The international CeMAT Port Forum, which covers current challenges and developments in the port sector, is back again at this year’s CeMAT intralogistics show in Hannover on June 2. Themed “Seaports as Opportunities for Logistics Chain Optimization”, the forum will feature high-power speakers from government, port companies and port customers.
The keynote topics for discussion include shippers’ rising expectations of the quality and punctuality of international and intermodal logistics chains and the growing capacity shortages in hinterland infrastructure. Intralogistics topics will also be on the agenda. For their part, port operators are increasingly meeting these challenges through ongoing investment in modern handling, warehousing and IT technology.
The growing importance of IT in port logistics is sure to make the new Logistics IT showcase a major highlight of this year’s CeMAT. For example, the increasing use of eco-friendly modes of transport such as rail and inland shipping to link seaports with hinterland nodes requires sophisticated software and control systems for the efficient management and scheduling of operations across all the ports in the chain.
The speaker list includes representatives from Europe’s big sea ports and terminal operators, as well as from inland shipping companies and providers of inland transport logistics services. Commercial and industrial customers of these ports, terminals and services will also use the Forum to communicate their requirements in terms of port efficiency.
The CeMAT Port Forum program will be rounded out with a series of discussion panels on options for port optimization and anticipated future port development requirements.