Subscribe

Month: June 2021

Network expands from Hungary into Slovakia

Posted on by David Priestman

The Palletways Group, part of Imperial Group and Europe’s largest and fastest growing express palletised freight network, has expanded its Hungarian network to now include Slovakia.

This expanded network will operate from Hungary’s hub in Biatorbágy in the Western suburbs of Budapest, as its prime location means it is well-positioned to perform as a cross-dock platform for the Hungarian-Slovakian cross-border traffic but also for handling domestic consignments.

The network will offer Palletways’ full range of domestic and international services including a domestic next day Premium service, Economy service and AM delivery, all with full Track and Trace.

Marek Ondrejcak, area manager who will head up the Slovak area, comments: “Slovakia shares a 655km long border with Hungary and there are strong cultural, commercial, and economic ties between the two countries so expanding the already successful Hungarian operation is a logical step to increase Palletways’ geographical footprint in Eastern Europe.

“We’ve already recruited nine independent transport providers that bring with them a combination of industry experience, technical and operational excellence and an unwavering motivation to expand Palletways’ services and we’re looking forward to seeing what we achieve as a collective over the coming months.”

Peter Kovacs, managing director at Palletways Hungary and Slovakia, adds: “Slovakia has an advanced high-income economy. It has grown with an above-average rate compared with the overall EU average and it’s a rapidly growing market. As the world’s 35th largest exporter in the world, the value of Slovakian exports accounts for 89% of GDP and our international service will be a crucial element of this new network.”

Luis Zubialde, Palletways’ group chief executive officer, concludes: “We launched the Hungarian network couple of years ago so to expand into Slovakia so quickly is a significant achievement. The expansion presents a fantastic opportunity for Palletways customers and members who can now deliver to even more European destinations. It also sends out a strong message to the marketplace about our unwavering commitment for ongoing growth.”

With this expansion into Slovakia, the Palletways Group now covers 24 European countries, with over 450 local member depots.

 

Online event showcases packaging automation

Posted on by David Priestman

The key benefits of packaging automation took centre stage at Sealed Air’s recent PackForum event, with delegates from across Europe finding out more about how systems can maximise efficiencies, minimise downtime and improve product protection.

Professionals from fast-moving sectors including e-commerce, fulfilment, industrial, pharmaceuticals and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) joined the online event to address some of the biggest packaging challenges facing their industries.

Steve Dougan, EMEA Fulfilment Platform Director at Sealed Air, said: “Recent global events have affected businesses in many different ways. From unpredictable demand trends to labour shortages and social distancing in workplaces, companies have faced challenges that can affect operational performance and productivity.

“Such issues have been particularly relevant to packaging processes, with risks of Work-In-Progress (WIP) quickly bottlenecking and slowing down whole production lines and supply chains. The automation event looked at how full and semi-automatic packaging systems can overcome these complexities to optimise uptime, efficiencies and reliability.”

The Automation event focused on a number of Sealed Air’s solutions including Autobag and looked at how packaging automation can improve consistency, reduce overpackaging and minimise defects.

Dougan added: “Some repetitive packaging tasks are prone to fatigue, which can lead to inconsistencies and errors. The accuracy of automated systems avoids this, while also specifying optimal-fit packaging solutions that better protect products and use less materials. This delivers further added value by maximising transportation space to help save costs and carbon emissions.

“In addition, the space-saving performance of packaging automation can help operators address social distancing challenges and also create opportunity to reduce the overheads associated with the larger space required for manual packaging lines. More working area and staff resource can instead be focused on core revenue-generating parts of businesses.”

Event delegates also learnt how to spot the tell-tale signs that packaging lines are ready to be automated, with Sealed Air’s team pinpointing ‘eight signs of waste’.

