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STILL supports vaccination campaign

Posted on by Keith McKinley

STILL is supporting the City of Hamburg’s vaccination campaign by providing extensive premises and the necessary infrastructure for two open vaccination days organised by the social security authorities at the STILL Arena in Billbrook.

On 10th December, 2021, and 7th January, 2022, anyone over the age of 12 who is willing to be vaccinated can benefit from the offer without pre-registration. Primary, secondary and booster vaccinations will be offered and the vaccines available will be from Biontech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson.

Taking responsibility is a matter of course for the Hamburg-based intralogistics company. STILL has been actively involved in the fight against the Coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic, for example with a special vaccination line for the workforce and donations of vehicles for system-relevant supply areas. Now STILL is making its STILL Arena events hall, in Berzeliusstraße in Hamburg Billbrook available to the City of Hamburg’s social security office for two open vaccination days. The infrastructure – from furniture to routing to IT – will be organised by STILL as well.

“We can only overcome this pandemic if we stand together in solidarity,” emphasises Frank Müller, Senior Vice President Brand Management / Sales & Service Steering STILL EMEA. “It is therefore a matter of course for us to support the city’s vaccination campaign. And if we can use our resources to help provide even more Hamburg citizens with low-threshold access to a Corona vaccination, then we are very happy to do so. We hope that many citizens will make use of this offer and roll up their sleeves with us in the STILL Arena.”

Right next to the STILL Arena there is also a Corona test centre run by the German Red Cross (DRK). Here, too, the company has made premises available to support the containment of the pandemic and to offer employees an additional opportunity to protect themselves and implement the 3G regulation in the workplace (which stands for vaccinated, recovered, tested) with as little effort as possible.

DHL Index: Globalisation resilient during pandemic

Posted on by Keith McKinley

DHL and the NYU Stern School of Business have released the 2021 update of the DHL Global Connectedness Index. Now in its 10th year, this report provides a fresh view on the impact of the pandemic on globalisation by analysing international flows of trade, capital, information, and people. While there are different trends across types of flows, the overall DHL Global Connectedness Index just declined very modestly in 2020 and is on track to rise in 2021. Nonetheless, the Covid-19 ‘stress test’ also revealed longstanding vulnerabilities that demand attention moving forward.

“Many feared that the global crisis would jeopardise the progress of globalisation,” said John Pearson, CEO DHL Express. “We have been analysing the various international flows worldwide for years and after 1.5 years of the pandemic, we can now safely assure: the pandemic has not caused globalisation to collapse. After initial dips in 2020, the DHL Global Connectedness Index is already on the rise again this year. Trade has provided a lifeline for countries around the world, and DHL Express has played a key role in areas ranging from vaccine distribution to e-commerce.”

After steeply plummeting early in the pandemic, trade in goods rebounded to above its pre-pandemic level before the end of 2020. Global trade in goods has set new records in 2021. Foreign direct investment flows shrunk even more than trade in 2020, but they are on track for a full recovery in 2021.

International data flows surged in 2020 as in-person interactions went online, but this did not break a longer-term slowdown in the globalisation of information flows. Finally, international flows of people were hit the hardest by the pandemic, and they are recovering slowly. International travel fell 73% in 2020, but there are glimmers of a recovery starting in mid-2021.

“The resilience of global flows is good news, because a connected world offers the best prospects for a strong and sustainable recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Steven A. Altman (pictured), Senior Research Scholar and Director of the DHL Initiative on Globalisation, NYU Stern. “When a crisis strikes, many of us naturally feel a strong impulse to hunker down behind borders. But the more extreme the challenge, the more urgent it becomes to draw upon the best ideas and resources from at home and abroad.”

The surge of international trade since mid-2020 far surpassed initial forecasts, even as the mix of goods traded changed more than usual. Trade in goods used to fight the pandemic soared while trade in many other products declined. Meanwhile, contrary to expectations that the pandemic would cause a shift to more regionalised trade, trade in goods took place over longer distances, on average, in 2020. Data on capital, information, and people flows also show no clear evidence of a shift underway from globalisation to regionalisation.

