European Logistics Safety Experts have come together in Frankfurt to discuss Cargo Science for a Safe Trip – Where Logistics Safety, Sustainability and Competitiveness meet. The 7th International Eumos Conference takes place from 22-23 March 2023, the year marking the 10th anniversary of the European Safe Logistics Association Eumos.

In 2013, scientists and experts from across Europe joined forces in laying out how to standardise Cargo Securing and Logistics in order to ensure the safety of cargo as well as the safety of people by safely secured cargo. Today, Eumos has developed into an organisation of about 120 members ranging from academia, training, industry to testing uniting the best experts from the private and public sectors coming from different angles of Logistics Safety. Angel Hernandez, Chairman of Eumos, is proud of the growth of the association in members and of the reputation it has achieved since its creation and he states “We have gone a long way in organising the sectors involved in logistics safety and we share the vision of need to further harmonise cargo securing rules in Europe. Physics is physics and the way a load reacts in unexpected movements does not change at the border.”

While Eumos follows the key objective of improving logistics safety in Europe, sustainability is becoming an area companies are increasingly concerned about and a large amount of research is channelled into ensuring the use of sustainable material. “Safety is not negotiable” ensures Hernandez, “now we have to strive towards ensuring the same level of safety in the most sustainable way possible.” 

One of the key requirements at the conference was seen in the necessity of continuing and broadening the research and the statistics related to logistics safety and cargo securing in order to underpin the necessity for a stricter regulation of the sector. In view of 8,000 people suffering health or life hazards every year on the road in accidents with a root cause in inadequate cargo securing, logistics safety experts call for action to enhance the rules.

At a Gala Dinner, four Logistic Safety Experts were recognised for their contribution to logistics safety with the renowned Eumos Award. Kurt Garrez was awarded for his committed work within the Traffic Police in Belgium to enforce the cargo securing rules on the road; Manuel Garcia Romeu received the recognition for his research into load stability equipment and his leadership on the revision of standard EUMOS 40509 for load stability testing for transport; René van Glabbeek was granted the Eumos award for his pioneering work in the area of hand wrapping irregular loads; finally Antonio Galrao Ramos has led projects at the Polytechnical University of Porto in the research of load stability and logistics safety and was honoured with the Eumos award for his strong engagement.