“The eight signs of waste are all linked to downtime,” explains Dougan, “and are clear indicators that manual packaging lines are no longer keeping pace with wider operational performance or customer demands. Acting sooner, rather than later and switching to automated packaging solutions can help operators to stop counting the costs of these wastes, whether that’s growing waiting times for customers or holding too much stock inventory. Implementing an automated system can often prove a low-capital change that delivers quick returns in terms of improving overall performance and productivity.”

P&O Dover-Calais route at full strength

Posted on by Keith McKinley

The Pride of Burgundy – P&O Ferries’ fifth ship on its Dover-Calais route – arrived yesterday (28th June) at the Port of Dover, returning to service with its first sailing in over a year.

With capacity to carry 120 lorries, the 28,000 tonne Pride of Burgundy will return in freight-only mode, making two return journeys each day. The addition of a fifth ship comes in response to growing demand from British and European customers and will expand options for those requiring rapid and reliable transportation of goods between pivotal markets.

Peter Hebblethwaite, Managing Director of P&O Ferries, said: “I am delighted to see the restoration of our Dover-Calais fleet to its pre-pandemic strength of five, with the resulting increase in departures and frequency enabling us to take back market leadership on the English Channel and further improve our customer service. Pride of Burgundy will reinforce our cost-effective freight service by increasing capacity and flexibility on the route – a vital artery of trade upon which thousands of businesses and consumers rely.

“With the support of our parent company, DP World, the world’s leading provider of smart logistics solutions, we are committed to bolstering our offering to customers and ensuring optimal efficiency in the flow of goods between the UK and Europe. With international trade at the heart of economic recovery, continual investment in our Dover-Calais route will encourage supply chain resilience by connecting people, businesses and nations.”

First announced in April, the Pride of Burgundy’s return follows P&O Ferries’ ground-breaking space sharing agreement on the Dover-Calais route, and the introduction of a second lift-on lift-off (LOLO) ship to double capacity between Zeebrugge–Hull.

Abbey forms strategic partnership with Cisternas Amarillo

Posted on by David Priestman

Abbey Logistics has formed a new partnership with Cisternas Amarillo S.L (Amarillo), a large bulk powder road tanker company based in Seville, Spain and part of the full-service logistics company, Pantoja Grupo Logistico.

The partnership is designed to provide continuous movement of customers’ products between the UK and Spain and provide customers with a faster more reliable and cost-effective transport solution through a well-managed joined-up approach that optimises the reach of the two businesses.

The partnership combines Abbey and Amarillo’s extensive knowledge and experience in bulk food road tanker transport and maximises their collective fleet capabilities to provide a reliable flow of feedstock ingredients between the two countries.

Utilising multimodal transport links, the tanks are reloaded for the return journeys, minimising empty miles and fully utilising both company’s vehicles and drivers to ensure products move on a continuous basis.

Paul Laverick, Head of Abbey’s Powder Division, said: “This new partnership further demonstrates Abbey’s unique ability to support road tanker companies in Europe thanks to our scale and network capability in the UK.

“Amarillo is highly regarded for its skills and experience in bulk dry food grade products and we are delighted to begin working together as we maximise the vast experience our combined businesses have for the benefit of our customers.”

Lars Stendahl, Amarillo’s Operations Director, said: “Abbey Logistics is well known to us and their reputation for customer service and flexibility together with their specialist knowledge of the products we carry, made them a natural fit for our operations and customers.

“We look forward to expanding our work together and building on the partnership we have formed.”

Body camera for the commercial market

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Eagle Eye Networks, a global leader in cloud video surveillance, has introduced the first-of-its-kind 4G, direct-to-cloud body camera designed specifically for commercial use. This new offering provides commercial customers with affordable access to feature-rich, professional-grade body camera services, which improve staff safety and accountability, trigger immediate response, and provide valuable evidence, all while protecting assets and keeping communities safe. Eagle Eye Body Cameras are now available for order with delivery in Q3/2021.

Body cameras dissuade aggression, improve accountability and reduce false accusations. Employees from private security guards to retail staff, in-home service providers, and delivery workers feel safer and more valued when wearing body cameras.

