Germans give Liverpool businesspeople a lesson in logistics

A delegation representing the Liverpool City Region (LCR) has been in Germany this week to learn best practice principles in logistics, port management and advanced manufacturing.

The group of 12 men and women from organisations across the LCR visited Berlin and Hamburg to gain an insight into German industry and the training that supports its manufacturing, logistics and freight sectors, with a view to using the findings to drive growth back home.

Led by the Liverpool Local Enterprise Partnership, the delegation includes representatives from the University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Lennon Airport, Hugh Baird College, Riverside College, City of Liverpool College and transport operators Alstom Transport and Merseytravel.

The three-day trip saw delegates meet with representatives from the Hamburg Port Authority, Germany’s Ministry for Economy, Transport and Innovation, and multinational conglomerate Siemens’ Berlin-based training centre.

Mark Basnett, the executive director of Liverpool LEP, devised the trip with Bernard Molloy, chair of the global freight and logistics hub Superport Liverpool.

Mr Molloy commented: “Liverpool2’s capability to handle the majority of vessels in the global fleet will make it the number one gateway for international container freight to the North of England, Scotland and much of the rest of the UK.

“We are going to save freight companies in haulage costs from ports in the South.”

He continued: “We can take lessons from Germany in many ways if we are going to build a leading, greener port and infrastructure system, starting in the North West but right across Britain.”

To round off the trip on Wednesday (December 9), the group is meeting representatives of Hamburg Airport to discuss its development and any potential links with Liverpool John Lennon Airport.