Month: July 2019

Trelleborg Wheel Systems has picked up two noteworthy accolades from Hyster-Yale Group, the ‘Excellence in Quality’ award and the ‘Certificate of Merit’ for achieving quality and delivery targets.

Hyster-Yale Group’s Supplier Award program is designed to recognize its most valuable suppliers that have met and exceeded requirements and have contributed to the company’s success through their services.

Nicolas Nollé, OEM Director Worldwide for Material Handling & Construction Tyres at Trelleborg Wheel Systems, says: “Being awarded and recognized as a company that follows high standards is a great honour and it is a demonstration of the focus, dedication, and the constant drive we have to be a collaborative and strategic partner to our customers.

“These acknowledgments demonstrate and underline the commitment of Trelleborg towards Hyster-Yale Group and all our customers, to provide the best overall performance in quality and on-time delivery.”

In accordance with the Hyster-Yale Group annual supplier expectations and continuous improvement program, Trelleborg’s ability to consistently achieve best in class quality has been rewarded and recognized as extremely valuable. Furthermore, another essential aspect for which Trelleborg has distinguished itself, is the capability to respond quickly whilst ensuring a high standard of quality.

Trelleborg received a 2018 target for quality performance below 300 PPM, a delivery performance target of 100% and a minimum acceptable performance of 98.99% with no stock outs. These thresholds have been significantly exceeded throughout the year.

“These awards represent great achievements and we aim to continue to serve the industry with the same quality and performance throughout this year and the years to come,” Nollé concludes.

The ‘Excellence in Quality’ Award for 2018 was presented on April 9th 2019, during the annual Hyster-Yale Group Supplier Awards Ceremony held in Scotland. The ‘Certificate of Merit’ for achieving quality and delivery targets was received on May 15th.

News that very few UK companies have registered for a new government online system designed to protect value added tax revenues on foreign parcels in the event of a no-deal Brexit has led the country’s representative body for freight forwarding and logistics companies to question whether Government is listening to advice from industry experts.

Robert Keen, Director General of the British International Freight Association (BIFA) says: “We are not surprised that few companies have signed up for the scheme.

“In principle, the UK’s VAT policy on small parcels, relative mainly to e-commerce trade, expatriates the liability for UK import VAT to businesses that are not established in the UK, thereby significantly reducing HMRC’s ability to enforce VAT compliance and revenue collection; potentially forcing freight forwarders and customs agents to become indirect representatives liable for import VAT and other import charges.

“BIFA and its Customs Policy Group advised HMRC that this would not work in practice, but that advice appears to have been ignored.

“This is not the first time and several recent policy announcements have caused us significant concerns relative to the UK’s Brexit preparations.

“Earlier this year we expressed our concerns privately about the contradictory information on the use of EORI numbers when completing customs entries post-Brexit. The initial guidance was that they could be used, late in the day the decision was reversed, and trade was advised that this was not possible and that EU traders would have to register and obtain a UK EORI number.

“We have also aired our concerns publicly about Transitional Simplified Procedures (TSP), the Government’s flagship policy aimed at alleviating the congestion at the frontier and facilitating the work of customs agents. We are still lacking detail of the data required to complete the supplementary declaration despite the fact that the original Brexit date has long since passed.

“We are still uncertain whether the proposed TSP procedures will work, post October 31st, when systems are largely untried, communication links between the parties involved on the processes are not established, many remain unaware of their responsibilities, and the freight forwarding companies that are at the heart of international trade movements appear to be excluded from them.”

Brexit has highlighted differences between government policy and the sector of the economy that is responsible for managing the supply chains that underpin the UK’s visible international trade, sometimes straining the relationship and, on occasion, resulting in Government consultation that has been rushed and led to some public policy announcements being made before they have been fully thought through.

Keen concludes: “To date, BIFA has refrained from publicly criticising Government departments. However, recent policy announcements have caused us significant concerns relative to the UK’s Brexit preparations and we feel it appropriate to highlight areas where planning needs considerable improvement.