Global research organisation Omdia has identified body cameras in non-law enforcement applications as a top trend in 2021, saying the potential addressable market for commercial body-worn cameras dwarfs that of law enforcement. In the US alone, Omdia estimates private security guards outnumber police officers 2-to-1, and says new commercial body camera users – in retail, for example – are rapidly emerging.

“The commercial body-worn camera market is ripe for new entrants,” said Paul Bremner, Principal Analyst in Omdia’s critical communications group. “Features such as cloud connectivity, 4G, live streaming, GPS, and price, are important to retailers, delivery services, guards, and others in the commercial sector. New body cam providers who can break the old law enforcement body camera mould with reasonably priced, feature-rich, professional-grade body cameras are positioning themselves to fill a growing need the commercial market is searching for,” Bremner said.

Resellers are welcoming the arrival of body cameras that meet their needs. Jaime Abad Valdenebro, Chief Executive Officer at OmniCloud, said he is excited that Eagle Eye Networks is launching commercial body camera support to its Eagle Eye CameraManager platform. “Fixed IP cameras integrated with 4G-enabled body cameras represent the extension of video cloud services in a real mobile environment, providing a new disruptive video surveillance solution,” Valdenebro said.

“In a smart city application, Eagle Eye’s new 4G, direct-to-cloud body cams will provide extra protection for security guards and ensure patrols are completed on time. The 4G is important, because it gives the user live access to body camera video. It will make a high performance true cloud video surveillance system even more powerful,” he added.

With Eagle Eye Body Cameras, users can:

  • Use 4G or Wi-Fi for live streaming, real-time remote viewing, and direct to cloud recording
  • Blend fixed, mobile, and body-worn cameras, making it easier for your entire surveillance system to work together
  • Stream to a monitoring or security operations centre and use geo-tagging for immediate response and support
  • Experience a larger viewing area with fisheye capabilities that are dewarped in the Eagle Eye Cloud Management Application
  • Manage a large number of cameras in the cloud and watch from a control room
  • Use two-way audio to clearly communicate
  • Protect your people at work and in the community
  • Future-proof your investment with hardened cameras that offer “law enforcement-level” durability and quality at an affordable price
  • Gain flexibility for live streaming and video retrieval during docking with rapid recharge capabilities

“The demand for high-quality body cameras that connect to the cloud has been growing for several years, accelerating even more with the pandemic, social unrest, and the shift to providing more in-home, curbside, and remote services,” said Dean Drako, Founder and CEO of Eagle Eye Networks.

“Traditional law enforcement body cameras use a high-dollar subscription model, which is too steeply priced for commercial customers. Eagle Eye Networks will support the new Eagle Eye Body Cameras at the same low subscription cost of fixed cameras, making the solution affordable for commercial customers accustomed to paying up front for advanced cameras with affordable long-term subscriptions,” he added.

Body cameras are initially available on the Eagle Eye Networks CameraManager platform, with availability on the Eagle Eye Cloud Video Management System (VMS) in 2022. The Eagle Eye Body Cams can also be protected with Eagle Eye Networks industry-leading rapid replacement service.

Call for EU nationals to alleviate driver shortage

Posted on by Keith McKinley

If Ministers don’t act now, the UK HGV driver shortage could lead to food waste and inflation; Kate Lester, CEO and founder of Diamond Logistics, reflects on this urgent issue and issues a bold message for Government.

“According to the RHA, prior to the pandemic, there was a HGV driver shortage in excess of 60,000. That figure has now reached 100,000.

“Two years ago, as CEO of Diamond Logistics, I was invited to participate in an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) alongside other representatives from logistics and transport to discuss the driver shortage, set to worsen as Brexit loomed. The RHA and I presented a petition to Ministers, asking them to address the problem urgently.

“Earlier this month I attended another APPG event – a roundtable discussion on the driver shortage led by Ministers Baroness Vere and Mims Davies – and I’m sorry to report, that despite the recommendations from the sector two years ago, very little progress has been made.

