Successful participation in the «III Algeciras Port IT Symposium» Conference

About 200 people gathered at the «Millán Picazo» Auditorium in Algeciras to learn about the latest trends in Digital Transformation, Blockchain and Cybersecurity, as well as its application to the maritime / port logistics business.

After the welcome and introduction, offered by the General Manager of the APBA, José Luis Hormaechea, the Chief Information & Innovation Officer of the Port Authority, Francisco de los Santos, announced the initiatives that the Algeciras Port has underway to continue consolidating as a Next Generation Logistics Platform. Then, Diego Martinez, Microsoft Software Engineer, spoke about the software architectures that support the digital transformation of companies.

His practical demonstration caused great expectation among the attendees with a more technical professional profile, showing the flexibility and scalability offered by latest cloud architectures. He was followed by Pedro Pablo Pérez, CEO of Eleven Paths, Telefónica’s Cybersecurity Unit, and one of the leading Spanish experts in Cybersecurity, a subject that always concerns and interests everyone. The last conference of the morning corresponded to Eduard Martín, Director of Smart Cities and Strategy for the Public Sector of the company Sopra Steria, who spoke about how to improve operational efficiency through innovation.

After a well-deserved catering offered by the APBA, in which the participants were able to network and discuss with the speakers, gave way to the lectures in the afternoon, which began with that of Germán Sánchez, IBM’s Blockchain and Business Transformation Consultant, who introduced this disruptive technology to attendees, showing very interesting cases studies. The storm «Ana» caused that Aljosja Beije, Logistics & Technology Lead of BlockLab was not able to leave Rotterdam; Therefore, this speaker offered his presentation remotely, completing the previous one when explaining the projects that, apply Blockchain, are being carried out in Europe’s main port. This was followed by another break to regain strength, continue networking, and face the last two conferences of the event. Thus, in a high-level climax, Óscar Pernía spoke, Vice President, Operational Innovation Terminal at ATOM @ Labs de Navis, who delighted the attendees with his lecture entitled «Digital Transformation at Container Shipping». The icing of the day was Jukka Lindström, Vice President, Digital Transformation of Cargotec, who spoke about the acceleration of digital business in an industrial company.

The best example of the positive impact of the event in the Logistics / Port Community of Algeciras was the comment made at the end of it by one of the attendees, Léo Jullien, SATCOM Sales Manager of Aage Hempel: «It was a very formative event, that opened your mind, that taught other ways of thinking and perceiving things, and in the end, they bring new ideas and make you grow».