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Day: 4 October 2023

Port of Felixstowe Deepening Complete

Posted on by David Priestman

The main approach channel and Berths 8&9 at Hutchison Ports’ Port of Felixstowe have been deepened to improve access for the world’s largest container ships.

The announcement was formally made today (4 October 2023) during the maiden call at the port of its namesake the OOCL Felixstowe, the latest in a series of 24,188 TEU mega container vessels operated by Orient Overseas Container Line Ltd. (“OOCL”).

The depth of the approach channel has been increased from 14.5 metres to 16 metres and Berths 8&9 increased from 16 metres to 18 metres below chart datum.

Commenting on the improvements, Robert Ashton, Chief Operating Officer of the Port of Felixstowe, said:
“The completion of this major dredging project reinforces Felixstowe’s position as one of Europe’s leading ports for the latest generation of mega vessels. It provides levels of access that are unequalled anywhere else in the UK. The dredge increases the maximum size of vessel we can handle, the berthing windows for the biggest vessels and the number of ultra-large vessels that can enter or leave the port on each high tide. Most importantly, it provides more flexibility and certainty of service for our customers in an industry where delays can be costly.

“It is entirely appropriate that the OOCL Felixstowe is one of the first ships to benefit from the deeper channel. The port has a very long-standing relationship with OOCL who first called here in the 1970s and we are honoured that they still entrust us with their business and have named their newest vessel after the port. It illustrates perfectly how we have developed together and both remain at the forefront of container shipping.”

The port’s Berths 6&7 were upgraded in 2022 to provide four berths capable of handling vessels of over 20,000 TEU capacity. The main navigation channel is managed by Harwich Haven Authority who appointed a joint venture of Dutch dredging contractors Royal Boskalis Westminster and Van Oord to undertake the £130m project.

Sarah West, Chief Executive of Harwich Haven Authority, said:
“The project to deepen the approach channel has been a significant financial investment by the Authority to ensure this vital UK gateway remains competitive and further safeguards the UK’s position as a major trading nation. The increased depth of the navigation channel together with the additional deep-water berths provides a compelling proposition for existing and future customers using the Port of Felixstowe. Extensive environmental studies were undertaken before any work could begin and we are pleased that, working with beneficial partners that include the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, we have been able to deliver – on time and to budget – a project that not only helps future-proof trade coming into the harbour but that also delivers significant environmental benefits.”

Paul Hesk, spokesperson for the Royal Boskalis Westminster – Van Oord joint venture, added: “We are proud to have successfully delivered this important project. Over 22 months we have used more than 20 different vessels to remove over 17.1 million cubic metres of material from the channel to improve access for some of the largest ships to be found anywhere in the world.”

Port of Felixstowe Deepening Complete

Posted on by Keith McKinley

The main approach channel and Berths 8&9 at Hutchison Ports’ Port of Felixstowe have been deepened to improve access for the world’s largest container ships.

The announcement was formally made today (4 October 2023) during the maiden call at the port of its namesake the OOCL Felixstowe, the latest in a series of 24,188 TEU mega container vessels operated by Orient Overseas Container Line Ltd. (“OOCL”).

The depth of the approach channel has been increased from 14.5 metres to 16 metres and Berths 8&9 increased from 16 metres to 18 metres below chart datum.

Commenting on the improvements, Robert Ashton, Chief Operating Officer of the Port of Felixstowe, said:
“The completion of this major dredging project reinforces Felixstowe’s position as one of Europe’s leading ports for the latest generation of mega vessels. It provides levels of access that are unequalled anywhere else in the UK. The dredge increases the maximum size of vessel we can handle, the berthing windows for the biggest vessels and the number of ultra-large vessels that can enter or leave the port on each high tide. Most importantly, it provides more flexibility and certainty of service for our customers in an industry where delays can be costly.

“It is entirely appropriate that the OOCL Felixstowe is one of the first ships to benefit from the deeper channel. The port has a very long-standing relationship with OOCL who first called here in the 1970s and we are honoured that they still entrust us with their business and have named their newest vessel after the port. It illustrates perfectly how we have developed together and both remain at the forefront of container shipping.”

The port’s Berths 6&7 were upgraded in 2022 to provide four berths capable of handling vessels of over 20,000 TEU capacity. The main navigation channel is managed by Harwich Haven Authority who appointed a joint venture of Dutch dredging contractors Royal Boskalis Westminster and Van Oord to undertake the £130m project.

Sarah West, Chief Executive of Harwich Haven Authority, said:
“The project to deepen the approach channel has been a significant financial investment by the Authority to ensure this vital UK gateway remains competitive and further safeguards the UK’s position as a major trading nation. The increased depth of the navigation channel together with the additional deep-water berths provides a compelling proposition for existing and future customers using the Port of Felixstowe. Extensive environmental studies were undertaken before any work could begin and we are pleased that, working with beneficial partners that include the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, we have been able to deliver – on time and to budget – a project that not only helps future-proof trade coming into the harbour but that also delivers significant environmental benefits.”

Paul Hesk, spokesperson for the Royal Boskalis Westminster – Van Oord joint venture, added: “We are proud to have successfully delivered this important project. Over 22 months we have used more than 20 different vessels to remove over 17.1 million cubic metres of material from the channel to improve access for some of the largest ships to be found anywhere in the world.”

Webinar: Supply Chain Management

Posted on by David Priestman

The latest Webinar from Logistics Business, brought to you by Kinaxis, is available to watch here free. Entitled “Supply Chain Management: Striking a Balance between Speed and Accuracy”, Editor Peter MacLeod talks to Matt Spooner, Industry Thought Leader at Kinaxis, about how with the right tools and expertise, businesses can optimise both supply chain agility and accuracy.

Bringing together the seemingly disparate worlds of cycling and supply chain management, Spooner provides insight and practical know-how. They talk about balancing supply chain accuracy and agility, learning, surprisingly, what this has in common with cycling.

The use of AI and data optimisation played a part in Spooner’s ‘ultra bike’ event – what was the importance of this and what were its limits?

Webinar: Supply Chain Management

Kinaxis is transitioning from supply chain planning to a supply chain management organisation business – what is supply chain management and what does it mean? Watch it now here.

Watch any of our Webinars here.

read more

Webinar: Digital Transformation to Optimise Transport Operations

 

Webinar: Supply Chain Management

Posted on by Keith McKinley

The latest Webinar from Logistics Business, brought to you by Kinaxis, is available to watch here free. Entitled “Supply Chain Management: Striking a Balance between Speed and Accuracy”, Editor Peter MacLeod talks to Matt Spooner, Industry Thought Leader at Kinaxis, about how with the right tools and expertise, businesses can optimise both supply chain agility and accuracy.

Bringing together the seemingly disparate worlds of cycling and supply chain management, Spooner provides insight and practical know-how. They talk about balancing supply chain accuracy and agility, learning, surprisingly, what this has in common with cycling.

The use of AI and data optimisation played a part in Spooner’s ‘ultra bike’ event – what was the importance of this and what were its limits?

Webinar: Supply Chain Management

Kinaxis is transitioning from supply chain planning to a supply chain management organisation business – what is supply chain management and what does it mean? Watch it now here.

Watch any of our Webinars here.

read more

Webinar: Digital Transformation to Optimise Transport Operations

 

Battery Economy & Safety: Li-Ion vs Lead-Acid

Posted on by David Priestman

Automated internal logistics platforms, including automated guided vehicles (AGVs), autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), and cleaning machines, are powered by an internal power source. This power source could be a lead-acid or lithium-ion battery. Both offer different performance, but they also have significant differences in terms of economy and safety.

There is no single li-ion battery type. Instead, there are several different chemistry types, each of which significantly impacts key characteristics.

Lithium-ion batteries generally come in three types, divided by their chemistry: NMC (nickel manganese cobalt oxides), NCA (nickel cobalt aluminium oxides), and LFP (iron phosphate).
On the other hand, lead-acid batteries differ in electrolyte carrier and construction. The main types of lead-acid batteries are valve regulated lead-acid (VRLA), absorbent glass mat (AGM), and gel battery (GEL).

Safety Differences Between Li-Ion and Lead-Acid

Li-ion batteries are equipped with a battery management system (BMS). This protects the battery against overvoltage and overcurrent, both of which would otherwise represent a fire hazard.
What’s more, the typical li-ion battery is double protected. The BMS monitors the current in real time, but there is also a fuse or self-control protector (SCP). Both are crucial to the safety of li-ion batteries.

