Member Article

University of Hull praised for logistics expertise

A leading figure from the World Economic Forum has hailed the expertise of the University of Hull’s Logistics Institute, which is working on a prestigious study aimed at leveraging digital connectivity to improve how the world trades.

Wolfgang Lehmacher, Director of Supply Chain and Transport Industries for the Forum, visited the University to meet with academics, researchers and students who are working on the project.

The Forum is the world’s leading organisation for public-private cooperation to shape global, regional, national and industry agendas and is best known for its annual winter meeting in Davos, Switzerland, which brings together a broad range of stakeholders, including heads of state and leaders of global businesses to address the most pressing issues facing the world.

The Forum has selected the Logistics Institute as academic partner to conduct research and analysis of case studies of cutting-edge applications of digital technology in the supply chain and logistics industries.

The Logistics Institute began working on the project, “Moving a Connected World”, earlier this year and it is due to conclude next summer. Initiated by one of Forum’s global think tanks, the Global Agenda Council on the Future of Logistics and Supply Chain, the study is exploring the impact and opportunities resulting from:

The Internet, which allows global movement of data and information; The Internet of Things (devices and sensors connected to the Internet), which captures data to inform supply chain operators; Cloud computing, which allows almost unlimited data storage and computing power.

It is hoped the results of the study will influence governments and major corporations to innovate and improve how goods and products move around the world.

Mr Lehmacher said: “The University of Hull has a centre for logistics which is dedicated to understanding better developments in specific areas, such as geography and technology, and we felt this was a very good fit with the requirements of the project.

“The University has a very important role to play in contributing to the development of the logistics industry and aggregating the knowledge to have a broad understanding of the supply chain eco-system.

“I am impressed by the dynamic of the team and the quality of the faculty. Therefore, I am not surprised that, in certain fields, Hull is a leading university in the UK,” he added.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Robert Beaumont .