The circular economy offers logistics and transportation teams a strategic approach for those seeking innovations to deliver both performance targets and sustainability goals. This storytelling session explores the circular economy in a new way, seen through a supply chain lens. It will set the context of how we ended up in today’s linear economy, the challenges of the linear economy for supply chains, and the benefits of transition to circular operations. Together, we will dive into the operational advantages of considering both step-wise and incremental changes resulting in higher material security and a lower environmental impact.
The topic Responsible Logistics is very important and at the same time very complex. It isn’t something that can be adequately covered by one presentation or even a single panel discussion. For this reason, the organizers of the congress EASTLOG have opted for an untraditional format for this year’s morning program.
After an inspiring keynote presentation by Deborah Dull, the world-renowned expert in circular supply chains, we will welcome several leaders of the local logistics industry on the stage. Each person has been chosen to “represent” one part of the broader topic of responsible logistics. He or she will present the particular part from the personal viewpoint of the speaker or the view of his or her company. After each presentation, a short but engaging discussion will take place among all the panelists before moving on to the next part. And of course, there will be the opportunity for questions and comments from the general audience as well.
Who have been tapped to represent the individual parts of responsible logistics?
The debate will be moderated by Stanislav Břeň, the editor-in-chief of the magazine Systémy Logistiky.
The aim of the BizLOG program is to mediate meetings between partners and participants of the EASTLOG congress. Listen briefly and without obligation to the offers of the leading suppliers of logistics and transport products or services. One meeting will take 10 minutes, and if you are interested, you can arrange a follow-up individual meeting.
Only a company which is a partner of the congress can participate in the BizLOG section from the side of the supplier. However, on the other side of the negotiating table can be anyone who is interested in learning more about the offered product or service without commitment.
Participants can first choose whom they want to meet and when. The profiles of the companies taking part and a brief overview of their offer will be posted on the website of the congress a few weeks before the event. We will also contact all participants and ask them to set up their meetings, and we will give the partners a chance to choose participants that they want to meet. On the day of the event, you will be given your individual plan for the day. But don’t worry – even though BizLOG takes place during the lunch break, we will make sure that you have time to eat.
One of the afternoon blocks will focus on intra-company logistics, because it is in this area that the biggest technical and technological changes are taking place. The section will consist of a series of case studies, in which representatives of both sides of the business case will always speak. The listeners will thus get an idea of how the given innovation was implemented. The case studies will focus on topics such as automation and robotization, the digitalization of logistics processes, the reduction of energy intensity or industrial development.
While the first afternoon section will focus on intralogistics, in the second we will – to put it briefly – look at what is happening outside the company. That means the topic will be transport and supply-customer chains. Both elements are very closely related, which has been particularly evident in connection with the covid-19 pandemic, Russian aggression in Ukraine or tensions in the Middle East. This program point will again be conceived as a set of short case studies that will thematically depict areas such as transport, forwarding, supply chain or inventory management.
This year’s congress will again include the popular roundtable focused on human resources with experts on personnel issues in logistics and transport. There are many topics to be addressed and discussed: the lack of workers and the associated attractiveness of companies on the labor market, maintaining the motivation and mental health of employees in a period when one crisis follows another, the interplay of people and machines, employee development, a different perspective of young employees on their careers, etc. The roundtable will be moderated, and there will be short presentations that will raise certain topics and stimulate the subsequent debates.
The discussion will be moderated by Roman Molek, the managing partner of TRANSEARCH International.
This program item is a new feature this year which the organizers have added to address new requirements in the area of ESG. Non-financial reporting concerns all large companies, and, in the future, it will apply to some small and medium-sized ones as well. However, the “mentality” of non-financial reporting pervades the supply-customer chains. The workshop will take the form of a roundtable around which ESG experts will sit. Brief presentations will serve to inspire ensuing discussions among the experts that are present.
Moderator: David Janků, reporting consultant at the consulting company Frank Bold Advisory
Logistics plays a crucial role in all economies; it is mostly unseen in good times, but very visible in crises. The impact of logistics on people via the effects on inflation, the environment, unemployment, and incomes are fundamental. Hence, many questions regarding corporate responsibility in the logistics arena seek answers. In this presentation, we will first look at how global supply chain shocks have contributed to global core inflation, which in turn has had an undeniable negative impact on multiple aspects of society in recent years. Second, we will examine the question of sustainable supply chains and the need to integrate environmentally friendly practices into the logistics model in order to reduce or eliminate negative environmental impacts caused by supply chain logistics. Third, we will discuss how integrating generative AI into logistics can help optimize supply chains without necessarily creating long-term unemployment, which every industry – logistics included – has a responsibility to minimize.
