20 November, 2023

DHL Transitions Fuelling from Diesel to HVO

Posted on 20 November, 2023 by David Priestman

DHL Supply Chain has announced the acceleration of its UK road transport decarbonisation strategy. In addition to investments already made in deploying vehicles running on biogas and electric vehicles, hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) fuel is now actively being rolled out across the majority of its on-site fuelling stations throughout the UK, enabling DHL to assess operational processes and the performance of the fuel. With installation scheduled for completion by the end of the year, transitioning to HVO fuel will deliver 80-90% carbon savings compared to diesel; with an estimated total of 15,000 tonnes of CO2e savings being expected to be delivered.

Produced from biomass such as used cooking oils and waste from food manufacture, HVO is a drop-in fuel, meaning it can be used within existing vehicles without compromising operational performance; removing the need for new infrastructure or fleet.

Saul Resnick, CEO, DHL Supply Chain UK & Ireland said, “The installation of HVO fuel across our bunkered sites represents a critical moment in our multi-fuel decarbonisation strategy. HVO improves our service to customers by introducing a low-carbon renewable alternative fuel with minimal disruption. As an industry leader, we are rolling out HVO at scale and with impressive pace, to deliver immediate and substantial carbon savings while we continue to work towards viable zero-emission alternatives. We are extending an invitation to our customers to join us on this transformative journey, and actively collaborate with us in adopting these greener alternatives, we can provide them with a powerful tool to make their supply chains greener.”

More than six million litres of HVO fuel will be rolled out within DHL’s on-site fuelling stations this year, replacing diesel in 20 locations across the UK. In 2024, the business plans to install additional fuel bunkers across its network, increasing its use of HVO fuel to over 24 million litres, and with the effect of a full year, the carbon savings impact will be even greater.

The roll-out of HVO fuel in the UK brings to life DHL’s recently announced Green Transport Policy, a global standard on the most suitable green alternative per market. The Policy comes with an investment of around 200 million euros in alternative technologies and fuels to reduce close to 300,000 tons of CO2 emissions in the next three years in partnership with customers.

DHL Transitions Fuelling from Diesel to HVO

Posted on 20 November, 20237 August, 2025 by David Priestman

Brita Optimizing Supply Chain Process with Kinaxis

Posted on 20 November, 2023 by David Priestman

BRITA SE, a German water filtration company, has selected Kinaxis® Inc. (TSX: KXS), a leading supply chain management platform, to bring concurrent planning to its supply chain. Founded in 1966, BRITA SE invented the household water filter jug and now develops, produces, and distributes a wide range of water products for both private and commercial uses.

Recently, the company experienced significant growth, which added pressure to its demand planning and operations. With Kinaxis, BRITA SE will achieve end-to-end transparency into the entire supply chain and improved demand planning capabilities to adapt and respond to any demand changes, faster and with more accuracy.

“BRITA has continued to grow, both in our number of business segments as well as our geographical reach, so being able to understand how disruption in one area could affect the entirety of our supply chain immediately is invaluable,” said Oliver Schilling, Group Director Supply Chain Management at BRITA SE. “We’re committed to the highest standards of customer service and to our growing business, with the help of both Kinaxis and 4flow.”

With RapidResponse® BRITA SE will be able to run multiple scenarios simultaneously, giving its planners the flexibility to react to changes in demand and market volatility. Having these insights will allow BRITA to make the smartest decisions for its supply chain, faster.

“Supply chains, at their core, exist to serve humanity. BRITA provides people all around the world with filtration products providing their customers with filtered water, reducing the need for plastic water bottles,” said Claire Rychlewski, executive vice president of global field sales at Kinaxis. “We’re excited to help BRITA transform their supply chain and find resiliency, and to help them better serve humanity.”

