A robot prepares orders in a warehouse; an algorithm reorganizes delivery routes to avoid traffic jams; a digital platform connects transporters and companies, with cranes equipped with artificial vision, and AI running through it all. The logistics of the future is no longer looked at on the horizon, but is already palpable throughout the supply chain. Until Friday, all these technologies find a meeting point at the International Logistics Exhibition (SIL), consolidated as one of the main European showcases for the sector and the technology that transforms it, where one can discover the solutions that are already improving the present and that will mark the future.
The exhibition focuses on the main trends driving logistics, from AI to big data, the Internet of Things (IoT) and blockchain. It does so through 600 companies —with a third of them international—, 80 startups and more than 250 speakers. Through them, the exhibition will host the presentation of more than 160 exclusive global innovations, becoming a global launch platform for many companies throughout the chain involved in logistics, whether by sea, by road or to the doorstep. Organized by the Consorcio de la Zona Franca de Barcelona (CZFB), the exhibition is expected to have an economic impact of 50 million euros, although it extends beyond the event, hand in hand with ecosystems such as DFactory or the Logistics 4.0 Incubator.
The sea is precisely one of the main scenarios for the global logistics map, through entry (and exit) gates such as the Port of Barcelona. In this 28th edition of the fair (with the motto Smart solutions that move the world—, the Barcelona infrastructure looks towards the port of 2030, as a more sustainable, digitized, and interconnected logistics hub. In this journey, it does not move alone, but embedded in an ecosystem of multiple actors, among which, of course, shipping companies stand out. Grimaldi, along with its subsidiary Transmed, is one of them. From the company, Miguel Pardo certifies this moment of transformation in logistics, not only due to technology but also geopolitics: "Crises lead people to seek more security, and that usually translates into more proximity, and shorter supply chains." In this transformation, sustainability also represents an important trend: "There is environmental pressure in Europe that forces us to seek solutions to reduce CO2 emissions," also for the shipping company, which continues to bet on Barcelona and the facilities it has in the city, with improvements such as a photovoltaic plant that will be ready in autumn. Here too, to look towards sustainability.
In the logistics chain, after the sea, land usually comes, either by rail or by road. Solutions and proposals for both options fill the aisles of Pavilion 8 of the Montjuïc venue of Fira de Barcelona, with proposals ranging from intermodal equipment rental from companies such as the French Modalis and the German Kombiverkehr, to companies specialized in the transport of dangerous goods, such as the Andalusian Tian. And here emerge new proposals and startups like DGanywhere, a consultancy specialized in this segment. "We digitize all dangerous goods transport," highlights Gerard Moya, founder of the startup. He explains this from the stands of the CZFB's logistics incubator, located in DFactory, which promotes initiatives linked to logistics from all angles.
The role of conduits is not outside innovation; on the contrary, it is basic for the chain and a priority for companies. This importance translates into initiatives such as that of Pakengers, which "connects truckers with companies that need trucks," as Sebastian Rojas, from Pakengers, also highlights from the incubator. IA Drivers is another example, from another perspective: it focuses on the training of transporters, focusing "not on how to park or where to sleep, but on physical and mental health," as Rose Marie Redondo emphasizes from the project, which emerged in Italy from the hand of the company T&C Transporti, and now also in the CZFB incubator.
The logistics innovation ecosystem extends beyond the incubator, through the DFactory and its projection. This is reflected in the SIL, with companies such as ESTUN Robotics: the Chinese robotics giant has recently landed in Europe, from a factory in Poland and with offices precisely in the DFactory. With robots focused on logistics from a wide range of possibilities —"from three-kilo robots to others of several tons"—, it has started with a small team of five people that they plan to multiply by ten. Ignacio Moreno explains this from the company, which has 4,000 employees globally. Choosing an office anticipating this growth rate is not easy, and here the expansion of the DFactory has been key: "The expansion will give us space and can be adapted to the needs that arise."
Robots like those from ESTUN attract much of the attention at the fair, with a hum that mixes with the talks and presentations that fill the SIL, with the concept of AI repeating in interventions and workshops. Robots of all kinds facilitate logistical tasks ranging from packaging to storage, even in tasks as specific as strapping (or what is the same, holding and securing a box or a pallet with a tensioned plastic band, to prevent it from moving from where it should be). The German company Ergopak has developed a robot that performs this process: it passes the strap under the box to secure it, and brings it to the other end to fix it. Why? To reduce the physical wear and tear that bending down hundreds of times a day to perform this gesture represents for a worker, and thus minimize the risk of injuries and accidents, as the company emphasizes.
Solutions for warehouses are endless, and many have safety in their sights from different perspectives, from Ergopak's polyethylene panels to cushion machinery impacts with warehouse walls, or fences to secure the passage of workers, as a better alternative to traditional metal, due to "ease of maintenance and because it causes less damage to machinery in the event of a collision," as explained by Valencia-based Panelchok.
Solutions range from the most physical to the digital realm, with management software for both warehouses and distribution, with proposals such as those from OnWork, and also from Belgian Urbantz, which optimizes last-mile transport. Thus, from the furthest point of the supply chain to the doorstep, logistics is transforming by embracing technology, in a process that is already reshaping the present and is also defined from Barcelona.