The world of logistics is undergoing a rapid transformation. Automation and robotics bring unprecedented opportunities but also challenges – not only in terms of investment, return on investment and technology integration, but also in terms of safety, flexibility and the human factor. Mixing the right cocktail of automation, robotics and digitalization in warehouses and supply chains is simply alchemy. The panel discussion will bring together the experiences of technology experts, warehouse technology suppliers, developers and users themselves. Together, we will try to understand the alchemy of automation – so that it not only brings greater efficiency, but also real added value for the company and its customers.
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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.
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.
Supply chains are going through a turbulent period. Pressure to relocate production is growing, trade barriers are becoming the new normal and geopolitical factors are increasingly affecting logistics. Companies are rethinking strategies – seeking a balance between cost, raw material availability and security of supply, and sustainable growth. What factors are determining the direction of global and local supply chains? Are we witnessing a new balance of power in trade and manufacturing? Is the era of globalisation coming to an end? What are the realities of nearshoring and friendshoring? Why are trade barriers and tariffs rising? What determines the relocation of production? How are changes in consumer behaviour affecting firms’ production and logistics strategies? What is the prevailing sentiment among managers? What does the world economy expect in the coming years and how should the logistics sector prepare for it? The discussion will bring together the perspectives of economists, supply chain experts and company managers who are experiencing these changes on the ground.
For more information: Logistics Business Mixer
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:
In a world where logistics is defined by complexity and speed, the key to the future lies in the ingenious combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation. This keynote, based on real-world examples and practical insights, will show how AI and automation can be combined to achieve greater efficiency and adaptability. We will look at a wide range of technologies – from AI agents that dynamically control operational processes, to robotics, to computer vision that is changing the face of warehouses. We’ll focus not only on the current state of automation and the real benefits of AI, but also where the next evolution in logistics is headed.
The supply of technology, supplies and ingredients to the food industry has its own logistical specificities. In 2018, the family-owned company Maso-Profit decided to build an automated mini-warehouse in an old farmhouse in Hrdlořezie. The machine was put into live operation in 2020 and at that time it was the first installation of a Jungheinrich STC2B1A automatic stacker in the Czech Republic. The automatic stacker, which the company quickly came to call Robot Emil, allows employees to operate an entire warehouse with 2,500 crates and more than 10,000 types of goods. The modern intralogistics system also coped with the building’s original gabled roof and made it possible to use hard-to-reach areas. However, it soon became clear that the further development of intralogistics was complicated by the two-decade-old information system. And here begins the next chapter in the story of optimising logistics flows. Maso-Profit started to write it together with K2 atmitec.
Mondi Štětí, the largest paper mill in the Czech Republic, produces pulp and paper for packaging solutions, which it exports to 80 countries. It employs nearly 1,000 people and has recently completed an investment in a new paper machine, bringing it closer to its target of one million tonnes of products per year. As part of its efforts to make transport more environmentally friendly, it is working with LKW Walter to expand intermodal transport, which combines road and rail transport. This ensures a more efficient and sustainable distribution of products across Europe, reducing the carbon footprint and increasing delivery reliability. The collaboration demonstrates how long-term partnerships and advanced logistics solutions can help protect the environment and strengthen the sustainable development of the industry.
Lenzing Biocel Paskov, a company that produces viscose pulp, has decided to modernise its entry system by implementing the Welcomo self-service kiosk. A key element was the interconnection of the self-service kiosks with external systems (Cominfo access system, SAP and cameras for reading the RZ). The solution was tailored to the specific needs of Lenzing Biocel Paskov, with the main objective of increasing efficiency and convenience for all parties involved. The integration accelerated and simplified processes, replacing the administratively demanding entrance management. The result is smoother operation, increased safety and reduced operating costs. The case study shows how digitisation can take logistics operations to a new level and bring tangible benefits on the ground.
Česká zbrojovka, part of the Colt CZ Group, one of the world’s leading firearms manufacturers, has decided to optimise its logistics processes using the Time Slot Control cloud application. The goal was to eliminate bottlenecks in receiving and shipping, minimize downtime and spread out the work of warehouse operators and carriers. Thanks to the deployment of the booking system, the carriers deliver the vehicles at predetermined times, which reduces operating costs – from shift optimization to savings on the use of handling equipment and labor costs. Uncertainty in the supply of materials and the dispatch of finished products also decreases. Centralised records of vehicles entering the company’s premises increase security, visibility for all users involved and eliminate unnecessary email and telephone communication, and allow reporting on the utilisation of key resources and records of returnable packaging circulating between suppliers and the company itself. What other impacts has this change had on Česká zbrojovka’s operations?
Digitisation and automation are transforming the way freight transport is managed. How are companies adapting to new technologies and which innovations are bringing the greatest benefits? Are there barriers to the adoption of digitalisation and how to overcome them? The panel discussion following the Transport section will focus on practical experiences with the implementation of digital solutions. Experts and representatives of companies already using these systems will share their insights on how technology helps to reduce costs, optimise routes, increase transport efficiency and reduce environmental impact.
What are the main challenges of automation projects and what lessons can we learn from them? The panel discussion following the Intralogistics section will focus on sharing experiences with the implementation of advanced technologies in warehouses and manufacturing plants. Panelists from both suppliers and users of intralogistics solutions will share their insights from specific projects. How did they deal with the obstacles? How have they managed to align new warehouse technologies with existing processes and how have their logistics changed? They will discuss the return on investment and what strategies lead to seamless employee adoption of innovation.