Lead-acid batteries do not have a BMS, meaning that they’re solely protected by the charger. While exceeding the maximum voltage isn’t as dangerous as it would be in a li-ion battery, it can still result in the destruction of the battery. A fuse protects them from short circuits, but overcurrent protection must come from the application. What’s more, lead-acid batteries can release hydrogen while charging, meaning that they should be charged in a specific area where they can be monitored. This is not the case with li-ion batteries.

Cost Differences Between Li-Ion and Lead-Acid

The life cycle of li-ion batteries is typically longer than those of lead-acid batteries. Due to their low durability, lead-acid batteries generally only last around 500 shallow cycles, and even fewer deep cycles.

On the other hand, an LFP battery can easily cope with 2,000 cycles or more. NMC batteries offer fewer cycles, but you should still expect around 1,000 cycles. Also, the BMS in a li-ion battery will be able to monitor battery health and inform the user when a change is required. So, while a li-ion battery might have a higher initial cost, the savings over the lifespan of the batteries makes li-ion the more affordable choice for many.

Li-Ion or Lead-Acid?

Choosing which battery is best for your specific application is usually simple: li-ion batteries win in almost all areas. Li-ion batteries offer exceptional levels of safety, plus they also cost less in the long term – although the initial outlay will be higher. What’s more, li-ion batteries are more convenient, as they require less charging and replacing.

To re-cap main differences between lead-acid and high quality li-ion batteries:

As shown above, in most areas switching to li-ion provides clear advantages without compromising safety, providing high quality batteries are used. To achieve ~24V in typical battery size, two lead-acid batteries must be connected in series. Let’s analyse a simple example looking at products available on the market, comparing a 12V 50Ah lead-acid battery with a Johnson Matthey Battery Systems 21.8V li-ion battery:

Johnson Matthey Battery Systems is a leading producer of lithium-ion batteries for AGVs, AMRs, and cleaning machines. The company provides a range of li-ion options, tailored to the specific needs of the customer, all built in Europe using high-quality components and guaranteed to have exceptional performance. A European manufacturer, with a comprehensive range of services, including testing and validation, all provided under one roof. In-house laboratories allow Johnson Matthey to offer customers advanced and cost-effective testing, along with battery certification.

TGW’s New Stingray Shuttles

Posted on by David Priestman

With covers made from locally sourced wood, the new generation of Stingray shuttle saves 25 tonnes of plastic per year. This is a step towards more sustainable, efficient, and reliable shuttles that transport totes, cartons, trays or hanging goods.

Thomas Gruber-Blanka, Director of Product Management at TGW, emphasises the impact of the new shuttles: “The latest Stingray generation unites the highest performance and reliability with energy-saving operation and sustainable materials. Users benefit from an extremely short commissioning time thanks to the Plug & Play concept. Complete data transparency also allows for condition monitoring and predictive maintenance. Both help to optimally schedule maintenance and increase availability.”

Built-in energy-saving function

The new generation of Stingray saves a substantial amount of energy during the hundreds of accelerations and decelerations per day. The Stingray stores braking energy in power capacitors and then make it available to all vehicles on the same level for acceleration. This saves energy when accelerating. What’s more, all shuttle and tote lifts are equipped with a standard recuperation function channeling unused energy back into the power grid.

Up to 90% decrease in manual intervention and 10% higher system performance

The Stingray also performs automatic health checks, detects twisted totes and resolves the issue without human intervention. This way, manual interventions are reduced by up to 90% and maintenance effort by up to 75%.

Yet, the main strength of the shuttles lies in their maximum performance range, whether in order picking or order consolidation, across normal, refrigerated and deep-freeze settings. In addition, storage-driven applications with lower performance requirements can also be covered efficiently by applying roaming shuttle principle. With a throughput exceeding 1,500 load carriers per hour, the latest generation of shuttles is the most powerful in the world. Its performance is 10% higher than its predecessor. The individual Stingray vehicles are 20% faster, with a top speed of 5 m/s.

With an impressive number of over 20,000 shuttles in use worldwide, the Stingray has long been the solution for a seamless transportation of totes and cartons as well as of trays weighing up to 50kg. The Stingray HG (Hanging Garment) is a special variant designed for transporting hanging goods, such as dresses, coats or suits, on hangers. The introduction of the Stingray with wooden covers sets a new standard for performance, reliability, and sustainability within the material handling sector.

TGW Logistics Group is one of the leading international suppliers of material handling solutions. For more than 50 years, the Austrian specialist has implemented automated systems for its international customers, including brands from A as in Adidas to Z as in Zalando. As systems integrator, TGW plans, produces and implements complex logistics centres, from mechatronic products and robots to control systems and software. TGW Logistics Group has subsidiaries in Europe, China and the US and more than 4,400 employees worldwide. In the 2021/2022 business year, the company generated a total turnover of 924 million euros.

TGW’s New Stingray Shuttles

Posted on by David Priestman

With covers made from locally sourced wood, the new generation of Stingray shuttle saves 25 tonnes of plastic per year. This is a step towards more sustainable, efficient, and reliable shuttles that transport totes, cartons, trays or hanging goods.

Thomas Gruber-Blanka, Director of Product Management at TGW, emphasises the impact of the new shuttles: “The latest Stingray generation unites the highest performance and reliability with energy-saving operation and sustainable materials. Users benefit from an extremely short commissioning time thanks to the Plug & Play concept. Complete data transparency also allows for condition monitoring and predictive maintenance. Both help to optimally schedule maintenance and increase availability.”

Built-in energy-saving function

The new generation of Stingray saves a substantial amount of energy during the hundreds of accelerations and decelerations per day. The Stingray stores braking energy in power capacitors and then make it available to all vehicles on the same level for acceleration. This saves energy when accelerating. What’s more, all shuttle and tote lifts are equipped with a standard recuperation function channeling unused energy back into the power grid.

Up to 90% decrease in manual intervention and 10% higher system performance

The Stingray also performs automatic health checks, detects twisted totes and resolves the issue without human intervention. This way, manual interventions are reduced by up to 90% and maintenance effort by up to 75%.

Yet, the main strength of the shuttles lies in their maximum performance range, whether in order picking or order consolidation, across normal, refrigerated and deep-freeze settings. In addition, storage-driven applications with lower performance requirements can also be covered efficiently by applying roaming shuttle principle. With a throughput exceeding 1,500 load carriers per hour, the latest generation of shuttles is the most powerful in the world. Its performance is 10% higher than its predecessor. The individual Stingray vehicles are 20% faster, with a top speed of 5 m/s.

With an impressive number of over 20,000 shuttles in use worldwide, the Stingray has long been the solution for a seamless transportation of totes and cartons as well as of trays weighing up to 50kg. The Stingray HG (Hanging Garment) is a special variant designed for transporting hanging goods, such as dresses, coats or suits, on hangers. The introduction of the Stingray with wooden covers sets a new standard for performance, reliability, and sustainability within the material handling sector.

TGW Logistics Group is one of the leading international suppliers of material handling solutions. For more than 50 years, the Austrian specialist has implemented automated systems for its international customers, including brands from A as in Adidas to Z as in Zalando. As systems integrator, TGW plans, produces and implements complex logistics centres, from mechatronic products and robots to control systems and software. TGW Logistics Group has subsidiaries in Europe, China and the US and more than 4,400 employees worldwide. In the 2021/2022 business year, the company generated a total turnover of 924 million euros.

Innovative Solution for Türkiye’s Automotive Supply Chain

Posted on by David Priestman

Thousands of cars are now entering Türkiye after DP World Yarımca introduced an innovative ‘cars in containers’ shipping solution that has helped solve an automotive supply chain crisis in the region.

Congestion at Turkish ports has resulted in significant delays in delivering new vehicles against a backdrop of skyrocketing demand in the burgeoning automotive market. Türkiye recently experienced an auto sales boom with a record 110,000 vehicles sold in June which is a 37.5% year-on-year increase, according to data from Automotive Distributors and Mobility Association (ODMD).

With traditional importation and shipping solutions via ‘roll-on roll-off’ (RoRo) ships facing significant delays due to congestion at RoRo ports, car manufacturers were unable to make timely delivery on purchases. This left customers waiting significantly longer for their new cars and caused prices to inflate across both the new and used vehicle markets.

Using an alternative solution to help make more cars flow into the country more quickly, DP World began importing 10,000 vehicles by putting new SUVs from Chinese automaker Chery Automotive into containers. This meant the vehicle could be offloaded using traditional cranes at lift on lift off (LoLo) ports and did not require a specialised RoRo port or berth, resulting in a significantly more efficient and resilient route to market.