“It is critical now. We cannot recruit drivers, let alone fulfilment and ancillary staff. The South East [of England] has been hit particularly badly.

“Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic has created the perfect storm. The magnitude of the crisis is now driving the discussion as a matter of urgency. The pandemic has also highlighted the vital importance of our logistics infrastructure and how essential we are. And you know what? We demand to be listened to.

“At the roundtable event, hosted on Microsoft Teams and attended by the Department for Transport (DFT), Department for Education (DFE), Department for Work and Pensions (DFWP), The Road Haulage Association (RHA), The Federation of Wholesale Distributors (FWD), Logistics UK, the DVSA and yours truly, we debated the topic and put forward our suggestions. I hope this time more action will follow.”

Catching-up on driver training

“Like everything else, vocational training of drivers stopped during the pandemic. The DVSA is pedalling hard to catch-up and has increased capacity to an average of 3,000 practical tests each week.

“Great effort, but there is too much of a lag for this to be cured within a reasonable time scale.

“Industry colleagues and I expressed support for utilising foreign labour in the short term to address immediate issues. However, it was highlighted that this would mean significant change to existing policy.

“Logistics UK suggested a short-term broadening of the seasonal worker visa for this summer for drivers (as an alternative to including drivers on the shortage occupation list).

“If we rely on British nationals alone, it will have a huge inflationary impact. Higher wages equates to higher logistics costs which will raise food prices. With inflation above 2% already, this is a big problem.

“The concept of simply extending driver hours is also not a long-term answer. Most drivers have been maxing out their hours in the last year. Many are exhausted. We need more people. We can’t simply expect less drivers to do more. It’s dangerous and unsafe.

“And let’s think about the driver as a person for a minute shall we? The facilities they have access to are abysmal. Where do we expect lorry drivers to eat, drink and sleep?

“DWP representatives referred to a survey of 1,300 drivers in which 68% said they would rather have a better work/life balance than a 5% pay rise. So longer hours probably won’t tickle anyone’s fancy and is likely to drive drivers away.

“The impact of the driver shortage is happening now. Seeds are expiring, waiting and missing planting times. Food isn’t arriving on time so shelves are increasingly empty. Celery for example will be in very short supply next year. This will get much worse.

“So what’s the next step in addressing the driver crisis?

“Earlier this week, and following the APPG meeting which didn’t fill anyone with confidence quite frankly, leaders in logistics and transport signed an open letter from the RHA to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

“And here is our list of demands:

Access to EU and EEA labour. The introduction of a temporary worker visa for HGV drivers and for this occupation to be added to the Home Office Shortage Occupation List. DEFRA already have arrangements in place that support our harvest periods when foreign labour restrictions are eased for specific demand. The same principles should be applied.

Government needs to work with the industry to help address the broader issues around the skills shortage. We must work collectively to achieve a sustainable way of recruiting and training a homegrown workforce so that our reliance on foreign labour dissipates over time. We ask that a taskforce is immediately established to include representation from all of the relevant areas of Government and industry to help drive this change at the pace that is so desperately needed.

The DEFRA Food Resilience Industry Forum, chaired by Chris Tyas, helped to ensure the nation’s supply integrity throughout the pandemic. This was recently disbanded. However, in view of the growing crisis, it must be re-established at the earliest opportunity.

“Logisticians are problem solvers and practical thinkers. It’s what we do. I just hope our request for urgent sensible action on behalf of the profession are heard.”

 

Covid impact on transport study published

Posted on by Keith McKinley

The outbreak of coronavirus in March 2020 has utterly changed the road freight transport landscape. Only transport professionals themselves can explain how they have dealt with this situation and describe what perspectives it holds for the coming months.

For this reason, the Alpega Group, the leading logistics software company offering modular solutions to cover all transportation needs, backed by 35 years of experience in the market, conducted a macro-survey where more than 1.200 logistics and transport companies across Europe participated through its freight exchanges, Teleroute and Wtransnet. From this survey a complete analysis has just been published.

