In 2024, senior business leaders across the F&L network agreed key priorities in global freight & started to collaborate on tangible multi-stakeholder deliverables which unlock value for customers, staff, suppliers, partners and communities by collaborating within our companies AND across industries. The projects here are based on priorities shown below & consider actions that each of us can influence now and where that influence can be enhanced by collaboration. Please note that F&L abides by the competition laws at all times.
SHIFTING TRADE FLOWS & MULTIMODALITY
Considering how European transport corridors & logistics networks will / can evolve to support sustainable collaboration and meet future trade and environmental demands. We are generating a heat map to illustrate how trade flows in key industries across Europe are changing. Are TEN-T corridors fit for the future of European trade flows both internally and for interaction with external trading blocs? Impact on multimodality & intermodality? What about current & future logistics hubs? How will subsidies for charging infrastructure impact?
INNOVATION
The freight logistics sector is currently slow to execute innovation, yet pace of change across the business landscape is accelerating and the implications for freight logistics is significant. Workshops at F&L Zaragoza & Germany identified that the factors blocking us from taking action are 81% organisational, rather than resources or technological limitations.
EUROPEAN COMPETITIVENESS
European business is concerned about sluggish demand at a time of increased regulatory pressures at EU and country levels. Freight logistics is being squeezed and wishes to build understanding of industry concerns among key regulatory stakeholders. F&L is a neutral organisation with a non-lobby, not-for-profit constitution and it’s broad, collaborative business community of members, academics, NGOs and policymakers, technology, innovation operates within a clear antitrust compliance policy.
GLOBAL ALLIANCES
Alliances take different forms but are critical in today’s complex and fast-moving markets. We look at why parties with different knowledge, skills, assets or geographical position can benefit from working together. How are stakeholders demonstrating value within alliances?
CLIMATE ENERGY LOGISTICS
While tackling the decarbonisation issue becomes ever more critical, practitioners face European falling demand, inflation and cost pressures. We focus on mindset & leadership to turn the green transition into competitive advantage, unblocking innovation, understanding solutions already available or coming soon, their commercial viability & awareness of stakeholder requirements.
Please get in touch to join project(s). Teams meet for 30 minutes approximately every two weeks until the project ends. There are no costs. This is about tangible multi-stakeholder actions which benefit all participants.
SCOPE & VISION: LSP PLATFORMS & SHIPPER DASHBOARDS
The sector has developed numerous platforms to aid its customer base and aid decision making. but whilst platform options proliferate they do not yet support shipper requirements. There is limited standardization and current product options do not offer the market “user driven” solutions. Is it a real time, multimodal platform which includes emissions and assists with decision scenarios that we want?
RECRUIT, RETAIN, SKILLS & CHANGE MANAGEMENT
F&L has been discussing since 2019 the ongoing question of what skills are required and how these might be provided within the freight logistics sector. Commercial pressures, cost constraints, innovation (including the use of AI), effective change management, excessive churn across sector, energy change and more, make this question urgent.
YOUR priorities:
Leaders from a variety of industry sectors (30% shippers/BCOs) as well as transport modes agreed in 2024 the following priorities:
Sector-wide issues. Critical: using tech to drive and support business change / recruiting & retaining the right skills / executing efficient multimodality / innovation driving change & profitable opportunity. Also important: global shift of SCs driven by geopolitics & uncertainty, decarb costs & strategies, impact of climate change on SCs & infrastructure, industry consolidation, AI, changing distribution channels including last mile & direct to consumer.
Global supply chains. Critical: uncertainty created by geopolitical tensions / delays & bottlenecks at port / improving multi-stakeholder communication & better collaboration eg optimise asset utilisation / innovation driving decarbonisation & cost efficiencies. Also important: visibility, tightened regulations to accelerate decarbonisation, reliability of maritime / pinch points, development of green corridors / decarbonisation hubs & ecosystems, e-docs to digitalise documentation, near-shoring supply chains, autonomous vehicles & vessels.
European land. Critical: rail infrastructure investment / lack of coherent Europe-wide sector policies / multimodality & mode optimisation with a focus on best use of mix of modes / improved data utilisation driving operational & profitable opportunity. Also important: fragmented land sector & SME inclusive actions, required investment in EV and road infrastructure, EU fiscal pressure including ETS & CBAM, investment in TEN-T corridors, interconnected green hubs, optimised asset return on investment through shared utilisation.
“Collaboration within our own companies AND across industries is mission-critical“
“What can we as logistics & supply chain practitioners influence? Where is that influence enhanced with collaboration?”
“You are doing a great job of bringing the right people to the table”