PEKAES (Poland) with an unusual cargo bound for the US

For the third time, PEKAES, your Pangea Partner in Poland and leading logistics operator, gave a helping hand to a group of youths from the “Sparks of Imagination” Association by providing transport of stage props to the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals, which took place towards the end of May at the Iowa State University in Ames, the United States. 830 teams from around the world took part in the finals, competing across five problems and in 4 age categories. The Polish team finished in tenth place.

Recently PEKAES had an opportunity to square up to an interesting logistics challenge, which entailed the transport of three World War II armoured vehicles to Italy, to take part in 74th battle for Monte Cassino anniversary celebrations. This time the job entailed air transport across an ocean of quite large stage props to the final of an international competition open to pupils and students from all over the world.

This year 29 Polish teams qualified for the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals. The Sparks team came tenth in the competition.

The theme of their chosen competition task was: ‘A Stellar Hangout’. In line with the Odyssey spirit, the Sparks decided to find an original, unique material, which they obtained through recycling. The team decided to unravel tens of sweaters and comb each centimetre of the yarn with s specially made comb. More than 75 km of worsted wool was obtained in this manner, which made it possible to create unique garments, stage prop elements and other props. Additionally, the team constructed their own language based on light signals.

“Just getting to the finals is a really major success! These young people were successful in the qualifiers, which were held in 6 cities in Poland, and then the Polish Finals in Gdynia. The competition was fierce, every detail mattered. We would like to express our gratitude to the PEKAES Group for its logistics support. Participation in world finals is a great achievement. The fact that we have been there for four years in a row is an achievement in itself. Only the most creative of the creative get to go there!”, says Zuzanna Sierakowska, Odyssey of the Mind coach at the “Sparks of Imagination” Association.

Once again PEKAES supported talented youths from the “Sparks of Imagination” Association, which qualified for the world games. Stage props elements were properly secured in a special crate for land and air transport.

“We are extremely happy that the representatives of our country presented their tasks splendidly and I would like to congratulate the Polish teams! We are trying to have a presence wherever young talents are at stake. The Odyssey fosters the ability to create new paths and solutions using unconventional tools and out of the box concepts. It is a program worth getting involved in, as it shapes key skills, so much needed in the 21st century, such as teamwork, looking for innovative solutions and creative thinking. These are also immensely useful in the world of logistics”, says Joanna Więckowska, PEKAES Marketing and Communication Director.

Pls. visit www.pekaes.pl for more information.