The conclusions of this study show that the worst is over, and that the sector is moderately optimistic as it awaits future events before considering the crisis to be over.

At a time when challenges such as the recovery of the industry, digitalisation and Brexit are already on the agendas of many companies, professionals rate their degree of optimism about transport for the next few months at 6.2 out of 10.

While the majority of respondents acknowledge having experienced a significant reduction in transactions in 2020 compared to 2019, there are expectations for the sector’s recovery. An encouraging future can also be seen when talking about transport prices, where we find that a third of the responses even point to an increase in prices.

The pandemic has also highlighted the need to advance in the process of digitalisation of the transport companies. Digital tools have played a key role in recent months. The use of freight exchanges has increased, a trend that responds to the need to find alternative routes, as well as to find return loads from unusual destinations amidst growing demand for transport.

The coronavirus crisis has coincided with the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union. As the study shows, this has caused a sceptical reaction among European hauliers. Excessive bureaucracy and lack of information are the main reasons given by the respondents for a possible reduction in the activity.

Road freight transport is a sector that did not stop during the most difficult moment of the crisis. This will continue even more strongly now that we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

CLICK HERE to access the complete study. 

 

XPO helps celebrate Global Pride Month

Posted on by Keith McKinley

XPO Logistics is continuing to expand its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion by sponsoring causes important to its LGBTQ+ employees and allies in North America and Europe.

XPO sponsors LGBTQ+ events that reflect the geographic diversity of its operations, as well as the individualism of its team members. The company, which sponsors the New York City Pride March each year, has extended its support to the Mid-South Pride Fest in Memphis, the Tri-State LGBTQ+ Unity Summit in the Northeast, the Lesbians Who Tech Virtual Summit, the Birmingham Pride Festival in the UK and other events from Michigan to Oregon to Georgia.

Karlis Kirsis, European chief legal officer for XPO Logistics, said: “Human potential is unleashed when we feel like we belong. It takes commitment at the cultural level to create a sense of belonging in a company of our size, and XPO constantly reinforces the idea that inclusivity allows everyone to thrive.”

Kirsis serves as the executive sponsor for the company’s Employee Resource Group for LGBTQ+ Employees and Allies, which fosters engagement in the areas of training and education.

In addition to supporting events that celebrate diversity, XPO is a corporate sponsor of PFLAG, the largest US organisation for LGBTQ+ people, their parents, families and allies, and is an LGBTQ+-friendly employer. Following its success in recruiting from within the LGBTQ+ community, the company is applying its best practices to other areas of diversity hiring, development and promotion.

Interested applicants can search for jobs on XPO’s Career Site.

Interroll introduces new vertical crossbelt sorter

Posted on by David Priestman

Interroll has launched a new vertical crossbelt sorter which saves space, is energy-efficient and is easy to maintain. With the new MX 018V Vertical Crossbelt Sorter, Interroll says it makes it easier for system integrators and their end customers to enter the world of automatic crossbelt sortation solutions.

Above all, courier and parcel service providers, e-commerce providers and logistics service providers gain the ability to handle a high variety of goods in a space-saving, gentle and energy-efficient manner via a single technical infrastructure with a high number of end points. At the same time, users benefit from the performance and economic advantages offered by Interroll’s proven, mechanically driven crossbelt sorter platform.

For the new MX 018V Vertical Crossbelt Sorter, which replaces the previous ST 6130 Vertical Crossbelt Sorter, the conveying speed of unit loads has been increased to up to 1.8 m/s compared to 1.6 m/s. In addition, the maximum extension length has been increased from 80m to 180m. With the new sorter, high throughput rates of up to 14,000 unit loads per hour can be achieved and goods weighing up to 35kg can be transported. In the process, the sorter handles a wide variety of different sorted goods—from cartons, parcels, maxi letters, and mailing bags to polybags and more. The use of energy-efficient geared motors enables lower energy requirements compared to conventional sorter drives.

