At ITENE, R&D is in our DNA and we are fully aware of the importance of responding to all the challenges of the packaging and logistics value chain that require not only technical knowledge, but also collaboration between the different agents of the innovation ecosystem

In this sense, technology centres play a key role as developers of technological solutions that respond to the real needs of the industry and we are also promoters of open, multi-sector innovation cooperation networks that make this possible.

 

For this reason, we have worked closely with and promoted Logistop since its inception, which is the Spanish technology platform conceived as a public-private structure for collaborative work. In it, all agents in the logistics sector work together to identify technological needs, foster innovation and promote R&D&I projects. This initiative is backed by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and is promoted by the State Research Agency, which partially finances its activity. Logistop is part of a network of more than 50 R&D clusters, all of them supported by the government.

 

Since its creation 20 years ago, Logistop has established itself as the key networking forum to boost the Spanish R&D&I system in the logistics field. In this space converge all the agents of the supply chain such as: companies, logistics operators, technology centres, universities, sectorial associations and public administrations. It is a space for cooperation and knowledge transfer currently chaired by Pedro Ballester -recognised businessman and CEO of Logifruit, a leading company in the manufacture of reusable packaging-.

 

Its capacity for traction and its role as a catalyst for projects make Logistop an essential tool for tackling a new logistics model that is constantly evolving. In an increasingly connected and uncertain environment, anticipating the uncontrollable has become a strategic competence. And it is precisely in environments such as Logistop where this ability is acquired, not from theory, but from shared experience and co-creation.

 

Logistop has been able to activate the right levers to operate in this new paradigm, which does not depend solely on transport or storage, but on a balanced orchestration of all the elements involved in the product flow, including packaging. Proof of this is the recent creation of working groups focused on emergency logistics and resilience, and cold logistics, in addition to those already existing in areas such as urban, omnichannel and port logistics. It also has a roadmap covering various scientific-technological areas such as decarbonisation, digitalisation, sustainability, automation, IoT, Blockchain technology and the incorporation of AI, among others. All of them reflect the trends and needs that are shaping the global market.

 

While it can be conceptually understood as a networking and innovation platform, its impact goes far beyond that. The companies that form part of Logistop demonstrate a firm commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility, aware of the high impact that innovation and strategic connections generate in society. This involvement translates into the promotion of more sustainable, efficient and responsible logistics solutions, aligned with current social, economic and environmental challenges.

 

Because logistics is not just about delivering goods to a specific place at a specific time. Logistics is the core that keeps the wheel of the economy running, ensuring that every effort reaches its destination, transforming journeys into progress and distances into opportunities.

 

From this perspective, Logistop, in its work as a promoter of innovation and co-creation, is positioned as a key agent in the gear that sustains trade and the competitiveness of many of our country's key industries.

 

Javier Zabaleta