Over four days, logistics took centre stage at this year’s edition of Transport Logistic, the world’s largest trade fair in the sector. Munich welcomed 77,000 visitors from 130 nations and 2,722 exhibitors from 73 countries.
The event focused on digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence, cybersecurity, and sustainability, with the presentation of autonomous solutions and smart platforms and relevant discussions about the growing concern over attacks on digital value chains and the optimisation of transportation to reduce environmental impact.
INESC TEC was present at the joint stand as part of the Produtech R3 mobilising agenda and stood out for the demonstration of cutting-edge tech solutions – including digital twin models using discrete simulation, enabling the analysis and optimisation of complex operations in a virtual environment. The integration between platforms and industrial systems – promoting smarter and more interconnected management of logistics flows – was also presented. Other demonstrations included solutions for optimising mosaics for pallet construction and efficient truck loading, which directly impact sustainability and operational costs.
The INESC TEC representatives also presented advanced mobile robotics and palletising systems, developed in partnership with the companies Flowbotic and Antípoda. António Almeida, INESC TEC researcher and head of the industrial engineering and management area, explained: “the goal was to show how these technologies can increase the efficiency of logistics systems with a direct impact on operational costs; maintain high levels of flexibility even with the introduction of robotic and automation systems; and improve traceability and responsiveness to market needs, while meeting regional legal guidelines.”
It’s safe to say that INESC TEC succeeded, since the Institute was able to generate multiple developments and concrete opportunities. The strategic benefits of being present go hand in hand with technological advances, boosting the institution’s work. “There is undeniable institutional and technological visibility”, said António Almeida, “thus reinforcing the position of INESC TEC and our partners as references in intelligent logistics solutions.” Furthermore, direct contact with decision-makers from companies in the sector brings significant strategic potential, facilitating future collaborations and projects. The participation in the event also allowed to meet major international trends, providing an up-to-date outlook on the state of the art in logistics digitalisation and revealing new research and development opportunities.
Regarding this constantly evolving field, facing challenges like cultural resistance to change or low digital maturity, the INESC TEC researcher stated that “the technologies presented at the fair prove that the sector is transitioning towards smarter models, but there is still a long journey of transformation ahead.”
Here, researchers play a central role: “creating applied knowledge with solutions that address real business problems; bringing R&D results closer to the market; standardising interoperability, contributing to the development and adoption of standards; and preparing professionals and companies for new digital paradigms.” In practice, acting as facilitators of collaborative innovation between industry, academia, and public decision-makers.
Transport Logistic 2025 featured live demonstrations, networking sessions between technology companies and logistics operators, and presentations of real use cases.
The researcher mentioned in this news piece is associated with INESC TEC.
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