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Month: November 2021

GEODIS expands e-commerce activities in Belgium

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Leading global transport and logistics services provider GEODIS has established a new sorting centre in Schoten, near Antwerp, as well as a new office located within the airport of Liege. The first will facilitate the expansion of one of its largest international e-Commerce customers into the Belgian market. The second is intended to reinforce GEODIS’ e-Commerce footprint in Europe.

In Schoten, the new 6,300 sq m sorting centre will host between 100 to 150 express trucks per day. In order to process up to 20,000 parcels daily (140,000 per week) and ensure the fastest-possible delivery times, the facility will operate 24/7.

At Grâce-Hollogne, near Liege, the new GEODIS office is in the heart of the airport; the seventh-largest for air freight in Europe, renowned for its expertise in e-commerce. The strategic location of the new office, within the Amsterdam-Paris-Frankfurt golden triangle, will provide a connection between the Asian and North American continents and GEODIS’ European multimodal distribution network.

“For our customers, this means access to more than 250 million consumers in less than a day by road, also via barge connections from Liege to Antwerp, Rotterdam and on to the Rhine; as well as through air and rail connectivity with China from Zhengzhou, Yiwu and Chengdu,” said Mark van den Assem, Managing Director of GEODIS for Benelux.

“Investing in the expansion of our e-commerce logistics activities is an essential part of our growth strategy,” confirmed Thomas Kraus, GEODIS President & CEO North, East and Central Europe. “The world is seeing an unprecedented growth of e-commerce volumes, at a time of capacity constraints in the global transport market. GEODIS is underlining its ability to provide both, capacity through its own controlled network and logistics competence on the ground; this significantly strengthens our position in Belgium.”

GEODIS expands e-commerce activities in Belgium

Posted on by David Priestman

Leading global transport and logistics services provider GEODIS has established a new sorting centre in Schoten, near Antwerp, as well as a new office located within the airport of Liege. The first will facilitate the expansion of one of its largest international e-Commerce customers into the Belgian market. The second is intended to reinforce GEODIS’ e-Commerce footprint in Europe.

In Schoten, the new 6,300 sq m sorting centre will host between 100 to 150 express trucks per day. In order to process up to 20,000 parcels daily (140,000 per week) and ensure the fastest-possible delivery times, the facility will operate 24/7.

At Grâce-Hollogne, near Liege, the new GEODIS office is in the heart of the airport; the seventh-largest for air freight in Europe, renowned for its expertise in e-commerce. The strategic location of the new office, within the Amsterdam-Paris-Frankfurt golden triangle, will provide a connection between the Asian and North American continents and GEODIS’ European multimodal distribution network.

“For our customers, this means access to more than 250 million consumers in less than a day by road, also via barge connections from Liege to Antwerp, Rotterdam and on to the Rhine; as well as through air and rail connectivity with China from Zhengzhou, Yiwu and Chengdu,” said Mark van den Assem, Managing Director of GEODIS for Benelux.

“Investing in the expansion of our e-commerce logistics activities is an essential part of our growth strategy,” confirmed Thomas Kraus, GEODIS President & CEO North, East and Central Europe. “The world is seeing an unprecedented growth of e-commerce volumes, at a time of capacity constraints in the global transport market. GEODIS is underlining its ability to provide both, capacity through its own controlled network and logistics competence on the ground; this significantly strengthens our position in Belgium.”

UK government changes red diesel consent

Posted on by David Priestman

The UK Material Handling Association (UKMHA), the trade body representing all aspects of the UK’s material handling industry, has alerted lift truck operators to important changes in the permitted use of rebated fuels, such as red diesel.

The association said the government had announced restrictions on the use of red diesel in a move which Westminster claims more fairly reflects the harmful impact of diesel emissions. The changes are intended to incentivise users to improve the energy efficiency of their operations. The government said it also hoped the changes would encourage operators to invest in cleaner alternatives or more fuel-efficient machines.

Under the changes, the permitted uses for rebated fuels, of which red diesel is one, will be significantly reduced from 1 April 2022. It will then be illegal to put rebated fuel into a machine for uses which fall outside the scope of the new rules. Operators using red diesel will need to ensure that red diesel in their current machine – or storage – tanks are used up by the April deadline.

Those no longer permitted to use rebated fuel will need to use fuels (diesels or biofuels) upon which full excise duty is paid, such as white diesel.

David Goss (pictured), Technical Director, UKMHA, said: “These changes will have a major bearing on the use of certain types of trucks and it is important that operators and hire companies are aware of their obligations ahead of the rule change.

