Day: 11 June 2020

• fulfilmentcrowd was acknowledged as one of the leading Northern technology companies at GP Bullhound’s Northern Tech Awards 2020 on 27th May. The annual compilation celebrates movers and shakers in the technology economy, boosting the profile of sector innovators and accelerating growth through targeted investment. Gathered and assessed by GP Bullhound, a European tech and advisory firm, the Top 100 league table ranks tech-focussed companies based on revenue growth over the last three years.
• With turnover growth of 42% for the FY 2019-2020, fulfilmentcrowd are proud to make the list; their platform underpins a fast-growing portfolio of ecommerce clients and an international network of fulfilment centres. During the first quarter of 2020, fulfilmentcrowd released a significant upgrade to their platform with self-onboarding features enabling new clients to commence shipping autonomously and at pace. This has enabled the company to significantly increase its clientbase through the COVID-19 pandemic as companies turned to outsourcing and online retail as a means to continue trading.
• Lee Thompson, Sales and Marketing Director at fulfilmentcrowd comments on the company’s recent success: “it is always flattering to be identified alongside world-class tech brands, especially those who consider the North as home. These are uncertain times, but as ever, we are focussing our energies on the opportunities presented by our platform and unique, partner-based business model.”

To help with reduced shipping capacity due to the pandemic, over the last two months, the China-Europe freight train service has experienced a record peak in services. As of 6th May, the number of China-Europe freight trains originating in Xi’an reached 1,000 this year, 78 days earlier than the same period last year. Cargo throughout totalled 1.923 million tons, an increase of 41.7% over the same period last year. The 1,000th train of 2020 embarked from Xi’an Xinzhu Station and headed west to Uzbekistan in May, a landmark journey in connecting China with its European trade partners.

In response to COVID-19, Xi’an opened up a dedicated channel for the trains to help maintain normal operations and support enterprises getting back to business. Xi’an recognised the need to optimise the transportation declaration and approval procedures and also intensify the schedule by reducing the intervals between trains. Since the launch of the China-Europe freight trains in 2013, an increasing number of countries and enterprises are using the service. The freight trains, which start off in Xi’an, can travel through more than 40 countries and regions, enabling close economic and trade ties between China and Europe.

As of April 2020, there is a new route from Xi’an to Barcelona. This train first set off on 8th April 2020 and took 18 days to arrive in Barcelona. The new route from Xi’an to Barcelona and the regular daily services to Horgos have extended the coverage of the trains from Xi’an to Western Europe. As an example of the adoption of how freight train services are being embraced by businesses across Europe, on 26th April 2020, a freight train loaded with LONGI Green Energy’s photovoltaic products set out from Xi’an Xinzhu Station on its way to Tilburg in the Netherlands for GVT Intermodal. The products had previously been shipped by sea from Tianjin Port in China but in light of the pandemic, GVT Intermodal transported the products directly on the China-Europe freight trains, saving time and warehouse costs. For LONGI Green Energy and GVT Intermodal, the freight train allowed them to continue business operations and reduce the impact of COVID-19.

Roland Verbraak, General Manager at GVT Group of Logistics comments on the importance of the China-Europe freight train services. “We first started using the China-Europe freight train services just over three years ago, and as of last year, we have been sending 5 trains per week. By train, we are able to receive goods in 15 days, whereas air-freight takes 10-20 days due to capacity, and is also four times more expensive. Because of this, freight-trains are becoming more popular. During the current COVID-19 pandemic, we are still achieving 5-6 trains per week from China to Europe. The freight-trains have enabled us to continue operating as close to business as usual as possible during the pandemic. I have no doubt that the future is bright for freight trains from China to Europe as many other businesses start to recognise the benefits.”

Mr. Xinhuang, Director of Xi’an Xinzhu Station of China Railway Xi’an Group says: “We are delighted to be able to be a solution to many enterprises during this stressful time. The China-Europe freight train service has clear benefits and has become the main means of transporting goods between China and Europe. We have been able to maintain operations as usual during the pandemic and have in fact extended our train services by reducing interval times and reaching new destinations such as Barcelona. It’s great that the China-Europe freight train service can encourage businesses around the world to connect, trade and join hands in the fight against COVID-19.”

The Max Bögl group is sending the first two-section vehicle of its Transport System Bögl (TSB) with one of the world’s largest transport aircraft to its place of operation in China. This is the next milestone for the finalisation of the train demonstration track in Chengdu. The new type of local passenger transport system will start operation on the 3.5-kilometre track in the summer.

After the first series-production vehicle had been pre-commissioned in Sengenthal in the past few months and tested for its use in China, it spectacularly made its way to the Chinese partner in early June. On the way to its destination, the novel traffic system was first loaded onto trucks at the Max Bögl group’s headquarters and then transported to Munich Airport. From there, the new series-production vehicle was transported by the Antonov 124-100, one of the largest transport aircraft worldwide, to Chengdu, over 7,500 km away. The TSB team will commission the vehicle together with the Chinese partner company Xinzhu.

