VNL Switzerland Discusses Value Creation Systems in Pandemic Times

The 7th Swiss Logistics Innovation Day 2020 of the Association Network Logistics (VNL) Switzerland was themed ‘Value Creation Systems in and after the Pandemic: Resilient – Transparent – Sustainable’. Various presentations and workshops were held. The event took place as an in-person event at the Umweltarena in Spreitenbach.

(Spreitenbach) What does the future look like – definitely different! The 7th Swiss Logistics Innovation Day of the Association Network Logistics (VNL) Switzerland on September 14, 2020, at the Umweltarena in Spreitenbach focused on trends in logistics and the impacts of climate change, COVID-19, and digitalization on value creation structures.

“This event brings together experts from business and science every year to develop visions for the future of supply chain management. New environmental and energy laws, Covid-19, and the ongoing digitalization pose significant challenges for companies. The urgency for change is increasing. I am convinced that the future will not just be a continuation, a continuous evolution. Rather, the future will look very different from what we can imagine today,” said VNL President Prof. Dr. Herbert Ruile.

Emission-Free

Despite Corona and the economic crisis, the pressure on companies to take measures that bring them closer to the goal of emission-free logistics by 2050 is increasing. The Alliance for Logistics Innovation through Collaboration in Europe (ALICE) offers valuable support here but is still looking for partners.

Francois Regis Le Tourneau, ALICE Chair & Corporate Supply Chain Standards & Prospective Director at L’Oreal, joined online from Paris to briefly explain L’Oreal’s sustainability goals. The company is one of the 140 members of ALICE. They aim to develop medium- and long-term visions for sustainable logistics, corresponding EU research programs, and various R&I projects.

Green Electricity

Contrary to the desire for more sustainability and less energy consumption, the need for mobility in the private sector and freight transport will continue to rise, believes Adrian Wachholz, Head of eMobility Market Switzerland at ABB Schweiz AG. Only more efficient drive technology can provide relief. Solar energy offers high well-to-wheel efficiency. Nevertheless, electric battery vehicles still play a marginal role in Swiss goods and passenger transport. Intelligent solutions are still needed to avoid infrastructure bottlenecks in fine distribution and predictable demand fluctuations for greater acceptance.

Smart Supply Chains

After the keynote speeches, five short impulse presentations followed, providing food for thought for the afternoon’s think tanks. For decades, supply chain managers have fought for more process transparency – from raw material suppliers to end customers. Many hopes are linked to digitalization. Countless solutions create at least partial transparency. Among these is Kizy Tracking, presented by Bertrand Späth, Co-Founder and Head of Sales & Business Development.

Christoph Loy, Supply Chain Project Manager at Burckhardt Compression AG, explained the intelligent goods flow collaboration system implemented at the piston compressor manufacturer. This has proven effective during the Corona times and significantly expanded the company’s decision-making and action scope.

Fabian Leuthold from the University of St. Gallen explained how mathematical models developed by the FHA sustainably support Leica Geosystems in the product phase-out of optical components and optimize processes.

This good example of fruitful collaboration between business and universities was complemented by Professor Ralph Lehmann from the University of Applied Sciences Graubünden. He oversees the Innosuisse project iBERMA, which has examined the procurement risks of Swiss companies and the resulting damages. It was shown that the greatest risk comes from mostly unknown sub-suppliers. The project aims to develop a process manual for a systematic, IT-supported risk management in procurement, especially for SMEs.

The logistics market study Switzerland 2020, presented by Marco da Forno, Management Consultant at GS1 Switzerland, also deals with the future.

VNL Think Tank

After lunch, the VNL think tank started with Burckhardt Compression, ABB Schweiz AG, and Logistikum Schweiz GmbH as topic providers. In two sessions, ideas were developed, prioritized, and models were created. The focus was primarily on decarbonization, the McDonald’s model, and transparency. Finally, the results were presented in the plenary session. Based on participant and client voting, topics were then determined that should be pursued and deepened in the future.

The 7th Swiss Logistics Innovation Day was an exciting event with presentations on current topics in logistics: transparency, emission reduction, and responsiveness to procurement disruptions and demand fluctuations on an unprecedented scale. The live event offered a long-missed exchange of experiences with experts from logistics, research, and technology, inspiration, implementation ideas, and various opportunities to expand and maintain one’s own network. The Umweltarena in Spreitenbach, with its climate protection and CO₂ compensation examples on several floors, provided the ideal setting.

Photo: © VNL / Caption: Prof. Dr. Herbert Ruile, President of VNL, welcomes participants to the 7th Swiss Logistics Innovation Day

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