29th congress EASTLOG

It’s definitely important to be here for the conference because you meet a lot of interesting people, not only from our partners but also from our clients. I think of it as not only introducing ourselves to new and interesting potential clients, but also telling them what we do. I think of it as networking, synergy, exchange of experience and of course as an opportunity for new potential deals. There are a lot of interesting clients showing up here at the conference from companies that are in the process of setting up their automation projects, working with AI, and with that comes of course finding new spaces that we can offer, so it’s a cool opportunity to be here.

I was very interested in the lectures and the program, if I had to single out one, I was interested in the lecture of Mrs. Čermáková about the future and AI, which I think is a topic that affects us now and will affect us more and more. Then I was intrigued by the fact that I could meet clients, both future and our current ones, and the top logistics people. That’s also interesting to me, that it’s all concentrated in one place.

We are here to make ourselves visible and to make new contacts and to be able to move on from the state we are in now. The most important trends affecting this segment, for me, is to plan properly because we have some technologies that are available and we need to graft those technologies in some way onto the process that we want or require. I see automation as something that is already a reality, it’s not some future thing that we talked about x years ago, but it’s something that is realistically here and when it’s grasped properly it can be a big help. For me, it is important to share this information about the trends that are in the logistics, because without sharing the information we would stay where we are now.

The main reason is to educate ourselves, there are major players in logistics in the Czech Republic, but also, I would say, in Europe, so to learn what new technologies, hardware and what makes sense for our particular company. It’s super important for us to see what’s going on in the market in terms of automation, we’re now betting on Autostore, which is the main automation platform that we work with, but it’s also great to see what other companies are doing, what automation they’re betting on and what the differences are, the pros and cons, both for Rohlik and for other companies. I went to an AI lecture at the beginning which was great, especially Senta Cermakova was super inspiring and she gave great examples of how AI can be used in life, but not only in personal life but also in business, so it was very beneficial. It’s definitely a source of inspiration, it’s a source where we can learn but also network with people who are experts in this field.

I’m very happy to be part of this interesting logistics fair, because this time there are companies offering a lot of automation of processes in warehouses, and I’m also interested in the use of artificial intelligence in processes, not only in warehousing, but also in administrative repetitive tasks, for example, so it was interesting for me to hear tips and instructions on how artificial intelligence can help us. The app was especially helpful because I didn’t have to ask anyone, I could pull out my phone and look up what class was where at what time and what my personal appointment was. It helped me a lot practically.

We decided to come mainly because we have most of our business partners here and we see an opportunity to find some new ones. New contacts, new challenges. Of course, it’s also a good opportunity to save time in a significant way, because all of our, when accounti, our partners are in one place. Because of that, it makes sense for us to come. I participated in the ESG roundtable, which is quite a big topic today and I think will be a big topic in the future. In terms of the European Union legislation, which interferes very significantly with that logistics, intralogistics and transport process, it is certainly a big challenge for our company as well, and we are trying to implement that into our processes and products. For us, it is mainly a networking event, an opportunity to get new leads, because without that we cannot do it today, and I dare say it is one of the few events, because I also attend other exhibitions, where it still makes sense.

This is the first time I’ve been on Eastlog and I’m always impressed by the fact that they address topics comprehensively, but on the other hand in a variety of ways from certain areas, such as internal logistics, transportation, etc. It offers current and pressing topics, those topics that will be of great interest to us in the coming years, and this gives us as companies a pretty good head start. We are seeing and absorbing digitalisation in the true sense of the word and the application of AI to warehousing.

We are here because the logistics community is important for us in terms of marketing and there are people here that we want to help and cooperate with, so for us the most important thing is the contacts, but also the know-how that is spread here. So that we can also absorb what is currently trendy in this area. What I always enjoy most at events are the case studies, when you don’t talk about the product, but you actually go inside a company and tell how things went – both negatively and positively. That’s the most you can take away from it. This is definitely the best presentation of MASO PROFIT, the case study. I think they hit it best here on Eastlog, the automation. If we want to remain competitive in terms of, say, Asia, there is basically no other option today. For me, definitely automation – in intralogistics and anywhere else where it’s possible.

There are more reasons why I decided to bring Salesforce to this congress. First of all, I was attracted by the name The Alchemy of Automation and the related topics that I saw in the program – AI, digitalization and these transformations, because Salesforce is a technology company with a long history, with products specifically focused on automation, digitalization, implementation of AI tools, and we have customers in this sector, so we wanted to approach them here today. I looked at the section that was specifically about AI because I was interested in how this topic would be grasped here today. It was Senta Cermakova’s talk and I think she did a great job of explaining the pros and cons that AI can offer companies. If we want to keep up with the trends and not get tired, I don’t think we can do without it today.

It is important for us as ACCOLADE to be here because every logistics partner can potentially be, or is, a tenant in our industrial halls that we own across the Czech Republic. Or there are partners here that work with those logistics companies, and that’s when it’s good to be here. The main thing is to meet the partners, to talk informally, because when we only meet for business, it’s usually quick. It’s nice networking, to remind each other, to talk about other things than just work. They’re all here in one place, which is just a great thing.

What I found interesting about this conference, especially today, is the AI thing, especially the two morning talks, where we could see what the possibilities are, what’s in the pipeline, where the scientists are, what’s possible. Almost practically, that nothing is impossible, and what lies ahead, where the 5-year horizon was mentioned. And that was very interesting, that actually in 5 years there is a high probability that we will be somewhere completely different. I always gather inspiration here, I meet a lot of people here, both known and unknown – both within KLM and outside. It’s important to meet each other, to share those experiences, to see where and who has implemented what, with what result. To think about whether it is something that even for us it could be interesting or not.

Our companies, VertiFlex and Logtech, participate in Eastlog repeatedly because it makes great business sense for us – not only do we get to meet existing customers, who also give us great support by reporting on our solutions here and now, and giving real feedback to potential customers on whether the technology makes sense for that particular solution. The automation and robotization of logistics is absolutely key today. It’s not just because we are facing a shortage of warehouse staff in the market – it means that for many companies, automation is no longer the number one ROI issue, but the question of how to solve the human resources issue in the warehouse.

I am a regular attendee of the Eastlog Congress every year. The main reason is to meet experts from the logistics industry and learn about current trends. It is always a very inspiring meeting. The clear current driver is AI. I was most impressed by Anike’s talk, which perfectly demonstrated the theory and accompanied it with practical examples and illustrations. This is always very inspiring for us in our longer term thinking within our society.