Premier Wulff,

State Secretary Randow,

Dr. Jahns,

Deutsche Messe Board Members,

CeMAT Exhibitors and Visitors,

Ladies and Gentlemen:

As the world's leading trade fair for intralogistics, CeMAT sets the pace for the entire industry. With its highly international coverage and appeal, plus its innovative spirit, it certainly meets every prerequisite for being called a "flagship fair". And with 50 percent of its exhibitors and visitors coming from outside Germany, CeMAT is the No. 1 showcase for a truly global industry.

As an international window on our sector and the market it serves, CeMAT is now celebrating its second staging as an independent event. Nowhere else is it possible to view so much technology; nowhere else are there so many innovations on display. This is the place to find out where markets are heading. CeMAT offers a productive environment in which manufacturers and customers have the opportunity to learn a great deal from one another.

The field of intralogistics has made extremely good progress since CeMAT 2005. Since that event, the industry has grown by more than 25 percent to 18.5 billion euros, a remarkable figure. If we compare these figures with overall economic growth, then it's clear that our industry is exceptionally dynamic.

Logistics is one of the three largest and strongest industries in Europe. And, with a market worth roughly 950 billion euros in Europe, it has enormous potential.

Thanks to its geographical position, its infrastructure and outstanding innovative strength, Germany has an excellent opportunity to play a major role in the industry in Europe. Intralogistics, as an industry with interfaces to many other sectors, will be able to benefit greatly from this opportunity.

Intralogistics creates jobs - secure jobs. During the past five years, German intralogistics providers have generated employment for 7,200 people. For an industry characterized across the board by small and medium-sized enterprises, this is an extremely large figure. Intralogistics and, above all, logistics, is one of the few industries that creates employment opportunities for people with a wide range of educational backgrounds and skills.

Our industry's workforce is 95,000 strong. This figure could be significantly higher. But many job vacancies cannot be filled. This situation is clearly hindering the industry's growth. We are therefore delighted about the initiative set up by Deutsche Messe. It is working hard to promote our attractive industry to school pupils and students, and has organized a special day for schoolgoers and university students.

CeMAT is a trade show for innovations. One challenge that remains is to harness the potential of RFID for intralogistics. Sensor and robot technology has made a significant step towards meeting this challenge. For instance, complex handling tasks can now be carried out at high speed. Real-time data processing and electromechanical solutions support these tasks. Automation solutions of this kind are being used for palletizing, de-palletizing and order picking.

Ladies and Gentlemen, like no other sector of the economy, our industry is capable of providing answers to the challenges of the future.

- Intralogistics determines how efficiently a product is packed

- Intralogistics determines the extent to which a lorry, container, ship or aeroplane is filled

- Intralogistics determines how shipments can be processed efficiently with a minimum travelling distance

Apart from global challenges there are also internal challenges. Energy efficiency is not only a matter of energy recovery. Indeed, most of the systems we use are designed for maximum output, even when actual demand is often lower. You can compare this with a pedestrian who never stops rushing around, even when there's no need to hurry. At present, the market offers very few systems that can adapt flexibly to the given demands. This situation presents a challenge for us, for the intralogistics industry. However, this challenge can only be met by those with an overview of all the relevant areas. And that requires a detailed insight into data flows beyond our systems.

- Three years ago, we were speaking at this event about road tolls in German. We wasted an opportunity, here, and have damaged Germany as an industrial location - and not only Germany, but the European economy as a whole. That's because the revenue being made with road tolls is not being invested in urgently needed infrastructural improvements - despite data from the Federal Ministry of Transport proving that the volume of long-distance road haulage traffic will increase by 55 percent by the year 2025, with rail freight traffic predicted to rise by 34 percent and shipping volume going up 20 percent over the same period.

- Furthermore, approval procedures for logistics projects must be greatly simplified and accelerated. Many local authorities are still negotiating according to the principle of 'leave the jobs here, but keep the heavy goods vehicles away.' This is not the way forward. Ultimately, of course, it doesn't matter to intralogistics whether warehouses and other facilities are on this side of the border or beyond it.

- Minimum wages are another issue. Here, our politicians are trying to outdo all other countries and impose a single model on all industries. But debate like this is only causing many logistics processes to be moved abroad, which in turn is destroying jobs.

- The indescribable debate on inheritance tax is far worse. This tax is ruining small and medium-sized enterprises, family-owned companies. And that applies to most German exhibitors at CeMAT. Indeed, our industry in particular is defined by SMEs. If these cease to exist, then Germany will not have an intralogistics industry.

Those of you from the political community will perhaps have the chance tomorrow to tour the show. Please take the opportunity to speak to some of the business owners about this matter.

What happens is of critical importance to Germany as a business location!

A leading international trade show such as CeMAT is of huge significance for drawing attention to issues of this kind. This platform gives the industry the opportunity to voice its concerns in public.

Now, last but not least, I'd like to talk about our industry's most important drivers of growth - innovative, resourceful people.

Since 2005, the Logistik Inside trade journal has been organizing Germany's largest specialist quiz for logistics students - to demonstrate just how diverse, interesting and also how complex our industry is. The competition's huge popularity proves that the Logistik Master competition is being well embraced by students. 1,550 entrants from 190 universities registered for the quiz, and had to answer 80 tricky questions devised by eight logistics professors. Everyone who took part and, of course, the winners in particular can be proud of a great achievement.

Karsten Wenzel (first place)

Dorothea Schmid (second place) and

Christian Eder (third place).

All three winners come from Münster University of Applied Sciences. Well done!

Attractive prizes and cash rewards are without doubt an excellent incentive to take part in the Logistik Master competition. But our industry's attractiveness is the best incentive for staying in it.

Ladies and Gentleman,

thank you very much for your attention. I wish you an inspiring and, most importantly, successful CeMAT 2008!

- Deutsche Messe -