The Cluster was happy to welcome over 90 guests and nine high level speakers to its Logistics Autumn Evening 2015 on Wednesday October 21st at the Chamber of Commerce. The subject of this year’s conference was "Security and Quality to maintain your value". The speakers are experts in their field and presented the newest trends and solutions to enhance transport processes. The evening was sponsored by Arthur Welter Transports, DB Schenker, CFL multimodal, GMR Safety and Kühne & Nagel. Check out the pictures of the event above and the presentations of our speakers at the end of the article.

Logistics companies provide today much more than just a simple transport from sender to destination. They control the quality of the shipments, provide adequate storage and assess the best modes of transport. This good service has its cost: Investment in new equipment and training is the only way to provide good service. It is certainly not an easy task to innovate constantly in a business environment that expects you to offer the most cost-efficient service possible.

The President of the Cluster and Director General of the Chamber of Commerce Carlo Thelen emphasized in his opening speech on the importance of adding value through high quality services, best in class processes and education and training. The Cluster wants to show that quality does not come for free and that especially in Luxembourg a lot is being done to provide for your logistics needs. Luxembourg is enhancing its services in the pharmasector, emphasizes Mr Thelen: “Biopharmaceuticals and biosimilars are gaining in importance and a value of over 1 million euro per pallet is not uncommon”.

New Logistics Diploma attracts many students

Mr Thelen was glad to announce that the new “Diplôme de Technicien en Logistique”, held at the Lycées de Lallange and Bonnevoie, counts now well over 40 students for its first year. "The logistics community asked repeatedly for this new course and the Cluster had the honour to lead the workgroup since 2012", added Mr Thelen. This diploma provides a new opportunity for young people to learn an attractive job with great potential, and it gives the companies the possibility to recruit a more local workforce. The president invited the companies to engage those students who will need training positions starting next year.

The keynote speaker Tony Wright, CEO of Exelsius Management Consulting sports a track record of over 30 years’ in the distribution and temperature-controlled sector, having worked as a Senior Executive with British Airways World Cargo and subsequently as Senior Vice President at Swedish cold-chain container company, Envirotainer. He was instrumental in the certification of the Findel as a Good Distribution Practice (GDP) Hub. “Good and fast service doesn’t come cheap”, says Mr Wright. Many things can go wrong in the cool supply chain and true GDP compliance requires a notable investment. Especially training is important for the good handling of pharmaceutical goods.

Community tackles security issues

Security in logistics played a major role this evening. Theft is on the rise in Europe and specialised thieves constantly find new ways to break into warehouses and trucks. The increasing value of goods is also attracting theft. Better processes, track and trace as well as high level security equipment can help lower these risks. It is not only valuable cargo that is in danger but drivers and security personnel as well. And the value of the stolen goods can be tremendous.

Mr Mark Gruentjes, Board Member of TAPA EMEA, gave an overview of the phenomenon and the evolution of crime. “The threats and the violence have grown in the last years”, says Mr Gruentjes. The petty criminals of old have mostly been replaced by organised gangs. And often, resellers place orders for certain goods. Everything that is easily marketable is a target, be it electronics, clothing, jewellery or wine.  Unfortunately the figures are unreliable, due to poor reporting or missing categories in police forms. An EU study from 2007 mentioned the cost of Cargo crime to 8,2 billion euro but Tapa estimates the real amount to be at least twice as high. However the community is also working on better processes to counter criminals. Enhanced processes, dedicated training, better information about security equipment and the exchange of best practices help TAPA members reduce the risks. TAPA is a not for profit organisation and uses its income to enhance the security of its members.

Andy Giger Head of Sales from Berlinger Switzerland is an expert in temperature measurement. Berlinger markets different kinds of sensors and software. Their Smartview programme is used in the airport as well. This track and tracing enables shippers to monitor temperature and gather other data. Gathering data alone is not helpful. You have to use it right. With modern USB -, RFID- or GPRS Loggers or central monitoring systems it is possible to keep track of temperature, humidity, shocks or battery voltage. Data-management is held in a central storage and everybody works with the same data, emphasises Giger.

One interesting topic for GDP handling that is often overlooked is Risk assessment. Dr Verena Brenner, consultant on risk management with HDI Risk Consulting in Hannover, informed the public of the insurance side of logistics, a sometimes complex and shifting process, depending on many transport factors. Claims can for example come for the property or marine insurance line of business. Also the risk assessment has to be clearly understood. Transports shouldn’t be based on WHO Climatic Zones that won’t work for pharmaceutical transportation. They take average temperature in account but not the actual temperature. Supply chain partners should also harmonize their risk assessments and countermeasures. Documentation should also be as clear and complete as possible. “Clearly state on the Air Waybill the storage conditions – no “if possible” or no “at destination” as this can cause misunderstandings”, says Dr Brenner. She also explained that the new GDP requirements increase temperature related claims because the temperature has to be monitored.

Packaging and processes matter

Amy Shortman from ASC  Pharmaceutical Logistics is a specialist and consultant in pharmaceutical packaging. Ms Shortman presented her view of the different packaging methods and the importance of collaboration in the cool chain sector. The selection of the container is of course dependent on the risk compared to the cost. Over-engineering is not a solution. In order to insure best practices and keep the costs in check, collaboration with all parties in the supply chain is key. If things go wrong, there is a risk for the patients, it will trigger expensive recalls and the loss of confidence in the brand or regulatory actions are real dangers. The new regulations are however helping to enhance the processes. “GDP is what any and every company should be meeting as a minimum and exceeding as a requirement”, she says.

In Airfreight, there are currently no practical containers with good track and trace solutions that minimize loss, damage or theft and tampering, says Redwane Chani from Interbox Holding. The Holding is supported by the EU Horizon 2020 Programme for Research and Innovation with a new container that is foldable and light weight. Smart components allows track and tracing, a strong shell secures the cargo and a locking system prevents easy intrusion. The consortium is currently working in Luxembourg on a pilot project with prototypes.

Is LNG the ideal Fuel for this century?

Antonio Nicotra from Gasfin and convenor of a WG on Liquid Natural Gas vehicles presented the characteristics and advantages of this particular fuel-type. For Mr Nicotra, Gas is sustaining the powering of clean mobility in the XXI. Century. The fuel has not only a much lower amount of CO2 but has also much better ecological footprint regarding other green house gases. There are already many projects involving LNG in Europe. From the inception in 2012, the project B.E.S.T. started operation in early 2015 with the collaboration of 4 partners: LC3 purchasing initial 30 Iveco Stralis for the transportation of food products to Lidl, with ENI providing LNG fueling in the first LNG Station located in Piacenza.

Due to its topics, the audience was broader than usual. Next to logistics specialists the conference attracted people from the pharmaceutical sector, security companies, Education and last but not least from the Press. The Cluster aims to gather people from different sectors in order to foster innovation and networking.

Many thanks go to the guests and journalists of the conference. The Cluster wishes to especially thank the speakers, the sponsors of the evening and the Chamber of Commerce which made this conference possible. Please find our flyer with information about the conference and the speakers below.