The German Logistics Congress Opens Today as a Live Event

The German Logistics Congress 2021 of the Federal Association for Logistics (BVL) has opened – as an in-person event in Berlin and as a streaming event online. Until Friday, around 1,200 participants will discuss current trends and challenges in logistics and supply chain management at the InterContinental Hotel, as well as an expected over 2,000 online viewers, under the motto “Seizing Opportunities – Adapt to Lead.”

(Bremen/Berlin) The topics of the program are rather future-oriented, but the current challenges in the economic sector are naturally reflected in the congress’s content – interruptions in supply chains, shortages of certain materials and spare parts, as well as the shortage of skilled workers.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Wimmer, Chairman of the BVL: “In recent weeks, headlines about supply bottlenecks and interruptions in supply chains have increased. Will our shelves be empty by Christmas? We do not believe so. From our members in retail, we hear that there will likely not be significant bottlenecks. In industry, the situation is more difficult. There are increasingly components or products that cannot be delivered on time. However, with few exceptions, it is not expected that entire product groups will be missing.

The congress remains a platform for intensive exchange of knowledge, opinions, and experiences. Gathering personal impressions, making deductions for one’s own area of responsibility: How do we act in times of change when election results call for changes? How do we deal with material shortages, rising costs, uneven competition, and inflation fears? What is the ‘License to Operate’ in logistics? Our economic sector is part of society. We accept the challenges. We bring concrete solutions to the table.”

Economic Development: Significant Growth Expected

The data from the logistics indicator for September, compiled by the ifo Institute for the BVL, shows: The mood in logistics has dampened for the third consecutive time. Although the climate indicator has slightly decreased, it still remains above the normal level. Many companies continue to be satisfied with their current business situation. However, they are looking at the coming months with more skepticism.

The TOP 100 study by the Fraunhofer Working Group for Supply Chain Services (SCS) on Europe has just been released, along with the logistics experts’ forecast from their autumn summit: The decline in the logistics sector in 2020 was significantly lower than previously feared, at minus 2%. For 2021, a growth of 3% in Europe and 5% in Germany is expected, with growth in Germany for 2022 projected between 5.2% and 5.8%.

Photo: © BVL / Image caption: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Wimmer during the opening speech