The afternoon economic block will include the traditional panel discussion, as there are more than enough topics to discuss. How has the failure of the Czech economy to get out of the post-pandemic misery affected logistics and transport companies and their clients? What impact has the long period of high inflation in particular had on the logistics and transport business? In what way does the labor market need to be changed so that the economy can gain new impulses and so that the labor market can be ready for future challenges? How have the requirements arising from ESG and CSRD affected businesses in logistics and transport, in terms of finance, regulation, innovation or organization? Are the requirements arising from the European Green Deal a huge threat in terms of competitiveness, or a huge opportunity for the necessary transformation of individual sectors? And taking all of this into consideration, we will tackle the overarching question: Can we afford to be responsible?
The panel discussion will be moderated by Rey Koranteng.
The Logistics Business Mixer is a VIP meeting of logistics experts in a casual informal evening atmosphere with a special program of games, competitions and entertainment. Its main goal is networking between the logistics professionals who regularly participate in this important social event. Refreshments, live music and entertainment programs are the perfect recipe for making business contacts.
Madal Bal is a wholesaler focused on the import and sale of tools with a retail network of gift and home accessories stores. In this warehouse automation project, Vertiflex supplied it with four Compact Twin vertical stackers with a picking rack with pick-to-light technology. The stackers are equipped with a monitor to display the selected item with a description and marking of the position on the shelf. In combination with the light bar, they facilitate the orientation of the operator and speed up the picking process. The mutual communication between stackers and the process of handling goods from stacking to storage to picking is controlled by Vertinode Ai software, which is connected to the company’s WMS. Part of the entire project is the provision of service support within the Lifecycle Performance Services program.
In 2012, Drylock Technologies, which specializes in the production of hygiene products, established its flagship production plant on a green field in Hrádek nad Nisou. Since then, it has been constantly expanding in terms of production and storage capacities. One of the warehouse technologies is the Radioshuttle system from Toyota Material Handling CZ. The shuttle has a capacity of 15,000 pallet positions and an allocated storage capacity of another 25,000 pallet positions, so this is a very extensive application of this warehouse solution for high-density storage. Drylock’s voluminous production requires sophisticated logistics and places high demands on handling flexibility. The installed Radioshuttle system is used to the maximum.
At its plant in Chemnitz, Siemens manufactures electrical distribution cabinets that contain many small components that must be partially stored in an ESD environment and packaging. For the delivery of new warehouse technology, the company turned to Dematic, which designs, manufactures, and services automated or robotic technologies. The presenters will discuss the selected solution for automatic storage and picking of small components. In their presentation, they will focus not only on the technical aspects of the chosen system, but also on findings from the implementation process and plans for future development.
The phenomenon of fresh, warm, or lukewarm baked goods available at any time in the retail network is today’s reality. Some retailers literally pamper their customers in this way, and suppliers of bakery products must respond to this situation. One possibility is the delivery of frozen products (semi-finished or “final” products) intended for baking or thawing. For this reason, Nopek built an automated warehouse for frozen bakery products in 2019. Using an automatic stacker, pallets with products are stored in five levels of a self-falling rack, with the total capacity being 1,200 pallet places at a temperature of −20 °C. The dispatch of pallets is carried out by means of an automatic unloader with transfer to the dispatch track, from where it goes to the truck of the ordering retail chain.
Automation and robotization are key logistics trends today. The company Dr. Max, the largest pharmacy chain in the Czech Republic, is also “riding” on this wave. The company’s new e-commerce warehouse in Brno is equipped with roboshuttles from the company Geek+, and its overall solution was created in cooperation with the companies Bito Skladováčí technika and SSI Schäfer. The aim of the project was to increase the storage density, to refine and strengthen the picking area, and overall to optimize the costs of operating the e-commerce warehouse. Challenges and pitfalls associated with the implementation of these systems will also be discussed during the presentation, and there will be an opportunity for discussion and questions from the participants of the congress.
The automation and robotization of intralogistics are discussed everywhere, but we don’t often talk about the basic prerequisites for their development, i.e., the preparation of halls. What prevents automated and robotic warehouse technology from being placed in old halls? What technical modifications are necessary in the original buildings? How expensive is it to build a sustainable new hall on a brownfield site and install automated or robotic systems in it? Does greenfield work out cheaper when considering legislative, ESG, and economic demands? What are the basic and above-standard technical requirements for new halls with automation or robotics? How willing are production companies to invest in new warehouses or brownfield conversions to build automated or robotic warehouse operations? We will try to answer these questions in a panel discussion with representatives of companies that are automating, those that offer automation, and developers that build industrial real estate.
The panel discussion will be moderated by Patricia Jakešová, consultant in the fields of retail, logistics and automation.
