This symposium’s objective

The main goal is to build a shared vision about the challenges of fresh products transport and to propose new solutions to optimize the agri-food logistics, while bringing down the waste of transported products.

The agri-food logistic in Quebec

The agri-food processing industry is the second largest manufacturing sector (5.1 billion dollars), representing 34% of the total GDP of the bio-food industry in Quebec. Exports: Quebec has recorded exportations totaling 3.2 billion dollars in 2006; the growth of this sector relies on exportations growing at a faster rate than expeditions.

The structuring dimension of this industry on agriculture: 85% of the agriculture production from Quebec relies on this industry as its main commercial outlet.

A major challenge

 Montreal is under the pressure of the Eastern North America trade corridor.

Around the world, major cities are at the center of activities for transportation of goods. In Quebec, the road, rail and maritime infrastructures naturally converge to the island of Montreal. The economic growth and globalization has generated more merchandise transport, accelerating the decay of the existing infrastructures (bridges, expressways and highways).

The eastern North America trade corridor is facing a major challenge:

By 2016, there will be an increase of 2 million transports per day just around Montreal, representing a 25% increase, for a total of 10,2 million land trips per day.

As of now, the major infrastructures are under construction and will be for the next 10 to 15 years, this means a nearly 50% decrease in merchandise transport capacity.

Together, we must find solutions to these challenges.

We must rethink our business practices in order to bring down costs and waste of fresh products.

You’re invited to join the discussions!

For the next decade, we face the challenge of bringing the best products to the population, while reducing the environmental impact of transport and waste. We must find new distribution tools. For the infrastructure managers, the challenges will be to reduce costs and insure that the adopted solutions will support their assets in a sustainable development.

• Identify, define and realize infrastructure projects within a multidisciplinary environment.

• Risk management

• Vulnerability and adaptability of infrastructures to climate change

• Inspection, remediation and intervention techniques

• Legal perspectives of tendering and contracting

• New technologies, national and international

• Public right-of-way and urban technical networks

• Assets maintenance

• Municipal assets management

• Infrastructures integrated management

• Sustainable management