“Likewise, Registered Dealers in Controlled Oil (RDCO) will also need to ensure they are aware of who they supply to and that excessive quantities of red diesel are not sold to users not permitted to use them prior to the deadline.

“Anyone needing further clarification can contact the UKMHA for help, while full details of the new requirements can be FOUND HERE on the government’s own website.”

Changes to rebated fuels entitlement from 1 April 2022

The permitted uses for red diesel will be restricted to certain equipment used for:

  • Accepted purposes in agriculture, horticulture, fish farming and forestry
  • Rail transport
  • Fuel used for non-commercial purposes – heating and power generation
  • Community amateur sports clubs (CASC) and golf courses
  • Sailing, boating and marine transport (excluding private pleasure craft in Northern Ireland)
  • Travelling fairs and circuses
  • Within agriculture, the equipment allowed to use rebated fuels for permissible purposes includes:
  • Tractors
  • Non-road mobile machinery (NRMM), for example, unlicenced forklifts
  • Work trucks, for example, road licensed forklifts

Accepted purposes are specified in Excise Notice 75, clause 9, and include:

  • Growing and harvesting crops, ornamental plants, timber and others
  • Rearing of animals for production of food, wool and others

Excluded from permissible uses are:

  • Construction of structures/buildings for purposes relating to agriculture
  • Purposes relating to sport or recreation
  • Transportation of produce, inputs or waste, except in specified circumstances

However, exemptions apply in certain cases. Such as:

  • Equipment using rebated fuel used for permitted purposes for agriculture, horticulture, fish farming or forestry, can be used for any other purpose on the Private land where it is ordinarily kept, and,
  • Rebated fuel can be used to travel to and from the place where the vehicle is used, including on the public highway (so long as the vehicle is licensed).

The UKMHA said HMRC had confirmed to it that the use of red diesel would be permitted when a hire truck was moving from Farm A to Farm B via the hire company depot, so long as these journeys do not include any non-qualifying work.

For applications no longer permitted to use rebated fuel, the fuel in a vehicle/machine and in any storage tanks, should be used up before 1 April 2022. However, vehicle/machine fuel tanks do not need to be flushed, except where the equipment is switching between permitted and non-permitted uses.

Storage tanks will only require flushing if they are owned/operated by an RDCO (Registered Dealer in Controlled Oil). However, stocks in storage tanks that cannot be used up prior to 1 April 2022 cannot be used for non-allowed purposes, although they can be sold to an RDCO or disposed of through an approved waste oil company.

Where a vehicle or machine is to be used for both allowed and non-allowed purposes, the requirement is to either:

  • flush out the tank to remove all traces of rebated fuel when switching uses, or,
  • use fully duty-paid diesel or biofuels for everything.

Equipment fuelled with red diesel whilst abroad and in a jurisdiction where this is allowed, can use up the remaining fuel in the tank when returned to the UK. It is not necessary to flush the tank so long as documentary evidence can be produced demonstrating that the vehicle has not been refilled unlawfully in the UK.

Further Government advice on this can be FOUND HERE.

For hire equipment, from 1 April 2022, rebated fuel must not be put into a vehicle, machine or appliance for a use that is no longer allowed and any fuel in the equipment should be used up before the deadline. However, it is not required to flush the fuel tank except where the equipment is moving between permitted and non-permitted uses.

The hire company (owner of the vehicle/machine) is responsible for their own equipment, and it is their responsibility to make clear to users of the said equipment, which type of fuel can be used and for what purpose. In this way, the burden of responsibility is on the owner (hire company) to confirm that the tank has been either flushed to remove all traces of rebated fuel when switching uses or, instead, to ensure that only fully duty-paid fuel is used for all purposes.

The owner must ensure the correct fuel is put in the tank prior to hiring out their equipment and they must also take all reasonable steps to ensure the correct fuel is used in the machines when they are hired out, for example, when refuelled by the user. If the owner (hire company) finds red diesel in a tank once a machine has been returned, they will need to flush this out.

Therefore, the UKMHA’s advice to hire companies is to review their contract terms and to consider amending contracts to show that charges could be incurred by the user if they are found to be in breach of requirements.

“However, we have been informed by HMRC that they understand that the owner cannot always control what fuel any given user may put into the tanks and so will consider each case on its own merit,” said Goss. “If traces of red diesel are detected in the tank for a non-permitted use, the hire company will be asked to prove with receipts/invoices that they had put the correct fuel in the tank, as will the fuel user, in order to determine who was in the wrong.”