When robotization is mentioned in logistics, it is often about the flow of physical goods. However, robotization is also happening at the process level, in the area of RPA or robotic process automation. A project of this kind was recently implemented by Stock Plzeň – Božkov in cooperation with Xelto Digital Czechia. The logistics of alcoholic beverages is specific from the point of view of the supervision of state authorities on compliance with the rules for the movement of goods subject to excise duty, and this results in the above-standard settings and solutions for the operation of logistics processes. The case study will focus on several aspects: What exactly is RPA? How does RPA help the manufacturer and distributor of alcoholic beverages in managing the supply chain? And what are the most automated processes within the supply chain? The presentation will also include a concrete demonstration of the automation of control and registration of exports for the customs administration.
The logistics provider HOPI is one of the few companies on the Czech market that can share its experience with electromobility in the segment of heavy freight transport. The Mercedes-Benz eActros 300 truck in a semi-trailer set weighing up to 40 tons has not only been tested, but it has been deployed on actual trips as part of the normal distribution of Mondelēz and Nestlé products. As part of its ESG policy, these global food giants can now positively report part of its transport without local greenhouse-gas emissions. This case study will show, for example, the operational benefits and pitfalls that must be taken into account by the food manufacturer and the logistics operator, how quickly or slowly three sets of batteries with a total capacity of 336 kWh are recharged, how does the return on investment work out, and whether a range of 240 kilometers is enough for a fully loaded trailer?
In 2022, the retail chain PENNY accepted Gopall’s proposal and expanded the used pooling models with the Gopall open system. PENNY suppliers using Euro pallets could thus take advantage of the benefits of pooling, which speeds up the handover of goods, eliminates inefficient return pallets, and reduces the carbon footprint. In 2023, Gopall, in cooperation with PENNY, was the first chain to implement a half-pallet made of recycled plastic from the company Stabilplastik. This half-pallet received the Sustainability Star 2024 award, among other things, because it uses only plastic waste as a production material and is 100% recyclable. Overall, the share of “pooled” pallets in PENNY has risen to more than 35%.
Morocco is an exotic country with a thousand-year history located on ancient trade routes. It has access to both the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, high mountains, green oases, and arid deserts, not to mention beautiful monuments. At the same time, it is a country with enormous business potential – one of the most stable in the region, with a growing economy, a young population, and natural resources. Its good trade relations with the EU, sanctified by the association agreement of 2020, make it a partner for one of the trends emerging from the Covid pandemic: nearshoring. This presentation will bring a different perspective on Morocco as a production destination and will show logistics solutions for deliveries to and from Morocco (similar to other African or Asian countries) through a case study of systemic logistics transports implemented by Dachser for its customer TE Connectivity.
Two fashion e-shops in more than ten European countries; more than a million pieces of fashion, design, and cosmetics; 300 global fashion brands. This is Digital People’s omnichannel platform, which connects brands and designers with customers and includes brands such as Zoot and Bibloo. The presenters will show how one line can serve different companies and clearly divide the goods into the right bags. It will also be about intuitive ways to simplify reverse logistics and reduce the administrative burden.
Passenger and freight transport is responsible for a quarter of all carbon dioxide emissions in the EU. Will it be possible to decarbonize a significant part of freight transport in the near future? What are the possibilities for intermodal transport in Europe, especially in the combination of road and rail? What role will the deployment of European logistics centers, terminals and key transport hubs play in decarbonization? Can companies’ supply chains be set up so that goods and materials do not travel across Europe or the planet there and back again? What role will resource sharing within logistics systems and circular services play in more responsible logistics? Where are the limits in the cooperation between individual supply chain players? What possibilities in decarbonization do digitization and artificial intelligence offer? Experts from the field of 3PL, freight forwarding, digitization and transport planning, packaging pooling, and users of logistics services will give their opinions on these questions.
The panel will be moderated by Tatiana Koššová, country manager of ATOZ Group for Slovakia.
This year’s congress will again include the popular roundtable focused on human resources with experts on personnel issues in logistics and transport. There are many topics to be addressed and discussed: the lack of workers and the associated attractiveness of companies on the labor market, maintaining the motivation and mental health of employees in a period when one crisis follows another, the interplay of people and machines, employee development, a different perspective of young employees on their careers, etc. The roundtable will be moderated, and there will be short presentations that will raise certain topics and stimulate the subsequent debates.
The discussion will be moderated by Roman Molek, the managing partner of TRANSEARCH International.
