8TH INTERNATIONAL LOGISTICS & TRANSPORT EVENT
Between April 6 and 8, 2005, the 8th international logistics and transport event EASTLOG 2005 was conducted in the Diplomat Hotel in Prague, Czech Republic. The forum was a unique opportunity to strengthen contacts, share experiences and views, and learn about the latest trends in logistics.
The organizer ATOZ EVENT, s.r.o. prepared a nice three-day program offering the professional insight and information for developers, sponsors, supply chain managers, and experts in forwarding, warehousing, distribution or information technologies. Apart from numerous lectures at the conference and workshops, the participants could visit the fair, the logistics providers’ forum, the expert workshops CzechTrade and SAP Czech Republic, main logistic centers, or spend a nice evening at the business mixer in the National Technical Museum.
Among the most attractive features of the program there were several parallel conferences and workshops aimed at current information at the logistic market. The conference was started by the Ministry of Transport of the Czech Republic, together with Jitka Hanzlíčková of CzechTrade, and Jan Rančák of CzechInvest. After the opening conference, the panel discussion “Outsourcing vs. in-sourcing, or How to find the best logistics solution” followed, attended e.g. by Zdeněk Kašpar (Kimberly-Clark), Lucie Kučerová (Optimum Distribution), Václav Procházka (BILLA), or Viktor Hradil (AHOLD Czech Republic). The afternoon conference aimed at logistic parks and developer trends, and also at the insurance and funding of logistics centers. Discussed was e.g. the centralized distribution to the Central European countries presented by Mr. Sean Feeney of Electro World, another topic was “How can your own logistics solution in the Central Europe become a good investment”, attended by Karel Stránský (Colliers International) or Remon L. Vos (CTP Invest).
The second day of the forum was very businesslike, the participants could choose from three parallel workshops. The discussion focused of RFID issues introduced specific experiences, pilot projects, and real-life examples of this topical technology. In addition to the case study of the Metro retail chain and the European adoption program EPC, the workshop included the very attractive panel discussion “Is RFID the technology of the distant future, or tomorrow’s issue?” attended by Paul Aspden (Symbol Technologies), Tony Taylor (EPC Global) or Klaus Vogell (GS1 Germany).
The second workshop aimed at current projects in supply chain management introduced several interesting concepts, for example the supply chain differentiation (Wojciech Weiss, Groenewount International), SCM and its impact on corporate processes (Martin Kiaba, Heineken Slovakia) or solutions in the after sales logistics in the hi-tech industry (Bernard Machovič, DHL Logistics).
Also the third workshop, focused on the logistics-related equipment (modern forwarding warehouse DC OLMA Olomouc, automated warehouses in KNAPP style, and solution of the logistics center Jednota Opava) and human resources in logistics, attracted many participants, who asked numerous
questions at the end of the workshop. The participants learned new information related to motivation programs, recruitment, HR management, or labor market in the Czech Republic, and saw real-life examples of the training programs for drivers and warehouse operators.
Interesting was also the specialized exhibition open to the public, presenting a wide range of logistics services, products and solutions. Among the exhibitors at EASTLOG 2005, there were renowned companies such as Schoeller Arca Systems, BT Czech Republic, Četrans, Czech Railways Cargo, DHL, EXEL, FM Logistic, GEFCO, ICZ, IF, KNAPP, SAP, SSI Schäfer, STOW, Teleroute etc. The supporting program was also interesting, as it included presentations of exhibitors via seminars (Logistics Providers Forum), the seminar of SAP Czech Republic, and the expert workshop CzechTrade. The latter introduced the activities of the CzechTrade Export Club and Czech ITC Aliance, as well as the export opportunities for the Czech companies in the Western Europe (case studies of Hamburg and Rotterdam harbors).
The participants could enjoy the unforgettable atmosphere at the EASTLOG business mixer, which was another interesting point of the program, organized in the National Technical Museum in Prague. The VIP logistic evening hosted over 220 guests, offering attractive program of competitions and entertainment.
The popular visit to the significant logistics centers was planned for the last day. Together with the organizer, the participants visited DC Delvita, the pharmaceutical wholesale warehouse Alliance Unichem, central loading bay of PPL CZ, central warehouse of UTC, warehousing area of BT Czech Republic and the terminal of Czech Airlines CARGO.
The EASTLOG forum also attracted a lot of sponsors. The golden sponsors were the leading material handling supplier BT Czech Republic, and GEFCO Czech Republic, the company that provides full logistics services for, among other clients, the TPCA plant in Kolín / Czech Republic. Scania Czech Republic, D.H.S. and Psion Teklogix were silver sponsors. The Barco company provided the mobile internet solution for all participants.
EASTLOG 2005 hosted 45 exhibitors, 180 conference participants, and over 400 fair visitors. In total, over 700 experts in logistics from the Czech Republic and other European countries attended the event. Among participating countries, there were, for example, Slovakia, Poland, Austria, the Netherlands or United Kingdom.