The solution became more feasible when DP World and Chery implemented a specially designed racking arrangement to increase capacity by loading three SUVs into each container instead of two, which helped to improve the cost efficiency of transporting vehicles from China to Türkiye and reduce the cost passed on to consumers. The feasibility of the solution also made Yarımca an important steppingstone for the shipment of Chery Automotive vehicles into the booming Turkish auto market.

With Chery keen to expand its presence in Europe, the cars in container solution is set to be a key part of how it will deliver vehicles to market.

Rashid Abdulla, CEO & Managing Director, DP World Europe said: “When we describe DP World to the outside world we often say we are a global smart trade enabler – this solution is an innovative example of what we mean by that. The automotive industry has experienced significant changes and supply chain challenges in the last few years globally, and in Türkiye that ranged from microchip to RoRo capacity shortages. I’m proud that our team could implement an alternative solution that helped to ease these challenges – and that we played a key role in the expansion of Chery Automotive into the Turkish market.”

Kris Adams, CEO of DP World Yarımca: “Our terminal at Yarimca, which has not traditionally moved vehicles, is now becoming a key hub for new vehicles entering the market. The new innovative solutions we have introduced will help Chery Automotive to establish itself as a significant supplier in this market and in neighbouring countries, offering economic benefits to Türkiye while also helping consumers get their new cars more quickly.”

DP World Yarımca provides seamless connectivity to its customers and partners with an annual handling capacity of 1.15 million TEUs.

Innovative Solution for Türkiye’s Automotive Supply Chain

Posted on by David Priestman

Thousands of cars are now entering Türkiye after DP World Yarımca introduced an innovative ‘cars in containers’ shipping solution that has helped solve an automotive supply chain crisis in the region.

Congestion at Turkish ports has resulted in significant delays in delivering new vehicles against a backdrop of skyrocketing demand in the burgeoning automotive market. Türkiye recently experienced an auto sales boom with a record 110,000 vehicles sold in June which is a 37.5% year-on-year increase, according to data from Automotive Distributors and Mobility Association (ODMD).

With traditional importation and shipping solutions via ‘roll-on roll-off’ (RoRo) ships facing significant delays due to congestion at RoRo ports, car manufacturers were unable to make timely delivery on purchases. This left customers waiting significantly longer for their new cars and caused prices to inflate across both the new and used vehicle markets.

Using an alternative solution to help make more cars flow into the country more quickly, DP World began importing 10,000 vehicles by putting new SUVs from Chinese automaker Chery Automotive into containers. This meant the vehicle could be offloaded using traditional cranes at lift on lift off (LoLo) ports and did not require a specialised RoRo port or berth, resulting in a significantly more efficient and resilient route to market.

The solution became more feasible when DP World and Chery implemented a specially designed racking arrangement to increase capacity by loading three SUVs into each container instead of two, which helped to improve the cost efficiency of transporting vehicles from China to Türkiye and reduce the cost passed on to consumers. The feasibility of the solution also made Yarımca an important steppingstone for the shipment of Chery Automotive vehicles into the booming Turkish auto market.

With Chery keen to expand its presence in Europe, the cars in container solution is set to be a key part of how it will deliver vehicles to market.

Rashid Abdulla, CEO & Managing Director, DP World Europe said: “When we describe DP World to the outside world we often say we are a global smart trade enabler – this solution is an innovative example of what we mean by that. The automotive industry has experienced significant changes and supply chain challenges in the last few years globally, and in Türkiye that ranged from microchip to RoRo capacity shortages. I’m proud that our team could implement an alternative solution that helped to ease these challenges – and that we played a key role in the expansion of Chery Automotive into the Turkish market.”

Kris Adams, CEO of DP World Yarımca: “Our terminal at Yarimca, which has not traditionally moved vehicles, is now becoming a key hub for new vehicles entering the market. The new innovative solutions we have introduced will help Chery Automotive to establish itself as a significant supplier in this market and in neighbouring countries, offering economic benefits to Türkiye while also helping consumers get their new cars more quickly.”

DP World Yarımca provides seamless connectivity to its customers and partners with an annual handling capacity of 1.15 million TEUs.

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