At the beginning of the week, the "(Textile) Logistics Forum" took place in Mönchengladbach. The professional audience from the logistics industry was offered valuable insights into current developments and trends. The event took place for the first time in the Hugo Junkers Hangar. More than 100 registered participants and eight exhibitors in the accompanying exhibition met to exchange ideas on innovative projects in textile logistics and sustainability in logistics construction. The agenda of the (textile) logistics forum, which was organized by LOG4MG - Logistikinitiative Mönchengladbach in cooperation with the Center Textillogistik (CTL) and BVL - Bundesvereinigung Logistik, offered a wide range of topics and speakers.
The event began with a welcome address by Dr. Ulrich Schückhaus, Chairman of the Management Board of WFMG - Wirtschaftsförderung Mönchengladbach GmbH, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Markus Muschkiet, Professor of Textile Logistics at the Center Textillogistik, and Peter Bimmermann, Regional Group Spokesman of BVL and Managing Director of AutoStore Systems. In their opening remarks, they emphasized the transformation of the industry at the site and provided insight into current research fields.
A key learning of the (Textile) Logistics Forum was the growing importance of sustainability in the development of logistics real estate. Participants recognized that combining different uses plays a crucial role in creating sustainable and efficient solutions. This approach makes it possible to make optimal use of land, a scarce resource, while at the same time achieving economic benefits. The energy use of existing real estate was also considered with the "Power of Logistics" initiative. Experts Tim Beckmann (Intospace), Philipp Sonneck (Delta Development), Peter Küsters (Greenpass) and Tilo Nahrath (spokesman for BVL's Power of Logistics theme) took the stage with inspiring keynotes.
Another key learning was in the area of textile logistics. There is considerable need for research and development to meet current challenges such as the circular economy. The creation of a close ecosystem of universities, affiliated institutes, established companies and start-ups was seen as essential to develop innovative solutions and pragmatically drive current challenges forward with concrete projects.
To this end, experts Prof. Dr. Markus Muschkiet, Sabrina Mauter, Natalie Fohrer (all CTL), Andreas Gade and Dr. Maximilian Austerjost (both Fraunhofer IML) as well as Rainer Mantsch and Dr. Sascha Feldhorst were on stage in pitch formats and a discussion panel.
Prof. Dr. Markus Muschkiet: "As a partner in the field of application-oriented research and development, our Center Textile Logistics offers a wide range of solutions to meet the current challenges. In partnership with the Fraunhofer IML in Dortmund, a real specialisation with a profile has been created in Mönchengladbach. The insight into the current, scientific work also shows the diversity that is inherent in textile logistics."
