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Month: September 2020

Milestone for Sustainable Transport

Posted on by Paul Hamblin

SolarOnTop, an innovation by IM Efficiency, is a step forward in making transport more sustainable. The photovoltaic system supplies trucks with green electricity from solar panels.

In order to reach a climate-neutral European economy by 2030, the decarbonization of road freight vehicles can potentially have a major impact. For Vos Logistics, a leading logistics service provider in The Netherlands, sustainability is one of their key priorities.

The electricity generated by the solar panels is used for all electric appliances of the vehicle. The SolarOnTop supplies clean electricity to the truck and trailer, compensating the electricity that is normally generated by the alternator. This reduces the load on the engine, saving fuel while the vehicle is driving. While the driver rests, the SolarOnTop charges the truck battery.

Savings of 2,000 to 2,500 liters of diesel per truck each year have been reached, which is equal to about 6 tons of CO2. Together with IM Efficiency, Vos Logistics aims to improve the system even further, so more trucks can use the technology. Thanks to the plug and play system, the SolarOnTop can be installed on a vehicle within a day.

The insights gained through the cloud solution will be key to monitoring the result and including them in reports of Vos Logistics.

Soon Vos Logistics will equip another trailer with the SolarOnTop system and hopes that many more will follow. Frank Verhoeven (CEO Vos Logistics) states: “Sustainability is in our DNA. By collaborating with IM Efficiency, among others, we are a trendsetter in embracing the energy transition and make an important contribution to making transport as a branch more sustainable. This to deliver better, faster, cheaper and more sustainable solutions. “

New Senior VP of Cargo Sales at Qatar

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Qatar Airways Cargo is delighted to announce that Kirsten de Bruijn has joined the Airline in the capacity of Senior Vice President, Cargo Sales and Network Planning. With 13 years of experience in management in the air cargo industry, she shares Qatar Airways belief that the pace of change brought about by recent global events demands value-centred leadership around revenue and margin management.

“The COVID-19 crisis has accelerated the need for flexibility and agility. It has also fast-tracked demand for digitalization. Optimizing the utilization of freighters, the network, pricing and processes will mean embracing digital as the central vector of change. Qatar Airways is a world leader in this space and our ability to constantly adapt and adjust will continue to be part of the fundamental premise of our air cargo strategy,” said Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer Cargo at Qatar Airways.

According to Halleux, de Bruijn was the obvious choice: “We share the same vision of the industry and Kirsten perfectly understands the sector’s demands – as well as its volatility and its extremely competitive nature. She is able to challenge existing processes thanks to her customer-focused vision and extremely high standards. She is a major asset to the Airline.”

de Bruijn said, “Air cargo is probably one of the most competitive industries out there. It means you have to find ways to avoid being commoditized and you have to think globally – to constantly be aware of the speed with which technology is changing how we do business. Qatar Airways Cargo represents the cutting edge of change in the global air cargo market. I want to be a part of that movement. Part of my role is to build a sense of team spirit and collective purpose. I like to hire people that are better at what they do than I am, so I can create the best team possible.”

Abu Dhabi Ports Acquires MICCO Logistics

Posted on by David Priestman

Abu Dhabi Ports, part of ADQ, has announced another step in its drive to enhance the emirate’s rank as an international hub for trade and logistics with the acquisition of MICCO Logistics. With the integration of MICCOAbu Dhabi Ports Logistics, the Group’s logistical arm aims to set itself apart from the competition. Abu Dhabi Ports Logistics leverages MICCO’s experience and capabilities as a provider of end-to-end logistics solutions.

Thanks to the combination of MICCO’s international and regional logistics solutions, its large and diversified transportation fleet, and a network of temperature-controlled warehouses, along with the Group’s extensive multi cargo handling and industrial zone capacity, Abu Dhabi Ports is in a position to serve its customers along every segment of the supply chain. The added capacity enables the organisation to manage all customer touch points including: sourcing; PO management; international freight handling through Project, Commercial, and Contract Logistics; customs clearance; stevedoring; local, regional, and international transportation; Airline Road Feeder Services; and, storage, order fulfilment and handling solutions via its strategically located network of distribution centres.