The world’s poorest countries, meanwhile, are still lagging behind in the globalisation recovery. Even as global trade was setting new records in early 2021, the countries with the lowest per-capita incomes were still trading less than they did in 2019. Likewise, foreign direct investment into low-income countries fell over the same period, while it grew strongly in middle- and high-income countries. The world’s poorest countries are still dangerously disconnected, and stronger links to the wider world could help accelerate their recoveries from the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a special report on the 10th anniversary of the DHL Global Connectedness Index, DHL and the NYU Stern School of Business highlight strong links between global connectedness and prosperity. This report shows how policymakers can actively impact the connectedness of their countries. Five key areas for improving a country’s connectedness are peace and security, an attractive domestic business environment, openness to international flows, regional integration, and societal support. Remarkably, an attractive domestic business environment may boost a country’s global connectedness even more than traditional pro-globalisation policies.

The report also examines five countries (Mexico, The Netherlands, Sierra Leone, The United Arab Emirates, Viet Nam) that have stood out for their strong or rising connectedness over the past two decades. The various paths these countries took to greater connectedness show that there is no one size-fits-all prescription – instead, each country can pursue the international opportunities that make the most sense in its own local context

Both reports highlight how, despite setbacks, the world remains close to a record high level of globalisation. At the same time, they also show that globalisation is still limited, with large untapped opportunities available for countries and companies. Most business activity still takes place inside national borders, and the flows that do cross national borders mainly take place between neighbouring countries. Prevailing trends still point to a future with large opportunities to gain from stronger links to the wider world.

Logistics Business Show Spring 2022

Posted on by David Priestman

The three-day Logistics Business Show got underway online on Tuesday March 15th. As well as a chance to explore products and solutions from a broad range of exhibitors, visitors can also network with the 5,000+ industry professionals who have already registered.

As in previous events, the Panel Discussions for the conference are attracting considerable interest. Once again they will be expertly hosted by Logistics Business Magazine’s Editor Paul Hamblin, and reflect the broad variety of exhibitors signed up to attend.

The industry experts speaking on the first day (Tuesday March 15th) of the Logistics Business Show virtual event will cover subjects ranging from sustainability and automation to road transport and inventory management, the panel debates have again attracted high-level speakers from sector-leading European and global businesses.

The provisional timetable for TUESDAY MARCH 15th is as follows:

Road Transport Challenges – 10.00 UTC/11.00 CET

Panellists: Stefan Van Doorslaer, CEO of Belgian logistics expert Ahlers; experienced New Zealand-based editor and journalist Nigel Parry from ontherack.news; and Tom Southall, policy director at the UK’s Cold Chain Federation.

Delivery WISMO & Inventory Management – 11.00 UTC/12.00 CET

Panellists: Craig Summers, UKI managing director at supply chain solutions leader Manhattan Associates; Mike Becker, managing director & co-founder of intralogistics automation company doks.innovation GmbH; and Cedric Mollon, co-founder and CEO of barcode scanning start-up VIZIOTIX.

Automation Systems in the DC – 12.00 UTC/13.00 CET

Panellists: Wouter Loomans, sales manager at US industrial automation leader Material Handling Systems Inc (MHS); Oana Jinga, CCO and co-founder of British robotics and AI company BotsAndUs; and Gianni Girolami, key account manager of advanced robotics maker HAI Robotics.

Sustainable, Low-Carbon Supply Chains – 14.00 UTC/15.00 CET

Panellists: Kevin Onderbeke, director of business development at Ahlers; Paul Williams, executive director of global logistic, freight forwarding & supply chain specialist Woodland Group; and Oliver Chapman, CEO of supply chain procurement partner OCI.

Putting Your Data to Work – 15.00 UTC/16.00 CET

Panellists: Robert Jordan, CEO of The Information Factory, an independent software vendor; Graeme Aitken, VP strategic customer pricing at DHL Global Forwarding; and Ulrik Topp, independent director of transport services reseller World Options.

