A special highlight awaited the group on the day of their arrival: an exclusive tour of the Port of Hamburg's loading terminals - areas that are not normally open to the public. There, the students were able to experience at first hand how container ships with a capacity of over 20,000 containers and impressive dimensions of up to 400 metres long and 60 metres wide are loaded and unloaded within just a few days. The ultra-modern Altenwerder terminal, which is considered one of the most advanced in Europe with its autonomous loading systems, was particularly impressive.
Visit to K+S
The following day, the programme included a visit to the potash and salt specialist K+S at Kalikai in the port of Hamburg. Site manager Susanne Neiro welcomed the group in person and presented the company and its logistics processes. The site serves as a central export hub for the products mined and refined in Germany. With a storage capacity of up to 410,000 tonnes, 12 to 15 goods trains per day and over 350 sea and inland waterway vessels per year, the logistical dimensions of the site were particularly impressive. A special experience was the view of a 50,000 tonne load of fertiliser for the Brazilian market.
Visit to Gebr. Heinemann SE & Co. KG
Another item on the programme led to Gebr. KG, a global player in international travel retail. At the distribution site in Hamburg, the students were given an insight into the processes of a certified bonded warehouse for duty-free goods. The guided tour through semi-automated warehouse and picking systems illustrated the diversity and complexity of logistics processes - from fine bottles of wine to pallets of jelly babies. The students visited various semi-automated storage and picking systems for general cargo. Much of the content from the "Warehousing and order picking" lecture was made tangible and experienced in a practical way.
The excursion concluded with a visit to the International Maritime Museum in HafenCity. In addition to numerous exhibits on the history of shipping, one of the world's largest collections of model ships was particularly impressive.
The excursion not only provided the students with exciting insights into practical work, but also the opportunity to make valuable contacts and deepen their understanding of logistical interrelationships.
