World-class logistics. On a serious note – a presentation of equipment, infrastructure, and software, and on a lighter note – sand forklifts, performances, and parties. The CeMAT 2008 World Fair for Intralogistics took place in Hanover, Germany.
Annual turnover of 836 billion euros makes the logistics industry the third-largest industrial sector in Europe. This is largely due to intralogistics – in recent years, this sector has seen growth dynamics of over ten percent, while for logistics as a whole, it did not exceed 10%. Intralogistics contributes to the development of the entire transport industry through investments in modern systems and innovative technological solutions.
CeMAT – the World Fair for Intralogistics – is the most important forum for this industry and a meeting platform for the biggest players on the market. This year’s edition of the event took place from May 27 to 31, 2008, in Hanover. It was attended by 1,100 exhibitors who presented their offerings on 80,000 square meters of exhibition space. This represents a growth of over ten percent compared to the event held in 2005. The growth dynamics of the event’s scale thus reflect the high growth dynamics of the industry itself. More than half of all exhibitors were foreign companies, for whom participation in CeMAT 2008 is an opportunity to present their offerings to an international audience.
Main thematic areas of the fair:
Horizontal transport equipment, high-lift forklifts, and internal transport devices were at the center of attention at this year’s intralogistics fair. Almost all global market leaders dealing with such solutions appeared in Hanover. In addition to decentralized IT technologies supporting internal material flow and the creation of intralogistics networks, one of the central themes of the event was also the trend toward using environmentally friendly solutions – visible especially in the market for horizontal transport equipment. Economical hybrid drives, low-emission engines, as well as solutions requiring low maintenance and technologies reducing material consumption were found in the offerings of most suppliers present at the fair.
Also in the spotlight at CeMAT were:
– integrated transport systems
– warehouse systems
– cabinets and product storage systems
– IT solutions dedicated to companies in the logistics industry
– WLAN networks in the service of intralogistics
Job and Career Fair and the CeMAT International Forum
A novelty at the fair was the job and career fair. Visiting WSL students thus had access to offers for internships, apprenticeships, jobs, and professional development. Representatives of companies, recruitment agencies, universities, training companies, and temporary employment agencies provided information on jobs and available higher and postgraduate education paths.
Another novelty of this year’s fair was the organization of the CeMAT International Forum. Every day, lectures on various fields were held in one of the halls, and their topics included, among others, the development prospects of the logistics sector in Central and Eastern European countries. Tomasz Janiak from the Institute of Logistics and Warehousing shone here, as he had a presentation at the forum. He presented the results of a report on the state of logistics in Poland. He focused on the growing importance of logistics services and the attractiveness of the market for foreign investors. It turned out that Poland’s potential is growing in the face of European logistics development. The CeMAT Forum was organized in cooperation with Logistyka Magazine – the only Polish media partner of CeMAT 2008.
Trip with WSL
The fair takes place every 3 years. The initiator of the trips from WSL is the Institute of Logistics and Warehousing, the founder of the university. Several ILiM employees, WSL teachers, teachers from logistics high schools cooperating with WSL, and over twenty students set off for the fair from Poznań. Artur Olejniczak, an employee of our editorial office, looked after the order and atmosphere of the trip.
The trip participants could see the latest logistics solutions with their own eyes. They had the opportunity to establish their own contacts and see how a world-class event is organized. Beyond presenting their solutions, exhibitors invited guests to refreshments, parties, and also used non-standard forms of promotion, e.g., building forklifts out of sand.
– I went to the fair to see how companies and solutions in the field of RFID are presented, as I am already professionally involved in this – says Małgorzata Korczak, a WSL student.
– There is a very large number of exhibitors and equipment not commonly seen in Poland – says Elżbieta Piotrowska, a teacher from Gdańsk participating in the trip. – I can also peek at modern presentation techniques. The whole trip is perfectly organized and substantively attractive, as it enriches my knowledge, which I will be able to use later in teaching.
– We have organized the trip for the second time – says Wojciech Zalewski, WSL press spokesperson. – It enjoys very great interest, and we will certainly repeat it. Especially since the Germans are waiting for our students with open arms. In 2011, we will appear here again. This fair is like all-inclusive in tourism – visitors find everything here that is related to logistics before they even think about it.