of them are key to redesigning the agile, resilient and sustainable supply chains of the future.
In the words of Ramón García, director general of the Centro Español de Logística, “We are at a key moment to ensure the future competitiveness of logistics activity, where associations take on a more relevant role as generators of knowledge and as a meeting point for professionals in charge of this redesign”.
EUROLOG’s institutional opening was attended by Marco Campomenosi, Member of the European Parliament, who highlighted the congress’ drive towards the synergy between competitiveness and sustainability, “Logistics is at the forefront of innovation and sustainability. Today, maintaining a value chain perspective is mandatory when shaping public policies and investments. EUROLOG points in the right direction: the one where sustainability and competitiveness go hand in hand”. Also present at the opening was Paolo Bisogni, President of ELA, who highlighted the role of the congress, “The pandemic crisis and the Russian invasion of Ukraine demonstrated once again the fundamental role of logistics in dealing with large-scale crises. In the current recovery phase of the EU economy, the contribution of the supply chain professional family will be crucial to design and implement regional supply networks, build capacity in neighbouring countries and further strengthen links with Latin America to contribute to the resilience and competitiveness of the European economy. EUROLOG is an opportunity for logistics professionals to meet, share and reflect on this contribution”.
On behalf of CEL, Ana González, President of the CEL Board of Directors, participated in the opening ceremony and emphasized the importance of attracting, developing and retaining talent within supply chain management, “In an environment as dynamic as ours, constantly evolving, increasingly globalized, digitalized and demanding, talent is positioned as a differential factor for companies in the logistics sector”.
The day began with two presentations on road transport, the first by Piotr Roczniak, Director of Business and Data Consulting at Trans.eu Group, who discussed the change in freight transport rates and future prospects; while Rut García, Director of Communication, Marketing and CSR at Marcotran Transportes Internacionales, presented the Truck Friendly Movement, a movement promoted by the Spanish Logistics Centre that aims to improve the social perception of the road freight transport sector.
EUROLOG has addressed in a second block the implementation of disruptive technologies in the supply chain, through the presentations of Nedaa Agami, PhD., Global Director of Supply Chain Data Science and Operations Analysis of PepsiCo; Antonio Peña Roncero, Sales Director of Element Logic; Fernando Díaz, Deputy Director of Management and SS.GG. -Supply and Logistics at Complejo Asistencial Universitario de Salamanca; and Pau Carrere, Director of Commercial Operations at Linde MHI.
Carrere, as representative of the gold sponsor of EUROLOG, has shown his pride in contributing to the return of the largest European logistics congress, “with EUROLOG, our country once again welcomes all the actors of the continental supply chain to debate and share, but, above all, to celebrate in capital letters the work of our sector”.
Collaboration was the focus of two presentations, the first by Ignacio Albiac, Director of Customer Order Processing at SEAT, who explained the competitive advantage of having a user-focused supply chain, and Ramón García, Director General of CEL, who discussed the paradigm shift brought about by new consumer habits and the need for cities to adapt to logistics. García presented the Microhubs 4.0 STG 02 project, a collaborative network of urban hubs in a public-private collaboration model operated by a neutral agent and available to all companies that carry out logistics operations in the city.
Through Ricardo Marín, head of GMV’s Barcelona Area – Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Division and member of CONETIC’s Cybersecurity Directive, attendees were able to learn about the anatomy of a real cyberattack and the relevant measures to protect themselves against it.
Javier Carrizo, CEO of Movant Connection, moderated the round table “Operational sustainability in supply chain processes” in which representatives from Pascual, Linde MHI and Buff, S.A. took part. And to end the morning, EUROLOG had a slot dedicated to innovative solutions in supply chains where three start-ups were presented: Mojito 360, winner of the CEL Start up 2022 Award; MOEVO and Freightol.
Finally, EUROLOG concluded with a last block dedicated to human resources and talent management through the presentations of Javier Carrizo, CEO of Movant Connection; Professor Hans-Christian Pfohl, Professor at the Technical University of Darmstadt and Raquel Ruíz, Director of Global Supply Chain Optimisation at Teka.
The closing ceremony counted with the intervention of Professor Dr. Markus Mau, member of the ELA Board of Directors and representative for EU and Foreign Affairs of Bundesvereinigung Logistik (BVL) Germany and Ramón García, General Director of the Centro Español de Logística, who invited the attendees to the next CEL event, the 45th CEL Congress, on the 4th and 5th of October in Madrid.
About the CENTRO ESPAÑOL DE LOGÍSTICA (CEL)
Since 1978, the Centro Español de Logística (CEL) is the first national and international reference association for supply chain management in Spain. It is focused on providing value to its members through knowledge and innovation in logistics management. To this end, it acts as a benchmark in the sector thanks to the research, compilation, selection and updating of the most innovative logistics management techniques and emerging business trends in the global economy. It participates in the dissemination and constant diffusion of know-how, innovation and best practices. It brings together logistics organizations and professionals in analysis forums to exchange and detect the best practices and management techniques related to the supply chain. www.cel-logistica.org
