2023 Conference Programme

Join the opening session of Automotive Logistics’ 20th Europe conference for an exclusive insight into how the European automotive industry and supply chain is adapting to multiple crises, including energy and fuel cost, market volatility, geopolitical shifts and changing technology, whilst developing the strategies fit for the mobility solutions and sustainability requirements of the future.

Learn more about how government policy and funding at national and EU level will play in further shaping trade, transport solutions, infrastructure and sustainability for the automotive supply chain.

To survive and prosper, the European automotive logistics industry needs to better attract, recruit and retrain employees across supply chain operations and decision-making positions.

Learn more about how leading manufacturers and logistics providers are developing talent and working with universities and partners to maintain the right skills to lead a changing automotive supply chain.

Speaker: Leon Van Der Merwe, Vice President Supply Chain, Toyota Motor Europe

Gain valuable insight to projected European and worldwide production and sales volumes in the short, medium and long-term, and understand the key trends, disruptors and opportunities influencing the market, including electric vehicle and battery production, and regional supply patterns.

Understand what resilient supply chains and logistics networks look like today and how leaders are adapting approaches to risk management and processes across transport, inventory, communication and data to bolster operations and keep assembly lines moving.

As the industry charges ahead towards an electric future, the stakes are high for carmakers and vehicle distributors as processes, regulations, and requirements change. Learn how OEMs and logistics service providers are preparing for the shift towards heavier and larger vehicles and how industry is collaborating to determine infrastructure requirements and define new charging standards.

As Europe’s electric journey gathers pace, logistics and supply chain competence, scalability and competitiveness will be critical to the success of the newly formed value chain, especially in ramping up battery manufacturing and supply in the region.

Speaker: Matthias Braun, Head of Logistics, Powerco

The outbound sector could become the new weak link in the supply chain, as a shortage of vehicle logistics capacity on road and rail, worsening driver and labour shortages, as well as long lead time for new equipment, could stall Europe’s recovery in vehicle production and future EV growth. Learn how the industry can work together to meet demand and set a better course for the future.

The Automotive Logistics Ideas Labs are small, solutions-orientated working groups that provide an invaluable opportunity to interact and work directly with key industry peers on the real-life issues that matter most to you. Facilitated by subject-matter experts, each Ideas Lab is an open discussion that addresses challenges head on.

Modern packaging solutions must be more complete than ever, supporting sustainability and circularity, improving efficiency, offering greater protection and meeting standards to support the EV battery supply chain. Learn more about how manufacturers are adapting equipment and packaging fleets.

Sustainability is not just a ‘nice to have’ – reducing waste, emissions and energy is increasingly a matter of survival in the face of gas supply, stricter regulations and consumer expectations. Logistics and manufacturing leaders share strategies for reducing emissions in logistics, using alternative fuel and renewable energy, and implementing circular loops, from material supply to battery recycling.

What automotive manufacturers could rely on in yesteryear’s logistics are gone, replaced with volatile markets, inflation and greater uncertainty, making supply chain and logistics network design more complex than ever – but also more important, especially together with expert logistics partners. Understand how supply chain organisations are front-loading logistics design, implementing S&OP strategies and doing more to influence material sourcing, production and distribution decisions.

Hear from the latest logistics disruptors and innovators. A select group of start-ups will pitch their business plans in a 4-slide/4-questions format that gives attendees the chance to discover the next automotive logistics unicorn…

In building new plants or updating existing ones for EVs and new products, automotive manufacturers want greater connectivity, automation and efficiency in production. And those advances are just as important in logistics, too, from having real-time visibility, control tower oversight, higher automation in logistics and material flow through transport networks, warehouses and inside plants. Learn how to plan smart, streamlined logistics to help keep European manufacturing and exports competitive.

The latest insights, analysis and outlook on the global container and ro-ro market. Understand how global capacity, port labour, emissions regulation and weather patterns are impacting lead times, rates and service across deep sea, short-sea and inland shipping.

The volatility in markets, trade and supply continue to make stable production and logistics planning more challenging than ever, requiring manufacturers and logistics providers to be able to quickly adapt networks, from changing transport modes, inventory strategies and prioritising material and capacity. Learn about the technology, processes and partnerships that are helping the European automotive industry go with the flow – or change it altogether.

From assembly plant to dealership, from vessel to customer, improving visibility of the vehicle delivery process and creating timely and accurate ETA notifications for the dealer network and customers are essential for optimised and efficient operations and an enhanced customer experience.

This session explores how, in the facing of fast-rising costs, OEMs and suppliers are re-evaluating logistics networks and processes to ensure maximum efficiency. Along with cost savings, it explores where automotive manufacturers and logistics providers are ready to invest in new innovations and partnerships with long-term optimisation benefits.

New mobility solutions and new OEM entrants to the European market are redefining vehicle logistics, with data at the heart of a transparent network and critical to a seamless transition to online sales, direct deliveries and subscription services. Learn how OEMs, mobility players and logistics providers are planning digital systems, networks and processes to ensure vehicle logistics and service models are fit for electrification and new business models.

To close the 20th Automotive Logistics Europe conference, our panel of automotive leaders, including veteran and up-and-coming innovators, assess two decades of transformation and progress in logistics and supply chain, and outline their visions and plans to drive their organisations forward, and identify the key trends, issues and opportunities that will shape the sector over the next 20 years.