LINK2LOGISTICS Management 57

As usual, I would like to share with you my impressions on some topics that have recently been in the news in our sector. Please feel free to send us your comments/criticism on these reflections…

Hydrogen: increasingly concrete. For those who still doubted the ultimate breakthrough, we can point out that the road to hydrogen in our country is getting a nice boost thanks to the joint initiatives of two national heavyweights, Colruyt and AB Inbev. The goal: to jointly ensure emission-free deliveries by using trucks that run on hydrogen. In order to successfully complete this challenge within five years, the collaborating companies want to develop a complete ecosystem. From the production of renewable hydrogen (a Colruyt hydrogen plant will be operational in Zeebrugge by 2023) to the development of a network of service stations. For example, Colruyt already has a hydrogen supply point in Halle via its subsidiary DATS24, while four other publicly accessible stations will follow in the coming months (Haasrode, Wilrijk, Erpe-Mere and Herve). By next year, five trucks in the fleet of the Belgian distribution company will run on hydrogen in Belgium. They will be deployed on specific routes that connect the respective logistics platforms.

March 2020. Europe is introduced to the coronavirus. In the words of Joe Dassin: “A year, a century, an eternity ago”. Because it does seem like an eternity to us, given the impact of the pandemic on society. Its effect on logistics is also unprecedented.

For example, e-commerce suddenly got a phenomenal boost. This in turn drastically changed the demand for logistics real estate, as you can read in our dossier. The automation of logistics operations has also accelerated. E-commerce and automation are increasingly going hand in hand.

The pandemic has also shown the resilience of the logistics sector. Over the course of this difficult year, supply chains have been stretched but not broken. However, the challenges have been many. One example is the rapid implementation of advanced logistics for vaccines.

The logistics sector has not only shown that it can adapt to difficult circumstances, but it also continues to modernise and reduce its ecological footprint. You will also discover this in this magazine.

In one year, the logistics world has shown its adaptability, its resilience and its willingness to evolve. Reason enough to emphasize this once again.

Also in light commercial vehicles! From the end of this year, Stellantis will also be offering hydrogen versions of its mid-sized van range (Peugeot Expert, Citroën Jumpy, Opel Vivaro), in parallel with its electric range. These vehicles will have an autonomy of no less than 400 km (WLTP cycle) and, as the icing on the cake, filling the hydrogen tank will only take three minutes! There is still one big unknown: the price!

A little better than in 2020, a lot less than in 2019. We can be happy about the fact that in the first quarter, tractor registrations increased by 20% compared to the same period the previous year. However, there is little reason for euphoria, because the market is still recording a 40% drop compared to 2019. This is in stark contrast to the good health of the light commercial vehicle market. After three months, the figures there are above the 2019 level!

TRANSPORTMEDIA is launching a new TV programme in Wallonia and Brussels: TRANSPORT&LOGISTICS.TV. It is the only programme in Wallonia that is entirely dedicated to the transport and logistics sector. The recordings will be broadcast on the economic channel Canal Z. This initiative, which can count on the support of Logistics in Wallonia, aims to highlight the attractiveness of Wallonia as a logistics region by means of portraits of important and inspiring players (transporters, logistics companies, concessionaires, suppliers, etc.). Discover it on Canal Z on 22-23 and 29-30 May! Also note that a second broadcast is already planned for November this year.