In the case of Registered Dealers in Controlled Oil (RDCO), ahead of the April 2022 deadline, RDCOs have a responsibility not to supply customers affected by the changes with more rebated fuel than they can realistically use before the rule change. An RDCO that repurposes a storage tank from red to white diesel is required to drain and flush the storage tank. Anyone wishing  to stop being an RDCO needs to de-register and keep records to show how stocks of rebated fuel were disposed of.

There is further Government advice for RDCOs here.

UK government changes red diesel consent

Posted on by David Priestman

The UK Material Handling Association (UKMHA), the trade body representing all aspects of the UK’s material handling industry, has alerted lift truck operators to important changes in the permitted use of rebated fuels, such as red diesel.

The association said the government had announced restrictions on the use of red diesel in a move which Westminster claims more fairly reflects the harmful impact of diesel emissions. The changes are intended to incentivise users to improve the energy efficiency of their operations. The government said it also hoped the changes would encourage operators to invest in cleaner alternatives or more fuel-efficient machines.

Under the changes, the permitted uses for rebated fuels, of which red diesel is one, will be significantly reduced from 1 April 2022. It will then be illegal to put rebated fuel into a machine for uses which fall outside the scope of the new rules. Operators using red diesel will need to ensure that red diesel in their current machine – or storage – tanks are used up by the April deadline.

Those no longer permitted to use rebated fuel will need to use fuels (diesels or biofuels) upon which full excise duty is paid, such as white diesel.

David Goss (pictured), Technical Director, UKMHA, said: “These changes will have a major bearing on the use of certain types of trucks and it is important that operators and hire companies are aware of their obligations ahead of the rule change.

“Likewise, Registered Dealers in Controlled Oil (RDCO) will also need to ensure they are aware of who they supply to and that excessive quantities of red diesel are not sold to users not permitted to use them prior to the deadline.

“Anyone needing further clarification can contact the UKMHA for help, while full details of the new requirements can be FOUND HERE on the government’s own website.”

Changes to rebated fuels entitlement from 1 April 2022

The permitted uses for red diesel will be restricted to certain equipment used for:

  • Accepted purposes in agriculture, horticulture, fish farming and forestry
  • Rail transport
  • Fuel used for non-commercial purposes – heating and power generation
  • Community amateur sports clubs (CASC) and golf courses
  • Sailing, boating and marine transport (excluding private pleasure craft in Northern Ireland)
  • Travelling fairs and circuses
  • Within agriculture, the equipment allowed to use rebated fuels for permissible purposes includes:
  • Tractors
  • Non-road mobile machinery (NRMM), for example, unlicenced forklifts
  • Work trucks, for example, road licensed forklifts

Accepted purposes are specified in Excise Notice 75, clause 9, and include:

  • Growing and harvesting crops, ornamental plants, timber and others
  • Rearing of animals for production of food, wool and others

Excluded from permissible uses are:

  • Construction of structures/buildings for purposes relating to agriculture
  • Purposes relating to sport or recreation
  • Transportation of produce, inputs or waste, except in specified circumstances

However, exemptions apply in certain cases. Such as:

  • Equipment using rebated fuel used for permitted purposes for agriculture, horticulture, fish farming or forestry, can be used for any other purpose on the Private land where it is ordinarily kept, and,
  • Rebated fuel can be used to travel to and from the place where the vehicle is used, including on the public highway (so long as the vehicle is licensed).

The UKMHA said HMRC had confirmed to it that the use of red diesel would be permitted when a hire truck was moving from Farm A to Farm B via the hire company depot, so long as these journeys do not include any non-qualifying work.

For applications no longer permitted to use rebated fuel, the fuel in a vehicle/machine and in any storage tanks, should be used up before 1 April 2022. However, vehicle/machine fuel tanks do not need to be flushed, except where the equipment is switching between permitted and non-permitted uses.

Storage tanks will only require flushing if they are owned/operated by an RDCO (Registered Dealer in Controlled Oil). However, stocks in storage tanks that cannot be used up prior to 1 April 2022 cannot be used for non-allowed purposes, although they can be sold to an RDCO or disposed of through an approved waste oil company.

Where a vehicle or machine is to be used for both allowed and non-allowed purposes, the requirement is to either:

  • flush out the tank to remove all traces of rebated fuel when switching uses, or,
  • use fully duty-paid diesel or biofuels for everything.

Equipment fuelled with red diesel whilst abroad and in a jurisdiction where this is allowed, can use up the remaining fuel in the tank when returned to the UK. It is not necessary to flush the tank so long as documentary evidence can be produced demonstrating that the vehicle has not been refilled unlawfully in the UK.

Further Government advice on this can be FOUND HERE.

For hire equipment, from 1 April 2022, rebated fuel must not be put into a vehicle, machine or appliance for a use that is no longer allowed and any fuel in the equipment should be used up before the deadline. However, it is not required to flush the fuel tank except where the equipment is moving between permitted and non-permitted uses.

The hire company (owner of the vehicle/machine) is responsible for their own equipment, and it is their responsibility to make clear to users of the said equipment, which type of fuel can be used and for what purpose. In this way, the burden of responsibility is on the owner (hire company) to confirm that the tank has been either flushed to remove all traces of rebated fuel when switching uses or, instead, to ensure that only fully duty-paid fuel is used for all purposes.

The owner must ensure the correct fuel is put in the tank prior to hiring out their equipment and they must also take all reasonable steps to ensure the correct fuel is used in the machines when they are hired out, for example, when refuelled by the user. If the owner (hire company) finds red diesel in a tank once a machine has been returned, they will need to flush this out.

Therefore, the UKMHA’s advice to hire companies is to review their contract terms and to consider amending contracts to show that charges could be incurred by the user if they are found to be in breach of requirements.

“However, we have been informed by HMRC that they understand that the owner cannot always control what fuel any given user may put into the tanks and so will consider each case on its own merit,” said Goss. “If traces of red diesel are detected in the tank for a non-permitted use, the hire company will be asked to prove with receipts/invoices that they had put the correct fuel in the tank, as will the fuel user, in order to determine who was in the wrong.”

In the case of Registered Dealers in Controlled Oil (RDCO), ahead of the April 2022 deadline, RDCOs have a responsibility not to supply customers affected by the changes with more rebated fuel than they can realistically use before the rule change. An RDCO that repurposes a storage tank from red to white diesel is required to drain and flush the storage tank. Anyone wishing  to stop being an RDCO needs to de-register and keep records to show how stocks of rebated fuel were disposed of.

There is further Government advice for RDCOs here.

Linde launches safety app for ATEX vehicles

Posted on by David Priestman

The EX Monitoring App from Linde Material Handling notifies drivers of explosion-protected industrial trucks about the status of safety-relevant parameters and supports service technicians in diagnostics and repairs. The advantages for operators include a higher level of comfort, increased transparency, time savings and even better availability of vehicles during operations.

In order to avoid ignition sources that could lead to explosions in a potentially explosive atmosphere, the ATEX directive requires the consistent monitoring of defined, safety-relevant parameters when operating industrial trucks. Linde MH has developed its EX Monitoring App to enable the continuous monitoring of such values: It ensures maximum vehicle availability by displaying safety-relevant values and errors and providing concrete recommendations for action.

The app supports forklift drivers and fleet managers in operating the vehicle as safe and failure-free as possible. At the same time, it simplifies maintenance, diagnosis and repair.

“This makes the operation of explosion-protected vehicles in sensitive areas even more productive,” summarizes Elke Karnarski, the product manager responsible for explosion-protected Linde industrial trucks and solutions.

Many areas of the chemical, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, food and beverage industries, as well as logistics, are vulnerable to explosions because hazardous materials are manufactured, processed, transported and stored in such areas. Here, it is essential to eliminate any ignition sources that could cause an explosion with devastating consequences.

Industrial trucks are found in ATEX zones 1/21 and 2/22 – these include, for example, areas of production where hazardous materials are openly mixed or transferred into other containers, as well as areas where hazardous materials are stored and transported in closed containers and can be released in the event of an accident or collision. When gases or dusts combine with oxygen in ambient air, this can create an explosive atmosphere. Ignition sources on vehicles can be avoided by means of appropriate explosion-proof equipment as well as the consistent monitoring of safety-relevant parameters – which encompass up to 50 values in an explosion-protected vehicle, primarily temperature-relevant parameters, resistance values, voltages and wear.

These include the temperature of the housings of electronic control units and power modules, brake shoes, magnetic brakes and the traction motor. Up to now, it has been common practice to inform the driver of safety-critical faults by means of a flash code on the vehicle display. In everyday operation, however, the identification and handling of faults is not always carried out as it should be. With varying consequences – sometimes the vehicle remains out of service longer than necessary. Often the fault is not checked thoroughly enough. And sometimes even a visit by a service technician is inefficient because it could not be adequately prepared.

Linde’s EX Monitoring App offers a solution. It provides drivers and fleet managers in ATEX zones 1/21 or 2/22 with comprehensive condition monitoring information. The app checks the explosion-protected vehicle on the spot and shows what needs to be done in each specific case. It explains the meaning of the flash code and identifies the specific error.

The integrated two-stage traffic light system lays out the next steps simply and unambiguously: A yellow indicator signifies that the vehicle should be cooled down and a maintenance appointment made. If the light is red, it’s time to stop immediately and call a service technician! Additional assistance is provided by means of the detailed diagnostic function which indicates all values of the monitored components and parameters.

The app also displays the error history and provides specific recommendations for action. Thus, all details regarding the wear of safety-critical components and the remaining operating hours are recorded.

The EX Monitoring App from Linde MH is a USP. Already available for five series, it will be part of all future explosion-protected Linde industrial truck models.

Linde launches safety app for ATEX vehicles

Posted on by David Priestman

The EX Monitoring App from Linde Material Handling notifies drivers of explosion-protected industrial trucks about the status of safety-relevant parameters and supports service technicians in diagnostics and repairs. The advantages for operators include a higher level of comfort, increased transparency, time savings and even better availability of vehicles during operations.

In order to avoid ignition sources that could lead to explosions in a potentially explosive atmosphere, the ATEX directive requires the consistent monitoring of defined, safety-relevant parameters when operating industrial trucks. Linde MH has developed its EX Monitoring App to enable the continuous monitoring of such values: It ensures maximum vehicle availability by displaying safety-relevant values and errors and providing concrete recommendations for action.

The app supports forklift drivers and fleet managers in operating the vehicle as safe and failure-free as possible. At the same time, it simplifies maintenance, diagnosis and repair.

“This makes the operation of explosion-protected vehicles in sensitive areas even more productive,” summarizes Elke Karnarski, the product manager responsible for explosion-protected Linde industrial trucks and solutions.

Many areas of the chemical, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, food and beverage industries, as well as logistics, are vulnerable to explosions because hazardous materials are manufactured, processed, transported and stored in such areas. Here, it is essential to eliminate any ignition sources that could cause an explosion with devastating consequences.

Industrial trucks are found in ATEX zones 1/21 and 2/22 – these include, for example, areas of production where hazardous materials are openly mixed or transferred into other containers, as well as areas where hazardous materials are stored and transported in closed containers and can be released in the event of an accident or collision. When gases or dusts combine with oxygen in ambient air, this can create an explosive atmosphere. Ignition sources on vehicles can be avoided by means of appropriate explosion-proof equipment as well as the consistent monitoring of safety-relevant parameters – which encompass up to 50 values in an explosion-protected vehicle, primarily temperature-relevant parameters, resistance values, voltages and wear.

These include the temperature of the housings of electronic control units and power modules, brake shoes, magnetic brakes and the traction motor. Up to now, it has been common practice to inform the driver of safety-critical faults by means of a flash code on the vehicle display. In everyday operation, however, the identification and handling of faults is not always carried out as it should be. With varying consequences – sometimes the vehicle remains out of service longer than necessary. Often the fault is not checked thoroughly enough. And sometimes even a visit by a service technician is inefficient because it could not be adequately prepared.

Linde’s EX Monitoring App offers a solution. It provides drivers and fleet managers in ATEX zones 1/21 or 2/22 with comprehensive condition monitoring information. The app checks the explosion-protected vehicle on the spot and shows what needs to be done in each specific case. It explains the meaning of the flash code and identifies the specific error.

The integrated two-stage traffic light system lays out the next steps simply and unambiguously: A yellow indicator signifies that the vehicle should be cooled down and a maintenance appointment made. If the light is red, it’s time to stop immediately and call a service technician! Additional assistance is provided by means of the detailed diagnostic function which indicates all values of the monitored components and parameters.

The app also displays the error history and provides specific recommendations for action. Thus, all details regarding the wear of safety-critical components and the remaining operating hours are recorded.

The EX Monitoring App from Linde MH is a USP. Already available for five series, it will be part of all future explosion-protected Linde industrial truck models.

Transporeon aims for carbon neutrality

Posted on by Keith McKinley

On 23rd November 2021, Transporeon announced that it will become carbon neutral within three months. The company offers technology with a purpose that enables its customers to operate more sustainably. For example, Transporeon can help them make their CO2 consumption more visible with the new ‘Transporeon Carbon Visibility’ dashboard. In this context, the European Union’s ‘Fit for 55’ climate policy will apply carbon certificate trading to the transport sector from 2026 and require companies to set up an objective and efficient reporting system.

“It is only logical that we do our utmost to operate sustainably ourselves as the leading digital freight platform in Europe, where our customers together manage more than 100,000 transports per day and tender about 20bn freight volume per year,” said Transporeon CEO Stephan Sieber. “Becoming carbon neutral is the first step, but the journey has only just begun.”

Already beginning of this year, Transporeon launched the internal technology incubator ‘Transporeon4Future’ with the goal to innovate for decarbonisation and sustainable logistics. From this initiative Transporeon is launching in early 2022 the new Carbon Visibility dashboard that will enable shippers, carriers, and freight forwarders to precisely measure and report on their logistics emissions across the entire supply chain and all transport modalities and to provide tools to steer and reduce their future emissions.

More solutions will follow. For example, Transporeon is working on green tendering and assignment solutions, which will go live in 2022.

Transporeon´s own carbon footprint in 2020 falls more than 40% short compared to 2019, which was both impacted by the pandemic and own efforts which leave room for further science-based decarbonisation targets. Transporeon has therefore partnered with South Pole to undertake its decarbonisation strategy, the setting of future targets and also the selection of emission reduction projects to offset its remaining carbon emissions.

South Pole is a leading climate solutions provider and developer of emission reduction projects. Transporeon will be awarded the “Carbon Neutral Company” label by South Pole for its efforts in the first quarter of 2022.

“We applaud Transporeon for taking important steps on their climate journey, first by assessing their carbon footprint and then by taking meaningful action towards reducing their emissions,” said Renat Heuberger, CEO South Pole. “We are proud to help them on this journey and eager to see how their actions encourage other companies to take similar actions.”

“We are committed to bring transportation in sync with the world – with a sustainable world,” added Sieber. “Collaboration is the most promising way to achieve decarbonisation. That is why not only Transporeon as a company will become carbon neutral, but we also guide our network to lower their emissions in transportation. Together, we can make a difference.”

Transporeon aims for carbon neutrality

Posted on by David Priestman

On 23rd November 2021, Transporeon announced that it will become carbon neutral within three months. The company offers technology with a purpose that enables its customers to operate more sustainably. For example, Transporeon can help them make their CO2 consumption more visible with the new ‘Transporeon Carbon Visibility’ dashboard. In this context, the European Union’s ‘Fit for 55’ climate policy will apply carbon certificate trading to the transport sector from 2026 and require companies to set up an objective and efficient reporting system.

“It is only logical that we do our utmost to operate sustainably ourselves as the leading digital freight platform in Europe, where our customers together manage more than 100,000 transports per day and tender about 20bn freight volume per year,” said Transporeon CEO Stephan Sieber. “Becoming carbon neutral is the first step, but the journey has only just begun.”

Already beginning of this year, Transporeon launched the internal technology incubator ‘Transporeon4Future’ with the goal to innovate for decarbonisation and sustainable logistics. From this initiative Transporeon is launching in early 2022 the new Carbon Visibility dashboard that will enable shippers, carriers, and freight forwarders to precisely measure and report on their logistics emissions across the entire supply chain and all transport modalities and to provide tools to steer and reduce their future emissions.

More solutions will follow. For example, Transporeon is working on green tendering and assignment solutions, which will go live in 2022.

Transporeon´s own carbon footprint in 2020 falls more than 40% short compared to 2019, which was both impacted by the pandemic and own efforts which leave room for further science-based decarbonisation targets. Transporeon has therefore partnered with South Pole to undertake its decarbonisation strategy, the setting of future targets and also the selection of emission reduction projects to offset its remaining carbon emissions.

South Pole is a leading climate solutions provider and developer of emission reduction projects. Transporeon will be awarded the “Carbon Neutral Company” label by South Pole for its efforts in the first quarter of 2022.

“We applaud Transporeon for taking important steps on their climate journey, first by assessing their carbon footprint and then by taking meaningful action towards reducing their emissions,” said Renat Heuberger, CEO South Pole. “We are proud to help them on this journey and eager to see how their actions encourage other companies to take similar actions.”

“We are committed to bring transportation in sync with the world – with a sustainable world,” added Sieber. “Collaboration is the most promising way to achieve decarbonisation. That is why not only Transporeon as a company will become carbon neutral, but we also guide our network to lower their emissions in transportation. Together, we can make a difference.”

Pets at Home outsources automation maintenance

Posted on by David Priestman

When lockdown triggered a huge surge in ecommerce orders, Pets at Home recognised the importance of upgrading the maintenance and support of its automated warehouse systems by outsourcing to Invar Integration. Maintaining uptime was critical to ensuring customers received their orders on time.

Pets at Home is the UK’s leading pet care business with over 450 stores and a growing ecommerce channel.

