Month: August 2019

Prologis, Inc., a global leader in logistics real estate, has announced that it had signed an agreement with Spanish REIT Colonial to acquire 18 logistics buildings totalling 473,000 square metres. The buildings are in some of Spain’s core logistics markets, including Madrid, Barcelona and Guadalajara.

”As an active buyer in the market, we purchase highly complementary land tracts and logistics facilities that are in line with our strategic investment approach,” said Joseph Ghazal, chief investment officer, Prologis Europe. “This transaction, signed on behalf of our European logistics fund PELF, more evenly distributes our resource allocations between our European regions. Further, this accretive acquisition brings considerable value-added upside as markets strengthen further in Southern Europe and rental growth drives investor returns.”

The agreement includes the immediate purchase of 11 facilities, totalling 314,000 square meters. In addition, Prologis has a call option for 7 developments, totalling 159,000 square meters, over the next three quarters. “This portfolio significantly bolsters our presence in the Spanish market, notably in the Henares corridor between San Fernando de Henares and Guadalajara and along the A2 motorway that connects Madrid and Barcelona, the Iberian’s Peninsula’s main logistics corridor,” said Gustavo Cardozo, country manager, Prologis Iberia.

Pere Viñolas, CEO of Colonial, explained that “we thought that the opportunity to sell our logistic assets was excellent. Therefore, we set up a competitive process, and received many offers and interest from the market. Finally, we are very satisfied with the final outcome”. “This transaction allows Colonial to focus on its core business and as a leader in office real estate sector in Madrid, Barcelona and Paris and demonstrates our ability to maximize shareholder profitability based on active portfolio management.”

Prologis, Inc., a global leader in logistics real estate, has announced that it had signed an agreement with Spanish REIT Colonial to acquire 18 logistics buildings totalling 473,000 square metres. The buildings are in some of Spain’s core logistics markets, including Madrid, Barcelona and Guadalajara.

”As an active buyer in the market, we purchase highly complementary land tracts and logistics facilities that are in line with our strategic investment approach,” said Joseph Ghazal, chief investment officer, Prologis Europe. “This transaction, signed on behalf of our European logistics fund PELF, more evenly distributes our resource allocations between our European regions. Further, this accretive acquisition brings considerable value-added upside as markets strengthen further in Southern Europe and rental growth drives investor returns.”

The agreement includes the immediate purchase of 11 facilities, totalling 314,000 square meters. In addition, Prologis has a call option for 7 developments, totalling 159,000 square meters, over the next three quarters. “This portfolio significantly bolsters our presence in the Spanish market, notably in the Henares corridor between San Fernando de Henares and Guadalajara and along the A2 motorway that connects Madrid and Barcelona, the Iberian’s Peninsula’s main logistics corridor,” said Gustavo Cardozo, country manager, Prologis Iberia.

Pere Viñolas, CEO of Colonial, explained that “we thought that the opportunity to sell our logistic assets was excellent. Therefore, we set up a competitive process, and received many offers and interest from the market. Finally, we are very satisfied with the final outcome”. “This transaction allows Colonial to focus on its core business and as a leader in office real estate sector in Madrid, Barcelona and Paris and demonstrates our ability to maximize shareholder profitability based on active portfolio management.”

Hoppecke Industrial Batteries has launched trak | uplift, the latest in vented lead-acid technology. Combining quality, durability and economy, the new battery range provides the ideal solution for busy single shift operations.

At the heart of all Hoppecke trak | uplift products is active carbon. In conjunction with other innovative developments this specially matched active material promotes higher current discharge characteristics, improved fast charging capabilities and increased service life for cyclic applications.

New innovations include a 3D enhanced electrode design plus a protective shell separator, which prevents deposits of free active materials accumulating on the negative electrode, known as mossing – a major cause of short circuits. A pole feed-through, with a labyrinth system specially developed to cope with the demands of industrial forklifts in daily use, means that trak | uplift products are robust enough to withstand the highest mechanical stresses and strains. The result is reliable operation with reduced maintenance requirements. By comparison with conventional lead-acid batteries trak | uplift products have considerably longer top-up intervals, which translates into longer maintenance intervals and lower operating costs.

As logistics operations contend with the challenges of boosting productivity whilst maximising resources to keep costs low, Hoppecke’s aim is to make their budgets work harder with energy-efficient motive power batteries that deliver day in, day out. Stuart Browne, Operations Director – Sales and Service at Hoppecke UK, said: “The new trak | uplift range represents the cutting edge of our vented lead-acid technology and is a universal, high quality, low-cost solution designed to keep a wide range of equipment operating at peak performance. Our extensive analysis shows that trak | uplift is one of the most dependable batteries on the market, since competitor systems cannot match its longevity and deteriorate more rapidly over five years.”

Suitable for industrial trucks, utility vehicles, agricultural and construction machinery, lifting platforms, cleaning machines and cold storage equipment, Hoppecke’s trak| uplift is a cost-optimised basic solution with the capability to retrofit extra components at any time. By upgrading with trak | air components, for example, operators can enjoy lower energy and water top-up costs plus enhanced availability due to reduced charging times.

The trak | uplift save battery reduces maintenance costs with the aid of innovative technology, whilst the trak | uplift save+ provides optimal protection against external influences and is therefore ideal for use in especially dirty environments. The top of the range is the trak | uplift iQ system, which incorporates an intelligent controller unit. All trak | uplift batteries can be used in conjunction with Hoppecke’s monitoring and measuring systems. The ultimate service life is achieved when trak| uplift batteries are used in combination with Hoppecke chargers.

