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Day: 25 November 2022

IRU calls on EC to ease Ukraine border jams

Posted on by Keith McKinley

IRU and its member associations from Ukraine and seven neighbouring countries have called on the European Commission to prioritise TIR trucks to ease lengthy border queues and boost goods transport flows between Ukraine and the EU.

Truck queues at borders between Ukraine and neighbouring European countries are regularly exceeding 40km.

Aside from putting enormous pressure on drivers who can remain stuck for days, often without basic facilities, and stretched border and customs staff, the jams are severely restricting the flow of goods across borders between Ukraine and the EU, especially agricultural products.

The IRU and its national member associations from Hungary, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Ukraine have written to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, asking for priority border crossing lanes for secure TIR trucks entering the EU to be coordinated with member states and established as a matter of urgency.

IRU: prioritise TIR traffic

IRU Secretary General Umberto de Pretto said: “By prioritising TIR traffic, the number of trucks that could transport freight from Ukraine to the EU can be increased two- to three-fold. This would make a huge difference to goods flows between war-ravaged Ukraine and the rest of the EU, as well as ease the burden on stretched drivers and border and customs workers.”

Customs inspects and security seals TIR transports at the point of departure, and they only reinspected by customs at the final destination. Together with electronic TIR and customs declaration information sent in advance, TIR trucks can cross borders without additional inspections while at the same time enhancing border authorities’ risk and resource management. TIR priority lanes should also manage sanitary, phytosanitary and other controls.

All EU member states, as well as Ukraine, Moldova and other Balkan countries, are parties to the UN TIR Convention. Thousands of transport operators in these countries are authorised users of TIR and use the system on a daily basis, despite the current absence of priority lanes for TIR trucks.

iru.org

IRU calls on EC to ease Ukraine border jams

Posted on by David Priestman

IRU and its member associations from Ukraine and seven neighbouring countries have called on the European Commission to prioritise TIR trucks to ease lengthy border queues and boost goods transport flows between Ukraine and the EU.

Truck queues at borders between Ukraine and neighbouring European countries are regularly exceeding 40km.

Aside from putting enormous pressure on drivers who can remain stuck for days, often without basic facilities, and stretched border and customs staff, the jams are severely restricting the flow of goods across borders between Ukraine and the EU, especially agricultural products.

The IRU and its national member associations from Hungary, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Ukraine have written to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, asking for priority border crossing lanes for secure TIR trucks entering the EU to be coordinated with member states and established as a matter of urgency.

IRU: prioritise TIR traffic

IRU Secretary General Umberto de Pretto said: “By prioritising TIR traffic, the number of trucks that could transport freight from Ukraine to the EU can be increased two- to three-fold. This would make a huge difference to goods flows between war-ravaged Ukraine and the rest of the EU, as well as ease the burden on stretched drivers and border and customs workers.”

Customs inspects and security seals TIR transports at the point of departure, and they only reinspected by customs at the final destination. Together with electronic TIR and customs declaration information sent in advance, TIR trucks can cross borders without additional inspections while at the same time enhancing border authorities’ risk and resource management. TIR priority lanes should also manage sanitary, phytosanitary and other controls.

All EU member states, as well as Ukraine, Moldova and other Balkan countries, are parties to the UN TIR Convention. Thousands of transport operators in these countries are authorised users of TIR and use the system on a daily basis, despite the current absence of priority lanes for TIR trucks.

iru.org

TGW presents new range of robotics

Posted on by David Priestman

Expanding its expertise in robotics, the TGW Logistics Group has revealed a comprehensive range of mobile robots called Quba. Described by TGW as intelligent and versatile, the  robots can transport totes, cartons and pallets autonomously and handle a wide range of tasks, including supplying packing or returns workstations as well as automatic palletising and depalletising stations.

TGW says it looks at mobile robotics from a holistic perspective and, through systematic process automation, provides answers to current challenges such as the increasingly difficult search for new employees, rapidly changing consumer behaviour or the dynamic development of e-commerce.

Family of solutions

The Quba family is made up of AMRs (Autonomous Mobile Robots) and AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles). Intelligent TGW software handles fleet management and controls the robots both individually and as a network.