“We echo the recent words of the Public Accounts Committee chair Meg Hillier and agree that with less than four months to go before the UK is expected to leave the EU, momentum appears to have slowed in Whitehall. Departments must listen to trade associations such as BIFA, urgently step up their preparations and ensure that the country is ready.”

Automotive logistics specialist Gefco has announced the acquisition of Chronotruck, a company that connects shippers and carriers through an innovative digital platform.

Launched in 2016, Chronotruck’s ambition is to offer the best platform for businesses to order shipments, while reducing empty journeys for carriers. For businesses, Chronotruck offers access to nearby carriers and an innovative portfolio of digitalised services, including an instant quotation system, geotracking, proof of delivery and e-invoicing. For carriers, the digital platform offers an opportunity to optimise flows by taking nearby loads to ensure trucks can run at full capacity. To date, Chronotruck has served more than 9,000 customers.

Gefco brings solid know-how in high-volume and integrated logistics, while Chronotruck provides agility, technical knowledge and accessibility to boost innovation throughout the customer journey. Chronotruck will remain an independent entity and brand within Gefco.

Leading intralogistics automation provider, KNAPP AG, has announced its results for the business year 2018-2019, which it says show another period of solid growth. Order volume exceeded the billion-euro mark for the first time in the company’s history, while net turnover rose by 34.5% to 954 million euros. Profits were also up by an impressive 44.2%, with an EBIT of 65.2 million euros.

48 million euros invested in R&D
The Managing Board – Gerald Hofer (CEO), Franz Mathi (COO) and Christian Grabner (CFO) – expressed delight at a recent press conference held at the group’s headquarters in Hart, close to Austria’s second-largest city, Graz. The board ascribed KNAPP’s ongoing success to continuous investment. In the last year alone, the company invested over 43 million euros in buildings and infrastructure, and a further 48 million in research and development – an increase of 25%. “Innovation and development remain two of KNAPP AG’s main focuses,” confirmed Franz Mathi, COO. “Over the past year we have extended our sites in Leoben and Dobl, and have expanded our capacities in Poland, Slovenia and Croatia, to name but a few. In the future we will invest in expanding our subsidiaries in Austria and around the world – including a new headquarters building in the USA.”

Over 4,500 employees worldwide
KNAPP now has more than 4,500 employees around the world, over 700 more than in the previous year. “As a company, we’re used to constantly evolving and to re-inventing ourselves in certain areas. One major challenge we face is finding the right employees and integrating them in the company,” explained Christian Grabner, CFO. “To help us do so, we have invested in employer branding activities in recent years.” KNAPP offers excellent career prospects in an exciting technical and international environment, with a positive and creative corporate culture and a focus on personal development.

Sustainability
In addition to investing in the development of sustainable intralogistics solutions for clients, KNAPP is committed to sustainable operation at its headquarters and its locations around the globe. One example in the past business year is the ‘KNAPP goes green’ campaign to promote the use of electric vehicles and public transport, which received 1.4 million euros of funding from the company. Over 370 employees are now taking part, with further initiatives in the pipeline. Sustainability has also been demonstrated by the recent installation of a photovoltaic system on the roof of the company headquarters in Hart bei Graz, which has a peak performance of almost 200 kWh. This solar energy not only powers the office buildings, but also 28 charging stations for electric cars.

Outlook and trends
With exceptional growth over the last two years, the outlook for KNAPP could not be brighter – although the company recognizes the need for continued investment in innovation. “In the future we will need to work with highly integrated networks that extend from production all the way to the end customer,” explained Franz Mathi, COO. “There are new technological approaches to this trend that we are using as the basis for our solutions.” Gerald Hofer, CEO, added: “The value creation chains for products and services are constantly changing. It’s vital that we change with them and recognize new trends.”

Pictured are: Knapp’s Managing Board (left to right): Franz Mathi, Gerald Hofer and Christian Grabner