To keep pace with the increase of online sales, in 2019 the business took the decision to introduce an automated zone-picking operation at its Northampton DC, where miles of powered conveyor and a series of carton elevators smoothly transfer order-cartons over three floors of a mezzanine system.

Auto-carton erection and sealing machines work in unison with pickers in a 24/7 operation to complete some 15,000 parcels a day, comprising orders across a diverse 10,000-SKU product range, from 25kg bags of pet food to a plethora of accessories, right down to a collar for a kitten. In addition, a further 8-9,000 daily orders for prescription medications are processed within a dedicated order assembly area.

Keeping such a highly mechanised fulfilment process running smoothly, with minimal failures or glitches, is absolutely critical to maintaining optimal performance and ultimately, ensuring customer satisfaction. Reliable on-site engineering support is, of course, essential.

When the pandemic hit, online demand surged due to lockdowns and travel restrictions, meaning there was a greater emphasis than ever to maintain performance.

Simon Phillips, General Manager at Pets at Home, explains: “Towards the end of 2019 we implemented our automated solution for ecommerce orders and then in early 2020 the pandemic suddenly struck, resulting in a huge shift to online sales.

“It was really fortuitous that we had made the decision to invest in automation when we did,” he says. “That decision wasn’t driven by capacity issues at the time, but subsequently it has allowed us to meet the phenomenal surge in demand resulting from lockdown.”

He adds: “We have seen volumes through our online channel more than double over the last year, whilst at the same time the business is going through significant double-digit growth.

As a consequence, we soon realised that we needed to increase our engineering support rapidly to maintain performance.”

To address these challenges, Pets at Home turned to warehouse automation specialists, Invar Integration, for an outsourced maintenance solution. In the spring of 2020 Invar was engaged to provide a professional team of four on-site engineers with a remit to manage a 24/7, 364 day a year service, offering a planned preventative maintenance programme, immediate failure resolution, spare parts inventory management and further back-up support – tapping into the full technical capabilities and resources of the Invar Group. As online sales boomed, it wasn’t long before Invar Integration expanded the team to five by bringing on board a full-time onsite manager to co-ordinate resources.

Invar Integration was tasked with ensuring maximum uptime with little room for failure.

A strict set of SLAs was put in place to track performance month by month:

  • Overall availability of the system has a KPI target of 96%
  • scanner read rates 98%
  • recommended spares held vs recorded spares 98%
  • planned maintenance vs completed maintenance 97%
  • and engineering shifts completed and fulfilled 99.8%

Alex Moore, Maintenance Contract Manager at Invar Integration, says: “It’s an extremely busy warehouse. We have a full preventative maintenance schedule in place spanning 52 weeks of the year, involving in-depth checks across the system, identifying and replacing components close to failure, such as drive motors, rollers or worn drive bands. And this extends right across the entire system, including the carton erectors and packing machines.

“An important aspect of our work is the provision of spares – we plan what parts to hold in stock and manage the inventory, which is vital for ensuring maximum uptime of the system,” he says.

Invar Integration’s IT systems are used to manage parts holding, directly linking into the planned preventative maintenance schedule.

Phillips explains how this has delivered significant benefits: “Invar has been really great at helping us determine what the planned preventative schedule needs to look like under this increased pressure, what spare parts we need to hold, and when we need to take the equipment down to provide a window of opportunity for planned maintenance – this has probably been the biggest learning curve for us, and has allowed us to significantly increase the reliability of the system.”

Of course, system performance is particularly critical at peak periods. “We have the retail Christmas peak,” he says. “During this period we see a good 30-50% uplift in volume and I’m happy to say that the modelled and planned maintenance and support structure put in place by Invar copes well.”

Phillips points out: “The last 12 months has seen a really big shake-down of what we would describe as a new system, so there have been some challenges to overcome. However, we have been able to utilise Invar’s industry expertise and network to resolve these pretty quickly. For instance, we had a failure on a carousel that lifts cartons up from the ground floor to the mezzanine floors, but Invar had it back up and running within a matter of hours.”

A full understanding of the many varied forms of warehouse automation is essential for any business offering a comprehensive maintenance and support service. Being a well-established systems integrator helps. “Invar has been very supportive in bringing new ideas to the table, says Simon Phillips. “They have been great at listening to us, and in trying to understand our business. We have a fantastic working relationship with them and importantly, they deliver what they said they will deliver – and that has stood them in very good stead.”

Pets at Home outsources automation maintenance

Posted on by David Priestman

When lockdown triggered a huge surge in ecommerce orders, Pets at Home recognised the importance of upgrading the maintenance and support of its automated warehouse systems by outsourcing to Invar Integration. Maintaining uptime was critical to ensuring customers received their orders on time.

