DB Schenker Rail UK hosts 4th Intermodal Port Conference

DB Schenker Rail UK welcomed over 90 delegates to its fourth Intermodal Port Conference 2015 on Thursday 08 October, where topics including sustainable growth, digitalisation and container port technology were discussed.
The event once again provided a forum to discuss ideas and developments in the Intermodal sector and DB Schenker Rail UK was delighted to welcome industry speakers from across the globe to share best practice.
Patrick Bossert, Network Rail’s Digital Transformation Director, was the first guest speaker, and discussed how digitalisation has the potential to revolutionise the management and use of the rail network.
Gina Acosta, a world-leading expert on container port operation from DP World, continued the theme as she spoke about container port technology, whilst Steve Pryce, Head of Marketing at DB Schenker Rail UK, concluded the morning with a presentation about how rail freight is adapting to new markets and the changing needs of customers.
This was also touched upon during the key note speech of DB Schenker Rail UK CEO Geoff Spencer, who spoke about the benefits of integrating rail freight with pre-carriage and onward services and working together to deliver investment and innovation.
Each speaker addressed the shared challenges and opportunities faced by the Intermodal sector, including introducing and keeping abreast of new technology and adapting to rapidly changing markets.
The afternoon included speeches from Aart Hille Ris Lambers of DP World Southampton and Geoff Lippitt of PD Ports. Mr Hille Ris Lambers explored how ports are evolving to meet the needs of shipping lines and ultra-large container vessels whilst Mr Lippitt showed how ports have evolved and invested in new areas of activity.
DB Schenker Rail UK was also delighted to welcome Dirk Steffes, the European Head of Intermodal at DB Schenker AG, who offered a view on the Intermodal sector outside the UK.
The event concluded with a panel discussion where Martin Woor from Hutchison Ports, Emil Martinsek from Get your Guide, Network Rail’s Patrick Bossert and Andy Browning from DP World joined DB Schenker Rail UK’s Head of Sales Les Morris in a lively debate. Topics were suggested by the audience and included increasing network capacity, container port automation and the impact of emerging port technology on the rest of the supply chain.
Steve Pryce, Head of Marketing at DB Schenker Rail UK, said: “We were delighted to see so many ideas and so much passion being generated by the speakers and the live panel discussion during the event. As always the Intermodal Port Conference raised questions and in some cases provided answers about the future challenges of the industry.
“A key message from the conference was that we must continue to work together to meet the changing needs of our customers. We plan to host the conference again next year where we will be able to discuss further changes and assess how far we have come.”