On the second day (Wednesday March 16th) subjects being covered range from forklift innovation through health & safety to the latest robotics solutions.

The provisional timetable for WEDNESDAY MARCH 16th is as follows:

Forklift Innovation & Components – 10.00 UTC/11.00 CET

Panellists: Adam Dudas-Smith, Export Area Manager at industrial tyre specialist Marangoni; serial entrepreneur Louise Inglese, Founder & CEO of GenieGrips; Jean-Francois Marchand, Marketing Director for Canadian Li-ion battery manufacturer UgoWork; and Pete Wooding, Manager Technology & VNA at global forklift maker Crown Lift Trucks.

Robotics: Affordability & AI – 11.00 UTC/12.00 CET

Panellists: Adam Fox, Business Development Manager for logistics automation leader Swisslog; Jason Dyche, Division Director of logistics solution provider Big Box Group UK; and Kevin Heath, Senior Manager in the Dematic Global Robotics Center of Excellence (CoE).

Software for Real Time Visibility – 12.00 UTC/13.00 CET

Panellists: Jorge Lopera, Vice President and Head of Global Strategy for FarEye; and Tony Dobson, CEO at Snapfulfil EMEA.

Warehouse Worker Health & Safety – 14.00 UTC/15.00 CET

Panellists: James Ryan, Owner at safety equipment manufacturer Sentry Protection Products; Kevin Antony, Chief Executive Officer at van accessory producer Safepul Ltd; and Abi Piper, Sales & Business Development for Scafftag at global safety leader Brady Corporation.

Track & Trace: Rugged Mobile – 15.00 UTC/16.00 CET

Panellists: Rogier de Klein, Senior Account Executive at FarEye; Laurent Turmes, International sales manager at POST Telecom for Business; and Mike Willett, Retail, T&L, Manufacturing Lead at Panasonic TOUGHBOOK.

The organisers are delighted to announce that FarEye is the event’s principal sponsor. FarEye is a low-code, Intelligent Delivery Management Platform, enabling enterprises to orchestrate, track, and optimise their logistics operations. FarEye’s native SaaS products provide real-time visibility across transportation networks and logistics orchestration for the execution of deliveries across the first, mid and last mile.

David Priestman, Director of Logistics Business Publishing, the event’s organiser, said: “Our panel discussions have proved one of the most popular aspects of the Logistics Business Show. This time round, we announced our themes in advance in order to attract speakers with knowledge to impart from across the logistics sector.”

With a full programme of exclusive conferences and interviews running alongside the exhibition, please CLICK HERE to find out more about the must-visit third staging of the Logistics Business Show. Registered visitors can log-in early on Monday 14th March to finalise their and prepare their online profile.

As a taster, please CLICK HERE to view some of the conference sessions from the Autumn 2021 staging of the Logistics Business Show.

LogiMAT postponed until May

Posted on by Keith McKinley

LogiMAT, the International Trade Show for Intralogistics Solutions and Process Management scheduled for March 8–10, 2022, in Stuttgart, has been postponed due to the renewed challenges associated with Covid-19. The organiser, EUROEXPO Messe und Kongress-GmbH, has worked closely with exhibitors in making the decision to push back the event to May 31–June 2, 2022.

“The current high level of case incidences is unsettling to everyone, including our exhibitors,” explained Michael Ruchty, Exhibition Director of LogiMAT Stuttgart. “This is understandable and cannot simply be ignored. That’s why we are compelled once more to respond to the situation at hand. Our exhibitors need certainty for their planning, and that’s difficult right now.

“From today’s perspective, it isn’t clear whether it will be possible to host the full on-site event in March. The exhibitors would like to see an in-person event, but if vaccination rates remain too low and the resulting strain on hospital capacities leads once more to the introduction of stricter measures, then that’s not in the interests of everyone involved. We must do everything we can to ensure that the event lives up to the understandable expectations of on-site exhibitors and visitors. That’s why it’s not surprising that many exhibitors explicitly support this postponement.”

The LogiMAT.digital platform will be extended for all participants to the end of June 2022 to bridge the time until the trade show in May 2022.

