Month: June 2020

Manhattan has been handed a double boost by Gartner, having been named as Leader in the Magic Quadrant for both its TMS and WMS solutions.

Manhattan argues it is uniquely positioned to serve the global needs of large, highly sophisticated shippers and their more streamlined medium-sized counterparts. For example, PLUS Retail, a supermarket chain with 263 stores across the Netherlands, recently selected Manhattan TMS to support its Optimised Delivery Network strategy. “Operating Manhattan’s TMS in the cloud offered us the flex-up capability, coupled with complete end-to-end support for all transportation functions across our entire logistics network and third-party fleets,” commented Roelof Zwaagstra, buyer not for resale at PLUS Retail.

Manhattan TMS is part of the Manhattan Active Supply Chain Solution suite, which allows enterprises to optimise large and complex operations, adapt to market and demand changes, and iterate and innovate with technology that is always current and seamlessly interconnected, and that runs anywhere.

Download a complimentary copy of the Gartner report here.

Manhattan’s WMS was named a Leader in Gartner’s May 2020 Magic Quadrant for Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) for the 12th time in a row. The report evaluated 15 vendors this year, and Manhattan once again placed highest in its ability to execute and furthest right on completeness of vision.

“We’re honoured to be recognised by Gartner. More than anything else, we think it represents the collaborative relationships we have with our customers, some of the most innovative and progressive supply chain practitioners across many industries,” said Brian Kinsella, senior vice president of Product Management for Manhattan Associates. “We’ve put a strong emphasis on co-innovation throughout our thirty-year history, resulting in a feature rich and highly configurable WMS with deployments across the globe.”

Part of the Manhattan Active Supply Chain suite of solutions, Manhattan Warehouse Management is designed to help distribution centres thrive in the omnichannel marketplace. The solution maximises operational efficiencies and optimizes fulfilment centre performance.

Nottingham-based security barrier manufacturer, Hardstaff Barriers expanded its fleet last year with two new Hyundai 80D-9 diesel, 8,000 kg, counterbalance forklifts, in a deal with Hyundai Material Handling distributor, Acclaim Handling.

Hardstaff Barriers has recently delivered and installed hostile vehicle mitigation protection to the NHS Nightingale COVID-19 support Hospital, in Harrogate, through its government framework. One of the company’s Hyundai forklift trucks played a crucial role in unloading the kit from the three delivery HGV’s and placing in situ ready for installation.

The NHS Nightingale Hospital Yorkshire and the Humber is a 500-bed COVID-19 support hospital, which was converted from Harrogate’s Convention Centre, in under three weeks. The hospital was officially opened by 100-year-old war veteran, Captain Tom Moore on April 20th, in a virtual ceremony.

As part of the conversion from convention centre to hospital, a supporting infrastructure was built within the curtilage of the convention centre. Due to its proximity to the main road a solution was required to protect the new installations from errant or hostile vehicles. Hardstaff Barriers were able to provide a gated linear solution to protect the infrastructure, following a site survey, with a live feed to a designer who was able to share designs with the client in minutes.

The site visit and design took place on 7 th April and the installation took place on 9 th April and was completed in less than three hours, by a team of five, working within the social distance guidelines. Hardstaff installed two HVM Swing Arm Gates and 30 metres of concrete Quick Moveable Barrier (QMB).

Wes Baker, Fleet and Operational Support Manager, Hardstaff Barriers commented, “The Hyundai Material Handling fork truck assisted with the loading and unloading of the HGVs’. Since we purchased the two Hyundai’s, as part of our fleet expansion, the trucks have been put through their paces on some high-level HVM security projects. The machines have proved to be both robust and reliable.

The Hyundai was chosen after trials with it and its competitors and was found to be the best-matched machine for the Hardstaff operation. The machine is short for an 8t machine making it more manoeuvrable in tight spaces which is something we encounter often.”

Safety is of paramount importance at Hardstaff and the company specified a raft of additional safety features for the new forklift trucks which included, additional high-level mast lights and additional low-level lights. A reversing safety camera, overhead high voltage cable detectors, Chapter 8 chevrons and additional reflective markings.

Wes continued, “Acclaim were very helpful in assisting with our additional safety feature requirements, these included Red Light Pedestrian Exclusion Zone lighting, and additional lighting for operators, also external ‘seatbelt connected’ and ‘handbrake on’ warning lights were fitted to our specification before delivery.

The new machines have been well received and the opinion of the forklift drivers is that the Hyundai is a very good piece of equipment.”

• 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.