This year's induction into the International Hall of Fame of the transportation world was anything but a random selection process. Alongside AutoStore inventors Jakob Hatteland and Ingvar Hognaland, the honorees included Axel Frey, Harry Seifert, and the US aid organization International Medical Corps.
Over 200 guests from business, science, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and politics gathered at Europe's largest permanent tent stage, the TIPI tent at the Federal Chancellery. This tent is an offshoot of a chanson and musical theater whose namesake is the now-famous "Bar jeder Vernunft" (Bar of Every Reason). This time, the event was bigger – and featured modern technology.
Supply Chains in Focus
Thunderous applause greeted the Cube Storage pioneers Jakob Hatteland and Ingvar Hognaland, who, according to the jury, can claim to have practically reinvented warehousing with the AutoStore system. The underlying principle of Cube Storage automation is considered one of the most important inventions in modern logistics. "Today, AutoStore has become synonymous in almost every industry with a space-saving, easily scalable small parts warehouse," said Oliver Luksic, the Federal Government's Coordinator for Freight Transport and Logistics, in his laudatory speech.
Unrivaled efficiency
In the 1990s, Ingvar Hognaland, the technical director of Jakob Hatteland Electronics AS, conceived the idea for space-saving cube storage automation. The automated storage system based on the cube principle, which later became known worldwide under the product name AutoStore, enabled unprecedented efficiency in warehouse logistics upon its market launch in 2004. Today, more than 1,250 AutoStore systems are in operation in over 900 companies across 50 countries. After Hatteland and Hognaland successfully sold AutoStore to an investor, the company was valued at more than €1.5 billion – before its sale to a second investor in 2019. It was Norway's first unicorn. The decision to induct the two Norwegians into the Logistics Hall of Fame was made this summer by a jury of 70 prominent figures from business, science, politics, and media from 13 nations.
J.Hatteland (left), I.Hognaland
There was enthusiastic applause not only for the two Scandinavians, but also for two Swabians: Axel Frey and Harry Seifert of the Seifert Logistics Group in Ulm were honored as Logistics Leaders of the Year 2023. "Under the motto 'Full speed ahead towards the future,' the two have driven forward a remarkable strategic transformation of the medium-sized logistics service provider, which is evident in countless large and small details (...), a transformation that puts employees, digitalization and sustainable growth at the center," said Frank Müller, Head of Sales at the forklift manufacturer and award sponsor Still.
For the first time, as announced, the Lynn C. Fritz Medal for Excellence in Humanitarian Logistics was awarded at the gala reception. The medal, endowed by the California-based Fritz Institute, was presented to the US aid organization International Medical Corps, who took it back to Los Angeles. With its proprietary software, the Pharmaceutical Information Management System (PIMS), the organization has revolutionized last-mile pharmaceutical supply chain management. "Everyone benefits from this IT solution, which saves significant time and provides profound transparency in the supply chain during disasters: humanitarian organizations, pharmacies, governments, and above all, patients," emphasized Lynn C. Fritz, CEO of the Fritz Institute, in his laudatory speech. The system is successfully deployed at 165 locations in 16 countries. Since October 2019, approximately 1.7 million prescriptions have been processed using the software, and around three million items have been distributed to those in need.
Photos: LHoF
The International Medical Corps solved a problem faced by all humanitarian organizations with its software development: the documentation and management of the procurement, tracking, and dispensing of medicines using paper forms. A key advantage of the software is its easy adaptability to any language and the fact that it requires neither a permanent internet connection nor a constant power supply.
The day before, at the initiative of the Logistics Hall of Fame, a new "ConnectChains – Humanitarian Supply Chain Conference" was held for the first time at the Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and Transport (BMDV). The one-day conference focused on knowledge transfer and networking among stakeholders in humanitarian and commercial supply chain management, with the aim of improving crisis management. The target audience includes logistics and supply chain experts in humanitarian and development aid organizations and logistics companies, as well as foundations, representatives from academia and government, and international donors.
In addition to panel discussions and lectures on current topics, the innovative winning project of the Lynn C. Fritz Medal for Humanitarian Logistics was also presented there.
www.logisticshalloffame.net
