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AR Racking appoints new MD

Posted on by Keith McKinley

The current Sales Director for conventional solutions in the EMEA markets, José Manuel Lucio, has been appointed as the new Managing Director of AR Racking, replacing Iñaki Arriola, who will sever his association with the company at the end of 2022.

Lucio joined AR Racking approximately seven years ago and has held several management positions. These include, during 2021, Sales Director for the EMEA region for conventional solutions unit. Until the beginning of this year, he successfully held the position of Sales Director for Spain, Portugal and Italy.

After a steady upward rise, Lucio became Managing Director of AR Racking on 1st January 2022 replacing at the head of the company Iñaki Arriola, who will support company management until ending all ties with the company at the end of 2022.

In the last few years, AR Racking has experienced sustained growth and positioned itself as one of the leading players both nationally and internationally in the industrial storage solutions sector.

Goodman creates more DC space in M25 hotspot

Posted on by Keith McKinley

To meet rising demand for sustainable logistics space with easy access to consumer markets, Goodman has launched a 500,000 sq ft site in M25 e-commerce hotspot, Dartford. This is the first of its UK portfolio to feature full rooftops of solar PV as it accelerates its commitment to low carbon technologies.

Available for immediate occupation and comprising three high-specification units of 240,884 sq ft, 138,062 sq ft and 101,659 sq ft, Crossways Commercial Park offers state-of-the-art facilities for customers across retail, e-commerce and logistics.

With direct access to Junction 1a of the M25, the site’s fast connections to London and the national motorway network place 10.4 million consumers within a 60-minute HGV drive-time with a purchasing power of £268.1bn. Kent’s excellent freight links to the Channel Tunnel, Port of Dover and London Thamesport also make the facilities ideal for businesses serving UK, European and international markets.

Crossways Commercial Park is among Goodman’s most sustainable UK developments and is the first to feature a full rooftop array of solar photovoltaics (PV) across each building. The 2.2MW system will generate a combined annual power output of almost two million kWh – equivalent to removing 435 tons of carbon from the atmosphere or planting 20,727 trees.

Designed to support customers decarbonise their operations, Crossways Commercial Park features solar thermal hot water, solar heating for office areas and other sustainable features including electric vehicle (EV) charging points, infrastructure for EV fleets, rainwater harvesting and smart metering, to help monitor and reduce energy consumption. Delivered to a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ specification and achieving an A+ energy rating, each building also features a carbon neutral cladding system, designed to meet ‘chill-store’ and ambient product storage requirements.

George Glennie, Development Director at Goodman, said: “Crossways Commercial Park is a prime example of Goodman’s global focus on delivering sustainable properties that utilise the latest innovations in design, construction, and energy generation.

“Not only is it our most sustainable property in the UK, but it sets a standard for future properties we will be developing Its strategic location is also set to drive supply chain efficiencies for our customers, placing them closer to consumers which in turn drives down transport emissions.”

The launch of Crossways Commercial Park also follows Goodman UK achieving a 5 Star Rating in the Development benchmark by GRESB, a leading sustainability assessment for the real estate sector.

Glennie added: “Through developments such as Crossways Commercial Park, we are realising our ambition to deliver properties that can meet our customers’ needs now and into the future.”

Crossways Commercial Park adds to Dartford’s reputation as a thriving distribution and supply chain destination, with more than 4,000 people employed in logistics and e-commerce. Part of an established business park spanning 300-acres, the development offers customers excellent on-site amenities in an attractive, landscaped setting. Employees will also benefit from a range of dedicated public transport options, helping to support recruitment and staff retention.

Gavin Cleary, CEO at Locate in Kent, said, “We welcome this outstanding new facility in Dartford. Goodman is not only meeting the demand for high quality, well connected space in Kent, but is also responding to the very strong desire from international companies to have sustainable, environmentally-conscious and future-facing facilities in the UK.

