Multimodal 2025 a launchpad for AI

THIS YEAR’S event is home to over 275 exhibitors and around 100 speakers across 71 conference sessions – representing the largest gathering of logistics expertise ever assembled at Multimodal.

Day one’s keynote session featured Gary Jeffreys, managing director of Maersk, speaking at the panel discussion Unlocking UK Connectivity Puzzle, which explored how cross-modal connectivity between roads, railways, ports and warehousing clusters can drive productivity improvements whilst supporting decarbonisation objectives.

“Over the last two years, customers are ramping up interest in working with us as partners to reduce their emissions,” said Jeffreys. “There’s more opportunity in the UK – it’s small enough to be innovative. Each mode has its challenges – whether it’s having enough electricity in the grid or getting the next generation of people.”

Global logistics network. Air cargo, rail transportation, maritime shipping, warehouse, container ship, city skyline on the world map

The session How Artificial Intelligence is Transforming Multimodal Logistics chaired by Samantha Brocklehurst from Maersk featured industry leaders exploring practical AI applications across different transport modes.

Another critical session addressed the UK’s changing trade landscape, with Phil Roe, president of Logistics UK, launching new research findings: “The UK’s logistics performance is declining, pulling the UK’s productivity down with it. We are held back by border friction, congested infrastructure, skills shortages, outdated regulations and patchworks of urban rules.”

The UK’s trading relationships have suffered more than the EU’s following its exit from the trade bloc, according to business group Logistics UK, with the country’s exports down 23% from 2017 to 2024 while imports fell only by 5%. To address the trading imbalance between the UK and its closest trading partner bloc, Phil Roe called for a “swift implementation” of the revisions to border checks announced as part of the UK-EU reset summit so the UK can start to reap the benefits of smoother trade once again.