Logistics Provider Merges with eCommerce Arm

DG International has announced that it will merge with its eCommerce specialist arm, Pro Carrier, from this month. DG International will cease to operate under its separate brand and will move forward under the Pro Carrier name.

The integration of the two brands will streamline operations, bringing DG International’s expertise in global transportation options across land, sea and air and Pro Carrier’s eCommerce offering under one umbrella.

The company’s innovative Horizon platform, an easy-to-navigate, user-friendly system that shows the status of a customer’s shipment every step of the way, was instrumental in the organisation’s decision to merge under the Pro Carrier brand. The rebrand will allow customers to view the exact status of their deliveries in real-time across both freight and parcel shipments, under one login.

Ryan Lucas, CEO of Pro Carrier, said: “The synergy between the two brands made it clear that merging should be the next step in our growth plan. We are excited about the opportunities ahead as we operate under the Pro Carrier name, expanding its services with our reliable and competitive international freight offering. The fantastic growth we have experienced across both brands in 2023 has led to a renewed vigour to offer a more streamlined service to our customers, so we can maintain our reputation for excellence.”

During the rebrand, existing contracts, services, and relationships with the company will continue unaffected, the only key difference for DG International customers and suppliers being the brand name being phased out to operate under Pro Carrier.

Pro Carrier’s easy-to-navigate website will be refreshed with an updated look and feel, to include DG International’s offering. The current website for DG International will become inactive, with all content and mechanisms transferred. Likewise, the current social media channels for DG International will no longer be updated, with all future news about the company’s freight offering coming from Pro Carrier’s LinkedIn channel.

Logistics Provider Merges with eCommerce Arm

DG International has announced that it will merge with its eCommerce specialist arm, Pro Carrier, from this month. DG International will cease to operate under its separate brand and will move forward under the Pro Carrier name.

The integration of the two brands will streamline operations, bringing DG International’s expertise in global transportation options across land, sea and air and Pro Carrier’s eCommerce offering under one umbrella.

The company’s innovative Horizon platform, an easy-to-navigate, user-friendly system that shows the status of a customer’s shipment every step of the way, was instrumental in the organisation’s decision to merge under the Pro Carrier brand. The rebrand will allow customers to view the exact status of their deliveries in real-time across both freight and parcel shipments, under one login.

Ryan Lucas, CEO of Pro Carrier, said: “The synergy between the two brands made it clear that merging should be the next step in our growth plan. We are excited about the opportunities ahead as we operate under the Pro Carrier name, expanding its services with our reliable and competitive international freight offering. The fantastic growth we have experienced across both brands in 2023 has led to a renewed vigour to offer a more streamlined service to our customers, so we can maintain our reputation for excellence.”

During the rebrand, existing contracts, services, and relationships with the company will continue unaffected, the only key difference for DG International customers and suppliers being the brand name being phased out to operate under Pro Carrier.

Pro Carrier’s easy-to-navigate website will be refreshed with an updated look and feel, to include DG International’s offering. The current website for DG International will become inactive, with all content and mechanisms transferred. Likewise, the current social media channels for DG International will no longer be updated, with all future news about the company’s freight offering coming from Pro Carrier’s LinkedIn channel.

Joloda Hydraroll Acquires Actiw Loading Solutions

Joloda Hydraroll Ltd, global loading and unloading solutions specialist, has today announced its acquisition of Actiw Oy. Based in Finland, Actiw is a leading provider of automated loading solutions for the unmodified trailer market.

The acquisition is an important milestone in Jolodas Hydraroll’s growth strategy to increase global market presence by expanding its suite of loading and unloading solutions. The Actiw product portfolio complements that of Joloda Hydraroll’s, enabling the company to address unique requirements and maximise return on investment for more businesses around the world.

Automated loading and unloading solutions add considerable benefits to logistics operations, from reducing accidents and product damage to optimising loading and unloading times, warehouse space, and costs, all while making processes more sustainable and safer.

However, within specific sectors and markets, such as the FMCG sector in Europe and America, trailers can travel exceptionally long distances between factory and warehouse facilities without unloading. Additionally, in this scenario, it might not be possible to ensure a dock at both ends of the journey that is compatible with a trailer modified for automated loading and unloading.

By combining expertise, Joloda Hydraroll can now support these businesses with a range of unmodified trailer loading solutions that remove the need for dedicated trailer fleets. These include:
• The LoadPlate® – a semi-automated loading solution for containers and regular, non-modified trucks to transport metal, timber, and complex cargo.

• The LoadMatic® – a fully-automated loading solution for regular, non-modified trucks and containers to transport either palletised or palletless industrial goods.

In addition, the pooled resources and talent of both companies present opportunities to bring more operations in-house, which will result in increased efficiency and cost-effectiveness for customers.
Michele Dematteis, CEO at Joloda Hydraroll, said: “We are delighted to welcome Actiw to Joloda Hydraroll. This strategic move aligns perfectly with our growth objectives and commitment to helping more customers worldwide solve their specific loading and unloading challenges.

