Month: September 2020

Logistics business Gist has announced the appointment of Michael Chambers as its new Chief Executive.

Chambers is an experienced leader who has held key operational and business roles during his 25-year career with the company. He started out at Gist as an Operations Manager at the Barnsley operational site in 1994 before being promoted through a series of positions of increasing responsibility, culminating in his appointment as Chief Operating Officer in 2016.

Chambers said, “it is a privilege to take on the role as Chief Executive of the business within which I have built my career. The current COVID crisis has shown just how vital food logistics is to our society and I am immensely proud of how our people have performed so consistently throughout the pandemic. These are truly extraordinary times that require us to act and think differently about how we run our business. I look forward to building on Gist’s strong foundations with a renewed focus on driving efficiency and continuous improvements to benefit our customers, shareholders and employees.”

He is appointed following former Chief Executive Martin Gwynn’s decision to retire.

Hultsteins, the British and Swedish hydraulic refrigeration and electric hybrid systems manufacturer is advising temperature-controlled operators to seize the initiative and fit an Engine Drive PTO (power take off) to all new trucks and tractors specified for refrigerated transport.

Transport Consultant Graham Usher, who’s company Eco Truck Fridge is a sales agency on the East side of the UK for Hultsteins , explains why: “We are a little over 18 months away from HMRC’s withdrawal of the current rebate on red diesel for use in refrigerated transport. When this happens, the impact on fridge operators will be an overnight increase in diesel prices of around 100%.”

Currently, red diesel attracts duty at 11p per litre and this will increase to the current, white diesel level of 57.5p per litre in April 2022. This significant increase of 46.5p per litre will add many hundreds if not thousands of pounds extra cost, per year, per fridge, for all diesel fridge operators. However, adds Usher, operators can mitigate these cost increases and further decrease their current spend on diesel fuel, but to do so, they must have an engine Drive PTO.

“Fitting an engine-drive PTO on all new vehicles will give you the option of retrofitting an electric generator. This does not replace the existing diesel refrigeration system, but instead, works in tandem with the fridge unit and generates electric at a constant 400V – even at idle speed. The generator transforms the diesel unit into a hybrid solution which will run any marque of diesel fridge on electric by utilising its built-in electric motor.”

According to Hultsteins, operators taking this course of action, will benefit from reduced fuel consumption, reduced carbon, lower noise and a significant reduction in NOx and particulate emissions. Furthermore, the company says that the maintenance requirement of the host fridge system will also be reduced, which in turn will extend the life of the diesel fridge.

“Specifying an engine drive PTO will only increase the weekly cost over a 5-year period by a small amount,” adds Usher. “Not fitting an engine drive PTO will certainly add thousands of pounds more to the operating costs per vehicle, per year.”

He goes on to caution that operators can pay a little more now for an engine drive PTO or a lot more later if they don’t have one, as without an engine drive PTO it is not possible to retro-fit an electric generator – regardless of who it is supplied by. “My strong recommendation for anyone investing in new trucks or tractors for use with diesel refrigeration is to specify a factory-fitted PTO from their chosen truck provider, thereby making sure their investment is well and truly future-proofed.”

Storage and packaging expert Exporta has expanded its range offering on Eurocrates with three new sizes. As well as the addition of a new range of five Eurocrates made entirely from recycled material, making them the most eco-friendly euro crates available in the UK.

Exporta says it identified a gap in the market and worked with their suppliers to create a range that ticks every box. Recycled material is significantly cheaper than virgin plastic, it adds, making this range more affordable than standard Eurocrates made from virgin material. They are also available in black, making them easily recognisable in different situations and when in transition within the supply chain.

The three new sizes in the virgin range present a greater choice for Exporta’s customers. Virgin plastic has the advantage of being food safe; food can be placed directly onto the crate surface without issues of plastic contamination.

Whereas, the recycled crates are ideal for non-food usage – or when food comes already stored in its retail packaging. Another feature of the recycled crates is that they come with open handles, making them easier to lift and carry.

All crates, plastic pallets, boxes and containers supplied by Exporta are 100% recyclable, ensuring that Exporta lives up to its ISO14001 Environmental accreditation.

Don Marshall, Head of Marketing & eCommerce said: “We like to listen to our customers and support their needs and also look for innovative products to fill in any gaps in the market and fix our clients issues and pain points. Expanding the sizes in our Eurocrate range, as well as adding in a range of recycled crates achieves both these goals. It affirms our place as the No1 supplier in the UK if you need to Move It, Store It or Secure It.”

Power Electronics, which specialises in the development of equipment based on advanced power electronics, is a leader in the manufacture and installation of solar inverters for photovoltaic plants and converters for energy storage systems worldwide. It has trusted AR Racking, a reference company in the European market for storage systems, to equip the new warehouse at its facilities in Llíria (Valencia, Spain).

AR Racking -a company specialised in designing, manufacturing, and installing industrial storage systems for all types of loads- has installed an adjustable pallet racking system (AR PAL), a system that allows each pallet to be located quickly and provides direct and immediate access to the load. The system is designed to store pallets mechanically using forklifts. The surface area of the installation carried out by AR Racking in the warehouse exceeds 1,300 m2 and reaches a height of 10 metres. The AR PAL system installed can store a total of 2,625 pallets.

In addition, a Carton flow rack for manual picking has been installed, a system that allows high-density storage of boxes and light products, saving space and providing a better control of stock rotation. Three levels of wheel carrier tracks have been included in the lower part of the system to facilitate order preparation. The zone reaches 1,100 linear meters of volume storage for picking and has a capacity for 8,200 Euroboxes.

“One of the main advantages of AR Racking’s systems is that they can be combined to achieve a solution that is perfectly suited to the customer’s requirements. At the Power Electronics warehouse we have provided a system that fits the need for both pallet storage and the storage of smaller boxes thanks to the Carton flow rack, perfectly adapted for order preparation”. In addition, “the order preparation aisles are duly protected with approved electro-welded mesh, to contain possible falling loads”, explain Vicente Marín and Javier Miquel, project managers at AR Racking.

“With 28 branches and points of sales in almost 40 countries, Power Electronics’ service is based on immediacy, guaranteeing maximum efficiency and operability. We also find these features in the new warehouse: the systems installed enable us to control stock and locate products quickly and efficiently”, says Enrique García (Director of the Industrial Efficiency Department), and Salvador Climent (Head of Supply Chain Efficiency) at Power Electronics.