Pets at Home is the UK’s leading pet care business with over 450 stores and a growing ecommerce channel.

To keep pace with the increase of online sales, in 2019 the business took the decision to introduce an automated zone-picking operation at its Northampton DC, where miles of powered conveyor and a series of carton elevators smoothly transfer order-cartons over three floors of a mezzanine system.

Auto-carton erection and sealing machines work in unison with pickers in a 24/7 operation to complete some 15,000 parcels a day, comprising orders across a diverse 10,000-SKU product range, from 25kg bags of pet food to a plethora of accessories, right down to a collar for a kitten. In addition, a further 8-9,000 daily orders for prescription medications are processed within a dedicated order assembly area.

Keeping such a highly mechanised fulfilment process running smoothly, with minimal failures or glitches, is absolutely critical to maintaining optimal performance and ultimately, ensuring customer satisfaction. Reliable on-site engineering support is, of course, essential.

When the pandemic hit, online demand surged due to lockdowns and travel restrictions, meaning there was a greater emphasis than ever to maintain performance.

Simon Phillips, General Manager at Pets at Home, explains: “Towards the end of 2019 we implemented our automated solution for ecommerce orders and then in early 2020 the pandemic suddenly struck, resulting in a huge shift to online sales.

“It was really fortuitous that we had made the decision to invest in automation when we did,” he says. “That decision wasn’t driven by capacity issues at the time, but subsequently it has allowed us to meet the phenomenal surge in demand resulting from lockdown.”

He adds: “We have seen volumes through our online channel more than double over the last year, whilst at the same time the business is going through significant double-digit growth.

As a consequence, we soon realised that we needed to increase our engineering support rapidly to maintain performance.”

To address these challenges, Pets at Home turned to warehouse automation specialists, Invar Integration, for an outsourced maintenance solution. In the spring of 2020 Invar was engaged to provide a professional team of four on-site engineers with a remit to manage a 24/7, 364 day a year service, offering a planned preventative maintenance programme, immediate failure resolution, spare parts inventory management and further back-up support – tapping into the full technical capabilities and resources of the Invar Group. As online sales boomed, it wasn’t long before Invar Integration expanded the team to five by bringing on board a full-time onsite manager to co-ordinate resources.

Invar Integration was tasked with ensuring maximum uptime with little room for failure.

A strict set of SLAs was put in place to track performance month by month:

  • Overall availability of the system has a KPI target of 96%
  • scanner read rates 98%
  • recommended spares held vs recorded spares 98%
  • planned maintenance vs completed maintenance 97%
  • and engineering shifts completed and fulfilled 99.8%

Alex Moore, Maintenance Contract Manager at Invar Integration, says: “It’s an extremely busy warehouse. We have a full preventative maintenance schedule in place spanning 52 weeks of the year, involving in-depth checks across the system, identifying and replacing components close to failure, such as drive motors, rollers or worn drive bands. And this extends right across the entire system, including the carton erectors and packing machines.

“An important aspect of our work is the provision of spares – we plan what parts to hold in stock and manage the inventory, which is vital for ensuring maximum uptime of the system,” he says.

Invar Integration’s IT systems are used to manage parts holding, directly linking into the planned preventative maintenance schedule.

Phillips explains how this has delivered significant benefits: “Invar has been really great at helping us determine what the planned preventative schedule needs to look like under this increased pressure, what spare parts we need to hold, and when we need to take the equipment down to provide a window of opportunity for planned maintenance – this has probably been the biggest learning curve for us, and has allowed us to significantly increase the reliability of the system.”

Of course, system performance is particularly critical at peak periods. “We have the retail Christmas peak,” he says. “During this period we see a good 30-50% uplift in volume and I’m happy to say that the modelled and planned maintenance and support structure put in place by Invar copes well.”

Phillips points out: “The last 12 months has seen a really big shake-down of what we would describe as a new system, so there have been some challenges to overcome. However, we have been able to utilise Invar’s industry expertise and network to resolve these pretty quickly. For instance, we had a failure on a carousel that lifts cartons up from the ground floor to the mezzanine floors, but Invar had it back up and running within a matter of hours.”

A full understanding of the many varied forms of warehouse automation is essential for any business offering a comprehensive maintenance and support service. Being a well-established systems integrator helps. “Invar has been very supportive in bringing new ideas to the table, says Simon Phillips. “They have been great at listening to us, and in trying to understand our business. We have a fantastic working relationship with them and importantly, they deliver what they said they will deliver – and that has stood them in very good stead.”

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