"Artificial intelligence can predict consumption, automate processes and optimize routes to be more sustainable."

Alfonso Eslava, director Logistics of Volkswagen Navarra, gave the masterful lecture to the students of Degree in management Applied on the occasion of the presentation of projects and the celebration of the ISSA School of Applied Management's Patron Saint's Day. In addition to explaining the origins and evolution of the factory, Eslava also explained what, in his opinion, are the eight elements core topic in the future of Logistics.

Regarding automation, the executive stressed that its use results in increased productivity and safety in logistics processes, while financial aid to reduce costs and errors. Related to this last issue, Eslava stressed that " digitalization brings us efficiency, transparency and security", while financial aid to collect and store data and improves decision making, better known as cognitive logistics.

During his speech, the engineer from Pamplona clarified that, although it is a topic that is in vogue in recent times thanks in part to the greater availability of data, artificial intelligence is a recurring topic since the mid-twentieth century. In this regard, he stressed that in logistics "it can be applied to predict consumption, automate processes and optimize routes to be more sustainable".

As far as transport and infrastructures are concerned, Eslava pointed out that the railroad is the priority means for the distribution of vehicles produced in Landaben because, among other achievements, it minimizes the environmental impact. However, the speaker was disappointed by the difficulties sometimes encountered in Spain compared to the rest of Europe, such as the difference in track gauge. Looking to the future, he also referred to autonomous transport as a logistic alternative still in its infancy that has to overcome technical and even ethical adversities for its generalization.

Finally, the Navarre executive pointed to last-mile logistics, sustainability and customization as three of the most important challenges currently facing the sector: "Internet commerce continues to grow every day, yet the routes in our cities are not optimized. But not only should distribution be improved, but also more suitable packaging that minimizes weight and optimizes space en route should be used. Moreover, all of this," concluded Eslava, "must take into account the needs and satisfaction of each customer.

56 projects defended

As an introduction to Eslava's lecture , Antonio María Fernández, director of development of ISSA School of Applied Management, congratulated the more than 250 students of Degree in management Applied Management for the 56 projects they worked on and reflected, at framework on the 60th anniversary of the academic center, on the bequest received: "This heritage that we enjoy today also makes us participants, since we are jointly responsible for bequeathing both the space and the spirit of the University of Navarra and ISSA to the generations of students who will occupy these classrooms tomorrow".

The workshop ended with the words of Marta Luzán and Paula Albizu, delegate and subdelegate of the fourth year. On their last day of classes at the Campus in Pamplona (during the second semester, the fourth year students do an academic exchange or curricular internship), they wanted to thank the learning received during their training and share a message with their classmates of lower courses: "Take advantage of the experience, because the university stage passes very quickly".