All Rail Freight and Global Logistics actors to meet this June in Rotterdam for GRFC – register now!

Fifth UIC Global Rail Freight Conference to be held under the patronage of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment on 22-23 June 2016 in Rotterdam – Main theme is “Shaping Together the Business of the Future”.

The 5th UIC Global Rail Freight Conference, organised by UIC with the support of Europoint (NL) under the patronage of the Dutch Ministry for Infrastructure and the Environment, will be held on 21-23 June in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, at Van Nelle factory.

GRFC has become a worldwide reference for all actors in the rail freight and logistics sector, and is officially supported by OTIF, UNECE and ITF, the International Transport Forum of the OECD.
Many European and international associations representing the transport and rail sector are partners in this 5th UIC Global Rail Freight Conference.

This edition of GRFC will be held in Rotterdam and will run back-to-back with the TEN-T Days organised by the European Commission (20-21 June) and the European Rail Freight Corridor event (21 June) organised by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment under the Dutch Presidency of the EU.

The concept

Business professionals representing the entire transport chain will engage in a concrete discussion on the positioning of rail freight as a sustainable and competitive solution in a global world of increasing volumes of trade.
Through best practice examples and individual business cases, they will discuss the role of corridors as one of the tools with which to boost the efficiency and productivity of rail freight. They will also demonstrate with specific examples that rail is looking to the future in terms of new business models, new forms of cooperation and expertise development of its workforce. Innovation, automation and digitalisation are shaping the rail freight business.

To support the business discussions, a small group of young professionals will follow the debates and will deliver their view of and for the industry during the conference closing session.

The Business Conference
The main theme of the 5th UIC GRFC: “Shaping Together the Business of the Future”

The main conference topics will be addressed at a series of high-level panel discussions organised around the following themes and moderated by Paul Barrett (http://www.paulbarrett.fr), who has considerable experience in hosting and moderating high-level events with a global dimension.

“From Shanghai to Rotterdam: the landbridge concept 10 years on”

Key stakeholders in the transport chain will review the latest transport volume projections between Asia and Europe and will discuss opportunities for rail freight and innovative business models with the maritime sector and share best practices.

“Strategies to deliver opportunities and enhance effectiveness”

The transport industry is a very competitive sector and rail freight is facing many challenges. In order to secure a prominent position in the 21st century, rail freight has to tailor its approach to business accordingly, maybe revisit its business models, and forge partnerships. These concepts will foster lively debates between key stakeholders in the transport chain and the audience.

“Rail Freight 4.0: innovation and digitalisation for global solutions”

Being competitive in the rail freight business of the 21st century implies adapting processes and rolling stock to the era of digitalisation, innovation and automation. It also means ensuring their suitability to the operational requirements of the future. Automation also implies data generation, which in turn needs to be managed, filtered and protected.

“The workforce of the future: digital skills and human capital”

Adapting processes to the digital era requires the appropriate skills to be developed at the right time. Training is essential. New models also need to be developed.
Young professionals will share their vision of / for the rail industry, which they will have formed through interviews with GRFC participants and speakers. They will then engage in a discussion with the audience and business professionals.

Speakers will include

Sharon Dijksma, Dutch Secretary of State, Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment (invited)
Violetta Bulc, European Commissioner for Mobility and Transport (invited)
Jean-Pierre Loubinoux, Director–General, UIC
Salman Babayev, Vice-President of Russian Railways (RZD)
Pex Langenberg, Vice Mayor of Rotterdam in charge of Mobility
Emile Hoogsteden, Vice-President, Containers, Breakbulk & Logistics, Havenbedrijf Rotterdam N.V.
François Davenne, Secretary-General, OTIF
Eva Molnar, Director of the Transport Division, UNECE
José Viegas, Secretary-General, International Transport Forum, OECD
Olivier Onidi, Director, DG Move
Fraenz Benoy, CEO CFLMM
Oliver Sellnick, VP European Corridor Management, DB Netz
Rodan Senekl, Presidium Member, Czech Logistics Association
Jari Kauppila, Head of Statistics and Modelling, International Transport Forum, OECD
Johannes Nanninga, COO, IJS Global/Gefco
André Thiniéres, Managing Director, Objectif OFP
Paweł Wojciechowski, European Coordinator of the Rhine-Alpine Core Network Corridor
Ferdinand Schmidt, CEO, Rail Cargo Austria
Baher El-Hifnaw, Senior Economist in the Transport Unit, World Bank
Joris D’Inca, Partner at Oliver Wyman
Robert van der Waal, Director Logistics Operations, Samsung
Bernhard Kunz, Managing Director, Hupac
Fabrice Walewski, General Partner & CEO, Touax Group
Miroslav Obrenovic, Head of Asset Strategy & Programs, DB Cargo
Cédric Lévy-Bencheton, Expert in Network and Information Security, European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA)
Peter Boom, Manager Business Development, RailWatch
Harald Jony, Director of Energy Management, ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG
Esther Marconi, Chair of the UIC Expertise Development Platform
Thierry Vanelslaner, BNP Fortis & University of Antwerp
Patrick Philipp, Head of IRU Academy
An interview with Yves Tyrode, Chairman of the UIC Digital Platform, and Brogan Bambrogan, Hyperloop