Barcelona-Catalunya Center Logístic (BCL) and T-Systems organized the first edition of the “Summer Digital Logistics: Innovation & Challenges”held on Thursday July 14 at the T-Systems Innovation Center in Barcelona.
This conference served to raise awareness of the technologies that are driving the transformation of logistics processes and business models, as well as ways to integrate new technologies and innovative management and control solutions into organizations.
Santiago Garcia Milà, Deputy General Manager of the Port of Barcelona, Osmar Polo, General Manager of T-Systems ITC Iberia SAU, and Ramón Santalucía, who represented the General Manager of BCL, Santiago Bassols, welcomed the approximately 50 participants.
Santiago Garcia-Milà highlighted the importance of digitization processes and the implementation of technologies
Referring to the challenges that the logistics sector is currently facing, Santiago Garcia-Milà underlined that predictability is essential to be able to face the disruptions that occur in international trade.
By way of example, he explained that the reliability of calls at the port of Barcelona has fallen from 80% three years ago to 30% today, due to the many disruptions that have occurred not only in the market for shipping, but also economically and socially.
For this reason, and to respond to these challenges faced by ports and the logistics sector, digitalization processes and the implementation of technologies are essential, since they are tools of predictability that help to know what can to arrive.
For Osmar Polo, another of the great challenges is how to integrate technology into logistics processes in order to manage more efficient and sustainable supply chains. Similarly, the integration of innovation in logistics can only be conceived and materialized through close collaboration between operators and solution developers.
Then, various professionals from T-Systems intervened to present the main technological solutions that the company develops and which can contribute to improving the management, control and security of logistics processes.
Eva Pueyo, collaborator of T-Systems ITC Iberia SAU, explained how technology and digitization processes can respond to the current challenges of logistics management, which are essentially great flexibility in production processes, the possibility of accessing a globalized market, a fast offer because the customer demands immediate deliveries and to be sustainable, both economically and environmentally.
In this sense, the T-Systems Digital Supply Chain platform offers technical and functional coverage, provides a complete and online view of the entire supply chain and offers the data needed to make the right early decisions.
Emma Galindo, Head Advance Analytics & Artificial Intelligence at T-Systems ITC Iberia SAU, unveiled the company’s Data Intelligence Hub, a tool that helps create value from data.
It is an innovative platform that allows the exchange, processing and analysis of data in a secure and efficient way. Thanks to machine learning and artificial intelligence, Data Intelligence Center it acts as an interface and facilitates effective linking and interaction of providers and users of all data, keeping control over data usage, optimizing process chains and increasing added value.
Anna Escamilla, Smart Cities & IoT Solution Design at T-Systems ITC Iberia SAU, spoke about Syrah, an advanced dashboard that helps companies achieve their 2030 Agenda goals and commitments and allows them to visualize the status , monitoring and progress of the SDGs.
Syrah collects information from a multitude of sources, both internal and external, and provides sustainability and CSR strategy managers with information on how the various strategies and tactics related to each SDG are being met and which ones need to be reviewed or modified depending on whether a change occurs.
This tool is the first standardized solution that combines a technological platform with consulting services.
Alberto Moleiro, T-Systems ITC Iberia SAU, Ideation&Co-Creation, spoke about the new paradigms faced by companies, which must organize themselves in a changing economic, social and technological environment and, moreover, must be organizations of reference in their market, Dynamic and customer-oriented. To meet these challenges, digital transformation is essential, which is a journey without return, but also a journey without a destination.
In this sense, T-Systems’ proposal to face digital transformation with guarantees is based on four axes: validation of strategy and tactics in a short period of time, communication of strategy at all levels of organizing, building and testing easily scalable prototypes in a modular environment, and empowering and training employees to drive digital transformation.
Subsequently, the first round table on the “Digitalization of port logistics” was held, in which participated: George MorenoCommercial Director at Hutchison Ports BEST; Javier Gallardo, CEO of Portic, and Denisa Gibovic, of Blue Room Innovation. Coordinate the discussion table Emma Cobos, Director of Innovation and Business Strategy of the Port of Barcelona, who explained the strategic objectives of this infrastructure that go through economic, environmental and social sustainability. In addition, the port has developed an innovation hub with the mission of being a reference in the blue economy.
He also pointed out that, although the city of Barcelona is becoming a reference in terms of innovation, its logistics, maritime and port sector is not yet innovative because there is no investment in the field of innovation. For this reason, we need to start taking advantage of the opportunities and tools that already exist in the market to increase the level of innovation in the supply chain.
Jorge Moreno explained the characteristics of the BEST Container Terminal in the Port of Barcelona, which has a team dedicated to innovation that is constantly working on different drivers such as data availability, interconnectivity with all parts of the chain logistics, digitization of processes, data forecasting and sustainability. For BEST, the permanent digital transformation is what allows us to obtain cost savings and, in addition, to bring the necessary fluidity to the supply chains.
Javier Gallardo explained the design of the Port Community System (PCS), platforms that connect the various links in the supply chains and allow them to interact and exchange documents and orders that streamline operations.
In the case of Portic, which has led technological change in the Port of Barcelona, existing standards are used but adapted to the needs of its logistics community and ongoing support is also offered so that companies can manage change and implement the use of various technologies.
On the other hand, despite the fact that there has been a profound evolution and integration of new tools, some challenges remain to be met, such as the digitization of other means of transport (road and rail) and transport documents (BL , CMR), visibility and traceability of the end-to-end chain, the creation of global standards, cybersecurity or the use of artificial intelligence, visual recognition, the Internet of Things (IoT), sensorization or digital twins for greater predictability and better supply chain management.
Denisa Gibovic spoke about the circular economy applied in ports, explaining the Blue Room Innovation initiative that gives circularity and the recovery of waste from port areas, using blockchain technology for this.
At present, a pilot test has already been carried out with the ports of the Balearic Islands, where the waste is registered, collected and treated from the arrival of the ship at the port until its subsequent treatment at the recycling plant.
Then, the second round table on “The digitalization of logistics in other sectors” began, with the participation of Jorge Roig, Head of Outbound Supply Chain at Seat; Cristina Martín, CEO of Usyncro, and Albert Fayos, from Portel. The round table was coordinated by Ramón García, General Manager of CEL.
Jorge Roig explained the implementation at SEAT of the Supply Chain Control Tower, a strategic digitization project within the company that allows to combine customer orientation with an end-to-end digital chain, generating visibility, traceability and security.
Cristina Martín explained Usyncro, an open, independent, collaborative, global and interoperable platform. It is a tool that gives visibility and security to the end-to-end supply chain and which, in addition, thanks to the blockchain and artificial intelligence, allows to anticipate certain incidents and greater predictability. of the supply chain.
Albert Fayos explained Vellore, a Cargo Community System promoted by Aena which can be used by all the links involved in the transport of air cargo and which allows to speed up the processes of the entire air supply chain because the system connects the handling agents , freight forwarders, transport companies, carriers and drivers, in addition to public administration such as Aena and Customs. At first, import processes have started, speeding up air freight collection processes and avoiding the use of paper.
Responding to a question from the moderator on accessibility to new technologies, the three speakers agreed to stress that not all companies are in the same economic situation to be able to set up these new digital tools, even if they also wanted to point out that any organization, no matter what size No matter what it is, you can certainly take innovative action and start with it your way to the digitization of your processes.