19.02.2020
Logistik Digital 2020 – Between Vision and Practice
The Chamber of Industry and Commerce Lower Rhine invited members of the logistics community to the Mercatorhalle in Duisburg to discuss the development of logistics in the digital age with renowned experts on February 19, 2020.
Digitization is changing the rules of the game in logistics and is affecting business models, future technologies and the skills required of employees.
Nevertheless, people remain the major actors in the digital transformation. This is why it is absolutely crucial for the logistics sector to attract the necessary IT and digitization specialists now and to make the current employees fit for the digital world.
The conference was hosted by Mr. Burkhardt Landers, the president of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce Lower Rhine. He joined forces with Mr. Hendrik Wüst (the Transport Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia) to explain the importance of digital projects.
Prof. Dr. Dr. ten Hompel (Managing Director of Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics in Dortmund) went a step further when he declared “It is not just anything at stake here - it’s everything”. In his elucidating lecture, Prof. ten Hompel clarified what the next years will bring and which challenges companies will have to face to secure their future success.
Dr. Arnd Köfler, member of the Board of Directors of thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG presented various digitization projects that have already been implemented within the group in the past years.
Sonja Groell-Archut, partner at the IT-Personalberatung Dr. Dienst & Wenzel GmbH & Co. KG, explained the challenges in attracting IT specialists in discussions with executives of logistics companies.
The culmination of the conference was the lecture by Mr. Frank Thelen (jury member of the German version of “Shark Tank”). In his opinion, the next 10 to 20 years are the most challenging period in the history of mankind. He gave various examples to illustrate that European companies will have to speed up if they don't want to miss the boat when it comes to digital/technological advancements.