“This investment once again demonstrates why Kent is perfectly placed for logistics and distribution companies wishing to expand operations and maximise their potential.”

Co-op secures M8 distribution site

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Tulchan Developments, advised by Montagu Evans, has agreed the pre-let of a new facility for Co-operative Group at Link Park, Newhouse, on the M8 east of Glasgow. The project will be brought forward in a joint venture with landowner Fusion Assets, the arm’s length property development and regeneration company of North Lanarkshire Council. Forward funding for the c.£12m facility is being provided by an overseas investor.

Co-op has taken 47,565 sq ft distribution facility with enhanced specification and additional service yard and HGV parking on an 18-year lease at £12.15 per sq ft. Located next to its main 500,000 sq ft Glasgow distribution centre, construction has now started with completion planned for October 2022.

Fusion Assets acquired the seven-acre brownfield site in 2014 and completed a package of enabling works funded by the Scottish Government through the North Lanarkshire Vacant and Derelict Land Programme to create a fully serviced and development ready site. A procurement exercise to find the right development partner was caried out last year to allow the occupier to have the facility available in 2022.

Gavin Robertson, Director at Tulchan Developments, said: ”We’re pleased to have secured a high-quality pre-let for this strategic site and are on track for completion later this year. This is the second unit we’ve been involved in for Co-op with Newhouse providing a key part of their overall logistics network in Scotland going forward.’’

Bryce Stewart, Partner at Montagu Evans, said: ”With an increasing shortage of industrial and logistics stock across Scotland, this will be the first of many pre-lets over the coming months as demand for space continues to grow.’’

Iain Davidson, Director at Colliers, which advised Fusion Assets, said: “This was a multi-layered deal brought forward by a number of parties working together in close cooperation. The new facility will help boost the local economy as well as providing an important part of Co-op’s distribution network in Scotland.”

Murray Collins, Managing Director of Fusion Assets, said: “I am delighted that the initial public sector investment in acquiring and remediating the site at Link Park, Newhouse, has levered in additional investment from an overseas investor and secured Co-op as a tenant. The new Co-op facility will provide additional job opportunities and further embed a large and important employer into the local area.”

Tim Ellis of Co-Op Logistics added: ‘’We are delighted that work has started on the bespoke de-kit facility adjacent to our depot off the M8 outside Glasgow at Newhouse. The existing depot already serves around 600 Co-op stores and this new facility strengthens our core logistics operation in North Lanarkshire. Despite the challenging times, the Development team and their contractor are on programme to deliver the unit this autumn which in turn allows us to upgrade part of the existing depot. This investment is key to the development of our overall network as part of our commitment to Scotland.’’

Montagu Evans advised Tulchan Developments on the leasing and forward funding. Colliers advised Fusion Assets. Matthews & Goodman advised Co-op on the letting. Lismore acted for the overseas investor on the forward funding.

GEODIS opens additional warehouses in Netherlands

Posted on by Keith McKinley

To accommodate the growth of its retail customers in The Netherlands, GEODIS has opened a new 17,000 sq m warehouse in Almere and will also add a 9,000 sq m facility in Venlo.

While awaiting the construction of its 130,000 sq m logistics campus at Trade Port Noord planned for the end of 2023, GEODIS is extending its activities to offer additional capacity for its customers. The Group has opened a new site in Almere in November and is preparing the opening of another one in Venlo, due to be operational in the coming weeks. It is planned that both sites will be equipped with latest automation technologies. Among them are autonomous mobile robots from Locus Robotics to support the picking process and reduce the physical demands on employees by eliminating the need to pull pick carts and by decreasing overall travel.

GEODIS currently has a 16,000 sq m retail warehouse in Almere, which means the capacity there has doubled. “This expansion is needed since the pandemic has caused a significant overperformance of many of our current customers and to host our new customers,” said Mark van den Assem, Managing Director of GEODIS in the Benelux.

