Interview to Enrique Lacalle, president of the Committee Organiser of the SIL
Which are the perspectives for this new edition of the SIL?
This is a very special year for the International Living room of the Logistics and of the Manutención of Barcelona because we celebrate our 15 anniversary. They have happened 15 years since we celebrate the first living room and 16 years since we celebrate the first symposium. This year we will have a number of companies participants and of busy surface very similar to the past year. During all the year have redoblado our efforts travelling a lot —have presented the SIL in a big number of north countries of Africa and Latin America—, flooding the world of information on the SIL, visiting to all the companies of the sector, assisting to the main international forums, etc.
A bet by the internacionalidad…
Yes, the International Living room of the Logistics and of the Manutención of Barcelona always has bet by the internacionalidad doing of her a signal of identity and has meant for being a bridge for the businesses between Latin America and the Mediterranean. This year we will have a new area devoted to the Innovation and to the Sustainability, will organise a series of Lunch Networkings to facilitate the contacts and the business between logistical companies and the main consumers of logistics, that is to say the directors of logistics of the main companies of the distinct industrial states. I am convinced that the SIL 2013 will be very profitable for the companies participants because we have devoted all our maximum effort to attain that the companies that participate do business.
Why think that Barcelona has converted during these 15 years in the annual meeting point of the logistics?
The City Condal is a point geoestratégico for the trade with the zones of the Mediterranean, Asia and America. Barcelona is an in passing forced city in Europe, that has a big port, a logistical zone of prime importance and a powerful airport. Besides, always it has bet by the transport and the logistics like strategic sectors, constituting one of the key axles for his economic and social development. All this has done that Barcelona was a city with big specific weight in the Mediterranean, as it shows it the fact that at present houses the General Office of the Union By the Mediterranean.
The importance that has the city of Barcelona in the Mediterranean also sees reflected with the celebration every year of a Living room of the Logistics and of the Manutención, the SIL, that is the reference of the Mediterranean logistical community.
And which thinks that have been the keys of the success of the living room?
The SIL was cream fifteen years ago like answer to the need of the logistical sector to have of a platform of business where the professionals and the companies could exchange ideas, products and services. Our Living room always has characterised for having positioned like an international referent, in addition to being the big annual event for a sector with so much economic importance like the logistical. The big secret of the SIL has been his proof and the have known to evolve of the hand of the sector. During fifteen years, never have been missing to the appointment with the sector and, in each occasion, have been present with the best and more complete platform of business and of south knowledge of Europe and the Arch of the Mediterranean, being also a bridge with Latin America.
Of which way repercute in the living room the current European crisis and, especially, the Spaniard?
The SIL has resisted the crisis because it works. In spite of the own economic difficulties of the moment, the SIL is a living room with a name accredited, recognised and very profitable for the companies expositoras if it works well. In Spain and the South of Europe does not exist a meeting like the SIL that was able to gather to all the sector of the logistics once a year. It is true that the economic crisis is affecting to all the sectors of the economy and neither the logistics neither the fairs are extraneous to this situation. All the professional living rooms have reduced his size and, in this sense, the SIL neither has been the exception. Anyway the SIL a very effective instrument, commercial, of knowledge, of contacts and of internacionalidad that allows to many say: “In spite of the crisis here am, giving the face and struggling… and when we go out of this crisis those that have resisted will go out very strengthened”.
Which novelties will bring achieve this new edition?
One of the big novelties of the SIL 2013 will be the change of location. The SIL 2013 will take place in the enclosure Montjuïc-Square Spain of Fira of Barcelona, with the aim to approach the living room to the city so that so much the visitors like the display units that come of out can enjoy to the maximum of an extraordinary city. The connection of the appeal of Barcelona, the fortress of his mark and his logistical potential are fundamental and help to that the SIL was stronger, more powerful and more attractor trucks.
What other novelties presents the living room this year?
In addition to the change of location, in the SIL 2013 will have a new area devoted to the Innovation and to the Sustainability. Also we will organise a series of Lunch Networkings to facilitate the contacts and the business between logistical companies and the main consumers of logistics, that is to say the directors of logistics of the main companies of the distinct industrial states.
Along these last years, the SIL has given particular importance to the logistical relation between Europe of the Mediterranean and the north of Africa. It keeps this tendency in this new edition?
The SIL has an important participation of companies and institutions of Morocco, headed by his minister of Equipments and Transports, as well as of other north countries of Africa as it is the case of Algeria. Inside the XI Forum Mediterranean of Logistics and Transport treats the subject of the integration of the logistics and the transport of the countries of both sides of the bank of the Mediterranean like imperative necessary for the economic development of these countries.
How it sees the commercial relations and of exchange of knowledge in the sector, between Spain and south America?
America is realising big investments in infrastructures and modernizando his main logistical platforms. The logistical potential that there is in America is enormous. Brazil, with the organisation of the World-wide of Football 2014 and of the Olympic games of 2016, has big plans of investment in infrastructures. Panama, like platform multimodal by excellence of the Américas, is llevar one of the big works of engineering of the 21st century with the extension of the Channel of Panama. Countries like Mexico, Chile, Colombia or Uruguay have created plans of development and investment in logistics and infrastructures to short and half term, etc. Spain is a world-wide power by what refers to companies devoted to the realisation of big infrastructures and many of them in the actuality are tackling big projects in south America. Spain, by the fact to share the same language, always has had very good relations with south America to all the levels, so much commercial as of exchange of experiences, and expect that like this it keep on being during a lot of years.
Taking into account the quantity of meetings of logistics that there is in the world, Which thinks that are the points differentiate to this living room?
The high internacionalidad and the profitability of the living room. The SIL is a tremendously international living room, appearance that every year has more strength. The past year have the participation of 45% of international companies. At the same time, the SIL has the experience of more than fourteen editions to the service of the sector and is a very professional fair, to work, of little folklore and a lot of business. The SIL is a very effective living room for the display units, thus it has a high index of fidelity, in spite of the moment. Besides, the human team that during 362 days to the year work for the 3 days that lasts the SIL do it with the same illusion of the first day. Our proof, illusion and spirit of superación are one of the keys of the success of the SIL.