The optimization of local public transport using the latest technologies is highly valued by the Chinese government. The demonstration track in Chengdu illustrates the possibilities of the innovative Transport System Bögl for local public transport. The track of the TSB is very low and light with a girder of 1.2 metres in height and 23.5 metres in length. Compared to conventional systems, it avoids the high loads at the wheel-rail contact point, which are the main cause of vibrations and noise. Instead, the transport system guides the loads evenly distributed into the track without contact and is therefore very quiet and manages with considerably smaller substructures for the track. This not only saves on raw materials and costs, but is also aesthetically pleasing.

“Overall, we more than achieved our goal of maintaining a constant level of sales revenue in all three divisions: Automobile, Contract, and Container.” This was the conclusion of the CEO of BLG, Frank Dreeke, in his report on the 2019 business year to the 140th general shareholders meeting of Bremer Lagerhaus-Gesellschaft AG. It was the first virtual general shareholders meeting of BLG Logistics.

Sales revenue of €1.159 billion in 2019 was up on the previous year by 1.5%. At €37.5 million, earnings before tax (EBT) remain at the previous year’s level. The EBT margin of 3.2% in the reporting year was only slightly below that of 2018. Automobile was the strongest division in terms of sales, generating €603.7 million in 2019. Sales revenue grew by €50.6 million, or 9.1%.

Sales revenue in the Contract division amounted to €563.9 million. Compared to the previous year, EBT increased by €178,000. Revenue in the Container division was €282.3 million, including the 50% stake held in EUROGATE. Overall, the sales growth in the Automobile division more than made up for the slight declines in the other divisions.

The company remains committed to strategically important goals such as its sustainability policy and digitalization drive. In 2019, BLG Logistics achieved the climate protection goal it had set itself for 2020. At the same time, the company also reduced sales-based emissions by 29.6%. BLG aims to be climate neutral by 2030. This involves cutting 30% of absolute CO2 emissions. The measures designed to achieve this goal include energy-efficiency improvements, electricity generation, and the purchase of green electricity. On July 1st Ulrike Riedel will join the Board of Management of BLG Logistics as the Labor Relations Director. She introduced herself to the shareholders during the general shareholders meeting.

Of all the unknowns surrounding Covid-19 one thing is certain, its effects and legacy have changed the way people work, live and play, says SnapFulfil UK & Europe CEO, Tony Dobson.

With traditional business models being turned upside down, brands like Heinz and Cadbury are capitalising on the e-commerce trend with a direct to consumer offer – and now restaurants are following suit with home delivery.

French brasserie chain, Côte, is the latest to diversify its offer and under the banner Côte At Home, they now deliver chilled bistro meals from their kitchens, plus an online butchery and fromagerie with a selection of wines and drinks. Demand has led to the business converting a recently acquired space into a refrigerated order fulfilment warehouse solely to cope with the volume of orders.

This clearly illustrates how it’s more critical than ever to consider the warehousing and logistics part of the supply chain – with digital technology central to tackling sudden challenges, satisfying more demand, staying competitive, plus managing labour efficiency and productivity.

The WMS is a crucial cog, so at SnapFulfil we’re adopting a ‘triple A’ approach centred on agility, adaptability and alignment – three core qualities any warehouse needs to learn, grow and succeed in a new world driven by fast moving e-commerce and ever shifting customer demands.

An advanced WMS gives your warehouse the agility it needs to forecast demand, employ temporary workers and meet peak season and even pandemic challenges head on. It also allows you to maintain more detailed insight into inventory levels, so you can provide customers with deeper order visibility throughout the fulfilment process.

You can streamline operations to make quick order fulfilment a reality, without sacrificing precision, and more easily identify areas for improvement. This in turn can help you delight your customers and keep them coming back.

From smarter inventory management and optimising your picking and packing processes, to the last mile of the customer experience, a WMS can ensure your warehouse serves as an asset in the quest to meet consumers’ ever increasing fulfilment desires – rather than a stumbling block.

Adaptability can apply to a wide range of areas within the warehouse, but it’s difficult to adjust without first understanding where your warehouse lags – so make sure to get your data in order before looking to meet today’s trends. It’s critical for gaining visibility into the numbers underlying your operations, whether that’s during replenishment, picking, shipping or returns.

You’ll additionally be able to make more educated decisions concerning which technologies or solutions – robots, extra staff, or additional locations – are worth investing in for the likes of reorganising stock location, speeding up packing and improving order accuracy.

A WMS will also help you reach the necessary level of efficiency quicker – and when you’re able to scale it will be ready to meet your new demands. Bigger businesses often try to match Amazon and its continuous roll out of innovations, but you can adapt your operations with more cost effective and appropriate technology to become a leader in your own space and keep ahead of the curve.

Real time data is also key when evaluating efficiencies throughout the business, so with deeper visibility into company processes, individual performance and team benchmarks, you can ensure the warehouse is fully in alignment with both company and customer expectations.

Goals and objectives can be better tailored to specific operations than ever before, plus the drilled down and universally accessible data provided by a WMS helps strengthen relationships with internal departments and create a truly synergistic environment – which in turn means the organisation as a whole can better address problem areas and adjust operations to compensate.

Customer alignment is imperative too and WMS software helps determine which products are selling when and where, so businesses have the data they need to adjust inventory levels and priorities accordingly.
Additionally, this heightened visibility accurately pinpoints consumer buying habits and helps prepare for unexpected sales spikes, as well as granting much quicker intake of returns and a better understanding of why a product was sent back.