Digital Transformation with Purpose and Pace
The panel discussion ‘Logistics Made for the Future’, held on Thursday at the transport logistic fair, offered a clear view of how digitalisation is reshaping the logistics sector—and how much work remains to be done. Hosted by Marc Oedekoven, Chairman of the Board of the Logistics Alliance Germany, the session brought together voices from research, startups, manufacturers and service providers to debate both the opportunities and structural hurdles of digital transformation in logistics.
Oedekoven opened with a strong message: ‘Cooperation is key to success. Especially in logistics, it’s a people’s business.’ He emphasised the role of the Logistics Alliance Germany in promoting German logistics globally while actively learning from other countries.
Helga Sommer, managing director of Sommer GmbH, showcased two in-house digital solutions for heavy transport: Agnes X and Erna. These applications address a key challenge in oversized freight logistics — the complex and often paper-heavy route approval process. ‘Every large and heavy transport needs an acceptance permit, sometimes up to 300 pages long. Erna tells the driver which route to take and which orders to follow,’ she explained. Sommer called for more trust, openness and cooperation to strengthen innovation in Germany: ‘We need courage and confidence in digitalisation and AI. Then it will work.’
Professor Thomas Krupp from the Technical University of Cologne pointed out that technological potential often remains unused due to poor management and weak implementation. ‘The solutions are there,’ he said, referring to outdated navigation systems still leading trucks under bridges that are too low. ‘But the management approach is missing.’ He stressed the importance of replacing redundant physical movements with information flows—particularly in the case of pallet transports.
Perfect for unstructured data
James Maund, co-founder and co-CEO of the Berlin-based startup voyfai, provided insight into AI-driven automation for small and medium-sized freight forwarders. ‘This industry is built on unstructured data – it’s the perfect field for AI to bring order to chaos,’ he said. Maund promotes an agile approach: ‘You don’t build a 100% solution from day one. You release early, learn, iterate and improve fast.’
His view was met with cautious scepticism from Maximilian Birle of Krone, Europe’s leading trailer manufacturer. ‘Would you trust an 85 per cent complete trailer on the motorway?’ he asked. Birle admitted that embracing digital product development was a ‘massive transformation’ for his company. We used to deliver only 100 per cent finished hardware. Now, we ‘start at 25 per cent, then scale up with our customers.’ Krone’s goal, he said, is to fully integrate the trailer into the customer’s value chain and optimise total cost of ownership.
Hans Elmegaard, founder and CEO of Moddule, Canada, brought the discussion back to its human core. ‘Just because you’re a logistics provider doesn’t mean you’re a good technology provider,’ he said. Drawing on 28 years of industry experience, Elmegaard founded his company to give small and mid-sized logistics players access to a unified, customisable platform. ‘We’re not here to replace people. Logistics is all about people. But we want to give them better tools.’
The panel concluded with a shared sense of urgency: the technology exists, but its impact depends on implementation, integration – and courage. (rok)