Abu Dhabi Ports’ enhanced logistics portfolio will ensure that it remains a leading provider of logistics services for the energy sector, while at the same time it expands its value offer to other strategic sectors including retail, e-fulfilment, FMCG and pharmaceutical/healthcare. H.E. Khalifa Sultan Al Suwaidi, Vice Chairman of Abu Dhabi Ports and Chief Investment Officer at ADQ, commented: “We are collaborating with Abu Dhabi Ports to transform its logistics arm into one of the largest, most capable and most cost-efficient providers of fully integrated and holistic logistics solutions in the UAE and beyond. This reflects ADQ’s key role in stimulating economic development and growth through our logistics cluster while further strengthening Abu Dhabi Ports’ strategic position as a leading provider of integrated port and industrial zone services, and a facilitator of global maritime trade and logistics.”

Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Group CEO, Abu Dhabi Ports, said: “The acquisition of MICCO is a critical step in our emirate’s journey to establish itself as a leading hub within the global trade and supply chains. “The combined advantage of both organisations means that Abu Dhabi Ports will be able to compete on the regional and global stage as a provider of holistic logistics solutions, enhancing what we offer to both existing and prospective customers, while at the same time furthering our contribution to Abu Dhabi’s non-oil GDP and the government’s diversification efforts.”

Robert Sutton, Head of Abu Dhabi Ports Logistics Cluster, said: “Aligning directly with Abu Dhabi Ports’ growth strategy, the integration of MICCO has enabled us as an organisation to both enhance our service offering, while also meet the needs of a broader global market. Our greatly expanded capacity to deliver a wide spectrum of services across the entire supply chain has also opened doors for us to target new opportunities in segments that have been traditionally underserved, including FMCG and healthcare. With the addition of MICCO, we are truly connecting the world with the Gulf and beyond.”

Founded in 1978, MICCO Logistics is one of the first local freight forwarders established in Abu Dhabi and one of the first businesses to offer consolidated freight services to the emirate’s oil and gas industry. With a modern ground fleet comprised of more than 350 prime movers with diversified fleet of trailers, specialised storage facilities, MICCO’s diverse portfolio of logistics solutions includes freight management in Project, Contract, and Commercial Logistics, multi-modal transport, warehousing and distribution, stevedoring, as well as road feeder services for the aviation segment. As the first logistics company to establish its presence in the Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD), MICCO’s distribution centre includes several temperature-controlled warehousing services that are ideally suited for storing sensitive cargo for extended periods.

€50M+ Automation Contract Secured for Global Intralogistics Innovator

Posted on by David Priestman

Global intralogistics company Dematic has announced a new contract with Reitan Distribution A/S in Horsens, Denmark. Reitan Distribution A/S supplies groceries to more than 900 stores throughout Denmark.

Dematic was tasked with designing a high-performance automated solution to facilitate and enable increased delivery frequency and service levels to stores, while supporting Reitan’s growth strategy over the next few years. Reitan’s current logistics centre at Marsalle is approximately 57,000 square metres. In recent years, the business has grown to such a degree that it has become necessary to expand in the form of new and more modern storage facilities.

The extended warehouse will add a further 30,000 square metres and will include high bay pallet storage. Built adjacent to the existing warehouse with a bridge between them, the new facility — purpose-designed to house Dematic’s automation solution — will run for 21 hours a day, six days a week andserve over 400 dry goods orders a day. Approximately 130,000 cases will be picked, packed and distributed every day from the new system, with robotic systems handling a significant proportion of daily operations. The automation solution will increase the delivery frequency of the 600 most popular products to the REMA 1000 grocery store franchisees and reduce overall costs by improving operational efficiency.

The new warehouse facility is expected to commence operations by early 2023.