ING reports that retail in the Netherlands has grown by 6% in 2020 and another 1.5% in 2021. “Especially companies with an omnichannel approach are expected to increase their business even more,” points out van den Assem. “In order to provide these multi-channel retailers with a long-term logistics solution at the highest possible service level and efficiency, additional warehousing space was needed.”

“We can see the rising demand for e-logistics not only in the Netherlands but throughout Europe and are eager to support our customers in not only achieving their targets but also to be their growth partner,” says Thomas Kraus, President & CEO of GEODIS North, East and Central Europe. “The expansion of the warehouse space in the Netherlands combined with our expertise in e-logistics, marks another important milestone towards our growth ambitions.”

The two buildings have a BREEAM ‘Good’ certification. BREEAM is a world-known sustainability assessment method for buildings1, which underlines GEODIS’ dedication towards sustainable logistics.

GEODIS has now almost 220,000 sq m of warehouses in the Netherlands, including Venlo, Amsterdam, Almere & Rotterdam.

New EHLIS warehouse rises to 36m

Posted on by Keith McKinley

EHLIS, a leading company in Spain for the distribution of hardware products, has expanded its logistics capacity with the opening of a new clad-rack warehouse equipped by the industrial storage solutions specialist AR Racking. The new logistics warehouse is located in the Plataforma Central Iberum, in Illescas (Toledo) and is 36 metres high.

The logistics centre in this locality is based on the design and installation of AR Racking’s galvanised clad-rack warehouse solutions, which apart from storing the load makes up the structure of the building. With this clad-rack warehouse which occupies 3,125 sq m, EHLIS can store around 30,000 pallets distributed on a combination of both single and double-deep racking systems. Clad-rack warehouses provide great load density resulting in significant savings for lower investment. The installation was completed in four months.

The load inside the racking will be handled by four stacker cranes, whose design and installation, as well as the automation of the intralogistics processes, was carried out by one of the most important automated logistics engineering companies.

As communicated before the start of the work, Armando Aldrey, Logistics Director of EHLIS, decided to build this new automated clad-rack warehouse in Illescas because the company’s facilities in Sant Andreu de la Barca (around 20km from Barcelona), “were already overstretched” and “we needed to increase our logistics capacity”.

“AR Racking’s experience and specialisation in these types of high bay and storage capacity warehouses was decisive when it came to making this warehouse a reality, which will allow us to provide a faster and more efficient service to our colleagues, be more efficient in our internal operations and tackle ambitious challenges,” added Aldrey.

The structure, which features AR Racking’s galvanised racking that provides maximum resistance to corrosion and adverse environmental conditions, will help drive EHLIS’s commercial and distribution strategy with customers in the centre, south and northwest of Spain. In addition, the goods stored in this clad-rack warehouse will serve more than 50% of those associated with the network of hardware stores that the company has under the Cadena88 brand.

Roberto Arriaran, Director for Integration Business Unit of AR Racking, stated: “We are delighted to provide our industrial storage expertise so that EHLIS can see an increase in the efficiency and profitability of its operations, helping to offer its customers a better service each day.”

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Prologis UK expands customer-facing team

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Prologis UK has appointed two new customer-facing staff to focus on maintaining and developing customer relationships as demand for logistics property continues to grow.

Will Cassar and Milena Blair will be drawing on their experience in the property and logistics sector to support customers in securing logistics facilities in the locations they need and ensuring their transition to a new property is as seamless and hassle-free as possible. They will be working with a variety of customers, large and small, including many household names such as Royal Mail, boohoo, Dunelm, Eddie Stobart and Tesco.

Both Will and Milena will be responsible for working closely with customers at all 22 Prologis Parks in the UK to deliver successful outcomes, help navigate market conditions, solve problems and provide flexibility, and support for bids and pitches. They will also be responsible for engaging with customers around initiatives such as PARKLife, training programmes and green transport schemes.

