June 2019

DHL Trend Report Highlights ‘Digital Twins’ Concept

Posted on 28 June, 2019 by Keith McKinley

DHL has released a new Trend Report on “Digital Twins in Logistics” at the inaugural Internet of Things (IoT) Day, at DHL’s Innovation Centre in Germany. The report explains the concept and rise of digital twins as well as how it creates value. The technology, which involves using digital models to better understand and manage physical assets is already well established in some industries and has the potential to significantly change logistics operations.

A digital twin is a unique, virtual representation of a physical thing that monitors and simulates both the physical state and behavior of the thing. The digital copy is continually connected to the physical object(s) and updates itself to reflect real-world changes. Applied to products, machines and even entire business ecosystems, digital twins can reveal insights from the past, optimize the present and even predict future performance.

“The market for digital twins is expected to grow more than 38 percent each year, passing the $26 billion mark by 2025,” explains Matthias Heutger, Senior Vice President, Global Head of Innovation & Commercial Development at DHL. “Digital twins offer unparalleled capabilities to track, monitor, and diagnose assets. They will change traditional supply chains, with a range of options to facilitate data-driven decision making and collaboration, streamlined business processes, and new business models. We are keen to work with our customers and partners to jointly explore applications in our industry.”

In logistics digital twins could be used in a variety of applications along the entire value chain, including the management of container fleets, monitoring of shipments or the design of logistics systems. IoT sensors on individual containers for example, show their location and monitor for damage or contamination. This data flows into a digital twin of the container network, which uses machine learning to ensure that containers are being deployed as efficiently as possible.

DHL Trend Report Highlights ‘Digital Twins’ Concept

Posted on 28 June, 2019 by David Priestman

S9 Tech Software to “Revolutionise” Customs Duty and VAT Collection

Posted on 28 June, 201929 July, 2025 by David Priestman

UK-based custom software developer S9 Tech has announced the release of what it calls a unique and market leading SaaS product to revolutionise custom duty payment collections.

The Duties etc. solution was developed to calculate and collect VAT and duties for cross-border shipping, specifically for the E-Commerce and B2C customers, where the charges are calculated on day zero, and a payment notification is sent to the final consignee via email and text. This speeds up the process of clearance at destination and avoids creating bottle necks for the final mile delivery division.

Nearly every shipment that crosses an international border is subject to custom duty and taxes. Every country determines the assessment of import and export duties and taxes differently. With the implications of Brexit still looming, the requirement to provide accurate product classification has never been more important. Similarly, the growth of Ecommerce has led to overseas purchases growing at exponential rates and consumers often want (and need) to calculate their expected total landed costs before purchase.

Duties etc. is used by a variety of cross-border business, providing thousands of calculations and classifications to customers, brokers, retailers and logistics & freight carriers in over 108 countries around the world. Duties etc. will automatically calculate duties and taxes for every order being shipped. Seamlessly integrating with existing front or back-end systems, the Duties etc. system will inform customers with daily SMS and email reminders of the charges to be paid or I.D numbers and ID image which needs to be uploaded before services can be fulfilled. Duties etc. will integrate with any ecommerce back-end system and allow retailers to know exactly how much duty they need to be charging customers. This allows clear, transparent costing and quick and easy payments.

S9 Tech Software to “Revolutionise” Customs Duty and VAT Collection

Posted on 28 June, 201924 July, 2025 by David Priestman

UK-based custom software developer S9 Tech has announced the release of what it calls a unique and market leading SaaS product to revolutionise custom duty payment collections.

New Camso Animation Highlights Static Electricity Dangers

Posted on 28 June, 201929 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Camso releases second animation video to educate on static electricity hazards in the Material Handling industry

Camso today released a sequel to its first ever animation video – Fixing the safety hazards of static electricity – as part of its ongoing efforts to educate general public on the static electricity hazards linked to non-marking forklift tyres. This time the story takes place in Europe where the material handling industry is victim to the troubling rule of a highly damaging static villain.

Watch the new video now: camso.co/staticstory2

“The video we released in March about the Solideal PON 775 NMAS received a very warm response in the industry and generated incredible engagement,” says Lysandre Michaud-Verreault, Communications and Marketing Manager – Material Handling at Camso. “We saw a great opportunity to create a sequel to this story for the launch of the Solideal RES Xtreme NMAS, a new patented non-marking anti-static tyre destined for European markets.”

For most people, static build-up is an invisible phenomenon. Unfortunately for anyone who works near a forklift running on non-marking tyres, the likelihood of static shocks up to 50,000 volts represents a real safety issue.

In the short film, the new resilient hero joins forces with the PON 775 NMAS to resolve the static issues, but in real life the addition of the Solideal RES Xtreme NMAS to Camso’s portfolio makes it the only tire manufacturer to offer a complete range of solid non-marking anti-static forklift tyres.

New Camso Animation Highlights Static Electricity Dangers

Posted on 28 June, 201929 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Camso releases second animation video to educate on static electricity hazards in the Material Handling industry

Watch the new video now: camso.co/staticstory2

Industry View: 10 Success Factors in Intralogistics Systems

Posted on 27 June, 201925 July, 2025 by David Priestman

From the early enlistment of experts to data analysis to ongoing product development – Austrian systems integrator TGW has identified ten success factors for the maintenance of intralogistics systems.