Research: Customer relationships grow stronger despite challenges

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Most Board-level executives believe that customer relationships have grown stronger during the pandemic, despite significant supply chain disruption, according to research* conducted by management consultancy, Vendigital.

54% of the C-Suite executives surveyed at UK-based businesses said that their customer relationships are stronger now than they were before Brexit and the onset of the pandemic, despite the significant disruption that these events have caused. Most believe that this positive change is due to their focus on continuous improvement and their agile response in adapting their operating models to meet unexpected shifts in customer demand and behaviour.

Jeff Kennelly, a director and industrial engineering sector specialist at management consultancy, Vendigital, said: “When consumer and/or customer behaviours changed at the start of the pandemic, businesses had little choice but to stop what they were doing and rethink ways to adjust to meet new areas of demand. Those that responded quickly have been able to strengthen customer relationships as a result.

“Not all businesses were able to do this however, and when supply backlogs accumulated as demand levels bounced back earlier this year, some customer relationships felt the strain. Despite the positive outcome for most businesses, one in five (21%) of C-Suite executives believe their customer relationships have suffered during the pandemic due to the knock-on effect of missed deadlines and demand unpredictability.”

Against a backdrop of rising energy costs and ongoing supply shortages, which are affecting a host of vital components and raw materials, most Board-level executives are aware that the year ahead will test their customer relationships further. 84% of C-Suite executives said managing customer relationships, while keeping a close eye on costs, will be key to the survival of their business in the year ahead. To nurture their customer relationships, 71% of C-Suite executives are intending to invest in customer relationship management and most see this as a long-term investment.

Balancing customers’ needs and cost constraints is going to be more difficult for some businesses than others. The research revealed that businesses that had reported a dip in revenues during the pandemic were more likely to be prioritising cost control, whereas those that reported an increase in revenues were more likely to be focused on investing in innovation to meet customers’ current and future demands.

Kennelly said: “During times of uncertainty, businesses know how important it is to stay close to their customers and suppliers. This will involve staying agile and continuing to innovate to meet customers’ demands, but managing costs remains a critical part of this process.

“Balancing customer demands and cost constraints will be easier to achieve if there are strong relationships in place, allowing accurate availability and demand data to be shared openly across the supply chain. Accurate real-time customer data is now a Boardroom essential.”

To support businesses in balancing customer needs and costs on the road to recovery, Vendigital has produced guidance for Board-level decision makers, which has been published in a report, entitled Redefining Customer Relationships in a Changing Market. The guidance covers 15 critical questions designed to help businesses review each stage of their operating model through a customer-focused lens.

CLICK HERE to download a copy of Vendigital’s report about redefining customer relationships.

* Vendigital’s research has been conducted with 151 C-Suite executives at UK-based businesses. 

 

UK shoppers unmoved by Black Friday

Posted on by Keith McKinley

A poll* by intralogistics innovator Dematic has found that while many people are planning early Christmas purchases in response to warnings of supply chain delays, 3 out of 4 (76%) online shoppers are not planning to take advantage of this year’s ‘Black Friday’ event.

Despite being billed as one of the biggest shopping dates in the diary, the majority of UK and Irish consumers say they will not be tempted by the promise of ‘unbeatable deals’ on November 26. This is likely the result of a difficult year as many people have been forced to count the cost of living through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Concerns raised by shoppers who responded to the poll included money troubles, the validity of the bargains when compared to historical pricing, and the excessive consumerism represented by the event.

However, the poll revealed that there are still bargain hunters to be found in the run-up to the festive season which will be a relief to retailers. More than one in six respondents (16%) admitted that they were planning to shop online during Black Friday and spend even more than last year.  A further 7% said they would be taking part but would be taking a more cautious approach by spending less than 2020.

Steffen Thierfelder, Managing Director of Northern Europe, Dematic, commented: “It is clear from the survey that people are more wary about spending during the Black Friday event this year. This may be in response to the tough year that many have experienced in the wake of the pandemic.

