Germany's Logistics Hall of Fame honors pioneers

A few months ago, we ran an item noting that the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) had launched a Supply Chain Hall of Fame. It turns out that CSCMP was a little late to the party: Germany has had a Logistics Hall of Fame since 2003.

Germany's Hall of Fame celebrated its latest class of inductees on Nov. 29 at the historic Erich Klausener Hall of the German Transport Ministry in Berlin. The theme of this year's awards was "Historic Milestones of Logistics," with a focus on recognizing outstanding achievements prior to the year 2000. The new members include Franz von Taxis and Johann Baptista von Taxis, founders of the international postal system; Henry Ford and Ransom Eli Olds, inventors of conveyor belt production; James E. Casey, inventor of parcel services and founder of UPS; Norman Joseph Woodland, George Laurer, and Bernard Silver, the inventors of the bar code; Lothar Raucamp, a proponent of cooperative logistics; Gerhard Schäfer, a pioneer in material handling systems; Horst Mosolf, inventor of specialized automotive transport; Frederick W. Smith, founder and CEO of FedEx; and Dr. Peer Witten, a leader in the development of Internet trading and modern logistics. (Ford and Smith were also included in CSCMP's inaugural class of hall of fame inductees.)

The Hall of Fame is supported by Germany's Federal Ministry of Transport as well as by logistics and supply chain associations, private-sector companies, government agencies, and academic institutions. To learn more about Germany's Logistics Hall of Fame, go to www.logisticshalloffame.net.