Will Cassar is joining Prologis’ Capital Deployment team and will focus on helping to grow the company’s Customer Led Development business. In his previous role at CBRE he acted for some existing Prologis’ customers, such as Dunelm, and also has experience of working with real estate teams at Geodis, LG Electronics, General Electric, and leading online retailers.

Phil Oakley, vice president, Customer Led Development at Prologis UK, said: “Will brings a great deal of experience to support us in expanding our Customer Led Development business across the UK. Having worked with Prologis and some our customers previously, he has first-hand knowledge of our high standards when building and maintaining customer relationships. I look forward to working with Will and I am convinced that he will be an asset to the UK team and the wider business.”

Formerly at ADP, Milena Blair joined Prologis in November 2021 as of Real Estate and Customer Experience manager for London and the Southeast. Her role focuses on developing and strengthening customer relationships within the region, the development of Prologis Essentials business lines, and helping to build the PARKLife experience for the benefit of customers in the region. She has a particular focus on community outreach, social responsibility and sustainability.

Stuart Davies, real estate and customer experience lead at Prologis UK, said: “Milena is an important addition to our team, and she brings a wealth of experience in areas such as client management, customer care and supporting the introduction of new business lines. These attributes are already proving to be important assets and we are delighted to have Milena onboard.”

Briggs commits to ongoing environmental strategy

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Briggs Equipment, one of the UK’s premier asset management and engineering services specialists, has underlined its ongoing commitment to sustainability by becoming an officially accredited carbon neutral business. The company will also be implementing a wide-ranging environmental strategy that will ensure Briggs and its customers can continue to operate in a sustainable fashion moving forward.

Working with Carbon Neutral Britain, Briggs is offsetting its carbon footprint via approved projects that contribute towards protecting the environment and supporting communities across the world with sustainable development. Additionally, Briggs is pledging to plant a tree for every new machine it sells. This activity will see thousands of new trees planted in the UK each year.

To support this initial work, the company is exploring a wide range of transformational infrastructure projects. This includes investigating the installation of green energy options like solar and wind power for onsite storage, the continued roll-out of hybrid and electric vehicles in its company fleet, the installation of electric charging points at Briggs locations, ongoing promotion of green technology and much more.

Sustainability forms a key part of the company’s overall business strategy moving forward, which means customers can build their carbon strategy with Briggs in the confidence that their equipment partner is fully committed to sustainable working.

In recent years there have been significant technological advancements in battery technology, bringing electrification to more and more applications and larger and larger equipment. This applies across the spectrum from warehouse operations to ports and container handling. These developments have enabled Briggs customers to invest with confidence in electrification across their equipment fleets and as a result they’re experiencing significant environmental benefits and uncompromised performance.

Briggs Equipment’s Group Managing Director, Pete Jones, commented: “We’re incredibly passionate about our environmental responsibilities and recognise the importance of operating as a sustainable organisation. This new programme of activity is a natural evolution for our business as for many years we’ve provided our customers with various tools to reduce their, and our, environmental impact. Our certification and offsetting initiative with Carbon Neutral Britain provides an umbrella for all these activities to come together as a comprehensive approach. We are pushing forward with a wide range of projects and initiatives that will deliver significant benefits and allow our customers to build their carbon strategy in partnership with us.

“We’re also exploring various infrastructure projects for renewable energy generation at our premises that will contribute significantly to our green objectives.  The phasing out of diesel and petrol vehicles from our company fleet, switching to hybrid and electric vehicles is already well underway.

“Many of our customers are also embarking on their own ‘green journey’ and we are pleased to see the industry responding to the challenges ahead. Briggs is here to support those companies as they evolve towards a more sustainable model of working.”

Primark leases more Czech warehouse space

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Irish clothing chain Primark has expanded the space it leases in CTPark Bor, the largest Czech industrial park. CTP, the developer and owner of the park, recently finished another warehouse for Primark, which will be fully automated, incorporating the latest robotic technology. In total, Primark leases approximately 80,000 sq m of A-class warehouse space in CTPark Bor.