“With a broader offering of loading solutions – from the Joloda Hydraroll Skate & Track System that started it all in 1962, to fully fledged automated solutions, and everything in between – this acquisition stands to benefit prospects, clients, and stakeholders of both businesses. Together, we strengthen our position as a one-stop-shop partner who can design, manufacture, install, and maintain specialist loading systems that integrate seamlessly with our customers’ operations and provide significant, long-term benefits.”

Tomi Korhonen, CEO at Actiw, added: “Much like Joloda Hydraroll, our mission is to help customers solve their loading challenges and emerge as the frontrunners in their respective industries. Together, our solutions will extend support to a broader range of businesses, while our collective expertise will drive our future innovations even further. We look forward to an interesting and exciting future ahead.”

Throughout the transition, Joloda Hydraroll is committed to ensuring a smooth unification of the two businesses and uninterrupted service for all customers, partners, and stakeholders.

Joloda Hydraroll Acquires Actiw Loading Solutions

Joloda Hydraroll Ltd, global loading and unloading solutions specialist, has today announced its acquisition of Actiw Oy. Based in Finland, Actiw is a leading provider of automated loading solutions for the unmodified trailer market.

The acquisition is an important milestone in Jolodas Hydraroll’s growth strategy to increase global market presence by expanding its suite of loading and unloading solutions. The Actiw product portfolio complements that of Joloda Hydraroll’s, enabling the company to address unique requirements and maximise return on investment for more businesses around the world.

Automated loading and unloading solutions add considerable benefits to logistics operations, from reducing accidents and product damage to optimising loading and unloading times, warehouse space, and costs, all while making processes more sustainable and safer.

However, within specific sectors and markets, such as the FMCG sector in Europe and America, trailers can travel exceptionally long distances between factory and warehouse facilities without unloading. Additionally, in this scenario, it might not be possible to ensure a dock at both ends of the journey that is compatible with a trailer modified for automated loading and unloading.

By combining expertise, Joloda Hydraroll can now support these businesses with a range of unmodified trailer loading solutions that remove the need for dedicated trailer fleets. These include:
• The LoadPlate® – a semi-automated loading solution for containers and regular, non-modified trucks to transport metal, timber, and complex cargo.

• The LoadMatic® – a fully-automated loading solution for regular, non-modified trucks and containers to transport either palletised or palletless industrial goods.

In addition, the pooled resources and talent of both companies present opportunities to bring more operations in-house, which will result in increased efficiency and cost-effectiveness for customers.
Michele Dematteis, CEO at Joloda Hydraroll, said: “We are delighted to welcome Actiw to Joloda Hydraroll. This strategic move aligns perfectly with our growth objectives and commitment to helping more customers worldwide solve their specific loading and unloading challenges.

“With a broader offering of loading solutions – from the Joloda Hydraroll Skate & Track System that started it all in 1962, to fully fledged automated solutions, and everything in between – this acquisition stands to benefit prospects, clients, and stakeholders of both businesses. Together, we strengthen our position as a one-stop-shop partner who can design, manufacture, install, and maintain specialist loading systems that integrate seamlessly with our customers’ operations and provide significant, long-term benefits.”

Tomi Korhonen, CEO at Actiw, added: “Much like Joloda Hydraroll, our mission is to help customers solve their loading challenges and emerge as the frontrunners in their respective industries. Together, our solutions will extend support to a broader range of businesses, while our collective expertise will drive our future innovations even further. We look forward to an interesting and exciting future ahead.”

Throughout the transition, Joloda Hydraroll is committed to ensuring a smooth unification of the two businesses and uninterrupted service for all customers, partners, and stakeholders.

Commercial Fleets Recognise Threat to Drivers

There has been a steep rise in incidents of aggression and harassment towards commercial fleet drivers from both opportunistic thieves and members of the public in the past 12 months, in the opinion of leading fleet, health and safety, and technology specialists at a recent event organised by SureCam and PeopleSafe to discuss driver safeguarding and lone worker protection.

“We are seeing significantly more risk associated with working alone and in isolated areas, with London a particular hotspot for our fleet drivers,” explained Lee Jackson, Group Head of Plant & Transport and Board Director at Association of Fleet Professionals. “Incidents are occurring on a frequent basis, especially during the darker months, as opportunist thieves target vehicles and advanced equipment used by our mobile team. We are constantly looking at ways to deter this threat, undertake risk assessments, and ultimately put in place processes to minimise the dangers to our people.”

