BVL calls after third place in the LPI: “Now stay on track!”

The World Bank has published the Logistics Performance Index (LPI) today for the first time since 2018. Germany, together with Denmark, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, ranks third. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Wimmer, Chairman of the Board of BVL (Bundesvereinigung Logistik e.V.), comments on this and demands: “Now stay on track!”

The statement of BVL Chairman Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Wimmer in full:

“Together with our European neighbors Denmark, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, Germany occupies an excellent 3rd place, after ranking 1st in previous studies. The leader of the ranking is once again Singapore, followed by Finland. We should not put too much emphasis on the ranking in such a close field – what matters is that Germany is in the top group and is making the right adjustments to ensure that this remains the case. This means we need to closely examine where the weaknesses lie – which is, by the way, the fundamental approach of the World Bank study. Countries should gain insights into where they can and must improve. Germany is lagging in customs, border controls, and punctuality, where we have seen the most significant declines in ratings. BVL members report that excessive bureaucracy and a lack of digitalization play a major role. Here, politics can and should take direct action to improve the framework conditions. Fortunately, we operate within the EU in a strong network. What happens when one voluntarily isolates itself and complicates the movement of goods can be seen in the fall of the UK in the ranking – from 9th place in 2018, the Brexit state now finds itself at 25th place. However, what is significantly more important in Germany is political action in a field where good performance currently still masks the dramatic developments: If we do not soon get a grip on infrastructure, the title of ‘Logistics World Champion’ will become unattainable in the future. In particular, accelerating planning and maintenance play a crucial role here. Perhaps it is therefore good that we are not calling ourselves ‘Logistics World Champions’ again and can take a break – we must now stay on track to maintain our position.”

The complete report from the World Bank can be found here: https://lpi.worldbank.org/report

Photo: © BVL