The International Logistics Exhibition (SIL) was born in 1998 with a small symposium at the Llotja de Mar. After this first time, the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona (CZFB) took it to Fira de Barcelona, occupying 5,000 square meters. As the general director of SIL, Blanca Sorigué, recalls, the sector has changed a lot since the first meetings 25 years ago, where shelves and forklifts were exhibited. "It has survived many very difficult situations and challenges," added Sorigué, who has participated in its organization since the first year and remembers anecdotes such as that at the Llotja meeting, the president of Mercadona, Juan Roig, was present, assuring that he would not subcontract logistics as others advocated at the time.
Logistics has transformed and adapted to new trends, "and without stopping functioning," remarks the special delegate of the State in the CZFB, Pere Navarro, highlighting the essential nature for daily life of a sector that represents 10% of GDP and generates jobs that are not delocalized. "We are the sector that makes things happen," added Sorigué, taking the opportunity to present the slogan of the edition that begins next week.
In this 25th anniversary, the CZFBalready has 14,000 registered visitors and expects to reach more than 20,000, above the 12,000 of last year. Visitors are expected to come from 91 different countries, with a special presence of professionals from Latin America, Europe, North Africa and Southeast Asia. From June 7 to 9, the show will occupy pavilion 8 of Fira Montjuïc with 650 exhibiting companies, 40% international, and 250 events will be organized.In addition, 150 innovations will be presented, some will be world premieres, with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI), real-time information transmission, emissions measurement, and apps for last-mile vehicles. The stands will combinewith a conference program that will feature more than 400 speakers, with more than 140 sessions that will address areas such as the supply chain, e-commerce, innovation, or sustainability. As every year, there will be an invited autonomous community and this time it will be Euskadi, after in previous editions it was Extremadura and Aragón. On the other hand, on the occasion of its 25th anniversary, the event will host various international congresses, such as theMedalogistics Summit, focused on the logistics and transport of the Mediterranean; the Eurolog, with a focus on logistics in Europe; the congressALACAT, the largest in the Latin American sector, and theCSCMP European Conference & European Research Seminar, organized by the largest international entity in the supply chain sector. The CZFB has quantified the economic impact that this edition of the SIL will have at 40 million euros,a figure that amounts to 500 million euros if all the years it has been carried out are added up. Likewise, over all these years, more than 10,000 companies from 150 countries have passed through its stands and aisles, and 25,000 contacts have been generated. "If we have had the presence of all these countries over these years, it is very difficult to calculate what economic impact Barcelona's capital status has in the field of logistics, but, without a doubt, it is enormous," defended the special delegate of the State in the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona (CZFB), Pere Navarro, "SIL is the America's Cup of logistics but it is always held in Barcelona."