The success of the "Duesseldorfer Pallet" in 1985/86 was for the ISB (later transformed to the DHI Deutsches Handelsinstitut) the start for sustainable packaging and logistics competences. Testimonials for DHI-Innovations came from companies like Chep, Coca Cola, the Corrugated Industry, Kaufland-Group, Krings and Metro as well as from the German Federal Minister for the Environment Prof.Dr.Klaus Töpfer. Trade had been positioned by ISB/DHI initiatives to be seen by the public as a driver for innovation for the Total Supply Chain.

For Prof.Dr.Hallier as the managing director of ISB/DHI at that time the accumulation of innovative micro-economic processes to increase efficiency/productivity is finally resulting in the macro-economic growth of the Wealth of Nations. "It is not always a big thought breaking the routine - needed for the success of Applied Sciences and connected Businesses but the sustainable process of permanent innovation in the daily operations which makes the difference of companies : Retail is Detail !" Hallier summarizes the international success of the German discounters Aldi and Lidl.
 

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Becoming managing director of the Institute for Self-Sevice ( ISB later DHI /EHI) in the beginning of 1985 B.Hallier's first innovation-project was the Duesseldorf Pallet : a standardized half-size Euro-Pallet. "The initiator in that logistics-team was Walter Vieth - one of the first ALDI-managers and totally fixed on quick turnover and low costs" Prof.Dr.Hallier remembers."Also for this technical development we used the push and pull-strategy for market introduction : in the beginning of 1986 the magazine Pack Report estimated already 120.000 of our pallets in circulation in Germany".

"The name derived from the location of our agreement with retailers about this tool of rationalization : a pub in Duesseldorf ! The key for the success was the idea + team for getting volume by integrating as many retailers as possible : Applied Sciences is a combination of Innovation and Motivation " Hallier summarized. About 5 years later the Chep-pool supported the renting of the ISB/EHI pallet in connection with the new German environmental focus : Chep claimed to save per year 200.000 tons of waste in the Total Supply Chain by this multi-trip pallet.
 

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Starting the Thematic University Network Food one of the ideas was to create a permanent platform for digital and blended learning; but also to give free room for exchange-students to develop a common understanding for international/multi-lingual projects.

In May 2020 Dr.Violena Nencheva from Sofia/Bulgaria started to add a Spanish Chapter to TUN ; since May 2021 Nikita Vasilyuk from Almaty/Kazakhstan is updating the Russian Chapter.
 

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The Belgorod Agrarian University was founded in Russia in 1978. Today, it has 7390 students and a teaching staff of 190 people. Belgorod joined the VUA (Association of Visegrad Universities) international cooperation in 2012 and by this belongs to a network of agrarian universities which permanently exchange knowledge , organizes conferences , develops cross-border double-diplomas.

Since 1996, Belgorod has been organizing international conferences. In 2021, the theme of this event is"Innovative solutions in agricultural science: a look into the future". All contributions will be also published in a Conference-Reader ; one of the contributors is Professor Dr. B. Hallier from the European Academy of Retail with a report on the historical beginning of tracking and tracking and today's activities of the Thematic University Food Network (link).
 

Starting the European Retail Academy the USUE Ural State University of Economics in Yekaterinburg (see) was one of its first members - and immediately got the first exchange student Sandra Hoedl from Austria.In 2007 Prof.Dr.B.Hallier was honoured with a Dr.h.c. in Yekaterinburg. The USUE also became the nucleus for the Eurasian Economic Youth Forum which was one of the drivers for the EXPO 2017.

Prof.Hallier remembers the long-standing friendship : "It is a pleasure to contribute now a review of 25 years rule setting for food security in the USUE well-respected magazin; USUE is a benchmark for high quality standards ! Hurra, hurra, hurra !!"