Subscribe

Month: October 2022

NL ranks first for courier innovation

Posted on by David Priestman

According to a new study, the The Netherlands ranks first with UK fifth in Europe for capacity for innovation, technological progress and sustainability in the delivery and courier industry. The UK leads the way for the continent in legislation for automated cars, with only Germany having more in place.

The research found the UK performs well across a range of factors that signal potential to innovate in road delivery services. The UK ranks just above Sweden, Spain and Belgium, with a score over double that of Poland.

Yet, in terms of road quality and electric light commercial vehicle usage, the UK lags behind the Netherlands, Germany, France and Switzerland. Investment in these areas is needed if the UK wants to keep pace with other European nations.

The European Delivery Innovator Index, research conducted by return loads platform Courier Exchange, analysed data on various metrics connecting the courier industry with innovation and technological advancement. Factors taken into consideration include transport infrastructure, electric vehicle charging point availability and the general capacity for innovation.

Leading the way with autonomous vehicle laws

One area where the UK excels is paving the way for automated vehicles (AVs) with government legislation. Apart from Germany, every other European country either has no legislation in development or only has approval in place for testing AVs.

Autonomous vehicle adoption and other emerging technology such as drones is set to energise the last-mile delivery market, influenced by rapid growth in the e-commerce industry. The UK’s progressive legislation in this area indicates its openness to embracing new technology to expand road delivery services.

This summer, it was announced that the UK will become home to the world’s largest automated drone superhighway within the next two years. Alongside tech companies, the government unveiled plans to integrate drone deliveries into our daily lives.

Luke Davies, Commercial Director at Courier Exchange, says: “Demand for delivery services is showing no signs of slowing down, so to keep up, the sector will need to find efficiencies where it can. Innovation will play a huge role in achieving this and innovation will come in many guises, from AI to drones.

“It’s vital that the delivery sector embraces technology and adapts, particularly when customers have become so used to convenience and speedy delivery. Customers are also demanding that the goods they buy are sustainable, at every stage of the supply chain, so we’ll soon see more electric delivery vehicles on the road.

“What’s encouraging is that so many European nations are well-positioned when it comes to innovation. Just how ready they are varies from territory to territory, but the overall picture is promising and once innovative practices become the norm – and are seen to be successful – other countries will introduce them.”

CLICK HERE to read the full study, methodology details and sources.

iFollow mobile robots increase capacity to 1,500kg

Posted on by David Priestman

iFollow has expanded its iLogistics Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) range to include a unit with a 1,500kg capacity. Made at iFollow’s state-of-the-art facilities outside Paris in France, the iL – 1500 tops the range that includes units with capacities of 300kg, 600kg and 1,000kg. And with a unit height of just 17cm, it is the thinnest mobile robot in the world that can carry 1.5t. This gives the new unit the ability to handle a broader range of duties. The unit, which weighs 230kg and has dimensions of 1340 x 760 x 171 (mm), can attain a speed of 1.7m/s. Its 54.6V battery gives 10 hours operation between charges.

Constructed to be sturdy and reliable, iFollow’s iLogistics robotic solution offers many other benefits including the ability to be deployed in cold rooms with temperatures down to -25°C. The temperatures of the key electronic components are regulated by a servo system completely developed by iFollow. This ensures the absence of condensation, even when moving from a very cold environment to a temperate space.

The iL – 1500 navigates without any infrastructure while accustoming to its environment. Because the AMRs adapt to the constraints of existing facilities, there is no need to modify premises.

The lifting platform for the iL – 1500 can be changed, allowing a single unit to fulfil a variety of requirements. Platforms available include a slat conveyor, roller conveyor, chain conveyor, tray roller conveyor, tank support and an on-demand platform. The AMR has the flexibility to transport different storage units such as pallets, trolleys and roll cages – it can carry two roll cages simultaneously – and a robust build means it will happily withstand travel on rough floors.

Working collaboratively with warehouse staff including order pickers, the iL – 1500 provides a productive solution in many sectors and, as a manufacturer and producer of software, iFollow can customise the units to meet the particular needs of the application.

 

PLUS Retail expands with WITRON

Posted on by David Priestman

The Dutch food retailer PLUS Retail B.V. together with the logistics partner WITRON Logistik + Informatik is expanding its national distribution centre for dry goods in Oss, which is currently in the middle of the realisation phase.

The reason for the expansion of logistics capacities is the merger of PLUS with the Dutch food retailer Coop, whose logistics processes will be partially integrated into the new highly automated PLUS distribution centre.

In 2023, a substantial part of the 550 stores will be supplied from a range of more than 12,000 different items. WITRON’s OPM, CPS, and DPS solutions is capable to pick more than 452,000 cases onto roll containers or into store totes in a store-friendly and error-free way.

“Both PLUS and Coop place maximum focus on service quality, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, and sustainability,” according to PLUS Supply Chain Director, Rowell Versleijen. “That’s why we embrace innovation and state-of-the-art technology in all areas of our business.”

The heart of the distribution centre is WITRON’s OPM system, which was originally designed for 20 COM machines and will now be expanded by four COM machines. The automated tray warehouse in front of the picking area will also be expanded by eight stacker cranes (48 in total) and 45,700 storage locations (274,500 in total). The automated pallet warehouse will receive one additional stacker crane (11 in total) and 2,700 storage locations (29,500 in total).

The integration of all additional racking units, vehicles, depalletisers, stretch-wrappers, as well as their conveyor system and IT-based connections will be carried out in the existing building. Expansion options already planned for the warehouse will now be utilised.

“Due to the modular design of our end-to-end solutions and their physical compactness, we can develop highly flexible future concepts for our customers during the design phase already, which can be conveniently integrated into an existing system to increase volume, grow product range, add pick stations, or change business and material flow processes. Regardless of whether the system has been in operation for many years or, as in the case of PLUS – the system is being build,” explains Jack Kuypers, Senior Vice President North-West Europe at WITRON.

The merger of PLUS and Coop under the PLUS brand creates what is currently the third-largest full-service food retailer in the Netherlands, supplying more than 4.5 million customers per week with everyday goods, holding a market share of around 10%. The company, with annual sales of approx. €5bn, employs more than 40,000 staff members.

 

Forto partnership expands biofuels offering

Posted on by David Priestman

Forto has formed a new partnership with GoodShipping as part of its growing biofuel programme. Forto can now offer the inset of advanced biofuel for its bookings for full container load (FCL) sea freight shipments using GoodShipping’s decarbonisation services, further expanding the accessibility of alternative fuel options for Forto customers.

The new partnership with GoodShipping highlights the next milestone in Forto’s sustainability offering, following the recent launch of its biofuel programme.

With a focus on carbon insetting, GoodShipping helps to reduce the scope 3 emissions of companies’ supply chains by facilitating a fuel switch to biofuel for a company’s freight shipments.  Biofuel alternatives are provided by marine biofuels pioneer GoodFuels, a sister company to GoodShipping.

GoodFuels is a global market leader in biofuels made from certified waste and residual flows that can be used directly for heavy transport. The fuel meets the highest sustainability standards. This includes used cooking oil and waste from animal fats that cannot be recycled in a higher-quality manner.

Use of biofuels lead to a significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions of a transport without requiring changes to a shipper’s own operations. Net-zero transport impact, effectively reducing 100% of the greenhouse gas emissions, is achieved through an overallocation of biofuels as part of the booking. The process includes certification of the emissions reduction impact, which is audited by an independent third party.

Through the partnership, Forto offers GoodShipping’s decarbonisation services for its customers. The company’s infrastructure allows it to make biofuel available to customers supporting a variety of shipping volumes, locations, trade routes and cargo contracts. Its multiple carrier partners and wide offering will extend Forto’s current biofuel programme.

Michael Wax, CEO and Co-Founder of Forto: “Enabling real change to reduce the environmental impact of the logistics industry is key to us at Forto. Our ultimate goal is to help customers make the sustainable transport option their default choice – and ensuring our biofuel programme is as accessible as possible to our customers and their differing needs is a key driver of this.

“GoodShipping is an innovator in the market, with a broad, dedicated partner network and this partnership will enable us to expand our current offering. This is an important next step in our green ambitions, and we’re delighted to be working closely with a business that has such expertise in this space.”

Dirk Kronemeijer, CEO of Good Shipping: “We’re very proud to have Forto as our partner. By joining forces, we are able to offer sustainable transport to all Forto’s clients, taking the next big step towards reaching our shared green ambitions.”

The Forto range of sustainability solutions starts by providing customers with emissions visibility and information that empowers them to make impactful, data-based decisions. Forto also offers CO₂e emission offsets for all modes of transport and beyond the biofuels programme, German-based Rail Pre- and On-Carriage intermodal volumes are transported with a focus on using trains powered by renewable energy. Forto teams work strategically with partners, customers and other stakeholders to explore sustainability options and find solutions that fit their needs.

AR Racking names new EMEA sales director

Posted on by Keith McKinley

José Miguel Sobradillo has been appointed as the new EMEA Sales Director for the pallet racking solutions of industrial storage systems specialist AR Racking. Sobradillo replaces José Manuel Lucio at the head of the EMEA market, who was combining the position with that of Managing Director, a role he will exclusively concentrate on from now on.

The new Sales Director takes on the challenge with determination: “It is a highly motivating challenge trying to consolidate AR Racking’s good positioning in the entire EMEA region. The objective is to turn AR Racking into the leading supplier of storage solutions in all these markets in which we are present. In my new position I will try to contribute to this by focusing on: strategies offered by stand-out projects that increase our customers’ competitiveness, as well as our product knowledge and care.”

Sobradillo knows perfectly the intra-logistics sector and AR Racking’s potential, having spent more than a decade performing sales management roles there. After many years as a sales management leader in the European Anglo-Saxon market, in recent months he has taken on the role of Key Account Manager – Global Accounts, a position focused on customers with large-scale and specific storage projects and which he will continue to combine with the new role.

With University training in industrial engineering, AR Racking’s new EMEA Sales Director has both a professional background in sales and a technical and industrial market profile.

VisionTrack joins government safety initiative

Posted on by David Priestman

VisionTrack, a leading AI video telematics and connected fleet data specialist, has become a delivery partner for Driving for Better Business. The company has teamed up with the free-to-access, government-backed National Highways programme to help private and public sector fleets reduce work-related road risk through the sharing of industry best practice.

“Our vision is to create a world where all road-users are kept safe from harm, so we share Driving for Better Business’ commitment to improving work-related road safety and risk management,” explains Simon Marsh, CEO of VisionTrack. “We are delighted to be confirmed as a delivery partner and believe this is an exciting opportunity to make a difference within the fleet marketplace, supporting our aim of eliminating road deaths and injuries.”

Driving for Better Business is a free programme, delivered by National Highways in partnership with RoadSafe, that provides online tools and resources. The initiative is designed to improve the levels of compliance for all those who drive or ride for work by sharing good practice and demonstrating the significant business benefits of managing work-related road risk more effectively.

Simon Turner, Campaign Manager for Driving for Better Business commented: “Collaborating with leading companies such as VisionTrack, that share our values, is so important to us. We’re looking forward to working with VisionTrack to create some informative new content around driver safety and being able to share our wealth of online tools and resources with a wider audience.”

“We look forward to working in partnership with Driving for Better Business to engage and educate those who use the road network for work. By sharing resources, expertise, support and thought leadership within the fleet sector, we can encourage organisations and their drivers to operate on the road in a safe, efficient and sustainable way,” concludes Marsh.

VisionTrack’s unique approach to AI video telematics is helping tackle some of the most complex challenges faced by fleets, providing the operational insight, business intelligence and enriched vehicle data needed to make strategic mobility decisions. The company’s intelligent camera solutions are underpinned by its multi-award-winning IoT platform, Autonomise.ai, which is transforming how vehicle operations approach road safety, claims management, duty of care, fleet compliance and operational risk.

 

Romania terminal reaches construction milestone

Posted on by Keith McKinley

DP World has announced that the construction of its multi-million Euro terminal in Aiud, Romania, is over 50% complete. When complete in 2023, the state-of-the-art 82,000 sq m Aiud intermodal terminal will link an area that contributes 50% of Romania’s industrial GDP directly with rail connections across Europe and all the way to China.

DP World’s new terminal will also boast a static storage capacity of 3,000 TEU and create direct links to key export markets. This will help overcome traditional barriers of poor infrastructure reaching north-eastern Romania, and drive further business to DP World’s Constanta port, supporting further volume growth in the Black Sea terminal.

Cosmin Carstea, CEO of DP World Romania, said: “We are very pleased to have reached this significant milestone in the construction of this multi-modal terminal, which will be a big step in helping DP World become an end-to-end logistics provider in Romania.

“As it is situated in Romania’s industrial heartland, when completed our Aiud terminal will provide exporters and importers in the wider area with direct access to a major transport hub, creating efficient, robust and reliable trade routes to the whole country and beyond.”

Rashid Abdulla, CEO of DP World Europe, said: “Our purpose is to make trade flow. The development of this vast new facility in Aiud is a strong example of DP World’s ability to provide new trading opportunities that connect cargo owners with their customers, whatever their products and wherever they are in the world.

“When completed next year, the terminal will help DP World to create better, more sustainable and more efficient ways to move cargo for our customers, and simultaneously bolster Romania’s role in connecting its domestic market with Northern, Central and Eastern Europe.”

Through its on-site connection to the electrified rail infrastructure, the Aiud terminal will also help reduce transportation costs and CO2 emissions through the shift from road to rail as well as through the reduced transit time for cargoes from factories at the industrial park to their final destination.

Decea which is located in Alba county is close to Cluj, Sibiu, Mures and Hunedoara, which have become vital industrial and trade hubs for the country.

Businesses in this area will now have a fast direct connection within Europe to the Black Sea, North and Adriatic seas, while also having rail links to major hubs in Central Asia and China, enabling Romania to become a commercial hub for European trade eastward.

 

Wireless charging for industrial e-vehicles

Posted on by David Priestman

Delta, a global provider of power and thermal management solutions, has introduced a brand new Wireless Charging System MOOVair Series – an innovative industrial charging solution for automated electric-driven vehicles. The newly presented MOOVair 1kW Wireless Charging System offers up to 1kW contactless, high efficient charging for all types of 24V/48V batteries, and is suitable for automated e-vehicles that require a frequent battery charge.

Alistair Coltart, the Line of Business Head for Industrial Battery Charging Solutions, said: “Driven by the growing trend of automation and digitalisation within industrial applications, the usage of electric driven, battery powered autonomous vehicles are heavily increasing. This trend is requiring an automated, high efficient and reliable battery charging process, which can be 100% supported by the wireless charging technology.

“With decades of experience in electric and electronic technology development, Delta is ready to help our customers on this. Our new product (the MOOVair Series) supports safe, smart, wireless charging so as to realize fully automated, unmanned operation for your AGVs, AMRs, and e-vehicles in factories or other application fields.”

The 1kW Wireless Charging System features a 1,000W output, peak efficiency of 93%, and power transmitted over a gap of up to 20mm. It is made of two parts: a transmitter connected to the AC supply as primary charging unit and an onboard charging unit connected to the battery. The onboard charging unit is available in versions suitable for 24V or 48V batteries, and multiple onboard units of either variant can share one transmitter pad saving space and cost.

The onboard charging unit is compact (168 x 82 x 28mm) and lightweight (1.5kg, onboard charging pad included), making it simple to place inside even small e-vehicles. With the charging pads protected against water and dust to IP65, and a robust design for shock and vibration, Delta the MOOVair Series has reliable performance even in harsh industrial environments.

Another highlighted feature of the MOOVair Series either is charging by inbuilt profiles covering a range of batteries (bespoke profiles available on request) or by CAN bus control. With no cable, no connector wear, no maintenance downtime, smart communication and remote management, the 1kW Wireless Charging System MOOVair truly realizes smart, automatic 24/7 operation for industrial electric vehicles manufacturers (AGV, AMR…), battery manufacturers, system integrators, industrial automation planners and solution providers.

 

Research confirms UK’s logistics sector is buoyant

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Against a challenging financial and economic backdrop and heightened business uncertainty, there continues to be robust activity in the industrial and logistics sector, according to latest research from Colliers. The firm has reported that take-up for units over 100,000 sq ft reached 9.6 million sq ft in Q3 2022.

Len Rosso, head of Industrial & Logistics at Colliers, explains: “This take-up figure is 12.6% down quarter-on-quarter, taking the total to end-Q3 to 31.5 million sq ft, a 22% drop when compared to the first three quarters of 2021. However, if we look at the immediate 48-month activity prior to Covid-19, Q3 take-up remains elevated and resulted in an increase of 13% over the average quarterly take-up for the period 2018/2019.”

In addition, the data reveals that occupiers are continuing to target Grade A space in Q3 with take-up for speculative units accounting for 50% of total take-up, while purpose-built space recorded a 26% share. Second-hand space accounted for 24% of take-up.

The research also states that the flight to quality is somewhat driven by occupiers placing greater importance on a building’s ESG credentials. However, it is also dictated by a low level of supply where occupier requirements are likely to be satisfied by the provision of speculatively developed space. Some occupiers are also likely to be planning in advance and opting for purpose-built warehouses to fit in line with their long-term business strategies. Yet given the current issues in the UK’s economy, occupiers will find it increasingly difficult to plan.

When analysing the most recent data for online sales from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), online retailing sales volumes saw a monthly contraction of 2.6% in August 2022, following an increase of 4.8% in July 2022. Despite this fall, online sales volumes are 24.4% above their pre-Covid-19 February 2020 levels.

Andrea Ferranti, head of Industrial & Logistics research at Colliers, said: “Due to a natural drop in online retail sales, when compared to the record levels witnessed over 2021 and 2022, Q3 saw an average occupier deal size of 233,000 sq ft, down 35% year-on-year. While this figure is an indication of where the market may be heading over the next 12 to 15 months, it is worth highlighting that more data is needed over the next couple of quarters, into 2023, to ascertain where we are up to. We expect global multi-national businesses to continue to seek large warehouse space to drive efficiencies while future-proofing supply chain operations.”

Colliers’ latest industrial and logistics research also reveals that supply remains extremely low at 17.8 million sq ft and the scheduled delivery of 18 million sq ft of speculatively developed space this year has not been enough to relieve pressure in the market. Furthermore, 50% of this has either let or is under offer.

Ferranti adds: “We are currently monitoring circa 8.3 million sq ft of new speculative space under construction with scheduled delivery for 2023. As a result, rents are increasing across the board with the latest monthly MSCI figures recording an average annual rental growth to August of 14.2% for distribution warehouses and 12.8% for standard industrial assets. We expect a continuation of rental growth over the next 12-months but at a slower pace due to a challenging economic outlook.”

similar news

Demand for UK Logistics Space Hits Record Levels

 

UK organisations “failing to innovate”

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Budget constraints and skills gaps are topping the list of challenges standing in the way of innovation for 71% of organisations across many business sectors in the UK and Ireland, despite almost three quarters (74%) saying that innovation is vital to their survival as a business, according to new research.

The research, commissioned by InterSystems, a leading provider of next-generation solutions for critical enterprise digital transformations, and conducted by data analyst Vitreous World, polled more than 300 business leaders across healthcare, financial services, fintech, supply chain, and education sectors in the UK and Ireland. Among the findings are stark differences between the attitudes towards and capabilities for innovation across sectors.

Skills gaps surfaced as a recurring challenge for organisations across all sectors. More than a third (34%) collectively cite a lack of skills to understand and analyse data as their biggest challenge when attempting to use data to drive innovation initiatives. When asked how innovation initiatives could be improved, almost half (47%) stated by getting access to real-time data, with this rising to 60% among fintechs. Forty-five percent of the total respondents think their innovation initiatives would be helped by using more or better data and insights.

Chris Norton, Managing Director, InterSystems, commented: “In today’s landscape of constant change and uncertainty, digital transformation strategies and traditional organisation practices will continue to be tested. To meet evolving customer demands, guard against market volatility, and navigate the impact of geopolitical events, digital investment is a necessity. However, just digitising what you have today is not enough. Organisations must focus on innovation and expand its impact to create new value.”

Other key findings include:

  • Almost a third of those surveyed (32%) cite technology constraints as a major barrier to innovation, while more than a quarter (26%) struggle to keep up with the latest innovation or technologies, which rises to 43% in education.
  • 31% of healthcare respondents view reluctance to change as one of the biggest barriers to innovation.
  • Just 11% of organisations have reached their current digital transformation goals, dropping to only 3% of those within education.
  • Complying with changing regulation and insufficient skills in-house were found to be the biggest difficulties organisations face with interoperability, with education respondents in particular struggling with regulation changes (57% vs an average of 49%). Meanwhile 41% of financial services respondents say that their current data platform does not facilitate interoperability with financial services standards.
  • An overwhelming 94% of supply chain respondents revealed they are willing to accept some degree of risk to reach their innovation goals, compared with 85% of overall respondents.
  • More than three-quarters of respondents (77%) are using data to enable and drive innovation across their organisation, however, often face challenges including data inconsistencies and unreliability, to delays in accessing the data.
  • Almost a third (32%) of those surveyed think innovation helps their organisation get a competitive advantage
  • 85% of organisations rely on third-parties to plan, collaborate, and deliver innovation strategies.

“Innovation is now key to long term business survival. Without innovation to differentiate organisations and create new customer experiences, then success is just about process efficiency, cost, and price. For all business sectors, scalable and sustainable innovation is underpinned by reliable digital infrastructure, analytics, arming staff with skills and ultimately with timely access and action to the right data,” added Norton.

CLICK HERE to download the full research report.

Subscribe

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