May 2023

Sealed Air Announces New Corporate Brand SEE

Posted on 5 May, 2023 by David Priestman

Sealed Air Corporation has announced it has officially changed its corporate brand to SEE®, taking the next step in reinventing the company. Sealed Air has evolved its corporate and iconic brands to SEE, showcasing a market-driven, customer-first, solutions company. SEE partners with customers to deliver packaging solutions integrating Automation, Digital and Sustainability, creating significant value for their businesses.

SEE’s growth and earnings performance has significantly increased over the last five years built on the SEE Operating Model and executed by the SEE Operating Engine and SEE Operational Excellence.

Commenting on SEE’s corporate rebrand, Ted Doheny, President and CEO said:
“We are relentlessly reinventing SEE from product driven to a world-class, market-led company powered by automation, digital and sustainable packaging solutions.”
“SEE is making the future of packaging real and we expect this to enhance our valuation.”

SEE supplies packaging for more than 30 billion products globally each year. SEE’s new corporate brand represents the power of its brands and solutions that include equipment, services and materials. The company has grown and evolved beyond what it once was, and the new corporate brand and logo are a direct reflection of that transformation. SEE is continuously redefining what packaging does and can do by integrating automation, digital and sustainability into solutions that exceed the needs of its customers.

Automation: SEE enables customers to unlock productivity and savings by designing, manufacturing, sourcing and delivering automated packaging solutions with paybacks shorter than 3 years. The company is on a path to more than double its automation portfolio by 2027.

Digital: SEE’s digital printing and online value-added services empower brand owners to improve business performance and operational efficiency. The company expects over 80% of its sales to be transacted digitally by 2027. SEE’s solutions reach consumers through engaging and cost-effective digital designs and content.

Sustainability: SEE continuously brings customers new, innovative materials and applications that reduce waste, extend shelf-life, increase protection, enable circularity and reduce carbon impacts of products and packaging. Nearly 20% of its materials portfolio comes from recycled or renewable sources. SEE’s Net Positive Circular Ecosystem makes sustainability affordable for customers by lowering their total cost through automation, digital and innovative packaging solutions.

SEE’s new logo is a visual representation of the next stage in reinventing the company. The three crescents that make up the circle represent automation, digital and packaging with the full circle representing SEE’s purposeful commitment to sustainability and circularity in everything we do.

“We are excited to become SEE,” said Ted Doheny, SEE’s President & CEO. “We are solving our customers’ critical packaging challenges to make our world better than we find it.”

From the History of Sealed Air to the Future of SEE

SEE (under its former trade name “Sealed Air”) began in 1960 after an idea for insulated bubble wallpaper morphed into the iconic BUBBLE WRAP® packaging brand. In 1998 the company acquired Cryovac, establishing new leadership in food packaging. The company has grown into a global organization that provides essential packaging solutions to a vast array of industries including food, fluids & liquids and e-commerce. Over the past five years, the company has made strategic acquisitions that accelerated the reinvention of the company, including the acquisition of APS (automated packaging systems), Foxpak (digital printing capabilities) and Liquibox (fluids & liquids packaging and dispensing). SEE has approximately 17,300 employees across the world and serves customers in 120 countries and territories.

Fit-out Project Equips Giant Maersk Warehouse

Posted on 5 May, 2023 by David Priestman

Glencar, a leading UK construction company that was recently ranked amongst Europe’s fastest growing businesses, has today announced that it has been appointed by Maersk, the Danish shipping and logistics company to undertake comprehensive fit-out works at Mammoth 602, a 602,000 sq.ft warehouse development situated at GLP’s G-Park Doncaster, South Yorkshire development that it has recently occupied.

The £12M project will comprise of the fit out of the existing office areas to category A standard, warehouse high level services and minor external works alterations. Warehouse area fit-out includes lighting, sprinklers including works associated, frost protection, fire alarm and small power.

Works started at the beginning of February are expected to be complete at end of the September 2023. G-Park Doncaster is situated in the logistics capital of the North, just 6 miles from the centre of Doncaster, providing easy access to all parts of the UK and mainland Europe via its central position, along with a vast skilled workforce.

