It’s called Transpotec Academy and it features 8 sessions each one-hour long (two per day, during each day of Transpotec) on the most relevant topics for hauliers: logistics, cold chain, warehouses and contracts. The courses are led by Paolo Volta, didactic coordinator of evenT, the brand created by the newspapers Trasportare Oggi and Vado e Torno dedicated to communication, information and training in the haulage industry.

It starts on the 12th at 11:00 with Introduction to Logistics: logistics is now an increasingly important sector for reaching business goals and it is flexibility in promptly responding to market needs that brings strategic value to a company’s evolution. The course aims to outline the basics: how the concept of logistics has evolved over time (industrial - commercial - integrated), logistics goals and the logistics system.

Later that day, starting from 12:00 Outsourcing: from suppliers to Partners will take place.

In an increasingly global market where products/services tend to be technically and economically similar, every stage of the customer relationship represents added value for the company. This course will teach how to develop partnership relationships, but also how to withdraw.

On Friday the 13th from 11:00 Warehouse: continuous evolution will be discussed. The distribution network is warehouses, different types and natures, as a whole, working in an integrated manner and constituting the backbone of the logistics system. The warehouse allows an enterprise to be “close” to customers. Previously considered a simple container, today the integrated logistics chain outlook sees warehouses as fundamental nodes of the logistics network with a specific function set by their positioning inside the network.

Meanwhile, at 15:00 the Control Tower will be discussed: a supply chain control tower system is an attempt to make the external supply chain environment visible to the business, with “end-to-end” visibility. The advanced, intelligent control tower is a hub for visibility, decision-making and action, based on real-time analytics that monitor, manage and control decisions and execution across roles and across businesses, optimising the entire network.

On Saturday the 14th at 14:00 there will be a discussion on Management Control in businesses and how to optimise operating costs. Having an overview of management control means defining the cost structure and calculating the BEP (break-even point), but also being able to understand the trend of your own business operation, the actual cost of your service and which of your products/services give rise to higher contributing margins.

From 15:00 we will talk about Incoterms. The terms of delivery (Incoterms) are a universally known and recognised code of the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris, which aims to establish the precise meaning of commercial delivery terms used in international sales. Incoterms clearly indicate what the buyer and seller’s obligations and risks are, thereby providing uniform international rules for the interpretation of commercial terms of delivery of goods to be included in contracts of sale.

Finally, on Sunday the 15th, at 12:00, the cold chain will be addressed. Ensuring that temperatures are controlled is critical, whether you are transporting medicines or food. There is a before and after for all transport, and this is where the risks of breaking the cold chain are often most evident. We delve into HACCP: standards for protecting health and food safety, and ATP: temperature-controlled transportation vehicle standards.

The last session in the series, at 15:00 on Sunday, will focus on transportation, shipping and logistics contracts. Methodically analysing the apparently simple term ‘transport’ reveals multiple facets. The common meaning given to the term is the moving of things from one place to another. With this view, the rules concerning around transport, shipping and tender contracts will be examined in terms of party obligations.