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Day: 13 December 2022

Dachser appoints new COO

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Dachser is setting the course for future growth in its Air & Sea Logistics (ASL) business field through long-term succession planning. Dr. Tobias Burger (45 – pictured) will succeed Edoardo Podestà (60) as COO Air & Sea Logistics and member of the Executive Board, effective 1st January, 2024. After a Dachser career spanning 20 years, a little over four of them at the helm of ASL, Podestà will step down from active working life at the end of 2023.

“Dr. Tobias Burger is an experienced logistics strategist and we are helping him prepare to take his seat on Dachser’s Executive Board. With his holistic, forward-thinking logistics outlook, he will prove a valuable addition to our Executive Board team,” says Bernhard Simon, Chairman of the Dachser Supervisory Board. “Dr. Burger will also be in charge of all of Dachser’s marketing activities. This means we will be best placed to proactively address complex market changes, particularly in air and sea freight, and to position ourselves accordingly.”

A former management consultant, Dr. Burger joined Dachser in 2009. He worked in controlling and strategy development before being given responsibility for Corporate Governance. At that time, he was already overseeing the development of air and sea operations toward a seamless global network. As Deputy Director Air & Sea Logistics, Dr. Burger has served as Podestà’s right-hand man since 2019. During this period, he was first put in charge of ASL global sales, a position whose responsibilities currently include strategic development for the entire business field. Since 2021, he has also been leading the ASL EMEA business unit.

Dachser appoints Meier to replace Burger

Effective 1st January, 2023, Dr. Burger will hand over the role of Managing Director ASL EMEA to Marc Meier. To prepare himself for managing the regional business unit, Meier (53) joined Dachser already on 1st October, 2022. As a logistics manager whose expertise includes air and sea freight, overland transport, and warehousing, he has built up more than 30 years of international experience in the logistics industry.

Together with the owner, he served as CEO of Hamburg-based air freight forwarder Senator International until that company was acquired by Maersk in 2021. Prior to that, he spent over five years as CEO of Fr. Meyer’s Sohn, a forwarding agency specialising in sea freight. He began his career at Kühne + Nagel, where he held various management positions, lastly as President of the Canada country organisation.

“In Marc Meier we have gained a seasoned air and sea freight manager with an international reputation. He is the ideal person to guide our ASL business in the EMEA region to a successful future,” says Dachser CEO Burkhard Eling. “And dovetailing this business with our European overland transportation network will lead the way to further growth.”

Müller to take over in ASL APAC

Dachser has also already planned the succession in its ASL APAC business unit. Effective 1st January, 2024, Roman Müller (41) will succeed Edoardo Podestà, who has led the regional business unit with great success since 2014, and in conjunction with his other role of COO ASL since 2019. Swiss-born Müller has worked in Asia his entire career. Over the past 15 years, his management positions at Dachser include Manager of the Korea country organisation and Senior Sales Manager for the entire APAC region. Since July 2021, he has served as Deputy Director Asia Pacific in the ASL APAC business unit, reporting to Podestà.

“Roman Müller knows the Asian markets and their requirements inside out. In all his previous positions – especially those in sales – he achieved outstanding success and helped advance our presence in Asia,” Eling says. “So he is ideally placed not only to continue the stellar development of the ASL APAC business unit but also to take it to a whole new level by focusing even more on offering integrated services. In 2023, he will work closely with Edoardo Podestà to chart a course for this success.”

Dachser’s Air & Sea Logistics business field employed more than 4,300 people and generated €2.1bn in revenue in 2021. It operates 139 branches in 36 countries. Dachser’s ASL 3 EMEA business unit comprises 21 country organisations with 71 locations and employs more than 2,100 people. The company’s ASL APAC business unit is represented in 11 countries, with more than 1,500 employees working across 43 locations.

 

Automated solution meets cold chain challenge

Posted on by David Priestman

Lödige Industries, a world-leading provider of air cargo terminal solutions, has completed an automated Cold Chain Pallet-Cargo System at Hong Kong International Airport. Via its Hong Kong office, the German company planned, manufactured and implemented the advanced system for AAT COOLPORT, which is the first on-airport cold chain facility in Hong Kong providing a complete temperature-controlled environment, operated by Asia Airfreight Terminal (AAT).

Supported by the tailor-made pallet moving solution, the operator can maintain strictly regulated cold chains seamlessly and respond to the increasing global demand for temperature-sensitive air transports.