Commenting on the appointment Tom Kersley, Glencar Commercial Director said: “Mammoth 602 is an incredible development and the largest such fit-out project Glencar have been awarded to date since establishing our new special projects division so we are suitably delighted. The specialist knowledge and expertise we have built our name on within the Industrial & Logistics lends itself perfectly to support the needs of a growing number of occupiers requiring specialist fit-out and enabling works. We look forward to expanding our offering in the face of increasing demand. We also look forward to working with the team at Maersk and delivering to their exacting needs”.

The unit which totals 602,000 sq ft was built by leading logistics developer GLP and is the largest and most sustainable logistics building in the North of England.

Mammoth 602 is a strong example of GLP’s commitment to sustainability across its developments. It is GLP’s third building to be net zero carbon for construction, in line with the UKGBC framework, and is part of the Planet Mark accreditation scheme which helps to further reduce the carbon footprint for the occupier.

The development benefits from best-in-class specification that is built for logistics, including two 50m service yards, 20m clear internal height, 60 dock levellers, 16 large dock levellers, 24 level access and 4 van level access doors with visibility from the M18. There is also 28,762 SQ FT of office space within the building, 217 HGV parking spaces, and 372 car park spaces.

Glencar Construction was established in 2015 with the aim of providing high quality, agile and efficient construction services, primarily to the industrial, logistics, distribution manufacturing, life science and pharmaceutical sectors. Glencar’s co-founders are industry experts, and they are supported by a dedicated team who have gained a wealth of specialist experience over many years in the sector.

Fit-out Project Equips Giant Maersk Warehouse

Posted on 5 May, 202331 July, 2025 by David Priestman

The unit which totals 602,000 sq ft was built by leading logistics developer GLP and is the largest and most sustainable logistics building in the North of England.

European Logistics Footprint Strenghtened

Posted on 4 May, 20237 August, 2025 by Keith McKinley

Hines, a global real estate investment, development, and property manager, has acquired five logistics assets across three separate transactions from different vendors throughout the UK, Spain, and The Netherlands on behalf of its Hines European Property Partners (HEPP) core-plus fund.

In the current macro-economic climate, investor appetite for high quality logistics assets remains healthy, backed by strong occupier demand and robust operating fundamentals. The locations of the assets are strong, with the majority of the assets in The Netherlands situated adjacent to Schiphol Airport, the Spanish asset is five minutes from Terminal 2 at Aeropuerto Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat, and the UK asset is located in Warrington in an urban location, all benefiting from superior transportation links.

Consistent with Hines’ value-focused logistics acquisition strategy, in addition to the high-quality locations, the five assets are highly functional for the needs of their current and future occupiers and were acquired at an attractive capital value basis, reflective of the current market environment, and at a material discount to replacement cost. All of the assets are leased in their entirety, with a weighted average unexpired lease term of approximately 7.5 years.

Last year Hines completed approximately €1.4 billion of logistics transactions across Europe, and currently has approximately 744,000 square metres of logistics assets under construction throughout Europe including the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK, increasing its logistics assets under management and development in Europe to approximately €3.2 billion1.

Jorge Duarte, fund manager of HEPP at Hines, said: “These acquisitions reflect our value and income-focused logistics aggregation strategy to carefully pinpoint well located assets within Europe’s most dynamic regions, at attractive prices, particularly in the context of the current market environment. We remain focused on acquiring attractively priced income producing assets throughout Europe, which we can add value over time through proactive asset management and a focus on ESG.”

European Logistics Footprint Strenghtened

Posted on 4 May, 2023 by David Priestman

Hellmann Achieves Record Result

Posted on 4 May, 202331 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Hellmann Worldwide Logistics has concluded the 2022 financial year very successfully, continuing the company’s strong performance of recent years in the face of persistently challenging market conditions. Hellmann was able to increase its total sales by 24 % to EUR 5.0 billion (2021: EUR 4.1 billion) as well as shipment volumes, which grew significantly year-on-year to just under 20 million (2021: 18.1 million). At the EBIT line, Hellmann was able to achieve an increase of 31 % vs. the prior year, delivering an EBIT result of EUR 210.8 million (previous year: EUR 160.1 million). Thanks to the improved cash flow from operating activities of EUR 268.7 million, liquidity improved by a total of EUR 124.7 million despite a significant increase in investments.