“However, Black Friday will still place enormous demands on retailers to service those consumers who are planning to shop for a bargain. This is yet another time of the year when demand can surge, so retailers should be thinking about integrating innovative automated logistics solutions. This will ensure that orders get to where they are needed as fast as possible.”

Dematic designs, builds and implements automated system solutions for warehouses, distribution centres, and production facilities.  As part of its intralogistics solution, Dematic uses an industrial engineering approach to deliver process improvements, material flow automation and performance optimising software.

  • * The poll was conducted on Twitter between November 5 and 11, 2021, in the United Kingdom and Ireland and attracted 10,279 respondents.

Virtual conference to promote investment in Jamaica

Posted on by Keith McKinley

The Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) will be staging Explore: Do Business Jamaica Virtual Investment Conference (DBJVIC) from November 17th–18th, 2021 to introduce local and international investors to business opportunities in the island’s growing industries.

The event will showcase emerging projects and new developments in Agribusiness, Outsourcing, Manufacturing, Energy, Tourism, and the Creative Industries through over 30 panels, interviews and discussions with government and business leaders. The investment conference aims to foster business and stakeholder relationships and will shed light on Jamaica’s COVID-19 economic recovery efforts.

The conference will be staged concurrently via two platforms; one is a virtual interactive business event portal that will facilitate a real-time engagement experience and B2B meetings, the second is a live stream event via social media that will accommodate and drive increased awareness of Jamaica’s economic progress. This format will help JAMPRO to engage attendees including current and potential investors, JAMPRO clients, private and public sector stakeholders, and diplomatic missions.

JAMPRO anticipates extensive global participation based on the planned international promotions which will ensure the leveraging of the virtual B2B meeting platform by potential investors.

New opportunity to do business

Speaking about the event, Jamaica’s Minister of Industry, Investment, and Commerce, The Honourable Audley Shaw, CD, MP., noted that the virtual investment conference has presented a new opportunity for the government to amplify the promotion of Jamaica’s business opportunities: “This virtual conference will allow us to reach and directly engage investors across the globe who are interested in doing business with Jamaica but need further market intelligence and guidance on the potential that is available in the island’s sectors. From our perspective, it is the right time to host this global event, as persons are seeking new ventures as the world slowly returns to normality.”

Diane Edwards, President of JAMPRO, echoed the Minister’s statements, and expressed confidence in the conference’s ability to deliver results for Jamaica and attendees. She said: “The format of the conference is powerful, because it presents an excellent opportunity for global business leaders to get valuable insight on Jamaican investment opportunities, engage their colleagues in various industries, and explore bankable projects, all in the location of their choice.

“We believe that this event will lead to the development of lucrative partnerships and financial opportunities for local and international investors.”

Interested persons are invited to register for the event at explore.dobusinessjamaica.com.

Explore: Do Business Jamaica Virtual Investment Conference is a two-day event that will highlight investment and other business opportunities in Jamaica. The event, hosted by Jamaica’s investment and export promotion agency, JAMPRO, will provide a platform for attendees to learn more about Jamaican investment opportunities, see lucrative projects, and build business relationships.

Explore: Do Business Jamaica Virtual Investment Conference is sponsored by the Foundations for Competitiveness and Growth Project (FCGP), National Commercial Bank (NCB), Mystique Integrated, and M-One Productions.

The Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO)’s mission is to drive economic development through growth in investment and export. JAMPRO is an Agency of the Ministry of Industry, Investment, and Commerce.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

Logistics Business Show attracts strong audience

Posted on by David Priestman

The second staging of the Logistics Business Show – held online last month – has been deemed a success, with over 3,500 visitors logging in to watch the exclusive round-table industry talks and visiting the 73 exhibitor booths.

Of the 3,619 visitors, over two-thirds were from outside the UK, reflecting Logistics Business’ truly international audience. The countries most represented by visitors included Germany, the US, The Netherlands and Italy.