However, it is not just the threat from thieves that is on the increase, with growing aggression towards fleet drivers who are simply going about their daily routine. According to Mark Ryder, Chief Commercial Officer of Peoplesafe: “We are experiencing a greater volume of raised alerts to our alarm receiving centre. Post pandemic we have seen a real change in people’s tolerance to other road users, which has resulted in a major increase in road rage. This lack of patience and understanding can lead to verbal and physical harassment for perceived disruption where vehicles are making a delivery or simply manoeuvring.”

Philip Read, Head of Safety, Health, Risk & Resilience at G4S added: “While serious incidents within our health and patient transport services, as well as elsewhere in the business, are often sporadic, they are on the rise and can represent a significant threat to our drivers and passengers. The safety of our staff and patients is paramount, and with many of our drivers single-crewed and working autonomously, so are challenge is how we address this issue and provide the level of lone worker protection needed?”

The expert panel considered what cultural and organisational shifts were occurring within the fleet sector to foster a safer work environment for lone workers. Measuring risk to identify areas of weakness and the threats that exist was pinpointed as critical when creating an effective mitigation plan. It was clear from the discussions that communication and engagement was a key part of this process to share information and experiences, with back to the floor and ride along sessions, hazard reporting, safety tours and training all mentioned as effective tools.

In response to the situation, commercial fleets are also looking at how technology can help safeguard drivers that are working alone, out of hours and in remote locations, said Sam Footer, Director of Partnerships at SureCam. “Employee safety and wellbeing has come to the fore in recent years – particularly in fleet sectors such as logistics, utilities, highways and construction – and many businesses acknowledge that they need more robust processes to support their mobile teams both in and outside the vehicle. Every organisation has different needs to address, but what is consistent is the demand for an affordable, easy to implement and simple to use technology solution, underpinned by a clear driver protection strategy.”

There was a consensus that cutting-edge technology, such as dash cameras integrated with personal safety apps, had a major role to play in ensuring fleet drivers received the protection needed. “We need to allow fleet drivers to do their job without risk or being threatened, and by giving them this added support, it will contribute to them feeling less vulnerable and more confident,” concludes Jackson.

Commercial Fleets Recognise Threat to Drivers

There has been a steep rise in incidents of aggression and harassment towards commercial fleet drivers from both opportunistic thieves and members of the public in the past 12 months, in the opinion of leading fleet, health and safety, and technology specialists at a recent event organised by SureCam and PeopleSafe to discuss driver safeguarding and lone worker protection.

“We are seeing significantly more risk associated with working alone and in isolated areas, with London a particular hotspot for our fleet drivers,” explained Lee Jackson, Group Head of Plant & Transport and Board Director at Association of Fleet Professionals. “Incidents are occurring on a frequent basis, especially during the darker months, as opportunist thieves target vehicles and advanced equipment used by our mobile team. We are constantly looking at ways to deter this threat, undertake risk assessments, and ultimately put in place processes to minimise the dangers to our people.”

However, it is not just the threat from thieves that is on the increase, with growing aggression towards fleet drivers who are simply going about their daily routine. According to Mark Ryder, Chief Commercial Officer of Peoplesafe: “We are experiencing a greater volume of raised alerts to our alarm receiving centre. Post pandemic we have seen a real change in people’s tolerance to other road users, which has resulted in a major increase in road rage. This lack of patience and understanding can lead to verbal and physical harassment for perceived disruption where vehicles are making a delivery or simply manoeuvring.”

Philip Read, Head of Safety, Health, Risk & Resilience at G4S added: “While serious incidents within our health and patient transport services, as well as elsewhere in the business, are often sporadic, they are on the rise and can represent a significant threat to our drivers and passengers. The safety of our staff and patients is paramount, and with many of our drivers single-crewed and working autonomously, so are challenge is how we address this issue and provide the level of lone worker protection needed?”

The expert panel considered what cultural and organisational shifts were occurring within the fleet sector to foster a safer work environment for lone workers. Measuring risk to identify areas of weakness and the threats that exist was pinpointed as critical when creating an effective mitigation plan. It was clear from the discussions that communication and engagement was a key part of this process to share information and experiences, with back to the floor and ride along sessions, hazard reporting, safety tours and training all mentioned as effective tools.

In response to the situation, commercial fleets are also looking at how technology can help safeguard drivers that are working alone, out of hours and in remote locations, said Sam Footer, Director of Partnerships at SureCam. “Employee safety and wellbeing has come to the fore in recent years – particularly in fleet sectors such as logistics, utilities, highways and construction – and many businesses acknowledge that they need more robust processes to support their mobile teams both in and outside the vehicle. Every organisation has different needs to address, but what is consistent is the demand for an affordable, easy to implement and simple to use technology solution, underpinned by a clear driver protection strategy.”

There was a consensus that cutting-edge technology, such as dash cameras integrated with personal safety apps, had a major role to play in ensuring fleet drivers received the protection needed. “We need to allow fleet drivers to do their job without risk or being threatened, and by giving them this added support, it will contribute to them feeling less vulnerable and more confident,” concludes Jackson.

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