41-42/2019 Hold on to your hats!
The beginning of autumn also sees the start of the transport and logistics industry’s conference season. Early in October the global forwarders’ fraternity met up for Fiata’s World Congress in Cape Town; temperatures hovering around the 20°C mark will be sure to create a positive atmosphere for discussions.
It will be a little cooler weather-wise in Berlin, when the industry meets up in the German capital for that nation’s three-day logistics congress at the end of October – but not in terms of the ambience. Berlin’s autumn weather; the global economic outlook, which is cooling down somewhat at the moment; and the impact of the latter on the country’s third-most-important industry are sure to preoccupy the representatives of the ‘logistics world champion’ gathered there. The German Logistics Association BVL’s latest logistics indicator gives cause for concern. The industry’s present state, the business mood and its expectations of the future all seem to be pointing downwards; at least the general situation would currently appear to see continued expansion.
The causes of these developments are of a global nature, so even Germany’s logistics heavyweights can only counter them to a limited extent. The sector continues to observe the situation with a mixture of worry, helplessness and simultaneous self-confidence, built up over the past few years. We hope that the congress’s motto – “Inspire – Encourage – Act’ – strikes the right note of optimism.
The Germany Special in this issue show that country’s logistics industry certainly has some promising projects and courageous initiatives in its quiver. The port of Cuxhaven, for example, which is benefiting from growing Baltic Sea trade, or the Berlin-based logistician Zeitfracht, who may fly you to the moon in the future.
Whatever goes on in the industry in Germany is usually also of great interest in the rest of Central Europe. The concomitant Special in this issue makes it clear that the region stretching from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea has long graduated from being a mere supplier of urgently-needed lorry drivers.
Enjoy your read!
Marco Wölfli
Editor
