Honours in Hamburg

Mike Wilson, Chair of the Panalpina Centre for Manufacturing and Logistics Research, was recently awarded a leading industry prize for innovation in manufacturing and supply chains.

Mike, Global Head of Logistics and Manufacturing at Panalpina, was presented with the prestigious LEO Award by German trade publication DVZ at a gala event in Hamburg. There is no good translation for the German word “Zukunftsmacher” in English. “Zukunft” means future and a “Macher” is a doer, a maker.

The DVZ explained why they see a “Zukunftsmacher” in Mike:

On the occasion of the 70-year anniversary of the DVZ and the 10-year anniversary of the LEO Award, the DVZ added: “Wilson is getting the LEO award in the category business model because he consistently pushes this ‘disruption’ with Panalpina, including the implementation of 3D printing.”

Panalpina’s 3D printing services and academic collaboration with Cardiff University in this area fit in the bigger picture of Logistics Manufacturing Services (LMS), where the company plays a pioneering role in bringing manufacturing closer to demand in an effort to increase speed to market - a strategy known as distributed manufacturing.

The company started with LMS as early as 2013, first introducing it for the telecommunications industry in Brazil, then in Panama and Dubai. In essence, distributed manufacturing means that products can be customized, personalized and finished as late as possible in the supply chain and as close as possible to the end customer or consumer.