Two Sany 4540 intermodal reach stackers have entered service at the ABP Hams Hall Rail Freight Terminal located just 8 miles from the centre of Birmingham in the heart of the Midlands, ABP Hams Hall is a key UK intermodal hub. The new 4540 is the 7000mm wheelbase equivalent to the increasing popular 4531 general yard reach stacker.

The 4540 is equipped with the newly developed jacking system, that with the unique sliding rear ballast, gives the operator enhanced capacity without slowing operations down. The jacks and
residual capacity arrangements brought a specific comment from David Cooper, Executive Director of Cooper Handling, who said: “In reach stacker intermodal operations, operators jacking operations slow driver’s down and they only use jacks as an absolute last resort. The sliding ballast helps here and could be the difference between lifting and not lifting without jacks, but its deployment is immediate. Delays in deploying jacks, whilst only matter of seconds down and seconds upwards, accumulate over a working week so time saving in jack deployment increases productivity.”

The 7000mm wheelbase machine, together with the sliding ballast and the jacks, will provide ABP Hams Hall with their highest rating capacity machines to lift-off the second rail lines. Mark Thompson, Head of Asset Management for ABP said: “ABP Hams Hall is a strategic site where we depend upon high performance, reliability and machine availability. We look forward to seeing how the Sanys perform alongside the established brands”.

Other features on the machines include a hydraulic sliding cabin, head-up display as well as an Elme 817 toplift spreader which represents a first for Sany in the UK complete with Elme’s ‘Soft-
Landing’ system that softens the last 150mm of twistlock engagement.

Jann Rene Hansen, Sales Director for Sany Europe said: “We are very extremely pleased with this order from ABP done by Cooper. It shows me that we are beginning to gain market shares, also with the major operators in Europe, not only based on our strong presence in the UK, but also on the range of machines which we are able to supply to the market now.”

Two Sany 4540 intermodal reach stackers have entered service at the ABP Hams Hall Rail Freight Terminal located just 8 miles from the centre of Birmingham in the heart of the Midlands, ABP Hams Hall is a key UK intermodal hub. The new 4540 is the 7000mm wheelbase equivalent to the increasing popular 4531 general yard reach stacker.

The 4540 is equipped with the newly developed jacking system, that with the unique sliding rear ballast, gives the operator enhanced capacity without slowing operations down. The jacks and
residual capacity arrangements brought a specific comment from David Cooper, Executive Director of Cooper Handling, who said: “In reach stacker intermodal operations, operators jacking operations slow driver’s down and they only use jacks as an absolute last resort. The sliding ballast helps here and could be the difference between lifting and not lifting without jacks, but its deployment is immediate. Delays in deploying jacks, whilst only matter of seconds down and seconds upwards, accumulate over a working week so time saving in jack deployment increases productivity.”

The 7000mm wheelbase machine, together with the sliding ballast and the jacks, will provide ABP Hams Hall with their highest rating capacity machines to lift-off the second rail lines. Mark Thompson, Head of Asset Management for ABP said: “ABP Hams Hall is a strategic site where we depend upon high performance, reliability and machine availability. We look forward to seeing how the Sanys perform alongside the established brands”.

Other features on the machines include a hydraulic sliding cabin, head-up display as well as an Elme 817 toplift spreader which represents a first for Sany in the UK complete with Elme’s ‘Soft-
Landing’ system that softens the last 150mm of twistlock engagement.

Jann Rene Hansen, Sales Director for Sany Europe said: “We are very extremely pleased with this order from ABP done by Cooper. It shows me that we are beginning to gain market shares, also with the major operators in Europe, not only based on our strong presence in the UK, but also on the range of machines which we are able to supply to the market now.”

The Port of Rotterdam Authority has launched its new company PortXchange Products BV. This entity is set up to offer the Pronto platform and application to ports around the world over the next few years. The establishment of a separate company will enable partnerships with a variety of global players. Together with strategic partners Shell International Trading and Shipping Company Limited and A.P. Moller – Maersk, PortXchange will initially offer Pronto to several ports outside the Netherlands.

The launch of PortXchange provides a platform to create new strategic partnerships with ports, shipping companies and terminals, geared towards implementing smart digital solutions like Pronto in ports worldwide. This in turn contributes to the ambition of Port of Rotterdam to become the world’s smartest port. Trust between parties for the free exchange of data is vital to the successful introduction of Pronto in other ports. The establishment of a separate company enables the solution’s neutrality and independence, and improves cooperation between all parties.

PortXchange aims to improve the efficiency of port calls and help clients reduce their emissions – both in the port as well as between ports. To this end, the company provides Pronto: a joint platform that can be used by shipping companies, agents, terminals, port authorities and other (nautical) service providers, which enables them to optimally plan, execute and monitor all activities during a port call based on the exchange of standardised data. In addition, Pronto enables just-in-time sailing, which helps reduce carbon emissions.

Taking the lead in digital transformation enables the Port of Rotterdam to become more efficient, reliable and, as result, more competitive. “By making our application available to ports across the world we can optimise the potential of digital solutions. The more ports use smart solutions, the more valuable these become. The establishment of a separate company for Pronto’s global roll out is an excellent example of this approach,” stated Allard Castelein, CEO Port of Rotterdam Authority.