Santander will be the capital of port logistics with Port Week 2025

 

From September 2nd to 5th, the Magdalena Palace in Santander will be the epicenter of innovation and sustainability in the port sector with the celebration of the UIMP Port Week.

 

This year's edition will focus on highly topical issues such as the challenges of synchromodal logistics , data integration in management systems, the circular economy , and talent leadership . According to César Díaz, president of the APS, these courses "have become emblematic within the Spanish port system and seek to address the current and future dilemmas that concern the industry."

 

The meeting has a dual purpose, as Díaz explains. On the one hand, it seeks to share perspectives and experiences that will help to better understand the context of accelerated change, uncertainty, and increasing competitiveness. On the other, it aims to encourage those interested to join a sector with great potential.

 

Port Week has been designed as a summer school, offering training programs aligned with the sector's priorities and fostering a culture of continuous learning . Through presentations and panel discussions with top-level experts, the event is aimed at a broad audience, from managers and professionals in the sector to students, researchers, and entrepreneurs.

 

Program:

 

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2

 

Smart transport networks: the challenges of synchromodal logistics.

Directed by Santiago N. Díaz Fraile, director of the APS, and Juan Carlos Merchán Rodríguez, director of Cylog.

In the increasingly competitive and uncertain climate facing the sector, companies are seeking innovative solutions that can strengthen the adaptability of their supply chains to ensure efficient, profitable, and distinctive operations. The concept of synchromodality seeks the flexible and simultaneous integration and use of different modes of transport to build resilience in supply chains and reduce their operating costs, delivery times, and environmental footprint.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 

Giving voice to data: ports, data-driven organizations.

Led by Lara Lloret Iglesias, senior scientist at the Cantabria Physics Institute (IFCA) and the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), and Armando López Rodríguez, head of the Technical Advisory and Cultural Heritage Department at Puertos del Estado.

 

Data-driven organizations place great importance on integrating data into the core of their management and strategic planning systems, guiding their decisions based on the evidence provided by the information generated and processed.

 

Ports are complex organizations involving multiple actors who play different roles in facilitating the flow of goods and passengers. These flows generate a large amount of data, the analysis of which enables the two-way exchange of information between the various stakeholders, resulting in improved operations.

 

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4

 

Circular economy in ports.

 

Directed by Christian Manrique Valdor, head of the Infrastructure and Public Domain area of the APS.

 

As part of their strategic priorities, ports have begun to integrate the principles of the circular economy into their corporate habits and cultures, adopting practices geared toward reusing, recycling, and optimizing the resources they consume and the waste they generate in all their areas of operation: from the construction and maintenance of infrastructure, facilities, and assets to the processes derived from the provision of services.

 

The objectives of this meeting are, on the one hand, to analyze the conceptual and strategic aspects of this new paradigm through presentations that address government policies, guidelines, and regulations aimed at promoting the circular economy and, on the other, to showcase a series of relevant cases and experiences that illustrate the ongoing initiatives of Spanish ports.

 

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5

 

Leadership School – Port Management. Human Touch : Leading and Managing Port Talent

 

Led by César Díaz Maza, president of the APS, and Clara La Calle López-Gay, secretary general of State Ports.

 

This meeting, as a space for reflection and shared learning between professionals in the sector and management specialists , will focus on analyzing the key role of port leaders in talent management and on answering some of the main questions in this management area, such as what conditions are necessary to attract and retain talent in port organizations, how to align talent with the strategies of these organizations, or how to create an organizational culture that enhances talent.