Beyond its positive financial performance, Hellmann also successfully continued its strategic development last year. For example, even during continued market disruptions from the COVID pandemic and the war against Ukraine, the Group stuck to its digitalization strategy and invested significantly in digitalization of business processes and forward-looking technologies. Hellmann also made several acquisitions in support of further growth, such as the takeover of the joint venture in Peru and the acquisition of OptimNet, an overnight express provider operating in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The international growth course and the expansion of the Hellmann network also continued to show success: Having already expanded its business activities to Indonesia, the Philippines, Egypt, Oman and France since 2020, Hellmann also opened its own country organization in Switzerland last year to expand its product portfolio and its footprint into the Swiss market.

An important topic of the last year was the continued development of the company culture, particularly as regards the sustainable positioning the global family-owned Hellmann Group. With the guiding principle of ‘For the better. Together.’, a vision was defined that unites the global Hellmann FAMILY and shapes the daily behaviour of all employees. In a rapidly changing world, Hellmann is living up to its goal of assuming responsibility for its employees and customers and to contribute to overcoming the current social and ecological challenges.

“2022 was once again a challenging year in many respects: While the first half of the year continued to be characterized by capacity bottlenecks, particularly in the air- and sea freight sectors, demand for transport services declined significantly from the summer of 2022 onwards due to changes in consumer behaviour worldwide. This in turn led to overcapacity on global trade lanes in almost all product areas during the second half of the year and consequently lower freight rates. Despite these challenges, thanks to our strong global and regional teams and our solid network, we succeeded in offering our customers tailored logistics solutions throughout the year and were able to achieve another record result in 2022,” said Jens Wollesen, Chief Operating Officer, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics.

“The goal is to continue to expand our global competitive position across all product areas in the coming years. As such, we are planning further strategic acquisitions as well as sustainable investments in the modernization of our systems and processes,” added Martin Eberle, Chief Financial Officer, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics.

“Our vision for all of our actions in the years to come is “For the better. Together.” In this context, sustainability is of central importance. Together with and for our customers, employees, and partners, we are committed to further developing our sustainable logistics solutions,” emphasizes Reiner Heiken, Chief Executive Officer, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics.

Hellmann Achieves Record Result

Posted on 4 May, 2023 by David Priestman

Top 5 Supply Chain Implementation Risks

Posted on 4 May, 202331 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Smart factory operations can help supply chain leaders achieve many of their highest priorities, but the challenges are too often underestimated, according to research from Gartner, Inc. Successful smart factory initiatives require accompanying cultural and operational transformations that are slow by nature and in many cases will require entirely new organizational designs to integrate the new capabilities within the broader supply chain.

“Smart factory operations hold the allure of numerous benefits for supply chain leaders, from expanding lights out manufacturing capabilities to improving quality and solving labor challenges,” said Simon Jacobson, VP Analyst in Gartner’s Supply Chain Practice. “The potential for transformational benefits can also present the biggest pitfall, as organizations may rush into launching smart factory initiatives without a clear understanding of the extent of the challenges facing them.”

Gartner research has identified the five top risks to avoid when launching new smart factory initiatives:

1. Confusing factory optimization with business model transformation: The optimization benefits of a smart factory are confined to that single site. When smart factory initiatives are disconnected from the rest of the supply chain, the site level benefits can come at the expense of creating costly constraints elsewhere in the business. This risk can be mitigated by ensuring factory objectives are synchronized with supply chain operating models and enterprise digital ambitions, flexibility and automation opportunities.
2. Overlooking the scope of change management: New technology acquisition may be straightforward and relatively cheap. Underestimating the resulting changes to existing processes, integrations and new performance targets can drive up both cost and time. This risk can be managed in part by treating such changes as part of an enterprise-wide initiative that requires alignment between senior leadership and the utilization of continuous improvement teams to ensure initiatives are properly sequenced.
3. Underestimating the complexity of aligning and converging IT, OT and ET: Governance for smart factories is not just centered on plant-business connections but also on how IT, operational technology (OT) and engineering technology (ET) are managed. These three are inseparable, and their convergence and alignment are critical as production models change. To mitigate the complexity of this risk, supply chain leaders should familiarize themselves with alternative organizational models for IT/OT alignment and evolve governance and organizational structures in line with new production models.
4. Insufficient funding for upskilling, reskilling and talent development: Modernizing learning and development (L&D) programs to help associates learn, acquire and retain knowledge to acquiesce to new experiences is essential. So too is enabling employees to execute the work they are aligned to support through additional education and upskilling.
5. Narrowly focusing on a single use case and technology: As technology options increase and expand, too much focus on enabling technologies and the “art of the possible” can expose organizations to a significant IT backlog and technical debt. The environment is complicated by the fact that there is no single dominant technology or vendor that fulfils all smart factory requirements. Technology purchases must be balanced between strategic considerations such as the ability to scale, along with the pragmatic, such as planning appropriately for operational disruptions.

