On November 2, 2024, the “30th Anniversary of Logistics Education at Beijing Wuzi University – 2024 International Conference on Logistics and Supply Chain” was held in the Zhixin Building of Beijing Wuzi University. The conference was hosted by Beijing Wuzi University and organized by its Logistics School. It featured 5 keynote speeches, 1 chief editors' forum, and 6 parallel sessions. The event was guided by the China Society of Logistics and strongly supported by journals including Systems Engineering – Theory & Practice, Chinese Journal of Management Science, Management Review, Systems Science and Mathematics, and Journal of Systems Science and Information.
Ren Haoxiang, Vice President of the China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing and President of the China Society of Logistics, and Zuo Min, Deputy Party Secretary and President of Beijing Wuzi University, attended the event. The conference was hosted by Liu Dake, Vice President of Beijing Wuzi University. More than 300 experts, scholars, and students from home and abroad participated in the conference.
Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the logistics management program at Beijing Wuzi University, the conference centered on the theme of “Sustainable Development of Logistics and Supply Chain under the New Quality Productive Forces.” Renowned experts and scholars in the field of logistics and supply chain from around the world gathered to discuss how to leverage digital technologies such as the Internet of Things, big data analytics, and artificial intelligence to optimize logistics operations, effectively reduce the overall logistics costs for society, and enhance the resilience and security of industrial and supply chains. The conference also focused on the globalization context, exploring how to build more agile and responsive supply chain systems to adapt to international market changes and the ever-evolving demands of consumers.
The event opened with a retrospective video showcasing thirty years of logistics education. Over the past three decades of dedicated efforts, Beijing Wuzi University has established a strong foundation in logistics, embodying a pioneering entrepreneurial spirit. It was the first in China to launch a logistics management program, the first to offer a procurement management program, the first in Beijing to initiate a supply chain management program, and remains the only university in the country to offer all undergraduate majors under the logistics management and engineering category. The institution has led the paradigm shift from materials management to logistics management and now to supply chain management.
Ren Haoxiang extended warm congratulations on the convening of the conference, emphasizing that Beijing Wuzi University was a pioneer in introducing modern logistics concepts into China and is one of the earliest higher education institutions engaged in logistics talent cultivation and research. The university established the nation’s first logistics program, published the first monograph and dictionary in logistics, translated and published the first professional work on logistics, and founded China’s first journal in the circulation field—China Circulation Economy. He highly praised the university's outstanding research achievements and dedicated faculty team, and expressed hope that experts and scholars from home and abroad would take this opportunity for in-depth exchange and mutual learning to jointly promote the development of logistics education, technological innovation, and talent cultivation.
Zuo Min, Deputy Party Secretary and President of Beijing Wuzi University, delivered a speech summarizing the fruitful achievements over the past 30 years of logistics education at the university. He pointed out that in response to the national strategic goal of "effectively reducing the overall logistics cost for society," the university must seize the opportunity and face the challenges head-on. First, it should build new standards and paradigms for logistics education and become a highland for logistics talent cultivation. Second, it should focus on smart logistics, green logistics, and secure logistics to enhance the transformation of innovative research results. Third, it should address the key obstacles hindering the development of the logistics industry and improve systemic governance effectiveness. He expressed hope that academia at home and abroad would join hands to contribute greater strength to forming new quality productive forces in the logistics circulation field, provide stronger talent support for the high-quality development of logistics, play a more significant role in serving national logistics strategies, and offer more intellectual input in solving common issues in logistics and supply chains.
Professor Hu Xiangpei, Changjiang Distinguished Professor, recipient of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, and professor at Dalian University of Technology, delivered a keynote speech titled Research on Operational Optimization Methods for Robotic Mobile Rack Systems. He emphasized that as a major e-commerce country, transforming from “person-to-goods” to “goods-to-person” in order picking is of great significance. He compared the advantages and disadvantages of both methods and focused on optimizing goods allocation, order picking, and robot scheduling in mobile rack systems. He proposed a location allocation method based on correlation networks, an optimized robot scheduling method, and an order batching and sequencing method, which were validated via simulation for their efficiency and practicality, offering theoretical guidance and decision support for companies like online supermarkets.