TGW Achieves its Highest Turnover

Posted on by David Priestman

The TGW Logistics Group with headquarters in Marchtrenk has successfully completed its 2019-20 financial year (1 July 2019 through 30 June 2020). The turnover of the intralogistics specialist has grown from 719 million to 835.8 million euros. This means that the company has set a new record for highest turnover in its fifty-year history. The number of employees has also increased significantly. The company has added more than 250, reaching a total of 3,667. Thus, TGW is continuing the trend of stable growth that we have had over the last few years.

In 2019-20 TGW recorded commissions received of 822 million euros – in Europe, the United States and China. As Harald Schröpf, CEO of TGW Logistics Group, emphasises, “many companies commissioned TGW with the automation of their intralogistics over the past financial year – from Urban Outfitters to Zalando and even the Austrian fashion dealer Personalshop. We were able to increase our turnover by 16 percent compared to the previous year.”

The EBIT amounts to 37.1 million euros – after 27.9 million over the period of the previous year. This corresponds to an increase of more than 33 percent. As a foundation-owned company, TGW can never be sold. Entrepreneurial action and social responsibility are inseparably linked at TGW. Two-thirds of profits stay in the company and are reinvested – in our employees, our infrastructure and the innovations of tomorrow. Thus, TGW is a stable business partner and reliable employer. In addition, ten percent of profits go to charitable projects of the Future Wings foundation. These projects focus on comprehensive personal development of children and young people. TGW is paying a dual employee participation at a total of 4.1 million euros to its employees and is doing so for the third time. In the interest of transparency and fairness, all employees receive the same base amount – regardless of whether they work in Austria, China or the U.S.

TGW has grown by approximately 250 employees in the completed financial year. In the current financial year, the company is again poised to grow and is searching for employees, mainly for its software, controlling and project management areas. Schröpf says, “Well-trained, motivated employees are the basis for our success, especially in an industry that is as dynamic and highly innovative as intralogistics. In order to be able to implement our growth strategy successfully, we are planning to expand by more than 400 employees in the current financial year and leap over the 4000 employee mark.”

Apprenticeship Programme delivers Post-Lockdown Jobs Boost

Posted on by Paul Hamblin

Logistics and distribution company Hermes recruited the first group of employees to its new LGV driver apprenticeship programme, run in partnership with skills specialist Seetec Outsource, in the summer of 2019, and the first five of these apprentices are now fully qualified with an additional five to follow later this year. 

The vital role played by delivery drivers has been thrown into sharp focus during the coronavirus pandemic. By investing in driving apprenticeships, Hermes is better able to meet increased demand. 

According to the Freight Transport Association’s 2019 logistics report, 15% of lorry driver vacancies were expected to remain unfilled. There are also concerns about the ageing workforce and the impact of Brexit.

Jenny Haynes, Learning and Development Business Partner at Hermes, explained: “Working in partnership with Seetec Outsource, we were able to fund vital training for young people coming into the logistics industry. The Covid-19 pandemic has shown just how important it is to create a talent pipeline to enable our industry to flourish and help the economic recovery.” 

Nikki Bardsley, Director of Apprenticeship Operations from Seetec Outsource, added: “Helping young people to learn new skills through an apprenticeship is often a life changing experience. It allows young people to achieve their full potential and pursue a rewarding career. Investment in skills is crucial as the country responds to the social and economic challenges presented by the pandemic. Hermes is a forward-thinking company committed to empowering people to achieve. This type of apprenticeship programme could be adopted by more companies to help source new talent and support the wider national mission to tackle unemployment post-lockdown.”   

Lithium-ion Powered Trucks Deliver Efficiency Gains

Posted on by David Priestman

Third party multi-temperature warehousing and logistics network, Norish, operates lithium-ion battery-powered Flexi articulated VNA truck technology at one of its cold store facilities in the West Midlands. The company, which has used Flexi VNA trucks throughout its business for some 15 years, opted to replace the lead-acid battery-driven Flexis that had been in operation at the facility with new models from the Flexi LiTHiON range.