Sorter control on request

If desired, the new MX 018V Vertical Crossbelt Sorter can be commissioned both quickly and safely, using a modular and autonomous machine control system from Interroll as a plug-and-play solution, and connected to the respective on-site goods management system by the system integrators.

“The linchpin of the new solution is the benefit it offers our customers,” explains Steffen Flender, Managing Director of Interroll Automation GmbH. “That is why the new MX 018V Vertical Crossbelt Sorter is based on our modern crossbelt sorter platform, which is already used in the MX 025H Horizontal High Performance Crossbelt Sorter. In this way, our customers and the users benefit from, among other things, proven technologies, short delivery times and fast spare parts supply as part of the Interroll Lifetime Service.

“At the same time, the system can be seamlessly adapted to user-specific requirements thanks to its modular expandability. One example is the optionally available Top Loader, which is based on the innovative infeed conveyors for crossbelt sorters.”

Today, around 500 sorters from Interroll are already in use worldwide at industry leaders such as Amazon, DHL, FedEx, UPS, Hugo Boss, Inditex (ZARA), Zalando, Swiss Post, Austrian Post and China Post. An important reason for this success is the basic mechanical principle of these automatic sorting systems. Unlike competing products, the number of electronic components in Interroll’s sorter solutions has been kept as low as possible by design. The unique design principle thus ensures maximum availability, very long service lives, minimal operating costs and short payback times.

A video on the new vertical crossbelt sorter is available via: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QfxJfSrauc

 

 

Pallet-Track urges action over driver shortage

Posted on by Keith McKinley

The chief executive of one of the Midlands’ fastest-growing logistics companies is leading a rallying call to government to address the UK’s chronic shortage of HGV drivers.

Caroline Green, CEO of Wolverhampton-based Pallet-Track, says solving the 70,000+ driver deficit goes beyond what one company can achieve but can be tackled with the support of its shareholder members and the wider business community.

The long-standing crisis has been compounded by the triple-whammy of Brexit, the coronavirus pandemic and a huge spike in demand for home deliveries, issues raised by Caroline when she hosted Wolverhampton South East MP Pat McFadden and Association of Pallet Networks chairman Paul Sanders on Friday, 18th June, to discuss the industry’s response.

Pallet-Track is asking all its shareholder members to write to their MPs to raise the issue and solidify the message that collective lobbying is the best way to push the crisis up the political agenda.

Green said: “We are a dynamic and progressive business in a critical sector that has historically been taken for granted. It has taken a pandemic for many people to wake up to the sector’s far-reaching contribution to everyday life – but drivers are still under-appreciated and this is contributing to the significant shortage we face.

“To tackle this, we need to build a lobbying strategy to ensure the industry is heard by government – which is why we are asking all of our shareholder members to write to their local MPs.

“The logistics sector has more than demonstrated how critical it is to the UK’s infrastructure, keeping the wheels of UK plc turning during the pandemic.

“For example, the pandemic has caused a dramatic increase in demand for kerbside deliveries of everyday products such as turf and slabs, as householders embarked on lockdown DIY, with the ratio of home deliveries increasing from one-in-10 pre-pandemic to one-in-four today.

“Our challenge now is to maintain that level of business recognition and understanding as the UK slowly re-emerges from lockdown and promote the role of drivers as both attractive and aspirational careers.”

HGV drivers contributed to a staggering 27.8 million pallets delivered by UK networks in the last year, a 3.2% growth year-on-year. Sixty-three per cent of these were next day delivery.

“The logistics industry is one which has historically had image problems for a variety of reasons, so if we can increase the recognition for its work in a post-lockdown world, we can go a long way towards addressing that issue,” added Green.

 

 

Subscribe

Get notified about New Episodes of our Podcast, New Magazine Issues and stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter.