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Month: June 2020

Rhenus Air & Ocean Opens Liège Airport Hub

Posted on by David Priestman

Rhenus Air & Ocean has opened a new hub at Liège Airport, as part of a strategic move that sees the company position itself perfectly within the ‘golden triangle’ between Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Paris. The new hub, which offers a portfolio of freight forwarding solutions, expands the company’s global air freight network.

Handling more than 900,000 tonnes of transported goods every year, Liège Airport (LGG) is the fastest-growing cargo airport in Europe. A multitude of large airfreight and charter lines, such as Qatar Airways and AirBridgeCargo, use LGG as a European gateway to the rest of the world.

Frank Roderkerk, CEO of Rhenus Air & Ocean Northern Europe, comments: “In addition to attractive flight schedules, LGG has excellent multimodal connections. This will enable us to offer customers more air and rail freight products, as well as sea freight products in the future. Several trains a week connect Liège with China along the land bridge, including Yiwu and Zhengzhou.”

Future plans for the new Rhenus Air & Ocean Liège hub will see goods transported via key air, ocean and rail routes, while customs clearance and fiscal representation capabilities will also be available. In addition to its new hub, Rhenus offers the storage of goods within its Belgium network in the ports of Genk, Antwerp and Brussels and at Brucargo.

Double Gartner Boost for Manhattan Associates

Posted on by David Priestman

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.

Automated Cold Storage Specialist Buys Corby Site

Posted on by David Priestman

NewCold has acquired a 23.5 acre (9.5 hectare) site in Corby (UK) from Warmflame Developments for an undisclosed sum, subject to planning.

The site will see a phased development of up to 637,589 sq ft (59,234 sq m) of bespoke temperature controlled facilities, making it the largest site of its kind in Europe. Subject to planning approval, building is expected to begin later this year.

NewCold describes itself as the fastest growing specialist in automated cold storage, with a global network spanning three continents. Temperatures within its units drop to lows of minus 26 degrees Celsius, providing food safety in a sustainable and energy efficient way, whilst keeping supply chain costs low by enabling consolidated distribution for occupiers.

 

 

 

 

Hyundai Support Hardstaff Barriers with Hospital HVM Project

Posted on by David Priestman

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.”

Fulfilment Specialist Named in Top 100 Tech Firm List

Posted on by David Priestman
  • 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.”

Record Number of China-Europe Freight Trains

Posted on by David Priestman

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.”

Transport System on its way to China

Posted on by Keith McKinley

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.

140th General Shareholders Meeting for BLG

Posted on by David Priestman

“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.

Industry View: How to Adopt the ‘Triple A’ Approach

Posted on by David Priestman

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.

Optimization Capabilities to DP World Vancouver

Posted on by David Priestman

Inform has been selected by DP World Vancouver to deliver three Optimization Modules as part of DP World’s Centerm Expansion Project from Inform’s Syncrotess solution range for container terminal operations.

Joel Werner, Director, Engineering & Projects, DP World Canada said, “The scope and scale of the Centerm Expansion Project (CEP) is a significant undertaking, which will significantly increase the capacity of the DP World Vancouver terminal. Real-time optimization of the intermodal yard operations is a key component of the project; as such, we are excited to have selected the Inform solution. This advanced technology supports our vision of creating a highly efficient and responsive terminal operation to better serve our customers.”

Dr. Eva Savelsberg, SVP of Inform’s Logistic Division said, “Our project with DP World Vancouver is our third major port project in the North American market and firmly cements our position as a world-renowned optimization specialist.” Work commenced in April and the Syncrotess solution is expected to be delivered in early 2021; Inform’s Syncrotess is comprised of multiple ‘add-on’ optimization modules capable of optimizing almost all aspects of a container terminals operations; DP World Vancouver have selected three optimizers for use at their Vancouver facility including: Train Load Optimizer, Rail Scheduler, and Vehicle Optimizer.

Dr. Rafael Velasquez, Senior Consultant and Project Manager said, “The alignment of DP World Vancouver’s vision and expectations with the features that come with Inform’s optimizers was prominent from the early meetings. This reassured DP World that terminal specific configurations will be accomplished during the project.” The Centerm Expansion Project aims to increase the handling capacity at the Centerm container terminal to 1.5 million TEU, an increase of nearly 65% from its pre-project capacities while only increasing the terminals footprint by a mere 15%. To achieve this, the terminal has undergone significant reconfiguration works, multiple road work projects, and the extension and modernization of their intermodal rail facilities.

The Syncrotess Train Load Optimizer chooses amongst the available rail-containers at the terminal those that should be considered for train stowage in order to minimize the burden of work in the yard and maximize productivity in the rail area. Moreover, it determines an optimized allocation for the containers on the associated outgoing train and updates this allocation after the commencement of train loading if needed.

The Syncrotess Rail Scheduler optimization module focuses on the optimization of train unloading and loading processes that reach out to the chain of transports between the yard blocks and the rail tracks and vice versa. It is within this chain that the Syncrotess Rail Scheduler is able to achieve a higher optimization potential as it bundles the different aspects playing a role in rail operations (crane optimization, train load planning, and yard layout) and proposes intelligent solutions accordingly.

The Syncrotess Vehicle Optimizer considers all executable internal transfer vehicles (ITV) and proposes an optimized sequence of these jobs amongst the fleet with a planned complete time for each ITV with the aim to maximize productivity, minimize vehicle idle times, and minimize ITV total travel distance through a reduction of empty travel.

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