As the second and final day of IntraLogisteX draws to a close, Logistics Manager looks back on the day’s conference sessions at the IntraLogisteX conference theatre, picking out some highlights.
The day was kicked off in epic fashion, as Logistics Manager editor Emily Uwemedimo hosted the first of two exclusive panels moderated by the title’s editorial team. Entitled “Navigating complexity: strategies for a resilient supply chain”, this session saw Uwemedimo joined on stage by Lewe Goldmann, supply chain and operations director at CLOUD NINE, and Steve Davies, director of operations at Abbott Lyon, to discuss how businesses can overcome challenges in today’s world where supply chain disruptions are common and resiliency is key.
Sharing his insight on the matter, Goldmann said: “I think the elephant in the room is obviously the Suez Canal. It’s not the first time we’re having issues with that”. He expanded, saying that the issue is really much bigger than that and it’s “last-minute delays that are really causing issues with supply chains”.
He emphasised the need for planning ahead, saying: “It’s really the planning side of things that [is important]. You can plan your supply chains but if anything disrupts it really late in the process, it does cause problems”.
Davies concurred, acknowledging the need to prepare for major disruptions, whether that be the outbreak of international conflict or another pandemic. He explained: “The main drivers of global bottlenecks seem to be the same things every time. It’s either geopolitics [be it tension between China and Taiwan or the US presidential election…], global factors like the Covid-19 pandemic… or staffing.”
He encouraged the audience to not be complacent in the belief that issues of the past will remain in the past, when the industry and global affairs remain volatile.
Logistics Manager hosted a second panel entitled “Biofuels: the future of fleet?” at the Sustainable Supply Exhibition conference theatre. Moderated by Logistics Manager’s assistant editor James McLoughlin, this session saw Dr Lorenzo Bruno Prataviera, lecturer in logistics and supply chain management at Cranfield University, Martin Cole, logistics development manager at Screwfix, and Dr Polina Webb, sustainability principal – GHG reduction at the UK Civil Aviation Authority discuss the use of biofuels to decarbonise the logistics industry.
Later in the day, Jonathon Buckby, UK head of sales in logistic solutions at SSI SCHAEFER, gave an insightful presentation entitled “Put yourself first: what to consider when creating a business-centric intralogistics concept”. Buckby encouraged the audience to remember that they are experts in their field and leverage that value.
He also noted the importance of keeping processes focused and ensuring that intralogistics solutions “aid [a business’] success now and in the future”.
“You know you customers far better than anyone else,” Buckby reminded the audience.
He gave the example of a solution provided for Boohoo Group on how a intralogistics solutions should be tailored to a business’ specific needs, saying: “What they had is quite a few individual processes that we had to implement to ensure that we could get the best out of the solution. The kit didn’t change, the way we handled it did and that added value without adding cost.”
For example, Buckby explained that the switch to pouches for returned goods created an efficient “touchless pick” instead of having to return items to Boohoo’s storage system. This helped ease the returns process, which he described as a “real pain in the fashion industry”.
The penultimate session of the day was led by Shannon Minehan, research analyst at Aurora Insights. Having officially launched at IntraLogisteX 2024, Aurora Insights is a hub for knowledge specifically designed to inform senior decision-makers and drive business forward. Offering business-critical research and information, Aurora Insights’ knowledge hub contains three channels: Supply Chain & Logistics, Robotics & Automation and Tolling & Road User Charging.
Click here to listen to Aurora Insights’ introductory podcast and learn more about what’s on offer as part of this service.
Minehan’s presentation, entitled “Sustainable supply chains: branching into a greener economy” explored the findings of an Aurora Insights report of the same name, covering topics such as the trends, motivations and barriers surrounding the adoption of more sustainable business practises.
She spoke about the impact of government legislation such as the 2021 Environmental Act and the 2023 Electronic Trade Documents Act on the implementation of sustainable business practises, as well as international legislation like the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement.
She explained that while the transition to more sustainable processes can often come with significant upfront investment, the long-term environmental, economic and social accountability benefits make it worthwhile. “From a financial point of view, it does make sense to embrace sustainable supply chains,” Minehan reiterated.
To get access to the full “Sustainable supply chains: branching into a greener economy” report and an abundance of other valuable content, check out the Aurora Insights website!
That’s all from the IntraLogisteX conference theatre at the 2024 event – if you haven’t already, make sure to check out the day one conference highlights and interviews with exhibitors on the Logistics Manager website!
