Leverkusen | May 08, 2008: Industry Experts Discuss the Future of Logistics at LOG.lev

In addition to the mega-trends in logistics this year’s meeting focused on technologies that may serve as components of concepts for optimizing logistics processes. In order to strengthen the network character of the event this year’s programme covered two days thus giving more time for best practice examples of successful logistics concepts as well as for an extended outdoor sequence. The latter led the participants to the Dormagen CHEMPARK offering the opportunity to make a plant tour and to take a look at Chemion’s new container terminal. As in past years the logistics service provider placed strong emphasis on the interdisciplinary approach and had been able to assemble a group of economics and science specialists as lecturers and exhibition partners. Andreas Hardt, CEO at Chemion: „One of the main topics in logistics is linking services and companies. Hence, LOG.lev too focuses on the idea of networking. We intend LOG.Lev to be a platform that provides different practical solutions for logistic challenges and combines different perspectives.“

Mega-Trends in Logistics
In his opening address to the event Andreas Hardt called world trade and the efforts of the logisticians to reduce CO2 further main trends of the industry. Several speakers dealt with technological developments and their relevance to logistic efficiency. One of them was Dr. Markus Gerigk of Bayer Technology Services (BTS) who presented a product that is about the definitve authentication of material surfaces. It is based on a laser technology – LSA (Laser Surface Authentication) – by the use of which a material can be traced at any point in the supply chain providing effective trademark protection for a wide variety of products and packings.

Bernd Stephan and Winfried Terwiel gave reports on practical application options of various IT developments by Bayer Business Services (BBS). They focused, among other things, on the significance of intelligent control of supply processes (SCEM, Supply Chain Event Management) to avoid process hold-ups and to improve information transparency in the supply process beyond the level of usual tracking and tracing systems. Also in international trade, substantial developments have taken place in recent years: Outsourcing and offshoring, the global purchase of primary products as well as increased security requirements have impact on foreign trade processes and raise the demands on Authorized Economic Operators (AEOs). Hence, a basic requirement for an optimum use of economic edge and simplified customs declaration procedures is a close cooperation between IT and organization.

According to Dr. Klaus-Peter Jung of Miebach Consulting logistic trends become particularly apparent especially in the chemical industry, says: Here is a lot of catching up to do in outsourcing and a growing number of companies consider a cooperation with external specialists the most efficient way of reducing the logistics complexity of their supply chain management. In doing so, the greatest risk for the companies in transferring tasks to a service provider is the non-fulfilment of the logistics tasks. However, this risk as well as other risk factors can be limited by clear arrangements and contractual agreements (SLA, Service Level Agreements). As a matter of principle it can be said that a greater scope of creativity on the side of the service provider involves a greater risk for the client but at the same time this will lead to a growing optimization potential of the logistics project on the side of the company. Also, Professor Dr. Wolf-Rüdiger Bretzke of Barkawi Management Consultants sees a great potential in contract logistics and estimates the market volume still to be exploited at about 16 million Euros. In a comparison with the general cargo market he underlined two aspects of contract logistics – the highly individualized performance rate and the long-term contract periods – which show that the actual optimization potentials exist, first and foremost, in the field of the so-called „soft skills“.

As a result: A trustful relationship between client and service provider is the main asset in contract logistics and, thus, the most important factor in choosing a partner for outsourcing projects.

Dr. Axel Wilms of Currenta and Karl Falkus of Chemion Logistik presented the trends and changes in the waste disposal market. There is great demand for individualization especially with a view to the last element of the logistics chain, e.g. with respect to the topics equipment and transport management, in order to be able to properly and safely dispose of each merchandise in line with the specific requirements. As the two experts see it, efficiency potentials can be realised if the structuring of the disposal process takes the foregoing logistics services into consideration and integrates disposal into the logistics chain.

In concluding the LOG.lev logistics event Professor Dr. Gerd Aberle of the Gießen Justus-Liebig-University described the challenges of logistics. In his view, the capacity shortage in the seaports has great impact on the logistics services more than eighty percent of which are transport services because capacity build-up in the hinterland is too slow. He critically reviewed the draft master plan for freight traffic and logistics since it underestimates the financial needs of infrastructure development and rather creates more uncertainties instead of providing sustainable support for the logistics industry. Despite the foreseeable manpower shortages, the strong need for efficiency improvement or the low social acceptance of logistics needs the business and macroeconomic significance of logistics is expected to be high in the future too, predicts Professor Aberle.

Chemion Logistik Company Data:
Since its spin-off from the Bayer group in 2001 Chemion Logistic GmbH has provided its customers with customized logistics solutions as a 3PL (Third-Party Logistics Provider). The service provider covers the full range of logistics services and, through a strong partner network, also operates in other regions of Germany and outside Germany. As a specialist in dangerous goods handling, Chemion provides equipment and infrastructure and offers storage, handling, transportation and added-value services as well as counselling services and training programs. That is what makes Chemion an interesting partner especially for companies in the chemical and allied industries. There are, however, among Chemion’s customers, companies from other sectors too which benefit from the many years of experience of all of the 1,200 staff. The company operates branches in Leverkusen, Dormagen, Krefeld and Duisburg. There, as well as at other sites, Chemion makes sure that all customers’ logistics run smoothly.
www.chemion.com

Your contacts:
Karola Pirkl
Chemion Logistik GmbH
CHEMPARK Leverkusen, Building X6
D-51368 Leverkusen, Germany
Phone: +49 (0)214/30-73264
Fax: +49 (0)214/30-9673264
E-mail: karola.pirkl.kp@chemion.de

Birgit Gross
BRIDGE communications
Fridtjof-Nansen-Str. 4
D-53127 Bonn, Germany
Phone: +49 (0)228/639369
E-Mail: gross@bridge-com.de