The participants of the Championship were faced with two tasks. The first was to act as a freight forwarding and transport company, and the second was to design a supply chain for a client in the food industry.
– We wanted both cases to reflect reality as much as possible – said the organizers. – That is why we introduced a common database of transport orders, to which all teams had simultaneous access and from which they could snatch the most profitable freights from each other. We also managed to force the participants into a stressful situation by unexpectedly shortening the working time. We wanted to see how they would behave when everything falls apart. Such instinctive, quick decision-making will be highly valued in their future work.
The teams that took up the challenge of the Championship were: the Logistics and Quality Student Research Group from the University of Bielsko-Biała, the “Logistics” Student Research Group from the Poznań University of Technology, the Logistics and Transport Student Research Group from the Maritime University of Szczecin, the “TILOG” Student Research Group from the Cracow University of Technology, the “Dialog” Logistics Student Research Group from the K. Adamiecki University of Economics in Katowice, the “InnTrans” Student Research Group from the Technical University of Szczecin, and the “AELOGIC” Student Research Group from the Poznań University of Economics.
The representatives of the Poznań University of Economics won, the Cracow University of Technology came second, and the Poznań University of Technology came third. During the award ceremony, Grzegorz Zakrzewski, HR Director at Wincanton, said: – It is an honor for us to sponsor an event that allows for the development of young talents and the education of future specialists of the future workforce, and events such as the Warsaw Logistics Championship create excellent opportunities for both potential employees and the future employer. These competitions provided an opportunity to assess the predispositions of future logistics staff in conditions as close to natural as possible.
When asked for his opinion, Piotr Lachowski from C.H. Robinson stated: – Finally, practical competitions for young logisticians who are just learning the secrets of the TSL industry have taken place in Warsaw. I think it is a great idea that should be continued, and in the case of companies in the industry – definitely supported. The situation on the labor market is getting worse for employers, so acquiring young, dynamic, and open-minded people is in their interest.
– The championship was organized in a professional and thoughtful manner. I rate the substantive preparation of the tasks presented for the students to work on very highly. I also liked the preparation of materials, rooms, and the schedule of activities. The large presence of representatives from various universities proved a great interest, which indicates the validity of such events for the future. – added Rafał Szumski from DHL Express. – The championship provides a great opportunity to get to know the current level of students’ knowledge and is a good place to look at potential future staff for TSL industry companies. I congratulate the organizers, sponsors, and above all the winners, although in fact, congratulations are due to all participants, because the tasks to be developed were not easy, but graduates will encounter such tasks in their daily future work.