The customised and automated material handling system is designed for fast and safe transport of temperature-sensitive goods inside the cold chain facility. Modern and climate-resistant sensors in combination with an enhanced maintenance and control system ensure an efficient and safe flow of fragile goods.

Lödige Industries was awarded the contract for the project because it met both the high-quality requirements for stringent cold chain regulations and was able to achieve short turnaround timelines. The market for temperature-sensitive goods, like pharmaceuticals, and perishables, is currently the strongest growing market in air freight worldwide. Given the rapid planning and implementation of the automated ULD handling system, AAT is able to meet the rapidly growing demand of its customers for temperature-sensitive air cargo as well as strict cold chain regulations.

Lödige is long-standing partner

“The sector for temperature-sensitive goods is becoming a very important market for our customers,” says Yammie Sin, Chief Marketing Officer at Asia Airfreight Terminal. “Seamless compliance with cold chain regulations is enormously important, so we are investing in the most reliable and efficient equipment for our new cold storage facility COOLPORT. This also allows AAT to offer services that were previously unavailable in Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), such as temperature-controlled truck docks, the ability to screen, build up and break down cargo entirely within a temperature-controlled environment.

“With Lödige Industries, we have a long-standing and reliable partner, who was able to plan and install a state-of-the-art material handling system in a fast and cost-efficient way while complying with all important cold chain regulations required for COOLPORT. This allows us to offer our customers efficient and safe storage and handling of their sensitive and valuable goods.”

The contract was awarded in June 2021 and AAT COOLPORT has been serving the industry since July 2022. Lödige Industries has a proven track record given its numerous material handling system projects in Asia (e.g., at the airports of Singapore or Chengdu). The company, with regional offices in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, has a solid understanding of customer needs in the Asian region, and an established network of local partners.

In 2006, Lödige Industries handed over a sizeable multi-level material handling system for AAT, with four 43m-high elevating transfer vehicles. The new palletised cargo handling system marks another milestone in the long partnership with AAT and further consolidates Lödige Industries’ strong presence and experience in Asia.

Innovation is important

Nicholas Tripptree, Managing Director, APAC at Lödige Industries emphasises the importance of innovation in the air cargo industry: “We look back on a long partnership with Asia Airfreight Terminal at Hong Kong International Airport, where we continue to service the system which was handed over in 2006 and modernised in 2018. We are proud that one of the largest airfreight companies at the airport, chooses to support its customers with our best-in-class solutions for moving pallets and ULDs.”

Tripptree highlights the special nature of this project: “Especially in the cold chain sector, absolute reliability and consistency are key. With customised solutions like this new and CEIV-certified cold chain storage system, Lödige Industries proves that it can also offer world leading material handling solutions for the area of temperature sensitive cargo.”

Robotics: Winning Combination

Posted on by David Priestman

How a UK warehouse facility used robotics and automation to meet some very common challenges.

WINIT is a Shanghai-based provider of full warehousing and logistical solutions for cross-border ecommerce. It serves the United States, Australia, and several European countries. In the UK alone, WINIT runs three warehouses with a total combined footprint reaching 550,000 square metres.

The challenge

In the past two years, the demand for global warehousing services has surged dramatically due to the growth of cross-border ecommerce businesses. WINIT’s UK facility in Tamworth, Staffordshire, was confronted with expanding challenges as the demand for global warehousing services soared.

Rapid business growth and the need to handle a variety of goods and fulfil a high number of orders – combined with the shortage of warehouse workers – meant that WINIT was faced with two main challenges: improving operational efficiency and increasing storage density.

The robotics fix

WINIT automated its order-fulfilment centre operations with the help of the HAI Robotics ACR (Autonomous Case-Handling Robot) solution. The solution involved deploying 100 HAIPICK A42 robots and 16 on-conveyor workstations for order picking.

What the solution does

As the HAIPICK A42 robots can extend to more than 4m in height, they are able to store goods on both lower and higher shelves, leading to better utilisation of the space available. They are driven by AI algorithms and can move smoothly through the 10,000 square-metre facility, bringing cartons and totes to workstations, where operators can pick and sort goods efficiently.

The on-conveyor picking workstation automatically conveys the cases unloaded by the HAIPICK robot or the cases that need to be loaded, making use of automated storage and retrieval functions. It offers an ergonomic design; workers and HAIPICK robots are indirectly connected, and the goods can be sorted on the conveyor line without too much movement. It delivers convenient operation and efficient warehousing.