Experts to Discuss Key Supply Chain Technology Trends at the 2023 Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo in Barcelona, June 5-7

Attendees of the Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo in Barcelona can learn more in the session: “Eliminate Variability From Your Smart Factory Strategy” on Monday, June 5.
Gartner clients can learn more in: Innovation Insight for Smart Factory. Nonclients can learn more in: Supply Chain Technologies and Digital Transformation.

Gartner experts will discuss key issues facing the industry during Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo. The conference delivers the must-have insights, strategies and frameworks for CSCOs and supply chain leaders to drive impact within their organizations. Supply chain leaders will gather to gain a strategic view of the trends disrupting their business and the insights and frameworks they can use to prepare for disruption, enable digital transformation and build sustainability as a competitive advantage.

Top 5 Supply Chain Implementation Risks

Posted on 4 May, 2023 by David Priestman

Gartner research has identified the five top risks to avoid when launching new smart factory initiatives:

Experts to Discuss Key Supply Chain Technology Trends at the 2023 Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo in Barcelona, June 5-7

New Air Freight Connection: China-Bournemouth

Posted on 4 May, 202331 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Bournemouth Airport’s Cargo First air freight business is celebrating the start of a new regular service between China and Bournemouth as part of a strategic partnership to grow the airport’s cargo operation.

Shenzhen Sharing Express Logistic-Tech Ltd (SSELT) has launched the first all-cargo route between Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU) in China and Bournemouth Airport (BOH) in the United Kingdom, further enhancing its comprehensive logistics solutions for cross-border e-commerce sellers.

The new service is operated by Bournemouth-based European Cargo using its fleet of all-cargo A-340 wide-bodied freighters, each with a capacity of 70 tonnes. Initially, there are three flights per week, with plans to gradually increase the frequency to five flights per week in the future as SSELT strengthens its global network.

The new route has received support from the China Council for the Promotion of National Trade and China Post, bolstering international connectivity for the Chengdu region and offering a fast and reliable solution for south west China’s cross-border e-commerce sellers to reach the UK market. SSELT is also targeting UK exporters on return legs, supporting the flow of UK goods to the China market.

The route is further evidence of Bournemouth’s growing status as a strategic freight hub. It is the only unconstrained airport in Southern England and Cargo First’s One Team approach means it controls every aspect of the process, airside and landslide. Combined with being just 90 minutes from London, it means shipments can get to customer warehouses in half the time of going through a London hub airport.

Bournemouth Airport managing director Steve Gill, said: “We’re delighted that Cargo First is part of this strategic partnership with SSELT and European Cargo, offering a fast and efficient route for cross border e-commerce into the UK. Together we can save customers a lot of time in a time-sensitive market. That’s a huge selling point, and one that we are taking to Air Cargo Europe next week. [May 9-10]

“Working with European Cargo we’ve proven Bournemouth as a viable alternative gateway to London and the South East for commercial air cargo. Cross border e-commerce continues to experience strong growth and we are seeing a lot of providers like SSELT scouting for alternatives to the London hubs because they want airports that can handle that growth into the future.”

European Cargo’s chief executive David Kerr said: “We have extensive experience of the China market and this new route from Chengu to Bournemouth establishes an exciting new trade corridor that ensures the timely delivery of e-commerce goods from south west China to UK consumers. It also creates significant opportunities for UK exports back to China and is among a range of potential routes that we are looking to grow.”

For European Cargo the new route is also a proving ground for its fleet of all-cargo Airbus A340 long haul freighters that it has been converting with a bespoke in-cabin pod containment system to add to belly capacity. It expects up to six conversions this year with a further pipeline in 2024, making it the largest UK-based wide-bodied carrier. In the last few months the freighters have received certification from both EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) and the Civil Aviation Authority in the UK.

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