Toyota Logiconomi Forum: “Standing Still is Not an Option”

The Logiconomi Forum, jointly staged last week in Amsterdam by leading companies including Toyota Material Handling, Microsoft, Vanderlande, Toyota Motor Europe, Ericsson, Bosch and Eneo concluded last week. It provided a unique opportunity for senior logistics managers to explore and understand the latest technologies and discuss specific issues with experts in various fields; Automation, Mobility, Lean, IoT, 5G, and Energy.

“Listening to customers over the past two years, we have recognised that the pace of change in the world of logistics has been creating some serious challenges for the logistics profession. We could see the need for a new type of event to provide solid information and advice to help clarify the many choices that are available,” explained Matthias Fischer, President and CEO of Toyota Material Handling Europe. “But we also knew that this would require a collaborative approach, involving other companies with specialist knowledge, so we were very pleased to work with our partners to stage this event.” The event also included expert advice from EcoVadis, a leading company in the area of sustainability.
‘In logistics, standing still is not an option’ was the theme at the Logiconomi Forum, reflecting the speed of change in handling processes and the fact that for many companies the effectiveness of their logistics system can be critical in terms of success or failure in the marketplace.

Another key focus was lean-thinking, which is very much at the heart of Toyota’s own approach to manufacturing, and all other aspects of the business. ‘We aim for Zero Muda, which means no waste, and we believe our customers ultimately have similar goals. We also know that in today’s logistics systems, getting things right on time cannot just save cost through the elimination of waste – it can also create competitive value,” continues Matthias Fischer.

The Logiconomi Forum had a very unusual format, entirely geared to informing and supporting the participants in a practical and detailed way. Every delegate had the opportunity to register specific questions and areas of interest, allowing one-to-one discussions to be planned with a relevant expert in that field.

Presentations were mainly structured around short technical briefings, with a focus on simplicity of communication and practical guidance on how to adopt technologies in different logistics scenarios. These were supported by physical demonstrations, Including the use of machine learning which enables the training of autonomous vehicles prior to deployment, resulting in opportunities for seamless one-day commissioning alongside existing processes.