5th Edition Global Rail Freight Conference

RotterdamThe Netherlands

JP-Loubinoux
‘All major stakeholders from the transport and logistics industry will come together to discuss the future of rail freight’

Jean-Pierre Loubinoux, General Director UIC

Conference Programme UIC GRFC 2016

5th UIC Global Rail Freight Conference: ‘Shaping together the Business of the Future’

A series of high-level panel discussions will be organised around the following sessions:

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Conference Programme

Tuesday 21 June 2016

14.00 – 18.00: Combined Transport Group Executive Committee (invitation only)
19:00 – 22.30: 10th Anniversary General Contract of Use for Wagons (GCU)
19:30: Official opening of the 10th Anniversary General Contract of Use for Wagons (GCU)

Wednesday 22 June 2016

09.00: Registration open
09.00: Technical visit to the ECT Delta Terminal
09.00: Technical visit to the Shunting Yard Kijfhoek
12.30 – 14.00: Lunch
14.00 – 16.00: Official opening of the Conference

Official opening of the Conference

High level representatives from the Political and Business world are opening the conference

Speakers will include:

  • Jean-Pierre Loubinoux, Director General UIC
  • Welcome on behalf of the International Union of Railways
  • Pex Langenberg, Vice Mayor of Rotterdam in charge of Mobility
    Welcome on behalf of the city of Rotterdam
  • Mark Frequin, Director General Mobility, Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment
  • Pier Eringa, CEO Prorail, Dutch Rail Infrastructure Manager
  • Emile Hoogsteden, Vice President Containers, Breakbulk & Logistics, Port of Rotterdam
  • Salman Babayev, Vice President of Russian Railways (RZD), representing UIC Chairman Oleg Belozerov
  • Herald Ruijters, Acting Director B, DG MOVE, European Commission

16.00 – 16.30: Coffee Break 
16.30 – 18.30: High Level Session 1

Session 1 – From Shanghai to Rotterdam: the landbridge concept 10 years ongoing

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.
Panelists will review the latest transport volume projections between Asia and Europe and discuss opportunities for rail freight, innovative business models with the maritime sector and share best practices. They will discuss the role of corridors as one of the tools with which to boost the efficiency and productivity of rail freight. 

Speakers will include:

  • José Viegas, Secretary-General, International Transport Forum, OECD
    Presentation of the latest trends and development for the transcontinental corridors
  • Paweł Wojciechowski, European Coordinator of the Rhine-Alpine Core Network Corridor
    The role of the EU
  • Hossein Ashoori, Vice President for the Operations and Movement of Iranian Railways (RAI)
    Developing rail transit & opportunities for Corridors connecting Europe to Asia and crossing Iran
  • Hüseyin Teker, Freight Department, Turkish State Railway (TCDD)
    The Bakou-Tbilissi-Kars corridor
  • Oliver Sellnick, VP European Corridor Management, DB Netz
    From transcontinental corridors to the European corridors
  • François Davenne, Secretary General OTIF
    Technical and Legal Interoperability
  • Eva Molnar, Director of the Transport Division UNECE
    Sustainable transport for transcontinental corridors
  • Gennady Bessonov, Secretary General, Coordinating Council on Transsiberian Transportation (CCTT)
    Digital solutions to ensure transport integrity along transcontinental corridors
  • Rodan Senekl, presidium member Czech Logistics Association
    Expectations from the market
  • Edouard Laverny, General Manager, Rail Freight Forwarding, Rail & Multimodal Division – SNCF LOGISTICS
    From China across Europe: the SNCF experience
  • André Thinières, Managing Director, Objectif OFP
    Corridors need feeding and de-feeding
  • Johannes Nanninga, COO IJS Global/Gefco
    Expectations from the market

18.30: End of Conference Day 1

19.00 – 20.30: Cocktail Reception Sponsored by Port of Rotterdam on the Pure Liner Ship
20.30 – 22.30: 5th Global Rail Freight Conference Gala Dinner Sponsored by BIC on the Pure Liner Ship

Thursday 23 June 2016

08.30: Registration open 
09.30 – 10.30: Session 2

Session 2 – High Level Business Session: 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 needs to tailor its approach to businesses accordingly, maybe revisit its business models and forge partnerships. These concepts will foster lively debates among the panelists and with the audience.

Speakers will include:

  • Joris D’Inca, Partner at Oliver Wyman
    Strengths and weaknesses of the rail system in the current environment
  • José Viegas, Secretary-General, International Transport Forum, OECD
    Trends in the transport industry and the role for rail freight
  • Ferdinand Schmidt, Member of the Board Rail Cargo Austria AG
    Strategies to deliver opportunities and enhance effectiveness: a European approach
  • Bernhard Kunz, Managing Director, Hupac
    What are the expectations from the market
  • Robert van der Waal, Director Logistics Operations, Samsung
    Samsung multi model solution
  • Dirk Stahl, CEO, BLS Cargo AG
    Rail Freight: a system in competition
  • Fabrice Walewski, General Partner & CEO Touax Group
    Exploit the potential of existing tools and technologies and develop new models
  • Baher El-Hifnaw, Senior Economist in the Transport Unit, World Bank
    Rail is a system which needs investments
  • Alexis Padoy, Single European Rail Unit, DG Move, European Commission
    Rail is a system which needs good framework conditions

10.30 – 11.00: Coffee break including a live-demo presentation of the European Information Portal on last-mile infrastructure for rail freight
11.00 – 12.30: Session 3

Session 3 – Rail Freight 4.0: innovation and digitalization for global solutions

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

Speakers will include:

  • Interview by Brogan Bambrogan, Hyperloop
    Possibilities and opportunities to work with rail
  • Thomas Steffens, Principal, The Boston Consulting Group BCG
    Will the driverless truck derail the freight train?
  • Thorsten Bomke, Service Market Portfolio, Alstom
    Investing in new technology – Business Drivers and Technology
  • Miroslav Obrenovic, Head of Asset Strategy & Program, DB Cargo
    Intelligent assets for competitive rail freight services
  • Harald Jony, Director of Energy Management, ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG
    Innovative energy management
  • Peter Boom, Manager Business Development, RailWatch Gmbh&co.KG
    Sharing information between actors – case study for the intelligent freight wagon
  • Claudio Diotallevi, Railway Director, Customer Group Industry&Society, Ericsson
    Connectivity solutions for Internet of Things and freight data handling
  • Rossella Mattioli, Security and Resilience of Communication Networks Officer, ENISA
    Cyber security and resilience of transport infrastructure

12.30 – 14.00: Lunch 
14:30 – 15:30: Session 4

Session 4 – The workforce of the future: digital skills and human capital

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

Speakers will include:

  • Young Professionals
    Report by the young professionals assisted by Armand Toubol, Honorary General Manager SNCF, BIC Board Member
  • Patrick Philipp, Head of IRU Academy
    Challenges and opportunities of the road transport industry
  • Esther Marconi, Chair of the UIC Expertise Development Platform
    The workforce of the future – rail’s response
  • Philippe Dume, Managing Director Services and Rolling Stock, Alstom.
    Want to boost performance – Reinvent organisation!
  • Thierry Vanelslaner, BNP Fortis & University of Antwerp
    Is innovation a state of mind?

15.30 – 16.00: Conclusions and next steps

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