The fully integrated Flexi LiTHiON’s lithium-ion power system requires zero maintenance and no battery changing to deliver extended multi-shift availability at minus 28 degrees centigrade – making the Flexi LiTHiON the ideal solution for modern temperature-controlled stores. Delivery vehicles containing a wide mix of meats, sea food and raw ingredients from the UK and around the world arrive at Norish’s site throughout the day and are unloaded within sealed loading docks by powered pallet trucks before being collated within a marshaling area.

Full pallet loads are then collected by the Flexi LiTHiON trucks and delivered directly to the allocated cold store chamber where they are put away within a high-density very narrow aisle pallet rack system. The pallet racking is controlled using a warehouse management system that provides both pre-allocated locations for every product received at the store but also directs newly arrived chilled materials to one of the three ‘blast freeze’ zones in the store.

“Within any type of cold storage facility, it is essential to get maximum product density: the more pallets we can get into the warehouse the lower our operating and energy costs are,” says Stewart Lloyd, national engineering director at Norish. “The combination of high density VNA pallet racks and Flexi LiTHiON trucks allows us to maximise storage density and get great individual pallet accessibility,” he adds.

One of the key benefits that the switch to lithium-ion technology has brought to Norish is the fact that the Flexi LiTHiON machines do not require battery changes – the lithium-ion power source is recharged while the operator is taking one of his or her regular breaks from the cold store. This not only maximizes truck uptime but significantly reduces the requirement for Norish to allocate valuable floor space within the building to a dedicated spare battery charging and changing bay.

When it comes to battery management the Flexi LiTHiON monitors the battery function constantly and reports the battery status in real time, while water topping-up is not required, which means that the type of food hygiene and health and safety issues that can arise if liquids are spilt during the traditional lead-acid battery charging process, are eliminated. The fact that topping up is not required allows the truck to be charged in the store as required – rather than in a separate part of the building.

State of the art collaborative robotic – or ‘cobotic’ – digital technology controls all of the Flexi LiTHiON’s drive, hydraulic and power-steering functions and ensures that the trucks are able to perform at full power across multi-shifts at Norish’s store with no drop off in performance levels. In fact, the Flexi LiTHiON’s combination of fully integrated digital motor technology and lithium-ion power is so effective when it comes to eliminating wasted battery charging time and power, that truck availability is typically increased by 25 per cent every day.

John Maguire, managing director of Narrow Aisle Ltd, comments: “Cold storage is one of the most demanding applications for materials handling equipment and Norish has deployed Flexi articulated forklift truck technology across its various business units for many years. The benefits of lithium-ion battery technology for trucks operating within cold stores and the advanced ultra-reliable digital drive technology at the heart of the Flexi LiTHiON made Norish’s decision to deploy Flexi LiTHiON trucks at it’s site an easy one.”

Retail Re-purposing: Thoughts from a Lawyer

Posted on by Keith McKinley

With all eyes firmly upon the changing face of retail, accelerated by the strange times we find ourselves in, we are seeing more focus in the commercial real estate market on the re-purposing of certain retail offerings, including to office, leisure, ‘dark kitchens’, fulfilment and distribution centres or a combination thereof. Re-purposing has been aided by the introduction of the new E use class which now covers retail, offices, light industrial and some leisure and potentially general industrial. Whilst re-purposing might seem attractive given the current shortage of land available for new logistics centres, there are important legal considerations to be aware of.

Storage and distribution still fall within use class B8 and have not been included within the new E class, so planning permission will be needed for the change of use from retail. Large retail units and retail parks are often located adjacent to or near residential dwellings, meaning that strict conditions restricting delivery hours and the number of HGVs accessing the site are likely to be imposed on any planning permission. We are also seeing an increase in conditions requiring the use of electric vehicles. However, there can be no question that the introduction of electric vehicles to support the last mile delivery offering, leaving inner city roads less congested both from a traffic and pollution perspective, is beneficial.

