TEST CAMP INTRALOGISTICS: Sustainability as a principle

TEST CAMP INTRALOGISTICS is breaking new ground in the event business. When the testing event, which takes place from March 21 to 23 as part of the TEST DAYS of the IFOY AWARD at Messe Dortmund, opens its doors for the third time, it is no longer just about hands-on testing of the best intralogistics innovations. A highlight of TEST CAMP INTRALOGISTICS is likely to be a panel debate entitled Intralogistics 4.0, featuring top-drawer industry experts and moderated by Logistics Business’s News Editor Peter MacLeod.

The organiser has made sustainability a principle and taken a series of measures to effectively conserve resources. The focus is on reusability and recycling, the use of regenerative energies and, above all, the fundamental renunciation of equipment that is not absolutely necessary. The aim is to launch a new, sustainable event format in logistics.

“Everyone knows that the material battles of the past no longer fit the times,” emphasises Anita Würmser, Chairwoman of the IFOY AWARD jury, adding: “We don’t want to continue building for the bin, but create awareness that things can be done differently. That’s why we are consistently moving in the direction of environmental sustainability and want to add a new, sustainable format to the event landscape.

“The focus of TEST CAMP INTRALOGISTICS is on innovation, not decoration. I am convinced that with our focus on innovation and sustainability we are preaching to the logistics industry. Both visitors and the exhibiting companies and service providers will benefit from our measures: they will improve their own environmental balance sheet and that of their companies.”

In the area of reusability and recycling, the organiser relies, among other things, on a modular reusable booth concept. Individual booth construction is not permitted and only technically necessary equipment is located on the test areas. Only reusable aluminium trusses are used for the standardised company boxes. The modular booth system and its entire equipment, including LED lighting, company branding and rental furniture, is standardised and can be used as often as desired.

Sturdy grids are used to demarcate the driving areas, and reusable Chep pallets and containers are available for test drives. The event carpet is completely granulated after use and then reused as a secondary raw material. Trusses are also used on the main area in the congress area, and the trailer stage of the IFOY AWARD was planned on a trailer from the manufacturer Fliegl.

The organisation of event logistics from a single source ensures short distances and efficient transport, minimum water consumption and maximum conservation of resources. The central control of the material logistics for the assembly of the test areas and boxes shortens the assembly in the 10,000 sq m hall, which is fully booked, to one and a half days, and the dismantling is completed in only four hours.

The catering is also centrally organised. Exhibitors and guests use the hall restaurant for catering. Individual catering in the booth and disposable crockery are prohibited.

A big plus is the accessibility of the location. The official event hotel Mercure on the exhibition grounds is within walking distance of the hall, as is the Westfalenhallen underground station. The hotel also participates in the Planet 21 sustainability programme. Furthermore, 100 percent of the energy for the TEST CAMP comes from green electricity.

The choice of the 2021 venue already paid off in terms of the IFOY organisation’s environmental goals. As early as 2006, the Westfalenhallen was certified as an environmentally friendly eco-profit company. They have also supported the sustainability code “fairpflichtet” of the German event industry since 2014.

Four exhibition halls, including Hall 3 used by the TEST CAMP, are equipped with a photovoltaic system. Eurosolar awarded the Westfallenhallen the “European Solar Award” in 2005 in the category “owner or operator of photovoltaic systems”.

In recent years, the Westfalenhallen group of companies has implemented numerous individual measures to use energy sparingly. These include: the installation of block-type thermal power stations, the installation and use of heat recovery systems, a roof renewal with thermal insulation as well as the conversion of the ventilation control in all halls to carbon dioxide sensor technology.

The TEST CAMP INTRALOGISTICS takes place as part of the IFOY TEST DAYS of the International Intralogistics and Forklift Truck of the Year (IFOY) AWARD. It enables intralogistics decision-makers to experience innovations live and test them themselves. In addition to the 14 products and solutions of the IFOY finalists, a limited number of third-party exhibitors with innovations will be admitted for the first time. The exhibitors cover the entire spectrum of material handling – from forklifts to autonomous mobile robots (AMR) and software to holistic automation projects for high-performance warehouses.

New this year is a conference programme with panel discussions on the trend topics of innovation management, Intralogistics 4.0 and VDA 5050. A new edition of the live test of the VDA 5050 communication interface as part of the VDMA AGV Mesh-Up is also in preparation.

For the key note on the opening day, the organisers are able to welcome the internationally renowned logistics researcher Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Michael ten Hompel (Fraunhofer IML). National and international experts have agreed to take part in the daily panel discussions:

Panel Discussion on March 21: Without bankruptcies, bad luck and breakdowns: How companies successfully introduce intralogistics innovations. Participants: André Kranke

(Dachser), Prof. Dr. Thorsten Schmidt (TU Dresden, IFOY Innovation Check), Marco Prüglmeier (Noyes Technologies) and Dr. Jana Jost (Fraunhofer IML, moderator).

Panel Discussion on March 22: Intralogistics 4.0. Participants: Steffen Bersch (SSI Schäfer/VDMA), Jos de Vuyst (stow Group/FEM), Thomas Vortkamp (DB Schenker) Wolfgang Hillinger (DS Automotion) and Peter MacLeod (Logistics Business News Editor, IFOY juror, moderator).

VDMA Panel Discussion on March 23: VDA 5050 – status quo and future of the communication interface. Participants: Dr. Wolfgang Hackenberg (SYNAOS), Mathias Behounek, (SAFELOG), Alexander Balandin (Robert Bosch), Dr. Christian Reinema (Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles), Jan Drömer (ek robotics/VDMA, moderator).