Client companies at the heart of the Logistic Village: from contracts to new regulations
At the Fiap stand at Transpotec Logitec, the focus is on the relationship between supply and demand for logistics services
A closer relationship between clients and logistics service providers is the approach manufacturing companies are adopting to tackle the competitive challenges of delivery times, cost containment and flexibility in the face of external geopolitical shocks. According to the Contract Logistics Observatory at the School of Management of the Politecnico di Milano, the central importance of this collaboration is also evident in the contracts between the parties: in 59 per cent of cases, structured continuous improvement practices are now set out in writing, not only to optimise costs but also to monitor and enhance service levels, and to share best practice and information on future transport volume forecasts. In 2017, only 25 per cent of contracts included such provisions.
The need for regular review is now being included in contracts
““There is an increasing trend towards formalising continuous improvement practices in contracts,” explains Paolo Giacobbe, a researcher at the Contract Logistics Observatory, “and this is very important because, in the face of rising costs and increasing variables – which are already reflected in various forms of contract indexation – both parties recognise the need to hold regular discussions on longer-term projects relating to processes, efficiency improvements, innovation and, in some cases, technology as well.” This exchange, on the one hand, makes the carrier and the logistics operator more proactive and, on the other, requires the client company to gain a better understanding of the rules, risks and potential of logistics.
Focus on clients at the Fiap Logistic Village
The focus on clients is the approach that the Fiap Logistic Village will adopt; this is the dedicated space within the Transpotec Logitec 2026 exhibition at Fiera Milano for discussing the future, regulations and challenges in logistics, starting from the demand that ultimately shapes the supply chain’s decisions. The spotlight will be on the sectors driving Italian exports, which grew by a further 3.3 per cent in 2025, such as pharmaceuticals (+28.3 per cent) and food (+6.3 per cent), as well as fashion.
In international sales, one key issue is the use of Ex Works terms, which are employed by over half of exporters – 58 per cent in the period 2019–25, according to the report on logistics corridors by Contship&SRM – under which the seller transfers all costs and risks associated with the transport operation to the buyer. Experts say this arrangement puts Italian suppliers at a disadvantage in negotiations with large foreign groups that use logistics services from their own country or internationally, and that it limits the development of Italian logistics operators. However, Fiap warns that relinquishing control over distribution also exposes manufacturers to a risk: that of losing control over the end customer.
Regulatory risk: variables to be quantified
New regulations and potential visible or hidden costs are another section of the Logistic Village aimed at beginning to quantify their impacts – economic and otherwise – on client companies. From Decree-Law 73 of 2025 on payment terms in road freight transport contracts to the exemption for waiting times during loading and unloading, to the National Electronic Register for waste traceability, there are several regulations that have recently been amended and others that are about to come into force, such as the ETS2, the emissions trading scheme which will also apply to road transport in the coming years. The hidden costs, in terms of loss of competitiveness, for example, are those relating to infrastructure bottlenecks, starting with the blockages at Alpine border crossings, where important decisions are expected this summer regarding traffic flow at the Brenner Pass and Mont Blanc.
Employment needs: figures and statistics
There is also a major section concerning the skills and employment needs of the transport and logistics sector: the latest forecast from Unioncamere’s Excelsior information system puts this at over 150,000 workers for the period 2025–29, in the event of a positive economic scenario (almost 139,000 in a negative one), of which 138,000 are needed to replace the ageing workforce and 13,000 to meet increased demand. These are people who need to be recruited and trained. The mobility and logistics sector, the report states, ‘will require professionals capable of adapting to the sector’s rapid developments, given the digital transformation of logistics operations: analysis of online job advertisements in Italia and Germany suggests that, on the one hand, there will be a convergence of analytical, technological and managerial skills in logistics professions (such as supply chain/logistics managers and operations supervisors) and, on the other, a rise in demand for specialist ICT professionals such as web developers and mobile applications developers’.
