Log!Ville partners visit Future Logistics Hub in Zeebrugge

Log!Ville and its partners visited the Future Logistics Hub in Zeebrugge at the start of February. This digital and interactive experience centre was established a year and a half ago by our collaboration partner POM West Flanders. Companies, government institutions, college and postgraduate students can discover the Physical Internet - the basis for sustainable goods flows of the future - there.

Together with several partners and interested companies, the Log!Ville team made the trip by bus to Zeebrugge. During the trip, this formula allowed them to get to know each other better and to network.

The highlight of the day was the discovery of the Future Logistics Hub, an initiative by POM West Flanders that perfectly complements Log!Ville, as a previous article showed. Through a 'serious game', it allows people to experience what the future of transport and logistics would look like with the physical internet, a network of logistics hubs that gets goods from source to destination in the most efficient way. Using a tablet, participants discover its numerous aspects at various stations, providing inspiration towards the future.

As the focal point, Barbara Peene, Program Manager Physical Internet at POM West Flanders, gave a 'keynote' on the physical internet and the various interests involved. This gave all Log!Ville visitors the opportunity to delve deeper into the subject, having previously experienced it in the serious game. She gave extensive examples and described applications that are already being implemented today. Her presentation was therefore an extremely instructive moment for the participants.

"We were really taken into the physical internet and were able to discover the latest techniques and methods in the logistics world, as well as some nice practical applications. It was a very enriching experience!", Jeroen Baetslé, Head of Department Logisitics at Petersime, commented afterwards.

Innovations in the port

The visit to the Future Logistics Hub was preceded by a tour around the port of Zeebrugge. A guide first gave the Log!Ville delegation the opportunity to learn more about the history of the port, after which they were given a tour around the entire port. Not only were various logistics hotspots shown, but also back corners where explanations were given about the transition the port was going through, including in terms of sustainability. Innovations within the various companies in the area, which participants were able to witness in real-time, were also covered.

Both the Future Logistics Hub and the port of Zeebrugge itself were thus an inspiring discovery for the Log!Ville partners. During lunch in the POM West Flanders building, they were also able to network extensively.

We therefore thank POM West Flanders for this interesting day and look forward to welcoming them to Log!Ville on the 22nd of March.