Resilience is currently omnipresent in many areas of everyday life. But it is also increasingly becoming the focus of attention for a diverse range of industries or politics. That’s one of the reasons why it will be high up on the agenda in the conference program for transport logistic, being held from 9th May to 12th May 2023 at the exhibition grounds at transport logistic in Munich. The German Logistics Association (BVL) will be organising an expert forum on the issue and has published a white paper ahead of transport logistic.

More resilient value chains are in demand

The logistics industry faces the challenging task of creating more resilient value chains that satisfy the basic conditions of the VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) and BANI (brittle, anxious, nonlinear, incomprehensible) world. Just a few years ago, the focus in planning value chains was still on the lean concept.

Today, alongside minimising costs, delivery capability needs to play a greater role in the planning, while at the same time calculating risks along the value chains. That makes the planning more complex and hence also the methods and tools that are used.

Study points out potential for optimization

The authors Dr. Martin Schwemmer, Managing Director of the BVL, and Saskia Sardesai, deputy department head of Supply Chain Engineering at Fraunhofer IML, classify the situation and the latest developments. On that basis they specify potential strategies for how companies can make their value chains more resilient. Accordingly, cost accounting, procurement, IT and digital infrastructure, and collaboration beyond company boundaries are the main areas that offer potential.

Conference program focusing on resilience

The BVL session during transport logistic on “The Influence of Geopolitics on your Supply Chain – Current Classification and Outlook” (May 9, 1 to 2 p.m., Forum Hall B2) will explore this and other aspects. It will be hosted by Dr. Tilo Bobel, Global Head of Continuous Improvement, Lean and Automation at A.P. Moeller Maersk. The speakers will be Dr. Udo Lange, President and CEO of FedEx Logistics Memphis, Andreas Schulz, Head of Main Department at TRUMPF Werkzeugmaschinen, Thomas Heck, Partner and Head of the China Business Group in Germany & Europe at PwC, and Wolfram Senger-Weiss, CEO at Gebrüder Weiss.