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Day: 18 June 2020

Multimodal Postponed Until June 2021

Posted on by Keith McKinley

UK event Multimodal has been pushed back further to June 2021. It follows the earlier postponements to November 2020 & March 2021, caused by the Covid crisis.

Organisers Clarion Events said in a statement:

Further to our earlier communications in relation to the Event, please be advised that the Event, originally scheduled to take place on 16 -18 June 2020 and rescheduled to 23-25 March 2020, has now been postponed to 22-24 June 2021 at NEC, Birmingham.
We are as disappointed and regretful as you will be over this decision, which has been made with the safety of our customers, attendees, staff and suppliers at the forefront of our thinking and in light of both governmental directions and general public health advice.

As a valued media partner we will be in touch regarding working towards the June 2021 event – though if you need updated copy in the meantime please contact me.

The thoughts of all of us at Clarion Events Limited continue to be with everyone affected by COVID-19. Please also be assured that we remain committed to delivering the best possible Event to bring value to your business.
Thank you for your understanding.

Interroll Installs Complex Extension Project in Spain

Posted on by David Priestman

Interroll and Modumaq, a partner of the Rolling On Interroll program, have teamed up for an extension project to provide an optimal order classification system for Arvato Supply Chain Solutions in Spain’s increasingly complex material handling processes.

Arvato needed an order classification system for business-to-business (B2B) transactions in a first phase, which has recently been extended for business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions. The system, which was installed in Alcalá de Henares, consists of two induction zones: one for the preparation of orders from the packing tables and the second for the feeding of cross-docking boxes.

“The proposed solution had to have the necessary versatility to be able to feed the system from several packing tables, while at the same time being able to receive boxes directly from a cross-docking entrance,” says Alfonso Flores, General Manager of Modumaq.

Both inductions can work simultaneously and converge to a transport collector that aligns all the boxes for a correct reading and weight control. The weight control compares the data obtained in real time with the theoretical weight indicated by the customer’s warehouse management system (WMS), automatically diverting all boxes that are not within a preset range to a quality control area where the boxes accumulate. Here, the operator will check the boxes one by one and will forward them again to the collector if the content is the desired one.

Maximum variety of goods can be transported

The boxes that are confirmed as correct will then pass to a sorting area, where they will be read again and automatically distributed to various routes leading up to a sorter system. The design of the ramps takes into consideration that the product is very fragile and that variation in weight is quite high, being able to receive boxes from just 200 grams for B2C shipments and up to 25 kilograms for B2B shipments. A superior conveyor has also been added for the recirculation and provision of empty boxes to be used for B2C, so that the personnel on the packing tables always have a buffer of boxes close to each of the workstations.

Interroll’s Modular Conveyor platform (MCP) has been chosen as the main conveyor system, which is completed by ramps designed and manufactured by Modumaq solely with Interroll material. The control system is from Siemens and the reading system from Datalogic, and a communications interface has been developed between the Modumaq system and Arvato’s warehouse management system by means of a protocol for exchanging data in real time.

“Handling fragile products safely was a top priority, so Modumaq’s design department took this into account in both the loading areas and the sorter exit ramps,” says Alfonso Flores. “We based our design on Interroll’s modular MCP platform, as this will enable us to install new elements on the line without having to carry out major modifications and stop the process.”

Modularity ensures installation without interruption 

The great advantage of the MCP system is its modularity: Since the system was installed years after the sorter, Modumaq’s installation teams were able to extend the packing and dispatch areas in record time without impacting or interrupting Arvato’s operations.

“We were faced with the challenge of rising complexity in the preparation, classification, and daily distribution of orders for an important international cosmetics company. The installation carried out by Modumaq perfectly meets our expectations, covering the needs required by the customer, such as handling a high variation of goods, high performance and great flexibility,” says Laura Alaman, responsible for Project Management and General Services at Arvato Supply Chain Solutions in Spain.

Industry View: AMRs Applying Artificial Swarm Intelligence

Posted on by David Priestman

AGILOX Autonomous Mobile Robots are substantially saving costs by applying Artificial Swarm Intelligence.

Swarm Intelligence (SI) and bio-inspired computing have attracted great interest in almost every area of science and engineering, including robotics, over the last two decades.

As an autonomous mobile robots (AMR) manufacturer AGILOX directs most of its effort into developing one of the most unique robotic material handling features on the market – completely decentralized autonomy. AGILOX Intelligent Guided Vehicles (IGVs) are completely independent, selfcontrolled, and intelligently designed to handle failover, recovery, and deadlock prevention perfectly. Our SI system can provide real-time solutions to impossibly complex optimization problems in the most efficient way possible, often in ways that a human designer could never anticipate. The swarm can also handle unexpected changes in dynamic environments without any human intervention.

AGILOX vehicles automatically exchange information about the environment and the current work order situation with each other via WiFi several times per second. Based on virtual transport costs, which each participant constantly recalculates for all pending orders, it is automatically decided which vehicle fulfils an order and which path that vehicle can take to fulfil this order in the shortest amount of time.

All of this is possible with almost no overhead cost to the end-customer. There are no expensive server systems, no wires added under the floor, no reflector or beacon installations – no hardware of any kind, other than your regular 2.4 or 5 GHz WiFi network and the charger. There is no software to install or maintain, no version numbers to keep up with, and no licenses with ongoing subscription fees.

The nature of our Swarm Intelligence also provides another massive advantage in terms of setup cost. Once the first AGILOX unit learns its environment and workflow details, the system becomes immediately infinitely scalable. Adding additional vehicles to the swarm to increase throughput is as simple as turning on the power and assigning an IP address. Within minutes, the new vehicle will automatically download all of its configuration information from the swarm and begin working, no additional commissioning or programming required.

AGILOX represents a total departure from the traditional approach to material handling processes. We apply the principles of our decentralised IGV system to our entire business model from top to bottom as well, by providing our customers with the training and tools to perform their own maintenance and expand or modify the system as they see fit.

 

New Business to Rid Waste and Boost Transparency in Bulk Cargo Logistics

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Oceaneering International has launched a new business, OceanSMART Cargo Logistics and Maritime Technology, which aims to eliminate waste and increase transparency within the bulk commodity cargo logistics industry.

OceanSMART will be led by Managing Director Bryan Phillips, who comes to the team with over 25 years’ experience in the marine shipping and cargo logistics industry, most recently as chief innovation officer at Inchcape Shipping Services. He is joined by another maritime industry stalwart with over 30 years’ experience, Neill Tomlin, who will serve as Vice President of Product and Business Development.

Over the past 18 months, Oceaneering’s Maritime Intelligence and Technology team worked to develop the OceanSMART offering to address serious industry challenges. The bulk commodity industry amounts to around 60% of world seaborne commodity movements. These cargoes include oil and gas, agricultural, and mineral products. The industry is one where there is little transparency, inherent conflicts of interest, tremendous waste, and misinformation. This environment results in delays, reactive decision making, unnecessary risk, excess cost, and other environmental impacts. This presents an incredible opportunity to revitalize the way the industry currently does business by more effectively using data and technology, getting away from paper-driven tasks and aging legacy applications.

OceanSMART is a combination of software as a service (SaaS) products, data science tools, and resourcing services that will provide cargo owners with real time visibility of their vessels, cargoes, and maritime assets. The service provides transparency to risk, hidden costs, inefficiency, and waste as well as provides the solutions to significantly save time and money and vastly improve decision making.

Rod Larson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Oceaneering, said, “OceanSMART is a perfect complement to our existing maritime business and fits well into our ‘innovate and expand’ strategic objective. We are very excited about what the team has built over the last 18 months and the growth opportunities this business offers.

“When Bryan first pitched the idea to us, it was clear that he understood the problem he was trying to solve, that he had the background and skills to lead this initiative, and that the strategy would significantly change the industry.”

Bryan Phillips, Managing Director of OceanSMART, said, “Oceaneering is the perfect organization and partner for what we are undertaking. Customers are incredibly excited by what we have built as well as the roadmap ahead of us. They are excited that we have the stable ownership of a major organization like Oceaneering, whose leadership is 100% behind us.

“Ever since I started off as an 18-year-old customs clerk in the port of Durban, South Africa, it has always mystified me how little awareness there is of the amount of money being wasted by cargo owners. Fundamentally, the more inefficient a cargo movement is, the more money several parties handling this cargo make, and this is ultimately paid for by the cargo owners. That is why, three years ago, I set out to start a business that intends to rectify this issue and change the industry.”

The OceanSMART portfolio currently includes the SaaS products SMART Position and SMART Analytics. Data science advanced algorithms have been developed that can analyze port and terminal performance in near-real time with developing predictive analytics. On the resourcing side, OCEAN Demurrage and OCEAN Barge have both received significant demand signals from the market. Additionally, OceanSMART has launched the SMART AIS mobile app. Over the next 12 months, several new SaaS products, data science algorithms, and resourcing services will be released to expand the OceanSMART product line.

Trailer Refrigeration Taken to Next Level with Advancer, Claims Thermo King

Posted on by Keith McKinley

With fully variable airflow, unrivalled fuel efficiency, and a significantly lowered cost of ownership, the Advancer represents the future of trailer refrigeration. That’s the claim made today by Thermo King at the launch of what it calls “a disruptive new re-imagining of the trailer refrigeration unit”.

The Advancer A-Series is available in three different versions, the A-360, A-400, and A-500, and offers an all-new design architecture that creates a bold new standard for performance, temperature control, and fleet connectivity.

“At Thermo King, we understand that with being a leader comes the responsibility to advance the technology and capability for refrigerated transport. Since we started the industry over 80 years ago, we have been innovating to meet and exceed customer needs, improve efficiency and reduce the environmental footprint of our products,” said Francesco Incalza, president of Thermo King Europe, Middle East and Africa. “Today, Advancer adds another milestone to our history. By introducing this completely redesigned trailer platform, we are challenging what is possible in our industry. This is our vision for the future of trailer refrigeration, and this future is now here for our customers.”

The ambition behind Advancer is to move beyond incremental enhancements and to create a trailer refrigeration unit that features innovations never before seen on the market. Equally, the performance delivered by the A-Series is unrivalled, featuring groundbreaking temperature control, superior load protection, and unmatched fuel efficiency. Combined, these capabilities deliver greater operational flexibility, while helping customers achieve significant improvements in fleet uptime and total cost of ownership.

“With Advancer we went back to the drawing board and asked ourselves what does the future look like?” said David O’Gorman, senior product manager, Thermo King. “We asked customers to tell us what they needed to work better, to win more business, and to cut their cost of operation. The result is a game changing solution we believe our customers are waiting for.”

The field trial testing the units in real life conditions and comparison tests against the predecessor and other flagship refrigeration units have shown that Advancer is up to 40 percent quicker to pull down and up to 30 percent more fuel-efficient than the market average.

“Our field trial units travelled over 1 million kilometres across different climate zones and counted tens of thousands of running hours in diesel and electric modes,” added O’Gorman. “They have crossed deserts, operated at high altitudes, travelled on ferries to cross the seas and on trains for intermodal operations. Throughout the tests, the Advancer units proved to be trouble free.”

The new architecture incorporates the expectations of customers that were gathered in detail and factored into the design from the outset, along with decades of Thermo King’s knowledge and experience. As a result, Advancer includes unique features that comprehensively address a wide range of operational and financial challenges, including:

• Fully variable airflow that can be regulated for each journey and cargo, and is independent from unit engine speed
• Unrivalled electrical and fuel efficiency contributing to lower CO2 footprint and engines with 50 percent less emissions than the maximum allowed by latest NRMM Stage V emission standards
• Electronic engine speed control on the A-400 and A-500 units, which makes them the first units on the market to give complete transparency of fuel levels and fuel consumption. The fuel consumption data will be recorded, displayed, and made available remotely via telematics
• Lower maintenance costs and enhanced serviceability compared to the predecessor, thanks to sensors offering more insight into the engine, fuel, battery and the performance of other key components.
• Future-ready power agnostic capabilities that can utilize diesel, axle generator, or shore power sources with ease
• Fleet intelligence as standard, with Advancer being the first-ever unit to offer 2 years of full telematics connectivity in the purchase price.

The Advancer units are manufactured in the Thermo King’s zero waste to landfill plant in Galway, Ireland. The newly designed, state-of-the-art production line uses 60 percent less energy than the production process of previous Thermo King trailer products.

Advancer aligns with Trane Technologies’ 2030 sustainability aspirations, and the commitment to reduce customers’ carbon emissions by one gigaton – equivalent to the annual emissions of Italy, France and the United Kingdom combined.

Efficiency “At a New Level” with Nord IE5+ Motors and LogiDrive

Posted on by David Priestman

The new IE5+ motor generation from NORD DRIVESYSTEMS offers a constant high efficiency over the entire adjustment range in a hygienic design that raises the LogiDrive concept for intralogistics to a new level with regard to energy efficiency and reduction of variants. The total cost of ownership (TCO) can be considerably reduced.

The energy-efficient latest generation permanent magnet synchronous motor has considerably lower losses than the current IE4 series. The unventilated smooth motor achieves its high efficiency that, at times, is significantly above efficiency class IE5 via a wide torque range – and is optimally suitable for the operation in the partial load range. The compact IE5+ motor offers a high power density with less installation space and will be initially launched in a size for power ranges from 0.35 to 1.1 kW with a continuous torque from 1.6 to 4.8 Nm and speeds from 0 to 2,100 min-1. Direct motor attachment as well as NEMA and IEC motor attachments are available. The motor concept will be gradually extended with more sizes and powers. It is ideal for use in hygiene-sensitive and harsh environments because it is easy to clean, corrosion-resistant and wash-down capable. nsd tupH surface treatment and IP69K protection class are optionally available, as well as an integrated mechanical brake. An integrated encoder is part of the standard equipment. With the new generation of IE5+ motors, NORD DRIVESYSTEMS takes the first step towards a new product system landscape with focus on ultimate energy efficiency paired with compact design.

LogiDrive with high efficiency up to IE5+
The new IE5+ synchronous motor can be combined with all NORD gear units and drive electronics as a modular system and supplements the successful LogiDrive concept. The standardised geared motor variants – consisting of an energy-saving synchronous motor, a 2-stage helical bevel gear unit and a NORDAC LINK frequency inverter – have been specially developed for use in intralogistics, parcel logistics and airport technology, and represent an optimal compromise between energy efficiency and a reduction of variants. The new IE5+ motor can further increase these benefits. Utilising the high overload capacity of the motors and the system’s wide adjustment range, the solution is individually tailored to each customer and specifically designed for the system’s individual load range.

The decentralised LogiDrive systems are highly efficient and extremely easy to service thanks to plug & play technology. The entire system has a modular design, so that all components of the drive technology can be individually serviced. This minimises maintenance and repair costs. The compact design saves space and is light in weight thanks to the aluminium housing. Thanks to the special design of the IE5+ motor and its operation with the frequency inverter, the same motor variant can be universally used worldwide. This means that the same motor type can be used independent of the respective mains voltage or local energy efficiency regulations.

The IE5+ synchronous motor and the respective LogiDrive systems are available from the second quarter of 2020.

Logistyx Technologies appoints UK and Ireland Sales Manager

Posted on by David Priestman

Parcel shipping TMS specialist Logistyx Technologies has named Paul Homer (above) as its UK and Ireland Sales Manager.

“The international demand for solutions that can most effectively optimise supply chain delivery networks – and parcel shipping in particular – is growing exponentially and this is only being intensified as companies have switched to ecommerce during the pandemic. Having spent more than a decade working closely with retailers and 3PLs, I have a keen understanding of their supply chain and delivery pain points and work in a consultative manner to help them use technology to address them,” commented Homer.

Prior to joining Logistyx, he held sales and development roles at companies including Metapack and Yodel. Most recently he was National Sales Manager at Sorted Group.

“Paul’s experience developing long term, commercially advantageous business relationships will help Logistyx continue to serve our customers through best-in-class parcel shipping management software,” said Logistyx CEO Geoffrey Finlay. “As our customers continue to navigate the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and a compressed peak season, now is the time to continue our company growth through genuine trusted partnerships.”

Agility Spain Moves into New Warehouse and Offices

Posted on by David Priestman

Agility Spain has moved into a state-of-the-art, 11,000-square-metre warehouse and office facility at ZAL Port (Prat) in the Port of Barcelona.

The facility was built by CILSA, the company that manages Port of Barcelona’s Logistics Zone, and is part of more than 270,000 square metres of projects under development by CILSA.

The new Agility Spain warehouse is equipped with state-of-the-art technology for logistics. Construction followed the strictest criteria for energy efficiency and sustainability with a goal of receiving LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The office block has been adapted to allow full access for the disabled.

Features of the warehouse include free height of 11 meters in the storage area and a deck roof built on site. The plot is equipped with 56 private parking spaces distributed in two areas and 25 loading gates with automatic sectional doors and external shelters.

This new building addresses the current needs and planned growth of Agility Spain, which offers a complete range of logistics, multimodal transport and distribution services for industrial, service and retail companies operating in the country. The company operates 25,000 square meters of space in Spain for storage and distribution with flexible designs that improve the level of service and reduce costs for customers.

“Agility Spain offers extensive experience with three customs warehouses, temperature-controlled management, and the GDP certification required by pharmaceutical companies,” says Carlos Martinez, Sales Director, Agility Spain. “We focus on the renewable and engineering sectors, project logistics, transportation management, and turnkey projects for large-scale and complex initiatives.”

Senior Hire for Logistics Property Specialist Gazeley

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Logistics property specialist Gazeley has named Robin Johns as Director of Business Technology.

Johns’s primary responsibility will be to provide strategic technology leadership for Gazeley, GLP’s European Platform. He will report to Shane Kelly, CFO, Gazeley, and will form an integral part of the European management team. He will be involved in strategy definition, operational leadership as well as close project and programme delivery.

He joins Gazeley from BP, where he spent a year as Interim Delivery Director and led the delivery of a global transformation project. Johns previously spent six years as CIO at Tideway, a private equity backed regulated utility business, where he led the digital transformation.

Shane Kelly, CFO, Gazeley, said: “Robin brings a depth of experience in consulting and technology transformation which will be particularly helpful to us as we further enhance business systems to support our growth objectives and explore the logistics property eco-system which is increasingly data and technology led.”

6000 New Jobs and Major Spend on Depots and Vehicles for DPD

Posted on by David Priestman

Leading parcel delivery firm DPD has announced 6,000 new UK jobs and a major infrastructure investment in response to the unprecedented boom in online shopping caused by Covid-19.

The firm, which delivers for many of the UK’s leading retailers, will invest £200m this year to expand its next-day parcel capacity, including £100m on vehicles, £60m on 15 new regional depots (10 more than originally planned in 2020) and the remainder on technology.

The new jobs will include delivery and HGV drivers, warehouse staff, management positions and support staff, including mechanics.

Even before lockdown restrictions were announced in March, demand for DPD’s seven day a week, nationwide next-day delivery service had risen significantly as people started increasing their reliance on online shopping. The trend has continued, with existing retail customers experiencing an online sales boom and new customers developing online propositions to maintain sales during lockdown.

DPD is forecasting the growth to continue this year, despite shops reopening, as households continue to rely on online deliveries for a greater proportion of their shopping, including food and drink.

The new infrastructure investments and recruitment will be in place before Black Friday as the firm prepares for what it predicts will be the busiest Cyber Weekend and Christmas period, in its history.

Dwain McDonald, DPD’s CEO commented, “We are experiencing the biggest boom in online retailing in the UK’s history and we are making this unprecedented investment in our infrastructure and people to ensure we can continue to meet the high levels of demand for our services.

“DPD has been one of the fastest growing major companies in the UK in the last 10 years, due to the growth in e-commerce. But what we have seen in recent months is potentially a much more significant shift in behaviour, and we believe elements of it will be permanent. As a company, we’ve been dealing with rapid growth and ongoing investment cycles for a long time, but this is a very significant moment.

“I do think the High Street will bounce back from where things are now, but we have to base our modelling on our conversations with retailers and their projections. It looks like there will remain a much greater reliance on e-commerce in the future – that’s going to be our ‘new normal’. This investment and expansion mean that we will continue to be right there for our retail customers, alongside them, with the capacity to cope with the demand they are seeing online.

“Since this began, we have been handling parcel volumes more akin to the festive seasonal peak than this time of year. For example, volumes over Easter were double last year. The business has performed incredibly well, with service standards at record high levels, as more people have been at home to receive parcels and the roads have been quieter. All this while the operation has had to start scaling-up and adapt to social distancing and contactless deliveries.
I’m incredibly proud of what our team has delivered during this crisis, including our work with the NHS and food retailers, and I have no doubt that they will continue to provide our customers with a market leading service.”

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