Martin Dresner, Professor at the University of Maryland, presented a topic titled Focusing on Online Sales by Integrating Last-Mile Platforms. Using chain restaurants as an example, he explored how cooperation with delivery platforms impacts their sales. His research showed that collaboration with delivery platforms helps increase direct channel sales. As the number of platform partners grows, the frequency of direct channel transactions and basket size also increase. He discussed strategies to guide customers from delivery platforms to direct channels.
David Edkins, Professor at the University of Plymouth, UK, gave a keynote speech titled Beyond Climate Change – Sustainability in Maritime Shipping. He shared the concept of sustainability in the shipping industry, focusing on three dimensions: people (social), planet (environment), and profit (economic). He highlighted key issues such as skill development, stakeholder engagement, environmental management, resource efficiency, and strategic planning. He suggested future research directions, including the relative weights of evaluation indicators and evidence-based assessment methods. He concluded by stressing the need for synergy among social, environmental, and economic sustainability.
Professor Armin Schwögler from Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University, Loerrach Campus, Germany, delivered a keynote speech titled End-to-End Control of the Supply Chain – Opportunities and Adjustments. He first shared insights on logistics costs and end-to-end supply chain visibility, pointing out that factors such as interest rates, inflation, climate change, geopolitical conflicts, terrorism, and war pose significant risks and uncertainties to supply chains. He emphasized that the industry must invest in supply chain technologies to enhance capabilities and increase visibility. Drawing on Germany’s success, he offered constructive advice on talent development in the logistics industry, especially strengthening vocational education and training. He concluded by expressing optimism about the future development of China’s logistics sector.
Professor Jiang Xu, Dean of the Logistics School at Beijing Wuzi University and Vice President of the China Society of Logistics, delivered a keynote speech titled Talent Cultivation in Logistics and Innovation in Supply Chain Development. He presented the outstanding achievements of the Logistics School in ten areas: program development, curriculum design, textbook development, faculty building, international cooperation, global accreditation, academic competitions, faculty training, and innovation. He also discussed future trends in supply chain development from the perspectives of standardization, digitization, greening, and resilience, envisioning a logistics system where people can fulfill their talents, land is optimally used, goods are utilized efficiently, and smooth circulation is achieved, reflecting innovation, coordination, greenness, openness, and sharing.
During the chief editors' forum, Wang Qian (Managing Editor of Management Review), Gao Mingang (Deputy Managing Editor of Chinese Journal of Management Science), Fang Yong (Executive Deputy Editor of Systems Science and Mathematics), and Li Lin (Managing Editor of Systems Engineering – Theory & Practice and Journal of Systems Science and Information) provided guidance on submission requirements and writing tips for their respective journals.
Professor Martin Christopher from Cranfield University (UK), Toshiaki Nojiri, Chairman of Nippon Express School (Japan), and Xu Bensong, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of SF Group, sent congratulatory video messages. They reviewed their cooperation with Beijing Wuzi University in talent cultivation and expressed best wishes for the university’s future logistics and supply chain education.
The six parallel sessions in the afternoon focused on “International Logistics and Supply Chain Development,” “Digital Logistics and Supply Chain,” “Specialized Logistics and Supply Chain Development,” “Logistics Planning and Design Optimization,” “Supply Chain Resilience and Sustainability,” and “Innovation in Logistics Enterprises and Industry-Education Integration.” Experts and scholars held in-depth exchanges and discussions with participants.
This conference showcased the insights of domestic and international experts on current hot topics and cutting-edge developments in logistics and supply chains. It stimulated deep thinking among participants, broadened academic horizons, enhanced analytical capabilities, and is expected to greatly promote the continuous advancement of logistics and supply chain research, contributing to the high-quality development of the industry.