Another bonus is that the HAI Robotics solution can easily be implemented in one part of the warehouse and scaled up as business grows further.

Workflow has improved by 3-4 times, storage density by 60%, increased picking efficiency by 50%, and brought on-time order delivery to almost 100%.
With the help of HAI Robotics, the overall service and operation of WINIT has not been significantly affected despite the disruptions to the global supply chain since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“These smart robots have more than met our expectations,” comments Bob, Warehouse General Manager at WINIT’s Tamworth facility. “We picked HAI Robotics as our autonomous robot supplier from a choice of several other companies because it is one of the first developers. Its system has better stability than that of others, and its staff is professional. So it was an easy choice.”

Satisfied workers

HAI Robotics’ automated robotic solution has also extended the capacity of each individual WINIT operator by increasing efficiency, a big plus in a slow jobs market. The WINIT warehouse workers are also enjoying the benefits of this solution. The on-conveyor workstations are ergonomically designed to help operators fulfil orders faster, more accurately and with lower effort.

Becky, a warehouse operator, said that with the help of the robots, she can now stay in the workstation and just wait for the robots to pick and carry goods back and forth to her workstation. She no longer walks thousands of steps indoors to pick orders. “Getting goods now is like getting something at my fingertips. [The robots] make my work much easier. Now I don’t need to move around and bend my waist. Everything is easy.”

This robotic solution allowed the facility to increase the average worker efficiency rates to 450 cases per hour and increased the daily handling volume up to 50,000 pieces. The goods-handling efficiency rate for the warehouse was improved 3 to 4 times over the previously manual processes and the picking efficiency rate of operators fulfilling orders was increased by 50%.

JJX Logistics adds IVECO rigid to fleet

Posted on by David Priestman

JJX Logistics has added a striking new IVECO S-WAY 6×2 (AS260S46Y/P) rigid to its fleet to boost its operational capabilities in urban areas.

JJX Logistics is a specialist in time-critical logistics throughout the UK and Europe. Transporting a wide range of cargos for over 25 years, JJX Logistics is also licensed to carry all nine classes of hazardous materials and is TAPA certified for high-value assets.

With the need to accommodate a wide variety of cargo types in urban areas JJX has specced up and built the ultimate IVECO S-WAY rigid capable of carrying up to 15 tonnes.

It joins a 510hp IVECO S-WAY tractor unit on the fleet which managing director John Joseph Donovan was so impressed with he has ordered a range-topping 570hp model for long-haul routes from the UK to Italy as part of a new international contract.

The IVECO S-WAY 6x2p is equipped with a rear lift axle which reduces tyre wear on return trips and improves manoeuvrability.

Additionally, rear air suspension has been specified which further improves the ride and handling and adds extra peace of mind when the truck is carrying sensitive cargoes. The Driver Comfort Plus package further optimises driver comfort with door roller blinds, automatic air conditioning and high comfort seats.

JJX specs truck-mounted forklift

To ensure the truck is self-sufficient when loading and unloading at customer sites, a Palfinger forklift has been mounted on the rear of the Fred Smith and Son-built curtain-sided body. This companion vehicle can lift up to two tonnes and is able to load and unload cargo from the back of this IVECO S-WAY. A full Direct Vision system has also been installed to ensure the truck can operate within the busy confines of London.

This IVECO S-WAY rigid is equipped with a 460hp Cursor 11 diesel engine that delivers strong performance and economy with the help of the optional Aero Plus pack that incorporates a roof spoiler and front cab corner fins.

All JJX Logistics trucks can find themselves travelling into Europe at the drop of a hat, so the IVECO S-WAY infotainment system hosting navigation for the whole of Europe, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine is invaluable.

The distinctive blue and white JJX Logistics livery enhances the design of the IVECO S-WAY. Highlights trim the bold grille, and vibrant splashes of colour follow the natural contours of the Italian-designed bodywork. This stylish livery applied by Baker Ward Stickers Ltd took three weeks to come to fruition, a design that was further enhanced by the addition of a Premium Style Pack which includes aluminium air intakes, a pneumatic horn, an external sun visor, and eye-catching coloured finishes inside the cab.

Commenting on the continued addition of new IVECO S-WAYs onto its fleet managing director John Joseph Donovan said: “We eagerly awaited the truck to come down the supply chain, but now it’s here we are over the moon with it!”

JJX’s IVECO S-WAY Rigid is expected to cover 80,000 – 100,000 miles each year and represents a key asset for JJX Logistics.