An international team of service experts from the TGW Group under the leadership of Christoph Knogler, Director Global Lifetime Services, has worked together with customers to identify those key factors that will ensure long-term success. “Still, there is no single approach that is right for everyone,” emphasizes Michael Pope, Director Lifetime Services at TGW USA. “Intralogistics systems differ from each other in terms of function and complexity. And so the operating and maintenance requirements differ as well. However, there are some influencing factors that you should definitely pay attention to.”

As service has become an increasingly important issue, TGW has more than doubled its customer service staff since 2015. As a globally active company, TGW offers innovative service concepts which are presented to the customer at an early stage of a project. An individual package is then put together. “Total cost considerations over the lifecycle of a plant are becoming more and more important – and, along with that, total cost of ownership. These must be mutually optimised,” says Knogler.

The 10 success factors at a glance:
1. Involve experts at an early stage
2. Develop an appropriate maintenance strategy
3. Create transparency
4. Make costs predictable
5. Create win-win situations
6. Foster awareness and responsibility
7. Use technology effectively
8. Analyze data for continuous improvement
9. Proactively prevent unpleasant surprises
10. Ongoing further development means retrofitting

Technology Leader BYD Offers Single-Source Solutions at SIL

Posted on 27 June, 2019 by David Priestman

Forklift innovator BYD is presenting its technology solutions at SIL Barcelona, with a line-up of pure electric vehicles for intralogistics and transportation at stand D458.

For the first time, logistics managers can source their electric forklifts and electric commercial vehicles from a single manufacturer operating across a nationwide network that covers over 90% of the Iberian Peninsula.

Featuring BYD Iron-Phosphate battery technology, BYD’s comprehensive range of warehouse trucks will be shown for the first time in Iberia. They will be joined at SIL by BYD’s IFOY Award-nominated ECB50 counterbalance forklift truck, as well as one example of its zero-emissions pure electric commercial vehicles.

“Businesses seeking reliable, latest-generation electric warehouse and commercial vehicles across their logistics operations now need only to speak with BYD,” says Javier Contijoch, Vice President of Sales at BYD Europe. “With our proven market-leading battery technology at the heart of our vehicles, supported by a growing nationwide distribution network, we can offer businesses a competitive advantage by choosing BYD forklifts and trucks.”

“As one of the pioneers of the development and manufacture of lithium iron phosphate batteries across multiple industrial disciplines, we have unrivalled understanding and experience of the entire pure electric vehicle ecosystem – a claim no other single supplier can make.”

The batteries utilised across the BYD range of pure electric vehicles offer outstanding performance and reliability, amounting to industry-leading Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). When compared to equivalent vehicles powered by traditional lead acid batteries, BYD Iron-Phosphate batteries require lower maintenance, have a shorter charge time, a longer working life, and use up to 40% less energy. Furthermore, BYD’s batteries can be opportunistically charged during short breaks in operations, thus guaranteeing maximum uptime at the lowest-possible cost.

BYD’s proven technology is currently deployed at distribution centres, ports, transport hubs and airports across Europe, and often operated under challenging time constraints in extreme conditions. Under normal operating conditions, the decision to choose BYD as a supplier of your workplace transport will be rewarded by a typical Return on Investment (ROI) of approximately four years. Supported by the assurance of BYD’s industry-leading eight-year battery warranty, its workplace vehicles can generate considerable savings over the course of their working life.

Both forklifts and commercial vehicles are distributed by BYD’s selected forklift dealers, ensuring customers are never far from their single-source supplier. Whether you are a single-truck user, or the operator of a large fleet of forklifts and trucks, BYD has the capacity to supply and service your equipment across the entire Iberian Peninsula. Furthermore, in the unlikely event of your local BYD dealer not having a critical part in stock, BYD’s centrally-located parts warehouse in Rotterdam ensures rapid delivery of spare parts, often within a 24-hour window.

Established forklift or commercial dealers wishing to increase their potential future opportunities by offering the BYD range are also urged to speak with the BYD on-stand personnel at SIL. With some exciting new product introductions in the pipeline – particularly in its commercial and industrial vehicles and tow-tractor offering – the manufacturer is in the process of expanding and enhancing its dealer network to match its considerable ambition for the Iberian market.

Technology Leader BYD Offers Single-Source Solutions at SIL

Posted on 27 June, 201925 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Forklift innovator BYD is presenting its technology solutions at SIL Barcelona, with a line-up of pure electric vehicles for intralogistics and transportation at stand D458.

TX Logistik Expands Network with New Rotterdam Connection

Posted on 27 June, 2019 by Keith McKinley

TX Logistik AG (TXL) is expanding its European network further and, as of 1 July 2019, will be enhancing its Ocean Rail Logistics range with a connection between the Port of Rotterdam and Kornwestheim near Stuttgart.

“The new service now also connects businesses in BadenWürttemberg with the with the busiest seaport in Europe,” says Berit Börke, Chief Sales Officer at TX Logistik. “We are using the boxXpress.de train system, in which we have been involved since its foundation and which has proven successful for many years in seaport hinterland transport to and from Hamburg and Bremerhaven, on account of its high stability and reliability.”

Initially, three round trips per week are planned. The terminal in Kornwestheim will be directly connected to the Rotterdam terminals RSC, Euromax and ECT Delta at the start of operation.

Subscribe