Bremen, 23 May 2025 – As part of its ongoing commitment to digital innovation in the logistics industry, Röhlig Logistics supported the AI Agents Hackathon organised by cargonerds on 22–23 May 2025, in Hamburg. The aim of the event was to explore the potential of AI-powered autonomous agents in real-world logistics processes and to develop innovative approaches for practical application. Over the course of the 48-hour competition, initial prototypes were created and recognised at the conclusion of the event during an awards ceremony.
The hackathon was primarily organised by Conrad Franchi, Chief Digital Officer at Röhlig Logistics, and Dennis Albers, Product Manager at cargonerds. Together, they ensured that participants were able to collaborate creatively and purposefully under optimal conditions. "We firmly believe that open collaboration can significantly accelerate the adoption of AI in logistics. The complexity of our industry connects us – and through open exchange, we can all learn from one another," emphasised Conrad Franchi.
The hackathon attracted an international field of 100 participants from Germany, Poland, the United Kingdom, the United States, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates. In interdisciplinary teams, software developers, product managers, and logistics experts developed initial functional prototypes within 48 hours. The teams could choose their specific “challenge” from a total of ten concrete tasks, including topics such as the development of dispatching or tracking agents, risk assessment in sea freight, and email data extraction.
Valuable input for the work was provided by three keynotes from renowned experts such as Paul McCann (onreach.ai), Brian Glick (chain.io), and Jens Stapelfeldt (AMD). In addition, teams were supported by coaches from AI.STARTUP.HUB, who offered hands-on guidance on topics such as agent architectures, integration of AI components, software product development for logistics, and AI security.
In shaping the program, Röhlig Logistics was joined by renowned partners such as Hapag-Lloyd, onereach.ai, Digital Hub Logistics & Commerce, and AI.STARTUP.HUB, who not only provided challenge scenarios, but also mentors, tools, and the necessary infrastructure.
At the conclusion of the hackathon, the teams presented their developed solutions. In a vote, participants selected the three winning teams: First place was awarded to the team that built a route planning and dispatching agent. Two teams shared the second place — one developed a tracking agent, while the other created a risk assessment agent for global sea freight. Third place went to the team that implemented an AI-powered email agent.
In addition to the intensive project work, the event offered participants numerous opportunities for networking and professional exchange.
Outlook: Next Hackathon planned in the United Arab Emirates
Building on the success of the Hamburg event, the next cargonerds AI Agents Hackathon is scheduled to take place in the United Arab Emirates in February 2026. In addition to Röhlig Logistics, Hapag-Lloyd, and onereach.ai, iContainers will join as another partner to support the project and further expand the program in this dynamic logistics region.
