NITL Hosts Logistics Ireland 2008 Conference

NITL hosted the annual Logistics Ireland 2008 conference in the Crown Plaza Hotel Conference Centre, Dublin. Logistics Ireland 2008 introduced delegates to the need for resilience in business and in supply chains. In this context resilience refers to the ability of companies to succeed in the face of uncertainty and turbulence in global markets.

Professor Richard Wilding of Cranfield School of Management in the UK identified several sources of risk in modern businesses and highlighted the vulnerable position in which this places organisations. He stated that the identification and management of risk need to be “a coordinated approach amongst supply chain members to reduce supply chain vulnerability as a whole – this is NOT a single company concept”.

Allied to this, several speakers at the conference highlighted the need for supply chains that are both sustainable (i.e. relative to the environment, CO2 footprint, use of the earth's resources) and commercially successful. Being green and commercially efficient should not be mutually exclusive. Recent volatility in relation to oil prices has sharpened focus on the need for ‘greener’ approaches to supply chain management. For example, Rose McCarthy of SerCom Solutions, a leading global supplier of supply chain solutions, pointed out that the majority of Irish firms will make “significant changes to their operations over the coming year” to address these challenges. This was a key finding of recent research carried out by the National Institute for Transport and Logistics (NITL) on behalf of SerCom.

                              Opening Address by Minister Noel Ahern, TD

Logistics Ireland, now in its 10th year, is Ireland's premier event in the logistics/supply chain management (SCM) calendar. As in previous years, the 2008 event introduced delegates to key emerging trends in the field. The specific focus this year was on 'building resilient and sustainable supply chains'. It was organised by the National Institute for Transport and Logistics (NITL), in collaboration with the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) and Enterprise Ireland.

 Edward Sweeney, NITL, Minister Noel Ahern, TD and Conference Speakers

NITL was established by the Government in recognition of the need for improvement in SCM within Irish organisations. NITL is proud to be celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. During this time it has:

• advised hundreds of organisations in its consultancy and advisory capacity
• delivered hundreds of training and education modules for thousands of individuals, and
• contributed to the development of new leading edge thinking through its research programme.

It has worked in all major sectors of the Irish economy including food, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, ICT and logistics service provision, as well as in many parts of the public sector. In the process, its staff and associates have developed a unique and unrivalled experience of SCM and, in particular, its role in improving competitive capability in a rapidly changing economic and business environment.