An idea mentioned in 2007 led to the first Supply Chain Day one year later, and the day of action took place for the tenth time in 2017. Supply Chain Day has meanwhile become an integral part of the logistics year.
This day of action of the logistics sector took place on April 27, 2017, when around 400 logistics events in Germany and 19 other countries attracted just under 40,000 visitors. In total, some 670 companies in industry, trade and logistics services, organisations and educational establishments took part in the events on this special day. “As the logistics coordinator of the German government, Supply Chain Day is an unmovable date in my diary”, said Dorothee Bär, Parliamentary State Secretary at the German Transport Ministry. “The commitment on the part of companies is very impressive, and visitors have an opportunity to experience logistics in all its facets. Only people who know what the sector is about can decide to make their career in logistics.” Dorothee Bär spoke at the central press conference of BVL in the Federal Press Conference Centre in Berlin on the eve of Supply Chain Day.
Prof. Raimund Klinkner, BVL President, looked back on the beginnings of this day of action and talked about the idea that was put on the agenda of the BVL executive bodies by then Chapter Chair Eugen Makowski in 2007. The starting point was the realisation that “only insiders really know what logistics is about” – and this was something BVL wanted to change. “We gave ourselves just six months before the staging of the first Supply Chain Day in April 2008. It was an ambitious target, but it also gave added momentum to the project”, said Klinkner. “I suppose you could say that Supply Chain Day is a bit like one of those educational TV programmes for children, but in this case it’s for people who want to know more about logistics.”
Since the first day of action, around 2,000 companies have participated in Supply Chain Day, and roughly 327,500 people have taken part in the events they organised. The idea has also made waves internationally and – thanks to the worldwide contacts of BVL – has become extremely popular in many cities. In 2017, events were also held outside Europe in countries like Bahrain and Korea, for example. Leading companies like Dachser, DB Schenker, DHL, IKEA or Zalando welcomed visitors to tailored events for different target groups at dozens of locations throughout Germany. As is the case every year, the job and career events attracted the highest level of interest – as was the case with the LogistikRuhr Student Day in Dortmund – which has always been the biggest event in which BVL is involved from the very start.