During the workshop, you will hear these short presentations, which will serve as a springboard for discussions in which you can actively participate:
This program item is a new feature this year which the organizers have added to address new requirements in the area of ESG. Non-financial reporting concerns all large companies, and, in the future, it will apply to some small and medium-sized ones as well. However, the “mentality” of non-financial reporting pervades the supply-customer chains. The workshop will take the form of a roundtable around which ESG experts will sit.
The workshop will be useful both for company management and for employees who directly deal with sustainability reporting or solve customer requirements for the sustainability of their suppliers. The main topic of the workshop will be the double materiality assessment, which is the basis for successful sustainability reporting according to the new CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) and ESRS (European Sustainability Reporting Standards), in the context of the supply chain.
As part of the discussion, we will discuss, among other things, how to get started with ESG reporting; for what exactly is the double materiality assessment; where the double materiality assessment reach; what information customers will typically require from their suppliers; what should be the output of the assessment; and more. We seek active sharing of experiences by the participants, and therefore we will be happy if you prepare your observations and specific questions for the discussion. Don’t miss this opportunity to take away as much advice as possible from both an expert in the field and your colleagues during the workshop.
People who are already engaged in sustainability reporting at logistics and transport companies, or are just getting prepared, are invited to participate in the workshop. David Janků, a reporting consultant at Frank Bold Advisory, will lead you through the workshop and discussion in the role of moderator. As part of his regular consulting activities, he deals with the entire breadth of sustainability reporting, including the double materiality assessment, calculating the carbon footprint, and creating sustainability reports.
During the workshop, you will hear, among others, these short presentations, which will serve as a springboard for discussions in which you can actively participate:
Euromedia Group, whose business is publishing books and their B2B distribution, has built a new warehouse in Stochov, the core of which is the Autostore cubic storage system, which was supplied by Element Logic. At this moment, 65,000 plastic crates are stored in the technology, with the possibility of expansion up to 110,000 crates. There are 90 robots moving in the upper part of the grid, again with the possibility of adding another 30 robots. The total area of the new logistics solution is more than 10,500 square meters. In this way, the company solves not only its storage capacity, but also the speed of picking, which has an effect especially in the seasonal period. Jungheinrich mobile pallet racks, which, among other things, reduce unused space in the aisles, will provide additional space savings and speed up the picking of goods.
The excursion will be led by Kamil Kidoň, logistics director at Euromedia Group, and Jindřich Kadeřávek, managing director of Element Logic.
Visit details:
The new Amazon distribution center in Kojetín was conceived as a multi-story industrial building from the beginning. While the total area of the hall exceeds 187,000 m², the floor plan occupies only 51,000 m². Robotic units that transport mobile racks with goods on three floors help employees with their daily tasks. The entire building is then interwoven, and individual technologies are connected using conveyors, lifts, and sorters of various types.
The center primarily prepares, packages, and ships small items such as books, electronics, and consumer goods to customers. The building is one of the most environmentally friendly industrial buildings in the country. There is a photovoltaic power plant with a peak power of four megawatt hours on the roof, the building is not connected to gas pipelines and heat pumps are installed, and most of the material from the former brownfield was recycled and used for the new construction. Panattoni, which is one of the largest developers in the Czech Republic and in the world, was in charge of the development.
The excursion will be led by Michal Šmíd, the general manager of Amazon Czech Republic.
Details of the visit:
The company SIKO Koupelny a Kuchyně (SIKO Bath and Kitchen) is a family business that has grown from a small store in the village of Čimelice to a company with a turnover of more than 5 billion CZK, operating 51 stores in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and selling goods throughout Europe. Today, it is also the majority owner of Livea, which sells bathroom products in France, and SAT, which owns several unique patents and manufactures a wide range of bathroom products. During the excursion you will be introduced to:
The visit will also include a tour of the company’s warehouse, shop, and museum.
The tour will be led by Pavel Hampejs, the company’s supply chain director.
Excursion details:
The warehouse operation of the dm drogerie chain recently moved into the new building DC2 in Prologis Park Prague D1 Ostředek. Part of the hall in Ostředek is an automatic packaging line with a roller track for packing pallets and gluing labels. The new DC covers an area of more than 21,000 square meters, the hall uses energy from heat pumps, and the building is independent of gas supplies. The premises are also ready for the installation of a photovoltaic power plant. During the excursion, participants will learn about the process of relocating the warehouse, which lasted from July 2023 (the signing of the lease agreement) to March 4, 2024 (first shipment), but above all they will get to know all the processes, technologies, and features of the logistics hall. Products from the categories paper, hygiene, diapers, cleaners, and detergents are sent from the new warehouse, while products from the beverages, food, and baby nutrition segments will be moved here from Jihlava.
The excursion will be led by Jan Badalík, head of the warehouse processes and dispatch department at dm drogerie markt.
Details of the visit:
