Month: April 2019

2019 marks the 60th anniversary of the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway, the bi-national waterway that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes and the heartland of America. Deputy Administrator Craig H. Middlebrook, Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, said, “how fitting that in this anniversary year, we can talk about the bright future of the Great Lakes Seaway System – North America’s ‘Fourth Sea Coast’, while celebrating its historic past.”

The Great Lakes economy is a powerhouse on an international level. With a GDP of $6 trillion, the Great Lakes region would be the third largest economy in the world if it were a country.
State and local economies in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York are benefiting from the surge in shipping in the St. Lawrence Seaway. In 2018, cargo shipping was up 7% in the St. Lawrence Seaway, sustaining over 237,000 jobs in the Great Lakes region in manufacturing, mining, agriculture and shipping.
Top performing cargoes included U.S. grain shipments which increased 37% over 2017, liquid bulk shipments which increased 22% over the previous year, and steel slabs which saw a 53% increase.

“We are living in a transformative moment as the Seaway turns 60 this year. Yet, there is one constant that we always begin and end our day with: our focus on safety and reliability.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao is clear about her priorities: focus on safety, invest in infrastructure, and promote technological innovation. Those priorities speak to the heart of the mission at the Seaway.”

The 2018 Seaway navigation season was one of the safest on record, a continuation of the long and steady improvement in our safety performance. New technology, newer fleets, a stringent inspection program and highly trained staff all play a key role in our ability to achieve exceptional safety results. In 2018, the reliability rate for the lock and channel infrastructure in the St. Lawrence River section of the Seaway remained extremely high. The System Availability rate improved to 98.9 percent from 96.4 in 2017.

When it comes to safety and reliability, it is important to include the work of the Ballast Water Working Group. The bi-national group inspects the ballast tanks of incoming ocean vessels to ensure there are no aquatic invasive species in the tanks. Every tank of every international vessel that entered the Seaway System and Great Lakes was inspected, totaling over 9,300 ballast tanks last year. The results in 2018 sustain a track record of effective oversight and acknowledge the strong cooperation of the maritime industry. These results continue to support the fact that ‘no unmanaged ballast water is coming into the Great Lakes through the Seaway on international vessels.’

This year also marks the completion of a decade of infrastructure rehabilitation and maintenance work at the U.S. locks under the ground-breaking Seaway Asset Renewal Program. Through the first ten years of this program, the SLSDC has obligated $152 million on 50 separate projects. Several projects involve the implementation of new innovations and improved technologies for the operation of Seaway infrastructure, resulting in reduced maintenance needs and operating costs to Seaway users.

One of the projects involves the installation of a unique, first-of-its-kind, Hands-Free Mooring (HFM) technology system in the locks. The HFM system uses vacuum pads, each of which provides up to 20 tons of holding force, mounted on vertical rails inside the lock chamber wall to secure the ship during the lockage process as it is raised or lowered while keeping it at a fixed distance from the lock wall. The HFM technology will increase efficiency, improve safety, reduce operating costs to Seaway users, and reduce lock transit times by nearly seven minutes per lockage, equating to 3-4 hours of potential time savings on a roundtrip transit. The use of HFM will also significantly increase the pool of vessels worldwide that will be able to enter the Great Lakes Seaway System. It is arguably the most important technological advance at the Seaway since 1959 and will revolutionize the vessel transit experience through the Seaway.

 

Bolzoni Auramo Inc., manufacturer of forklift truck attachments, lift tables and forks, is proud to announce its participation to the ProMAT 2019 at McCormick Place’s, in Chicago next week, booth S408. The company will present innovative products, from the swing frame paper roll clamp to the new multi pallet handler and the new LS-V carton and appliances clamp.

This is a year of large investments for the Bolzoni Group, which has been in the US market since 1989, with its manufacturing plant in Homewood, Illinois. The investment plan is for production capacity expansion in the United States, which involves the progressive shifting of manufacturing activity to a new and wider plant, in Sulligent, Alabama.

The new 300,000 square foot facility is on schedule and ready to produce and assemble fork lift truck attachments. ‘’This expansion gives us the possibility to enlarge the attachments range,’’ says John Regan, Vice President – Sales and Marketing at Bolzoni Auramo Inc. “The plant is going to deliver highly cost-competititve products, locally produced, with reduced lead times, with improved customer service: on site and better.’’

Interroll received a large follow-up order from Siemens Postal, Parcel & Airport Logistics (SPPAL) for the delivery of five crossbelt sorters. The fully automated, high-performance sorting system will be installed in the existing system infrastructure of a Swiss reference customer.

The increasing demand in e-commerce is driving a steady increase in mail volumes around the world and presenting many postal companies with new challenges. This particularly applies to processing and sorting the rapidly increasing numbers of smaller parcels with different packaging, sizes and weights.

To flexibly and efficiently meet this challenge as a general contractor, Siemens Postal, Parcel & Airport Logistics (SPPAL) was called upon to deliver the latest conveyor and sorting technology, as well as software solutions for a mail center in the Zurich area.

“The new order is now building on the many years of successful collaboration between Siemens Postal, Parcel & Airport Logistics and Interroll in Switzerland”, says Martin Resch, CEO of Siemens Postal, Parcel & Airport Logistics AG in Switzerland.

“We are looking forward to continuing our contribution to the performance and flexibility of postal companies in the future, thanks to our reliable and flexible sorter solutions in collaboration with Siemens,” says Jörg Mandelatz, Managing Director at Interroll Fördertechnik GmbH.

For fully automated sorting processes in the market of courier, parcel and express postal service providers, Interroll offers horizontal and vertical sorters. With a curve radius that can be reduced to as little as 2.5 meters, Interroll’s range also includes particularly space-saving sorter solutions. The new infeed modules from Interroll, which offer a substantial potential increase in goods flow from automatic sorting systems thanks to optimal configurable infeed speeds, also stand out thanks to their low space requirements.

Interroll received a large follow-up order from Siemens Postal, Parcel & Airport Logistics (SPPAL) for the delivery of five crossbelt sorters. The fully automated, high-performance sorting system will be installed in the existing system infrastructure of a Swiss reference customer.

The increasing demand in e-commerce is driving a steady increase in mail volumes around the world and presenting many postal companies with new challenges. This particularly applies to processing and sorting the rapidly increasing numbers of smaller parcels with different packaging, sizes and weights.

To flexibly and efficiently meet this challenge as a general contractor, Siemens Postal, Parcel & Airport Logistics (SPPAL) was called upon to deliver the latest conveyor and sorting technology, as well as software solutions for a mail center in the Zurich area.

“The new order is now building on the many years of successful collaboration between Siemens Postal, Parcel & Airport Logistics and Interroll in Switzerland”, says Martin Resch, CEO of Siemens Postal, Parcel & Airport Logistics AG in Switzerland.

“We are looking forward to continuing our contribution to the performance and flexibility of postal companies in the future, thanks to our reliable and flexible sorter solutions in collaboration with Siemens,” says Jörg Mandelatz, Managing Director at Interroll Fördertechnik GmbH.

For fully automated sorting processes in the market of courier, parcel and express postal service providers, Interroll offers horizontal and vertical sorters. With a curve radius that can be reduced to as little as 2.5 meters, Interroll’s range also includes particularly space-saving sorter solutions. The new infeed modules from Interroll, which offer a substantial potential increase in goods flow from automatic sorting systems thanks to optimal configurable infeed speeds, also stand out thanks to their low space requirements.

VanRiet Material Handling Systems will present its improved HC Sorter next week at ProMat, the largest American material handling exhibition. The sliding shoe sorter is optimized to US specifications based on extensive customer feedback. It is also available in the existing configuration.

During ProMat, which takes place in Chicago from April 8 to 11, the former family owned business will present the improved shoe sorter to the American public. ‘Every year we invest millions of R&D dollars in our HC Sorter, to make sure that it remains the industry leading option for integrators, with the lowest noise level and the highest speeds.’, says Sales Director Kai Ramadhin. “We explore the possibilities and listen to our customers about how we can help them better. This results in an improved shoe sorter especially for the American market.”

Two important improvements are the single-sided shoes and the electric divert switch. At the stand, the HC Sorter, the fastest closed-deck shoe sorter on the market, will demonstrate what shoe sorter technology can mean for industries in which high throughputs and late cut-off times are standard. The HC Sorter has a closed deck that ensures no dirt or pieces of cardboard get stuck inside the sorter. The deck also results in low noise and promotes safe working conditions for warehouse staff.

Thanks to a very smooth sorting process, fragile products can also be sorted. Product can be sorted at a speed up to 3m per second. The HC Sorter can not only sort very small and thin products, such as mobile phones or polybags, but also large packages weighing up to 50 kg.

VanRiet will demonstrate its High Capacity Sorter at booth 3941 in the South Hall at ProMat.

VanRiet Material Handling Systems will present its improved HC Sorter next week at ProMat, the largest American material handling exhibition. The sliding shoe sorter is optimized to US specifications based on extensive customer feedback. It is also available in the existing configuration.

During ProMat, which takes place in Chicago from April 8 to 11, the former family owned business will present the improved shoe sorter to the American public. ‘Every year we invest millions of R&D dollars in our HC Sorter, to make sure that it remains the industry leading option for integrators, with the lowest noise level and the highest speeds.’, says Sales Director Kai Ramadhin. “We explore the possibilities and listen to our customers about how we can help them better. This results in an improved shoe sorter especially for the American market.”

Two important improvements are the single-sided shoes and the electric divert switch. At the stand, the HC Sorter, the fastest closed-deck shoe sorter on the market, will demonstrate what shoe sorter technology can mean for industries in which high throughputs and late cut-off times are standard. The HC Sorter has a closed deck that ensures no dirt or pieces of cardboard get stuck inside the sorter. The deck also results in low noise and promotes safe working conditions for warehouse staff.

Thanks to a very smooth sorting process, fragile products can also be sorted. Product can be sorted at a speed up to 3m per second. The HC Sorter can not only sort very small and thin products, such as mobile phones or polybags, but also large packages weighing up to 50 kg.

VanRiet will demonstrate its High Capacity Sorter at booth 3941 in the South Hall at ProMat.

European logistics giant Dachser has posted substantial growth figures once again in 2018. We reproduce extracts from the company’s statement below:

The logistics provider increased its consolidated net revenue by 5.5 percent to EUR 5.57 billion. Shipment numbers increased, rising by 2.5 percent to 83.7 million; tonnage rose 3.0 percent to 41.3 million metric tons. With 30,609 employees in total, up 1,511 from the preceding year, Dachser’s workforce reached a record high.

The global logistics provider’s growth was again boosted by economic conditions. However, certain challenges became increasingly apparent: the shortage of professional drivers and logistics operatives; potential capacity bottlenecks resulting from pronounced seasonal peaks and a shortage of load capacity; and growing uncertainty about diesel driving bans, Brexit, and the future of international trade relationships. “By 2018, it was clear that logistics had to focus on the discipline of scarce resources management,” explains Bernhard Simon, CEO Dachser SE. “Against this backdrop, it is important to handle growth with purpose and manage it such that we maintain a healthy balance between quality, processes, and costs. Only sustainable growth will benefit our employees and customers.”

Business development in detail
Dachser’s Road Logistics business field—which comprises the transport and storage of industrial goods (European Logistics) and food (Food Logistics)—posted dynamic growth again in 2018 to increase its consolidated net revenue by 6.6 percent to EUR 4.47 billion.

The European Logistics (EL) business line posted the strongest growth with net revenue up 7.0 percent to EUR 3.55 billion. Shipments and tonnage each increased by 3.1 percent. “All four regional business units helped substantially strengthen the network. The network effects in the export business ensure that the EL business units continue to grow and mutually drive each other’s growth,” says Simon.

Dachser’s Food Logistics business line also posted robust revenue figures for 2018. Consolidated net revenue increased by 5.3 percent to EUR 917 million. The virtually unchanged number of shipments compared to the previous year was offset by tonnage growth of 2.0 percent. “We continue to pursue our quality strategy, and it is paying off. Dachser Food Logistics has seen positive development for many years now and is generating growth with national transports and contract logistics. We have also seen encouraging growth rates in cross-border transports,” reports Simon. “On the downside, the shortage of freight space and drivers plus seasonal fluctuations in volume are hitting this segment hard.”

The Air & Sea Logistics business field again proved to be volatile. As a result of exchange-rate effects, decreasing freight rates, and a downturn in volume on the China-Europe route, consolidated net revenue stagnated at around EUR 1.19 billion. A 2.9 percent decrease in the number of shipments was offset by tonnage growth—most notably in sea freight—of 6.6 percent. “By 2020, we aim to replace all isolated solutions with our Othello transport management system, which we developed in-house. In 2018, we completed the rollout of the system in China to mark a major milestone in this project,” Simon explains. “The key to sustainable growth in air and sea freight lies in mastering and managing complex interfaces and the deep integration of our logistics systems. As we have seen with European overland transport, our investments in integration and standardization will pay off here, too.”
Investment in network and personnel

In times of scarce resources, investment in personnel, capacities, and innovations is critical to Dachser’s continued growth. In 2018, the company invested EUR 126 million in logistics facilities, IT systems, and technical equipment. For 2019, the company has earmarked EUR 234 million for this purpose. Dachser also places a strong focus on training, an approach that has proved very successful, particularly for professional drivers. “At present, we have 207 people training to become professional drivers through Dachser Service & Ausbildungs GmbH, which makes us one of the largest driver training centers in Germany. Our next step is to broaden our focus to include logistics operatives in transit terminals and warehouses,” Simon says.