Industry experts discussed Calgary\u2019s strategic areas of opportunity at \u2018Uplook LIVE: What\u2019s Next for Calgary\u2019s Transportation & Logistics Sector\u2019 on June 11 at TELUS Spark Science Centre.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Transportation and\u00a0logistics\u00a0are being reshaped in real time \u2014 from autonomous fleets and AI-powered supply chains to new trade corridors and shifting global demand. The question for Calgary\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0whether change is coming \u2014\u00a0it’s\u00a0how we position ourselves to lead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
To examine that question, Calgary\u2019s\u00a0business community\u2014 including its transportation and\u00a0logistics\u00a0sector \u2014\u00a0gathered at\u00a0TELUS\u00a0Spark Science Centre on June 11. The group\u00a0was\u00a0convened\u00a0by Calgary Economic Development (CED) for\u00a0Uplook\u00a0LIVE\u00a0\u2014 an event series that delves into the\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
With the largest rail and air hubs among Canada\u2019s Prairie provinces, Calgary already has significant momentum in transportation and\u00a0logistics\u00a0\u2014 and\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0a sector where CED sees endless possibilities for growth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have the potential to become a major hub for trade and market access,\u201d said Helen de Fay, CED\u2019s Director of Corporate and Economic Strategy.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are North America\u2019s most connected mid-sized city \u2013 and unique from other major cities, we have the land and room to grow,\u201d de Fay told attendees.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0has\u00a0the largest rail and air hubs among Canada\u2019s Prairie provinces\u00a0\u2014\u00a0links\u00a0that provide\u00a0easy access to EU markets as well as West Coast ports,\u00a0making\u00a0the city\u00a0uniquely positioned to\u00a0maintain\u00a0an export focus.\u00a0This superior connectivity explains\u00a0why\u00a0major players and projects are choosing Calgary; the city is\u00a0home to WestJet\u2019s global connectivity hub, CPKC\u2019s\u00a0headquarters\u00a0and is the future\u00a0base of\u00a0the\u00a0Prairie Economic Gateway\u00a0project.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But these strengths\u00a0of Calgary\u2019s\u00a0can only be\u00a0leveraged\u00a0to their fullest potential when paired with a view to the future \u2014\u00a0and\u00a0that\u2019s where foresight comes in.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The\u00a0possible futures\u00a0for transportation &\u00a0logistics\u00a0<\/p>\n
To build a resilient economy in Calgary, CED\u00a0\u00a0global trends in each of its key sectors\u00a0to\u00a0imagine\u00a0the\u00a0possible\u00a0and probable futures for the region\u00a010, 20, 50 and 100 years from now.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rachelle Bugeaud, CED\u2019s foresight manager, provided\u00a0attendees with\u00a0a crash course on the power of foresight\u00a0and how it can help\u00a0inform\u00a0a sector’s\u00a0trajectory.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCED uses strategic foresight to develop insights for the future so we can develop sector strategies that take various possibilities into account. We look at what futures are possible to create in the region, and then\u00a0identify\u00a0what types of skills, education and even future jobs might exist \u2013 so we can make this a reality in Calgary.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bugeaud shared\u00a0four major macro trends, or shifts,\u00a0discovered in her foresight research that are\u00a0impacting\u00a0the\u00a0trajectory of the\u00a0transportation\u00a0and\u00a0logistics\u00a0sector, and\u00a0ultimately creating\u00a0opportunities for Calgary:<\/p>\n
Automation:\u00a0Systems able to run themselves without interruption or delays
\nSpeed:\u00a0Items getting from point A to point B in record time
\nNetworks: Creation of new systems for moving goods
\nManufacturing: Shift in length and frequency of trade routes<\/p>\n
With global freight demand expected to\u00a0nearly triple\u00a0by 2050, Bugeaud predicts that the next decade will\u00a0be anchored by bold ideas \u2014 especially the businesses and cities that take the risk\u00a0to\u00a0build them first.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s going to be ever more competitive with new technologies coming aboard,\u201d explained Bugead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nApplying the Calgary lens\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
