Nov. 22. Smart Logistics is aimed at logistics and IT professionals working in the supply chain who are looking for innovations...
Smart Logistics
During the Smart Logistics event on Nov. 22, seventy-five logistics managers, warehouse managers and supply chain professionals from the Netherlands and Belgium interacted with each other to discuss the continuous stream of technological developments in the logistics sector. There seem to be endless possibilities, but which innovations are permanent and when should you get in? The motto “The future of logistics starts today” emphasizes the importance of thinking ahead. Several speakers discussed the future of the industry and the three main highlights were: think big, start small and scale fast to be successful. Successful innovation goes far beyond just a good idea, and a great future is expected for voice technology.
Who attends Smart Logistics?
- Logistics managers
- Supply chain managers
- IT (project) managers
- Logistics staff
- Executive board, CEO and general management
- IT consultants and advisors
Dealing with digitization
Jeroen van den Berg, a logistics consultant and trend watcher, addressed the critical issue: digitization offers logistics many new opportunities, but entrepreneurs do not know how to address them. His advice is to think big, start small and scale up quickly, an approach he sees reflected in the most successful companies such as Google and Airbnb. These companies had a clear idea: we can do something in a different way than usual, and this approach is universally applicable (thinking big). They just got down to business without extensive research or lengthy thinking (starting small). Then they adjusted quickly when something didn’t work and scaled up at lightning speed when the basics were in place (scaling up quickly). Van den Berg believes this approach also applies to innovations within logistics.
Idea is only 5% of a successful innovation
Jonas van Stekelenburg, former Director of Cargo at Royal Schiphol Group, emphasized the importance of a good team and stated that the idea itself only accounts for 5% of a successful innovation. It’s mostly about execution. A bad idea with a good team is more valuable than a good idea with a bad idea.
Big future for voice technology
Participants
About Smart Logistics
The Smart Logistics event was created by CaptureTech, Honeywell, Logistiek.nl and Value Chain, with the goal of bringing logistics, warehouse and supply chain managers together to engage in a conversation about the future of logistics. Through client cases, best practices and visions, the most important developments in the market were discussed, with the goal of learning and growing from each other.