Turn your Delivery Fleet into Profit Engine

Posted on by David Priestman

The delivery fleet is the front line of customer service and satisfaction. Yet the way these fleets are managed – often with outdated manual route-planning processes – can significantly impact your bottom line.

Today, customers’ Amazon-fuelled appetites for faster, more frequent deliveries have driven last-mile delivery costs in the B2C sector to between 28% and a whopping 55% of the total cost of goods.
With delivery emerging as a competitive differentiator in the B2B sector, too, costs there will inevitably follow suit.

Consequently, product distribution and delivery operations are under unprecedented pressure to provide rapid, predictable services. Many businesses, frankly, are struggling to cope. Relying solely on old-fashioned, manual route-planning approaches, many fleet managers over-compensate, securing more drivers and vehicles than are actually needed—and draining company profits further in the process.

Tips to Turn Your Fleet into a Profit Engine & Reduce Costs By 30%

It’s ironic: the final mile is the most complex part of the supply chain, yet it’s the last to be optimised. But here’s the good news, according to Aptean: by automating route planning, companies can reduce private fleet costs by 10% to 30%. It’s hard to imagine another area of your business that could take such a quick and radical haircut— and actually work better as a result.

Investing in an advanced route optimisation platform will ultimately be your competitive advantage, not your weakest link. It can help you:
• Reduce fleet operating costs by up to 30% and see ROI payback in as little as 3 months
• Utilise technological innovations to transport goods in the fastest, most efficient way
• Strategically plan better routes in minutes, not hours
• Optimise the use of all resources including planners, drivers, and vehicles

Delivery fleet expectations

The world is changing fast, and the bar for service has been raised. Your delivery fleet must now meet ever-increasing expectations for faster, precisely timed deliveries—and do it without breaking the bank. The technology and know-how exist to help you get the most out of every fleet-mile you run. Automated routing is a proven, beneficial technology that can help mine the savings potential hidden in your private fleet—your company’s last, great, untapped profit centre.

An inefficient fleet presents both a problem and an opportunity. But let’s be clear: this is no easy, flip-the-switch answer. Changing well-entrenched logistics department practices is hard. Changing minds is even harder. We hope to convince you that it’s worth it. Download a free copy of Aptean’s latest eBook, ‘Is Your Private Fleet a Drain on Company Profits’, and discover how, now.

CargoWise connects with IAG Cargo

Posted on by David Priestman

WiseTech Global has announced that IAG Cargo, the cargo division of International Airlines Group (IAG), is now directly integrated with CargoWise, enabling freight forwarders to efficiently choose, book, confirm and change shipments, in real-time from within the industry’s leading logistics execution platform.

IAG Cargo uses the freight capacity of passenger aircraft of IAG, which consists of British Airways, Iberia, Vueling, Aer lingus and LEVEL. With five airlines, and over 500 aircraft it’s a model that provides IAG Cargo with great capacity and a truly global network. IAG Cargo has become one of the largest cargo operators in the world, serving key sectors of the global economy including ecommerce, tech, manufacturing, automotive, pharmaceutical and aerospace.

Direct data connection with IAG Cargo’s operational data allows CargoWise customers direct access to schedules, dynamic rates, capacity and allotment bookings. The integration also allows CargoWise users to easily change digital bookings without leaving the application, supporting IAG Cargo’s Destination Digital strategy.

CargoWise helps digititalsation strategy

John Cheetham, Chief Commercial Officer at IAG Cargo, said: “Connecting through CargoWise is another exciting partnership strengthening the digital development of IAG Cargo. This partnership is the latest step in our journey to transform the way we do business, making it easier than ever for CargoWise customers to book their freight directly with IAG Cargo.”

Jorre Cobelens, Vice President – Logistics Data and Connectivity, WiseTech Global, said: “We are pleased that IAG Cargo has joined the growing group of leading cargo carriers that integrate with CargoWise, supporting our industry digitalisation and integration strategy. This direct digital data exchange helps increase data security, data quality and simplifies the eBooking process between parties.

“CargoWise customers, including 10 of the top 25 global freight forwarders who have either completed, or are in progress of, global rollouts of the CargoWise platform, will have access to IAG‘s dynamic rates, schedules and services for key routes between Europe, Asia Pacific, and North- and South-America fulfilling an important part of our global network needs.”

Drive solutions for the bulk goods industry

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Whether storing, conveying, weighing and dosing, or loading and unloading, Nord Drivesystems says it develops and produces scalable drive solutions for all sectors of the bulk goods industry. The drives are individually tailored to the customised application, and offer high energy efficiency paired with a robust design.

Large temperature fluctuations, abrasive ambient media, rough operating conditions: Demanding ambient conditions are common in the bulk goods industry. Drive systems used in this sector must be adequately resistant. At the same time, they should operate as energy efficiently as possible, provide easy maintenance and high reliability, and achieve a long service life. Different bulk goods require different plant arrangements that need customised drives.

Bulk goods handling from a single source

Being a long-time partner of the industry, Nord Drivesystems says it knows precisely the specific requirements of the bulk goods industry. The drive specialist globally supports operators of systems for storing, conveying, weighing, dosing, loading and unloading of bulk goods with optimised drive solutions, profound application expertise and technical support.

The powerful drive systems are characterised by maximum reliability, safety and robustness, and ensure smooth operation even in the harshest ambient conditions. Fully featured Nord drive solutions based on a modular system, consisting of frequency inverter, motor, gear unit, couplings, and brakes are selected as the basis. They are combined with solutions individually developed and designed according to customer requirements.

Ultimate reliability

Nord manufactures all gear units – even the industrial gear units up to 282kNM – with a UNICASE housing. An enclosed gear unit housing, which combines all elements of the gear unit is produced from a single piece of material. All bearing points are integrated in the housing block so that there are no sealing surfaces, which are subject to torque and radial loads. This way, the Nord gear units achieve a longer bearing life than gear casings manufactured from jointed parts and ensure efficient power transmission and high tolerance for peak loads and impacts.

Large low-friction roller bearings ensure extremely high axial and radial load capacities; high-precision axis alignment ensures quiet running.

Future-proof

Nord drives are highly reliable, have a long life, are easy to maintain and have a low energy consumption. They thereby help to reduce operating costs and minimise CO2 emissions. The system solutions also meet the requirements for Industry 4.0 applications, and with their integrated PLC functionality allow for condition monitoring and predictive maintenance.

 

Hubtex enhances PhoeniX range with silence pump

Posted on by David Priestman

Industrial truck manufacturer Hubtex is expanding its PhoeniX range with the introduction of the new PhoeniX 2825 Series. The electric multidirectional sideloader for handling long, heavy and bulky goods has been enhanced with a revolutionary piece of kit: A silence pump that reduces operating noise by up to 10dBA.

Suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, the 2825 Series covers a broad range of applications in narrow aisles, for the automotive, aluminium and wood industries among others. The low-noise truck comes with an impressive array of features, including a choice of three driver’s cabins.

The modular system of the PhoeniX electric multidirectional sideloader consists of a basic model, which can be gradually expanded by adding additional features. And now Hubtex is set to enhance the modular system even further with the PhoeniX 2825 for load capacities of 3t to 4.5t.

Silence pump enhances working environment

“When it comes to reducing operating noise, the PhoeniX 2825 truly excels. This is thanks to the silence pump, which will be integrated as standard for this series of trucks in the future,” explains Hans-Joachim Finger, Managing Director of Sales and Purchasing at Hubtex. The feature particularly enhances the day-to-day working environment of the truck operators, since the noise level is significantly lower.

At full load, the pump is approximately 8dBA quieter, and in the lower load range the noise level can be reduced by as much as 10dBA. This lowers the frequency of the operating noise and makes it much more bearable for the workers. If the load is very high, an internal gear pump can still be installed. It is also possible to switch between pump types in existing Hubtex trucks without any problems.

Optional features

The PhoeniX 2825 is the successor to the 2125 Series. Described by Hubtex as a true all-rounder that can be used both indoors and out for high-volume applications in the 3t to 4.5t range, the truck is also optimally equipped for loading and unloading trucks carrying aluminium profiles or long wooden materials, for example. With a frame length of just 2,440mm and a wide range of optional features to enhance the truck, the compact powerhouse can lend itself to any task.

Hubtex says the ergonomics and design are first-rate. Users have a choice of three cabins in different sizes, which, in combination with the short frame length, provide optimal panoramic views and improved visibility. The truck can also reach lift heights of up to 8,500mm. Yet even this parameter can be enhanced to meet customer requirements thanks to the high degree of customisation of the modular system. Last but not least, the PhoeniX 2825 boasts electric steering, which allows longer operating times due to its lower energy consumption.

 

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