For the implementation of RapidResponse, BRITA SE will work with 4flow, a global leader in supply chain optimization services and partner of Kinaxis to support the digitization of the supply chain.
“With our deep understanding of global supply chains and the associated IT infrastructures, we are able to support customers in partnership with Kinaxis, accelerate decision-making and break down silos,” said Dr. Marc Schleyer, Partner at 4flow and Head of Digital Practice. “We’re excited to help BRITA with a successful implementation and ensure a sustainable transformation of supply chain operations.”

Brita Optimizing Supply Chain Process with Kinaxis

Posted on 20 November, 202329 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Gripping Innovation for Robotic Piece Picking

Posted on 20 November, 202329 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Movu Robotics, supplier for designing, developing, and implementing innovative and easier warehouse automation solutions, announces the launch of the innovative Movu eligo robot picking arm.

A fully integrated robotic bin picking solution, developed in close collaboration with Righthand Robotics, Movu eligo can automatically piece-pick from a single-SKU source bin and place the individual items into multiple mixed-SKU destination bins. Developed to close the gap between manual and fully automatic pick operation, Movu eligo provides warehouse operators with a huge step forward in order picking. It also provides a solution for labour shortage issues, with a robot that can work through inconvenient work hours at reduced cost but with higher pick accuracy and quality. Other key benefits include:

• Reliable and effective robotic picking of up to 600 items per hour at any time;
• Enabling the picking and placing of a wide variety of SKUs;
• Providing a unique plug and play sub-system that is integrated with the Movu escala bin shuttle, resulting in an innovative end-to-end automated solution from storage to picking;
• Easy way to automatically pick SKUs that are suited for robotic picking, store the bins and then finish the order with a manual pick when the time is convenient
• Reduced cost per pick, resulting in a strong Return on Investment (ROI).

Provided with seamless integration as a pick station option for the Movu escala bin shuttle, the Movu eligo combines advanced software with intelligent grippers and machine vision to ensure reliable throughput. Gently grasping an item from a bin retrieved from the escala while picking, the robot then places the item in a delivery bin. Providing feedback on grasp success, the intelligent grippers ensure an accuracy of 100%. In addition to a low gripping failure rate the Movu eligo reduces the number of manual ‘touches’ required for order fulfilment or replenishment and can reach a pick success rate greater than 99%.

Able to achieve 600 picks per hour, depending on the specific implementation, the robot can pick goods up to 2 kg and with dimensions of 1 cm minimum to a maximum of 30 cm. Being completely product agnostic gives it the flexibility to handle changing product mixes.

The robot arm stands 2.2 metres high and has an operating radius of 1.3 metres. A safety interface makes robotic work cells safe when human interaction is required.

Driven by software, the system leverages machine learning to continuously improve picking. Movu eligo runs on a plug-and-play Application Programming Interface (API) which integrates directly with the Movu escala bin storage solution. This user-friendly complete solution allows the seamless integration of robotic and manual picking operation for maximum efficiency. Movu escala interacts with overlying Warehouse Management Software (WMS), Warehouse Control Software (WCS) and Warehouse Execution Software (WES) as needed to mission the piece picking operations. By planning tasks for the robot such as robot arm movements around the source and destination bin exchange phases, the software optimises pick cycle times to maximise throughput.

Real-time operational data is presented to staff stationed away from the active systems to resolve exceptions quickly and efficiently. Performance dashboards enable warehouse operations to visualise current and historical data. Available with full 24/7 support, the Movu eligo allows customers, particularly those involved in pharmaceuticals, apparel, e-commerce, manufacturing and kitting, to realise the benefits of reliable robotic piece-picking without worrying about integrating all the elements.

Stefan Pieters, CEO of Movu Robotics, commented: “Movu eligo is the next level for Movu Robotics to offer innovative and easier Automation solutions to our customer. It is a data-driven, intelligent piece picking platform unlike any other. Automating the conventionally manual operation or piece picking results in a lower cost per pick, leading to a strong return on investment. Integrated seamlessly as a work station for the Movu escala bin storage system, eligo offers a flexible and scalable automation solution for predictable and accurate order fulfilment, adding value for warehouses pursuing improvements in efficiency, productivity and customer service levels.”

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