“Mobile robots are a key technology for high-performance, flexible and future-proof intralogistics,” emphasises Harald Schröpf, Chief Executive Officer of the TGW Logistics Group. “By expanding our range in the area of driverless transport systems, TGW now offers a full package of high-performance door-to-door solutions that can also be integrated seamlessly into existing systems, both on a software and on a mechatronic level.”

TGW and SAFELOG: a strategic partnership

Recently, SAFELOG and TGW signed a strategic partnership agreement to foster their close collaboration. SAFELOG’s AGVs are already in use at many customer locations and have proven their reliability, whether in the automotive industry, machine engineering, production or intralogistics. Users benefit from scalable automation, high availability and short project times.

“We are very happy to have gained TGW, one of the leading general contractors in intralogistics, as a partner,” affirms SAFELOG Managing Director Mathias Behounek. “That shows that mobile robots are no longer an innovation project, but rather a tried and trusted mass market technology.”

Schröpf adds: “Our partnership with SAFELOG, one of the leading AGV specialists, opens up new possibilities for mobile robotics in intralogistics. Our customers will benefit from efficient, reliable and high-performance door-to-door solutions.”

Customer references

The advantages afforded by the Quba family have won over not only the Swiss coffee machine manufacturer Thermoplan, but also the workwear specialist Engelbert Strauss. For over a year now, mobile robots have been supplying the workstations at its CI Factory in Schlüchtern with goods.

The fashion company put its trust in TGW once again for its dispatch centre system in Biebergemünd: 26 Quba robots handle the autonomous transport of totes to the returns workstations there.

www.tgw-group.com

TGW presents new range of robotics

Posted on by David Priestman

Expanding its expertise in robotics, the TGW Logistics Group has revealed a comprehensive range of mobile robots called Quba. Described by TGW as intelligent and versatile, the  robots can transport totes, cartons and pallets autonomously and handle a wide range of tasks, including supplying packing or returns workstations as well as automatic palletising and depalletising stations.

TGW says it looks at mobile robotics from a holistic perspective and, through systematic process automation, provides answers to current challenges such as the increasingly difficult search for new employees, rapidly changing consumer behaviour or the dynamic development of e-commerce.

Family of solutions

The Quba family is made up of AMRs (Autonomous Mobile Robots) and AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles). Intelligent TGW software handles fleet management and controls the robots both individually and as a network.

“Mobile robots are a key technology for high-performance, flexible and future-proof intralogistics,” emphasises Harald Schröpf, Chief Executive Officer of the TGW Logistics Group. “By expanding our range in the area of driverless transport systems, TGW now offers a full package of high-performance door-to-door solutions that can also be integrated seamlessly into existing systems, both on a software and on a mechatronic level.”

TGW and SAFELOG: a strategic partnership

Recently, SAFELOG and TGW signed a strategic partnership agreement to foster their close collaboration. SAFELOG’s AGVs are already in use at many customer locations and have proven their reliability, whether in the automotive industry, machine engineering, production or intralogistics. Users benefit from scalable automation, high availability and short project times.

“We are very happy to have gained TGW, one of the leading general contractors in intralogistics, as a partner,” affirms SAFELOG Managing Director Mathias Behounek. “That shows that mobile robots are no longer an innovation project, but rather a tried and trusted mass market technology.”

Schröpf adds: “Our partnership with SAFELOG, one of the leading AGV specialists, opens up new possibilities for mobile robotics in intralogistics. Our customers will benefit from efficient, reliable and high-performance door-to-door solutions.”

Customer references

The advantages afforded by the Quba family have won over not only the Swiss coffee machine manufacturer Thermoplan, but also the workwear specialist Engelbert Strauss. For over a year now, mobile robots have been supplying the workstations at its CI Factory in Schlüchtern with goods.

The fashion company put its trust in TGW once again for its dispatch centre system in Biebergemünd: 26 Quba robots handle the autonomous transport of totes to the returns workstations there.

www.tgw-group.com

Bergzeit expands operations with Fortna

Posted on by David Priestman

With rising shipping volumes and continued expansion of the product range, Bergzeit GmbH based in Otterfing, Bavaria, is tackling its steady rise with logistical know-how by expanding its warehouse and shipping capacities. This leading online supplier of mountain sports equipment, part of the South Tyrolean Sportler AG, has commissioned Fortna with developing the logistics concept together with implementation support.

A high-performance shuttle warehouse is at the core of the new processing system, which was integrated during ongoing operations, and features more than 57,000 new bin locations and an intelligent batch picking system. The new ergonomic goods-to-person workstations also ensure optimised workflows. The new systems were integrated during ongoing operations and were successfully put into operation in September 2022, notwithstanding the various negative factors affecting the logistics industry at present.

Founded over 20 years ago, Bergzeit has established itself as the leading online supplier of mountain sports equipment. More than two million customers can choose from a range of over 40,000 articles from over 500 brands. Two stores in the south of Munich complement the successful web shop. In 2017, a new building in Otterfing housed the administration and logistics functions, with the support of Fortna already in place.

Increased capacity for Bergzeit

“We had been steadily growing for years, and in the meantime had reached our limits in terms of logistics capacity. On top of that, since the COVID pandemic, many people have shifted their sporting activities to the outdoors,” explains Holger Cecco-Stark, Head of Projects & CSR, Bergzeit. “We needed a sustainable solution for the resulting increase in shipping volume and stock. Fortna had already taken our future requirements into account in the 2017 design concept, which was the best reason for us to start the new expansion phase with our tried-and-tested team in place.”

The available property for the Bergzeit company headquarters had already been utilised to the maximum for the new building in 2017. As anticipated five years ago, it was therefore now necessary to create additional capacity within the existing building in the current project phase. With a growth forecast up to 2025 as a projection, the Fortna team developed a phased solution for the integration of a compact shuttle warehouse with up to 3,000 double cycles/hour, capable of processing 800 shipments/hour.

Over the course of the project, the excellent cooperation and exchange with the Otterfinger community deserve particular mention. “Together, we achieved a perfect balance between capacity and dynamic performance, allowing the available space of 2,000 sq m to be used to its full height. With over 57,000 additional bin locations in the shuttle warehouse, Bergzeit has doubled the total capacity in the warehouse and will remain competitive in the long term,” says Project Manager Andreas Spitzki, Senior Manager, Fortna.

More effective shipping

Fortna has designed a goods-to-person order picking solution for more efficient shipping. The solution considers the individual requirements of each order type (single item or multiline orders, different sized cartons as well as shipment in bags). It enables powerful sequencing and ensures, where possible, the consolidation of a wide range of different items such as textiles, hard goods and bulky goods.

Items are picked into containers and then transported to new ergonomic workstations via a conveyor loop. They are scanned and distributed to as many as 21 different destinations to make up the shipment. On account of the many different types of shipments processed manually, the ergonomic adjustability of work areas is paramount for the individual set-up of workstations and employees’ occupational health. The experts from Fortna were key brainstorming partners for Bergzeit in terms of processes, from the initial concept and the drawings in 3D to the test setup and the implementation of the new workstations.

“Creating additional capacity and making the most of the existing potential was our top priority,” concludes Holger Cecco-Stark. “Together with Fortna, we have ensured that our new logistics operations enable us to adapt flexibly to ever-changing demands and are in the best possible position for future growth.”

www.fortna.com

Bergzeit expands operations with Fortna

Posted on by David Priestman

With rising shipping volumes and continued expansion of the product range, Bergzeit GmbH based in Otterfing, Bavaria, is tackling its steady rise with logistical know-how by expanding its warehouse and shipping capacities. This leading online supplier of mountain sports equipment, part of the South Tyrolean Sportler AG, has commissioned Fortna with developing the logistics concept together with implementation support.

A high-performance shuttle warehouse is at the core of the new processing system, which was integrated during ongoing operations, and features more than 57,000 new bin locations and an intelligent batch picking system. The new ergonomic goods-to-person workstations also ensure optimised workflows. The new systems were integrated during ongoing operations and were successfully put into operation in September 2022, notwithstanding the various negative factors affecting the logistics industry at present.

Founded over 20 years ago, Bergzeit has established itself as the leading online supplier of mountain sports equipment. More than two million customers can choose from a range of over 40,000 articles from over 500 brands. Two stores in the south of Munich complement the successful web shop. In 2017, a new building in Otterfing housed the administration and logistics functions, with the support of Fortna already in place.

Increased capacity for Bergzeit

“We had been steadily growing for years, and in the meantime had reached our limits in terms of logistics capacity. On top of that, since the COVID pandemic, many people have shifted their sporting activities to the outdoors,” explains Holger Cecco-Stark, Head of Projects & CSR, Bergzeit. “We needed a sustainable solution for the resulting increase in shipping volume and stock. Fortna had already taken our future requirements into account in the 2017 design concept, which was the best reason for us to start the new expansion phase with our tried-and-tested team in place.”

The available property for the Bergzeit company headquarters had already been utilised to the maximum for the new building in 2017. As anticipated five years ago, it was therefore now necessary to create additional capacity within the existing building in the current project phase. With a growth forecast up to 2025 as a projection, the Fortna team developed a phased solution for the integration of a compact shuttle warehouse with up to 3,000 double cycles/hour, capable of processing 800 shipments/hour.

Over the course of the project, the excellent cooperation and exchange with the Otterfinger community deserve particular mention. “Together, we achieved a perfect balance between capacity and dynamic performance, allowing the available space of 2,000 sq m to be used to its full height. With over 57,000 additional bin locations in the shuttle warehouse, Bergzeit has doubled the total capacity in the warehouse and will remain competitive in the long term,” says Project Manager Andreas Spitzki, Senior Manager, Fortna.

More effective shipping

Fortna has designed a goods-to-person order picking solution for more efficient shipping. The solution considers the individual requirements of each order type (single item or multiline orders, different sized cartons as well as shipment in bags). It enables powerful sequencing and ensures, where possible, the consolidation of a wide range of different items such as textiles, hard goods and bulky goods.

Items are picked into containers and then transported to new ergonomic workstations via a conveyor loop. They are scanned and distributed to as many as 21 different destinations to make up the shipment. On account of the many different types of shipments processed manually, the ergonomic adjustability of work areas is paramount for the individual set-up of workstations and employees’ occupational health. The experts from Fortna were key brainstorming partners for Bergzeit in terms of processes, from the initial concept and the drawings in 3D to the test setup and the implementation of the new workstations.

“Creating additional capacity and making the most of the existing potential was our top priority,” concludes Holger Cecco-Stark. “Together with Fortna, we have ensured that our new logistics operations enable us to adapt flexibly to ever-changing demands and are in the best possible position for future growth.”

www.fortna.com

DHL flies gorilla to new London home

Posted on by David Priestman

A Western lowland gorilla named Kiburi has made his debut at ZSL London Zoo after global logistics expert DHL Express flew the 193kg silverback to London as part of an international breeding programme for the Critically Endangered species.

The 5ft 4ft (1.62m) tall ape has arrived to lead the conservation zoo’s current troop, females Mjukuu and Effie, and youngsters Alika and Gernot, in the family’s Gorilla Kingdom home – with high hopes the match-making effort will lead to a further increase to the gorilla population.

DHL gave 18-year-old Kiburi, who travelled from Zoo Loro Parque in Tenerife, the VIP treatment for the 1,903-mile (3,062km) door-to-door journey – travelling in a custom-built crate supported by a dedicated team of zookeepers, aircraft engineers, cargo handlers, security teams, pilots and drivers.

“Kiburi enjoyed an in-flight meal of nutritious leafy greens, snacked on leeks and a banana and had a refreshing drink of cold fruit tea during his first-class trip,” explained gorilla keeper Glynn Hennessy.

“After spending his first few days at London Zoo settling into his new digs behind-the-scenes, Kiburi today ventured into the troop’s indoor play-gym for the first time, where he enjoyed a breakfast of juicy red peppers and tested out the area’s new rope swings – a housewarming gift from the ZSL team.”

Arriving in London late on Friday 18th November, the silverback slept over at Heathrow Airport before arriving at the Zoo at 8am the following morning; a team of vets and zookeepers at London Zoo was on hand to receive the special delivery, and after giving Kiburi a check-up, introduced him to his new Gorilla Kingdom home.

Gorilla to lead the troop

The exciting move was four years in the making. Following the passing of London Zoo’s male Kumbuka in 2018, ZSL London Zoo began the search for the perfect male to take his place, working with the European Endangered Species Breeding Programme (EEP) co-ordinator for Western lowland gorillas, which holds detailed records on each gorilla in the programme.

“We wanted to find a gorilla to lead the troop in Kumbuka’s stead, which is an important part of a healthy gorilla group’s social structure,” said Hennessy.

“We were excited when they suggested Kiburi, a playful but authoritative silverback who had just come of age. But we wanted to make sure, so we flew out to meet him last November and spent five days getting to know him and watching how he interacted with other gorillas.

“We found him to be a calm, friendly individual and a great fit for our own gorilla family’s dynamic. He loves a lie-in in the mornings and is more active in the afternoon, which is why we spent the past few weeks installing lots of fun new climbing apparatus for him to enjoy – when he ventures out of bed!”

Kiburi will spend the next few weeks exploring the rest of his new Gorilla Kingdom home – which includes a lush private island, complete with hidden caves, giant jungle gym and a flowing stream. His slow introduction to his new troop will be in time for their first family Christmas.

First-class care

“Like any blended family, when getting to know each other it’s important to take thing slowly, so we’ll be keeping a close eye on the troop and introducing them to each other face-to-face at a pace that they’re comfortable with.

“We’re so pleased Kiburi has joined us here at London Zoo, and are grateful to DHL for the first-class care they gave our oversized package throughout this carefully planned delivery.”

ZSL London Zoo’s Zoological Operations Manager Dan Simmonds, who oversaw the move, added: “Western lowland gorillas are sadly declining in the wilds of central and western Africa and face threats from poaching, disease, deforestation and climate change.

“ZSL is working to protect the species at ZSL London Zoo by taking part in this vital global breeding programme, while investigating wildlife diseases at ZSL’s world-leading Institute of Zoology, working with partners in the field to strengthen wildlife protection and surveillance, and empowering local communities to combat wildlife crime.

“In time we hope to hear the pitter patter of tiny gorilla feet once again in Gorilla Kingdom – adding to the dwindling population numbers of this Critically Endangered species.”

Roy Hughes, EVP Network Operations & Aviation Europe at DHL Express said: “Helping Kiburi move to London has been a huge privilege. The logistics effort behind transporting him was no mean feat but our team of experts, working closely with ZSL London Zoo and Loro Parque, went to every length to ensure his journey was safe and comfortable. Everyone at DHL is very invested in this conservation move, and we look forward to seeing Kiburi enjoying his new Gorilla Kingdom home.”

www.dhl.com

DHL flies gorilla to new London home

Posted on by Keith McKinley

A Western lowland gorilla named Kiburi has made his debut at ZSL London Zoo after global logistics expert DHL Express flew the 193kg silverback to London as part of an international breeding programme for the Critically Endangered species.

The 5ft 4ft (1.62m) tall ape has arrived to lead the conservation zoo’s current troop, females Mjukuu and Effie, and youngsters Alika and Gernot, in the family’s Gorilla Kingdom home – with high hopes the match-making effort will lead to a further increase to the gorilla population.

DHL gave 18-year-old Kiburi, who travelled from Zoo Loro Parque in Tenerife, the VIP treatment for the 1,903-mile (3,062km) door-to-door journey – travelling in a custom-built crate supported by a dedicated team of zookeepers, aircraft engineers, cargo handlers, security teams, pilots and drivers.

“Kiburi enjoyed an in-flight meal of nutritious leafy greens, snacked on leeks and a banana and had a refreshing drink of cold fruit tea during his first-class trip,” explained gorilla keeper Glynn Hennessy.

“After spending his first few days at London Zoo settling into his new digs behind-the-scenes, Kiburi today ventured into the troop’s indoor play-gym for the first time, where he enjoyed a breakfast of juicy red peppers and tested out the area’s new rope swings – a housewarming gift from the ZSL team.”

Arriving in London late on Friday 18th November, the silverback slept over at Heathrow Airport before arriving at the Zoo at 8am the following morning; a team of vets and zookeepers at London Zoo was on hand to receive the special delivery, and after giving Kiburi a check-up, introduced him to his new Gorilla Kingdom home.

Gorilla to lead the troop

The exciting move was four years in the making. Following the passing of London Zoo’s male Kumbuka in 2018, ZSL London Zoo began the search for the perfect male to take his place, working with the European Endangered Species Breeding Programme (EEP) co-ordinator for Western lowland gorillas, which holds detailed records on each gorilla in the programme.

“We wanted to find a gorilla to lead the troop in Kumbuka’s stead, which is an important part of a healthy gorilla group’s social structure,” said Hennessy.

“We were excited when they suggested Kiburi, a playful but authoritative silverback who had just come of age. But we wanted to make sure, so we flew out to meet him last November and spent five days getting to know him and watching how he interacted with other gorillas.

“We found him to be a calm, friendly individual and a great fit for our own gorilla family’s dynamic. He loves a lie-in in the mornings and is more active in the afternoon, which is why we spent the past few weeks installing lots of fun new climbing apparatus for him to enjoy – when he ventures out of bed!”

Kiburi will spend the next few weeks exploring the rest of his new Gorilla Kingdom home – which includes a lush private island, complete with hidden caves, giant jungle gym and a flowing stream. His slow introduction to his new troop will be in time for their first family Christmas.

First-class care

“Like any blended family, when getting to know each other it’s important to take thing slowly, so we’ll be keeping a close eye on the troop and introducing them to each other face-to-face at a pace that they’re comfortable with.

“We’re so pleased Kiburi has joined us here at London Zoo, and are grateful to DHL for the first-class care they gave our oversized package throughout this carefully planned delivery.”

ZSL London Zoo’s Zoological Operations Manager Dan Simmonds, who oversaw the move, added: “Western lowland gorillas are sadly declining in the wilds of central and western Africa and face threats from poaching, disease, deforestation and climate change.

“ZSL is working to protect the species at ZSL London Zoo by taking part in this vital global breeding programme, while investigating wildlife diseases at ZSL’s world-leading Institute of Zoology, working with partners in the field to strengthen wildlife protection and surveillance, and empowering local communities to combat wildlife crime.

“In time we hope to hear the pitter patter of tiny gorilla feet once again in Gorilla Kingdom – adding to the dwindling population numbers of this Critically Endangered species.”

Roy Hughes, EVP Network Operations & Aviation Europe at DHL Express said: “Helping Kiburi move to London has been a huge privilege. The logistics effort behind transporting him was no mean feat but our team of experts, working closely with ZSL London Zoo and Loro Parque, went to every length to ensure his journey was safe and comfortable. Everyone at DHL is very invested in this conservation move, and we look forward to seeing Kiburi enjoying his new Gorilla Kingdom home.”

www.dhl.com

Mapping Here and Everywhere

Posted on by David Priestman

David Priestman met with HERE Technologies at the Gartner Supply Chain Xpo in London to see how a sleeping giant in mapping and location technology has set eyes on becoming ‘the number 1 in location’.

Seldom have we seen a supply chain crisis like the one faced today, involving all aspects of global trade and exacerbated by the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Companies need to take the time to build more resilient operations to withstand future shocks. Fleet managers face a lot of pressure, whether it’s knowing the toll roads to avoid or getting things delivered on time. Location data is making this more seamless with the precise location, ETA and tracking of vehicles much improved. Technology such as 5G will only strengthen this further.

HERE Technologies is a name you may not know of, yet you quite possibly have used the company’s mapping technology while driving. 35 years young, with 6400 employees in 52 countries HERE wish mapping to be seen as an end in itself, with users paying for precise location. The company created the first digital map more than 35 years ago and has been in the SatNav market since 1994. It was part of Nokia for a while. Now it is owned by strategic investors including Audi, BMW and Daimler.

Christoph Herzig, pictured, is Head of Product Management, Supply Chain Solutions at HERE. He told me that the company has been offering mapping and positioning services and Application Programming Interface (APIs) to logistics companies for 10 years. The technology is integrated into SAP and Oracle’s TMS as well.

“We have our own platform with several hundred thousand users and want to become the number 1 in location,” Herzig said. HERE’s mapping features HD and 3D images, uses 900 data attributes and is approved as an AWS supply chain partner. “This means it is good for autonomous vehicles,” Herzig stated, “the HERE HD Live Map is centimetres accurate.”

TMS Partners

Current partners/customers include TMS suppliers and fleet managers. “They use our routing, geo-coding and vehicle problem solver options,” Herzig added. One customer is Active Logistics, a German TMS supplier. By using HERE, Active can enable multi-stop planning for couriers like UPS and auto-planning of routes.

“We want to sell directly now, to 3PLs/LSPs too,” Herzig continued. “Our target buyers are C.O.O.s and C.I.O.s.” HERE offers IoT tracking capacity for assets and parts. “You can navigate to the final metre and we’re offering more shipment visibility, adding air and marine schedules too,” he claimed. Data security and anonymisation for GDPR is also promised.

Data is key

The transport and logistics industry is increasingly reliant on location data and needs end-to-end visibility. Company assets can be viewed in a detailed, comprehensive, and accurate manner, and as the technology runs in real-time this gives businesses the visibility they need to manage their connections.

“Fleet managers still have a lot of concerns about the disadvantages of electric vehicles,” Herzig asserts. ”Location technology can take that burden away and make it easy to move to electric vehicles. Electrifying the last mile would have a profound impact on the CO2 emissions in many cities. With HERE’s Routing API, for example, you can input the consumption model, which depends on the ascent, descent, acceleration and deceleration along the route in addition to auxiliary power usage like air conditioning to calculate an EV-optimized route. This can extend the range of the vehicle. This works well because our map data contains all necessary information about slope, curve angle, and speed limits of each road in your city, correlated with historic traffic flow. We want to be like Intel. The advertising motto should be ‘it’s HERE inside’!”

Mapping Here and Everywhere

Posted on by David Priestman

David Priestman met with HERE Technologies at the Gartner Supply Chain Xpo in London to see how a sleeping giant in mapping and location technology has set eyes on becoming ‘the number 1 in location’.

Seldom have we seen a supply chain crisis like the one faced today, involving all aspects of global trade and exacerbated by the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Companies need to take the time to build more resilient operations to withstand future shocks. Fleet managers face a lot of pressure, whether it’s knowing the toll roads to avoid or getting things delivered on time. Location data is making this more seamless with the precise location, ETA and tracking of vehicles much improved. Technology such as 5G will only strengthen this further.

HERE Technologies is a name you may not know of, yet you quite possibly have used the company’s mapping technology while driving. 35 years young, with 6400 employees in 52 countries HERE wish mapping to be seen as an end in itself, with users paying for precise location. The company created the first digital map more than 35 years ago and has been in the SatNav market since 1994. It was part of Nokia for a while. Now it is owned by strategic investors including Audi, BMW and Daimler.

Christoph Herzig, pictured, is Head of Product Management, Supply Chain Solutions at HERE. He told me that the company has been offering mapping and positioning services and Application Programming Interface (APIs) to logistics companies for 10 years. The technology is integrated into SAP and Oracle’s TMS as well.

“We have our own platform with several hundred thousand users and want to become the number 1 in location,” Herzig said. HERE’s mapping features HD and 3D images, uses 900 data attributes and is approved as an AWS supply chain partner. “This means it is good for autonomous vehicles,” Herzig stated, “the HERE HD Live Map is centimetres accurate.”

TMS Partners

Current partners/customers include TMS suppliers and fleet managers. “They use our routing, geo-coding and vehicle problem solver options,” Herzig added. One customer is Active Logistics, a German TMS supplier. By using HERE, Active can enable multi-stop planning for couriers like UPS and auto-planning of routes.

“We want to sell directly now, to 3PLs/LSPs too,” Herzig continued. “Our target buyers are C.O.O.s and C.I.O.s.” HERE offers IoT tracking capacity for assets and parts. “You can navigate to the final metre and we’re offering more shipment visibility, adding air and marine schedules too,” he claimed. Data security and anonymisation for GDPR is also promised.

Data is key

The transport and logistics industry is increasingly reliant on location data and needs end-to-end visibility. Company assets can be viewed in a detailed, comprehensive, and accurate manner, and as the technology runs in real-time this gives businesses the visibility they need to manage their connections.

“Fleet managers still have a lot of concerns about the disadvantages of electric vehicles,” Herzig asserts. ”Location technology can take that burden away and make it easy to move to electric vehicles. Electrifying the last mile would have a profound impact on the CO2 emissions in many cities. With HERE’s Routing API, for example, you can input the consumption model, which depends on the ascent, descent, acceleration and deceleration along the route in addition to auxiliary power usage like air conditioning to calculate an EV-optimized route. This can extend the range of the vehicle. This works well because our map data contains all necessary information about slope, curve angle, and speed limits of each road in your city, correlated with historic traffic flow. We want to be like Intel. The advertising motto should be ‘it’s HERE inside’!”

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