With 39 speakers taking part in the 10 panel debates, expertly hosted by our own Paul Hamblin, the most viewed were ‘Logistics: The 2030 Logistics Landscape – Crystal ball time’ and ‘Warehouse Automation: Lights Out? The Future of Warehousing’, suggesting the audience is most interested in future technologies as ways of giving them a competitive edge.

Running in tandem with the conference was the online exhibition, which drew 4,500 visits. Visitors to the 73 exhibition booths had various ways to interact with the exhibitors, and  the most popular documents had 200 downloads, whereas the most popular exhibitor video was watched 220 times. As well as interaction with exhibitors, visitors were also encouraged to network amongst themselves, with almost 1,200 individual messages sent between visitors.

Depending on analysis of the visitor and exhibitor feedback, and in consideration of the situation regarding real-word events over the next 12 months, plans are being laid for a third staging of the Logistics Business Show in Spring 2022.

ELA Awards finalists announced

Posted on by Keith McKinley

The European Logistics Association (ELA) has announced the six finalists projects of the 2021 ELA Awards competition. They have been selected by an international jury of 18 comprising  high-level practitioners in logistics from sectors including retail, industry, consulting, service providers and the academic world.

Austrian Post (A): Emission-Free Delivery by Austrian Post and the Project “Green Graz” 2021. The integrated corporate and sustainability strategy, the project Green Graz, and the CO2 neutral delivery initiative.

dm-drogerie markt GmbH + Co. KG (D): Innovative retail logistics at dm | Integrative. Intelligent. Automated. Reduction in overall logistics expenditure of over €7m p.a., lighter workload for store employees of more than 50,000 hours p.a., reduction in the weight lifted in manual picking of more than 50,000 tonnes p.a., decrease in transport volume of roughly 1.8 million truck kilometres p.a., increasing capacity by implementing new technology in the DC world.

Superdry with Invar Systems and Hikrobot (UK): Warehouse Operations: Superdry with Hikrobot and Invar Systems. In the first application for Hikrobot in the UK, Superdry is leveraging the flexibility of intelligent mini-robot carriers to transform order picking. Using this technology has enabled the team to meet the required pace with demand during peak periods that traditionally would place a heavy burden on manual picking processes, especially when labour resources are tight – a challenge many businesses in retail face. Together both teams developed a method of delivering a warehouse solution to enable the business to succeed to meet ever changing demands. The solution is innovative and optimises the use of space whilst increasing throughput and reducing potential health and safety issues.

Mango (Punto Fa, S.L) (ES): The development of a global and more sustainable supply chain in the fashion industry. A new supply chain model in order to achieve better adaptation to the new reality, increasing efficiency throughout the supply chain, reducing the impact on the environment, whereas continuing to guarantee an optimal level of service for its customers.

Migros-Genossenschafts-Bund (CH): Logistic data marketplace – The beginning of the digital age of logistics for Migros. The overall goal is to break up information silos in different kind of supply chains. Each participant within a supply chain needs to have transparency about the flow of goods in some kind of way. Automation within a DC requires granular information about logistic objects, like pallets or boxes. Industry partners wants to know when to prepare for production. Consumers are interested in track and trace data. The marketplace for logistics data provides a solution for all this needs in a standardised way.

O’Logistique – Group Casino, (F): Changing the face of e-commerce logistics, when a leading French Food retailer meets the top British online grocery player. Disrupting the French grocery e-commerce market by developing the fastest-growing logistic company, based on the state-of-the-art technology developed by Groupe Casino’s partner, Ocado.

The award ceremony will take place online on 9th November 2021 and has following programme (tbc):

14:00 – 14:30: Keynote presentation

14:30 – 16:30: Presentation of the ELA Award finalists’ projects

16:45 – 17:00: ELA Awards Ceremony

17:00 – 18:00: round table + conclusion

The ELA Awards has become one of the most prestigious and important European logistics competitions and it is much sought after by companies throughout Europe. Its recognition of outstanding performance is highly valued by both previous winners and would-be winners alike.

Fritz inducted into Logistics Hall of Fame

Posted on by Keith McKinley

US entrepreneur Lynn C. Fritz has been inducted into the international Logistics Hall of Fame. The TRATON Logistics Leader of the Year Award has been given to Prof. Dr. Michael Feindt

Born in San Francisco in 1942, Fritz is considered the founder of logistics for humanitarian organisations. In order to help those affected faster and better in a crisis, he founded the Fritz Institute named after him in 2001 with his own funds, had software developed for non-governmental organisations that could be used free of charge, and established contacts with the leaders of numerous aid organisations in order to implement new concepts and institutionalised learning.

“Lynn C. Fritz has provided proof of how logistical strategies work for fast and effective disaster relief- a topic that is more topical than ever due to climate change,” said Anita Würmser, Executive Chairperson of the Logistics Hall of Fame jury, explaining the decision of the expert jury, which includes 70 well-known personalities from business, science, politics and the media in 13 nations.

“With his induction into the Logistics Hall of Fame, the international jury recognises his efforts to consistently support effective frontline humanitarian operations with strong competencies and a systematic approach in the background. The main pillars are effective processes, professionally trained logistics staff and the use of IT. Numerous initiatives in the field of humanitarian logistics are based on the far-sighted pioneering work of Lynn C. Fritz.”

Experts in the field of logistics for humanitarian organisations highlight several of Fritz’s achievements. After selling his logistics company Fritz Companies Inc. to UPS, the Californian used his money to have the free, web-based logistics software HELIOS developed at the Fritz Institute. The tool is available as a free global standard for humanitarian organisations and enables up-to-the minute tracking of food, non-food items, in-kind and cash donations, as well as financial information about goods in the supply chain.

Experts from the Institute had spent around 3,000 hours interviewing Red Cross and Red Crescent staff to develop the software. The reason: Fritz had recognised that methods and tools from business cannot be transferred one-to-one to the supply chains of aid organisations.

The entrepreneur also pushed for initiatives to systematically train logistics personnel and evaluate humanitarian missions with the help of key figures. Fritz also founded the first association for humanitarian aid workers in the USA and established a consortium of companies that provide logistics experts and donate money when needed.

Lynn C. Fritz will be officially inducted into the Logistics Hall of Fame at a gala reception on November 25th, 2021 in the Erich Klausener Hall of the BMVI in Berlin.

Feindt is Leader of the Year

The TRATON Logistics Leader of the Year Award will also be presented at the reception. This year the award goes to Prof. Dr. Michael Feindt, founder of the software company Blue Yonder, for which he now works as a strategic consultant. The scientist is considered an expert in data-driven software development, learning effects through data analysis and the development of new algorithms and tools in Big Data environments. In 2002, he founded a company to transfer his inventions in the field of predictive analytics from science to business. His idea: predictions in pricing and replenishment can be improved if they are made with the help of artificial intelligence.

Retail experts recognised the potential of the NeuroBayes algorithm he developed to automate operational decisions in the processes of retail companies. In 2008, managers from the Otto Group and Feindt founded the software company Blue Yonder. JDA Software bought the company in 2018. In 2020, JDA Software changed its name to Blue Yonder. In 2021, Panasonic acquired the company completely. The manufacturer of trucks and buses TRATON SE has sponsored the TRATON Logistics Leader of the Year Award since 2020.

With the TRATON Logistics Leader of the Year Award, the organisation honours those who set the pace and create the future of logistics. Entrepreneurs and managers from the transport and logistics sector are honoured who have been particularly successful in promoting their companies or who have set a trend-setting impulse. The focus is on topicality and the benefit for the company as well as innovative strength, sustainability and entrepreneurial change. The award is presented by the Logistics Hall of Fame and donated by TRATON SE.

The decisive factor for acceptance as a member of the Logistics Hall of Fame, on the other hand, is that an achievement is not only beneficial to an individual company, but has significantly and permanently advanced logistics beyond the boundaries of one’s own organisation or has become an industry standard. So far, 37 logisticians have made it into the international Logistics Hall of Fame. The Logistics Hall of Fame can be accessed free of charge at any time at www.logisticshalloffame.net and offers information and pictures about the logistics milestones and their makers.

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