Innovation

Why now?
Logistics In the past, trade routes lay along difficult and dangerous
tracks. This meant that goods manufactured at a distance were
rare and precious. Nowadays a gigantic transport network spans
the globe. Every day, tonnes of goods are conveyed in modular
containers by air, truck, rail and on container ships. Technical
progress makes it possible to increase the speed and efficiency of
the flow of goods. In particular, automation allows better synchronization
of processes at docks and depots. This not only saves
time, but also expensive storage. On the other hand, climate taxes
and increasingly scarce fossil fuel resources may well increase
transport costs again. Renewable energy sources are therefore
vital to the logistics sector.
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Photo: image100/Corbis
The printing press
Between 1450 and 1455,
Johannes Gutenberg of
Mainz, Germany, developed
the printing press, with
moveable type made
of metal. Type for printing
using woodblocks had
already existed in China
since 600 AD.
Spectacles