There is then the challenge around the layout to the site and the buildings themselves. Again, planning permission may be required for physical works. The existing turning circles may not be sufficient to cater for the volume of delivery vehicles along with entry and exit points to the site itself. If existing buildings are to be retained, the height of those may mean that the internal fit out of any targeted occupiers (especially where there is more focus on automation) will need to be reviewed.

Sustainability, not only in the materials used in relation to construction or refurbishment of the buildings themselves but also operationally from a tenant’s perspective, will be key considerations for any investor or developer especially as we are seeing more focus on responsible investing from an ESG angle. Wellbeing initiatives such as green spaces and creating more naturally lit environments are also key drivers to attracting motivated employees.

In summary, there is no doubt that with fluctuating demands or an acceleration of an already growing market, redundant retail space is being utilised in ways that are becoming more elaborate and creative. But, from an investment perspective, it is important ensure that the time and cost of overcoming any legal pitfalls is factored into the business plan. by Victoria Towers (pictured) and Victoria du Croz.

Hyster-Yale Europe MD Retires

Posted on by David Priestman

The EMEA division of Hyster-Yale Group has announced that Harry Sands will retire as the Company’s Senior VP and Managing Director, EMEA, from 30 September 2020, after almost 40 years of service.

Harry Sands has served as the Senior VP and Managing Director, EMEA, for Hyster-Yale Group since 2015. He joined the company in 1980 working for Hyster as Craigavon Factory Manager then becoming Plant Manager in Craigavon for Hyster-Yale Group in 1989. In 1998, Sands transferred to Nijmegen to assume the role of Plant Manager. In 2001 he was appointed VP European Manufacturing and Logistics before becoming the Managing Director of EMEA in 2015.

During his tenure as EMEA Managing Director, Sands has developed a strong team and enhanced the performance and results of the EMEA organisation across many disciplines. Over his extensive career with the company, he has consistently built strong relationships and partnerships both internally and externally.

Stewart D. Murdoch, who joined Hyster-Yale Group on 9 September 2020 as the incoming Senior VP and Managing Director, EMEA, will assume full responsibility for the position on 1 October 2020. Murdoch brings with him over 25 years of international experience in bulk material handling and industrial process automation and has held Executive Management and operational leadership positions in Europe and the UK as Vice President of the Schenck Process Group, Germany, and UK Managing Director/GM & Head of EMEA North and Australasia for the Habasit Group, Switzerland.

Commenting on his new role, Murdoch said: “The Hyster-Yale Group is a fantastic, agile business. With its deep pool of talent and capabilities, broad customer base, strong product families, global footprint and distribution network and powerful brands, I am truly honoured and excited about this opportunity to lead the Group’s EMEA region into the next stage of its strategic development.”

Pallet Pooling Business opens Depot in the South

Posted on by David Priestman

Pallet pooling business, LPR (a division of Euro Pool Group), has announced the opening of its second depot for 2020 – this time in the south of England.

The former brown belt site has been extensively renovated into a 4 acre, purpose built, development for LPR. The Grays depot will support the business in pallet sortation and repair and enable the business to service and grow its customer base around the M25.

LPR’s Grays depot has the ability to process 4million pallets per year, as well as offering heat treatment facilities to support its preparation for the end of the Brexit transition period.

The latest depot opening has again been led by Operations Director for UK & Ireland, Simon Wood. Simon, and his team, were responsible for the identification of the site, masterminding its redevelopment and finally, overseeing its opening. Simon said “I’m really proud to be able to announce the opening of this latest development at LPR. This new site, and the further additional capacity it provides, will reinforce our ability to service our customer’s needs”.

Adrian Fleming, LPR Managing Director Region North, comments on the new site: “It is great to see this latest depot opening – I couldn’t be prouder of our team here at LPR for once again putting us in the position to be meeting our key aims – being located near our customers and ensuring that we are prepared to support their growth plans. This latest depot, which will be operated by our partners XPO, demonstrates this. I look forward to seeing the positive impacts of both this, and our Coventry depot, on our network!

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