A\u00a0panel\u00a0of industry leaders\u00a0were eager to weigh in on the\u00a0foresight\u00a0research.\u00a0Reflecting on the major shift of automation, Dr. Sarah Flick, Head of Supply Chain and Logistics at Lufthansa Technik Canada, emphasized the role of testing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat’s\u00a0really important\u00a0with these technologies is that we take them\u00a0from proof of concept,\u00a0to proven concept. With the automation and AI that we can already see and do in a proof of concept, the true value shows\u00a0up through industrialization.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Of the four major shifts,\u00a0CPKC\u2019s\u00a0Assistant Vice President of\u00a0Facilities, Real Estate & Development \u2014 Jeff Edwards \u2014\u00a0anticipated\u00a0that\u00a0the\u00a0speed\u00a0shift\u00a0would\u00a0ultimately\u00a0alter\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we can improve on that overall system velocity\u00a0\u2014 creating capacity,\u00a0efficiency\u00a0and predictability \u2014\u00a0that’s\u00a0going to be a measure of success in the future.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
From his Executive Director seat at the\u00a0Alberta Logistics Centre of Excellence (ALCoE),\u00a0which\u00a0opened<\/a>\u00a0Tom McCaffery had a different view on which foresight shift\u00a0is most influential.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere’s no shortage of automation opportunities right now.\u00a0We’re\u00a0supporting companies to think about what automation looks like for them\u00a0through programs like The Intelligent Warehouse, which helps\u00a0organizations define their challenges and\u00a0identify\u00a0where the opportunities lie within the technology itself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Panelists were asked for their perspective on where Calgary already competes\u00a0well\u00a0and\u00a0where it needs\u00a0to improve.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cLocation is critically important. Calgary is so well situated \u2014 not just within Western Canada, but all of Canada \u2014 to be\u00a0a logistics\u00a0powerhouse,\u201d responded Edwards.\u00a0\u201cThe people, the education and the employment base within Calgary\u00a0is\u00a0incredibly high.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n As far as innovation and technology in Calgary are concerned, Edwards\u00a0is seeing them in action at CPKC.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u00a0look\u00a0to\u00a0our\u00a0development of\u00a0a hydrogen locomotive\u00a0as an example\u00a0\u2014 that’s\u00a0all being done in Calgary;\u00a0with\u00a0parts developed in Calgary,\u00a0with people that live\u00a0in\u00a0and are from the Calgary area.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Dr.\u00a0Flick expressed that Calgary’s sector strengths in infrastructure, space and opportunity make the city “well-positioned to serve customers not only in Canada, but also the Americas.”<\/p>\n “Regionalization is key,” added Dr. Flick, since\u00a0\u201cstrong local ecosystems, where we have the control, connectivity and visibility,\u00a0will\u00a0create\u00a0a logistics\u00a0advantage.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Dan Schatz, Director of Business Development at Radiant Global Logistics,\u00a0proposed\u00a0automation as an area\u00a0requiring more focus. \u201cDon’t\u00a0be scared of\u00a0it; foster it,\u201d\u00a0said Schatz.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe see a lot of uncertainty in the marketplace, so you need to have experience behind you;\u00a0something that doesn’t fit within an algorithm, that you know is adaptable, flexible\u00a0and\u00a0nimble,”\u00a0added Schatz\u00a0on automation and the premium on human expertise across the system.\u00a0<\/p>\n \nHow Calgary moves\u00a0forward\u00a0from here\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u00a0Edwards\u00a0believes that collaboration is critically important to the sector\u2019s future\u00a0in the Calgary region.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe [CPKC] think that North America, to be successful, will continue to see trade growth among the three nations.\u00a0The\u00a0Prairie Economic Gateway becomes that location\u00a0where, within Calgary, you can start to touch those markets.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n