Startups and scale-ups partner with major companies and knowledge centres at Log!Ville.

The demonstration centre features new logistics solutions and innovations, thanks to the crucial elements of cocreation and Proximus connectivity.

Log!Ville is a brand-new demonstration centre for the logistics industry. The exhibition space in Niel hosts a mixture of innovative applications created by startups, giving them the perfect platform to show off their inventions, and by scaleups, major companies such as Proximus and knowledge institutes. "Our focus is on both the near and the distant future," says Patrick Aertsen, Log!Ville Managing Director. "We provide a glimpse of what awaits us between the present day and a decade from now, but visitors can also become acquainted with the new solutions that are already available."

The sustainability and mobility challenges that society is facing

A great many of the challenges that Log!Ville is tackling are today's hot topics, covering the major issues that the world is facing, such as sustainability and mobility, and including electric and self-driving or autonomous vehicles. "That also means things like autonomous warehouses and logistics in the context of smart cities – the tube logistics or hyperloop system that Elon Musk and others are now focusing on," Patrick continues. "We not only guide visitors through our experience centre, we also engage with them in order to uncover the actual challenges that logistics companies are presently dealing with." A large proportion of these innovative logistics applications rely on connected objects.

Solutions using drones, picking robots and digital twins

A separate part of Log!Ville features concrete solutions that companies have come up with, and this area is once again host to a wide array. "That includes a drone that registers warehouse stock, all the way down to the individual boxes on a pallet, as well as picking robots, innovative warehouse elevators, digital twinning apps and much, much more." Large companies such as Proximus and Toyota Material Handling demonstrate their products side-by-side with startups and scaleups, with exhibits rotating every six months so that new partners are featured.

5G is the common thread for connected objects

Proximus meanwhile constitutes a very clear common thread for many of the proposed solutions. "A large number of applications rely on connected objects," Patrick relates. "Given that it supplies reliable and secure connectivity, Proximus is an obvious choice." Moreover, 5G will enable many new logistics solutions, including tracking large quantities of connected goods, drones, smart cameras, autonomous vehicles and all the rest.

Big and small companies join forces at Log!Ville under the banner of cocreation for the purpose of creating new and innovative concepts.

Testing in a logistics environment

One highly appealing aspect of Log!Ville is that companies can try out their testcases in a real-life working logistics environment. An important element of this is the fact that close cooperation is a frequent feature, allowing startups to benefit from the experience and expertise of established companies like Proximus. "However, it's not just one-way traffic," Patrick continues. "Big names also come into contact with the startups, which might otherwise have remained under the radar. We bring all these players together and give them an environment that they can use to devise new solutions together."

Co-creation – from startup or scale-up to major companies

Startups and scaleups often struggle to bring an innovation to market at a rapid pace. It is not always a given that a proof of concept is developed first, even if just because of the fact that new players may not – thanks to them being relatively unknown – have easy access to logistics companies and partners that help them to the next level. "That's the exact gap that Log!Ville fills," the Managing Director concludes. "Big and small companies can join forces here under the banner of cocreation to develop a concept, demonstrate it at Log!Ville and proceed to upscale it in the marketplace."

Patrick Aertsen, Managing Director bij Log!Ville.

• You can read the full article: Logistieke oplossingen in Log!ville | Proximus