Primark has signed a new contract with CTP for the lease of additional 28,000 sq m. Until now, the company has been leasing approximately 51,000 sq m of space in CTPark Bor, which serves as a distribution centre for a large part of Central Europe. The new warehouse was constructed adjacent to Primark’s existing premises but operates independently, with separate water, electricity and gas connections.

The warehouse is completely finished and has already been handed over to the tenant and will be used mainly as a distribution hub. The goods will be delivered throughout the Czech Republic, for example to the recently opened brick-and-mortar store on Wenceslas Square in Prague, which has seen large queues ever since opening and is especially busy in the run-up to Christmas. Goods from Bor will also be shipped to Austria and Germany.

The clear height of the new warehouse is 16m, which makes it one of the tallest warehouse buildings in the Czech Republic. “Primark’s premises are unique in many aspects, not just the clear height, but also because they are ready for fully-automated operation. In the near future, the high-tech warehouse will require only a few employees who will work in the warehouse alongside the robotic tech,” explains Jakub Kodr, CTP’s Head of Business Development for the Czech Republic.

In contrast to the first building, which is designed as a classic warehouse with racking systems, the new building will have narrower aisles usable only by automated technology, but allow for higher storage capacity, making the building more efficient.

The building also meets the strictest fire safety requirements according to the international FM Global standard, which guarantees that newly implemented systems are sufficiently protected against fire as well as other natural elements. Electrical systems are backed up by generators, which allows for continual operation of the warehouse in the event of a power outage.

Other special features include special seamless floors necessary for the operation of robotic technology, such as VNA handling machines. As is now customary for CTP, the warehouse aims to achieve BREEAM Excellent sustainability certification. The building’s environmentally friendly design is further enhanced by a PV-ready roof and twelve charging stations for electric vehicles.

CTPark Bor is currently the largest industrial park in the Czech Republic with a total area of 135 hectares. Upon completion, which is planned for the end of next year, the park will provide approximately 616,000 sq m of lettable area. The site, only 15km from the German border, has long held a reputation as one of the most attractive locations in Central Europe. Currently, is home to 14 tenants including leading international technology suppliers and automotive companies. The park provides jobs to approximately 5,000 people.

www.ctp.eu

Interroll receives large South Korea order

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Interroll has received a large order for delivery to a South Korean e-commerce company. It comprises the delivery of Interroll’s Modular Conveyor Platform (MCP), which is designed for highly efficient and flexible material-flow processes. The contract amounts to a lower double-digit million Swiss franc figure.

The new order comes after Interroll received other large orders from the same customer in 2018 and 2019 as well as a previous first and smaller order in 2017.

Based on the customer’s specifications, Interroll will deliver a complete conveyor platform that includes Interroll MCP modules, high-performance diverters, belt conveyors and transfers as well as roller conveyors and belt curve spiral lifts. The solution covers a total length of 4.8km of conveyor technology at one of the customer’s distribution centres in South Korea. The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of June 2022.

“The installation will support the further continuous growth of this successful customer,” says Dr. Ben Xia, Interroll Executive Vice President and Head of Operations Asia. “We are proud to continue contributing to the productivity of their distribution centres with our proven material-handling solutions.”

Delamode Nidd adds second Yorkshire DC

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Xpediator, an international provider of freight management & 3PL services across Europe, has announced that Delamode Nidd Ltd, the Group’s subsidiary in the freight forwarding division, has agreed a new five-year lease for a second warehouse in Ripon, North Yorkshire, UK.

The warehouse is 67,000 sq ft (6,200 sq m) and is located a short distance from the company’s existing warehouse in Ripon, the two warehouses together increases Delamode Nidd’s total storage capacity to 113,000 sq ft (10,500 sq m).

The new warehouse has been leased to meet rising demand for storage from existing clients, as well as providing improved cross docking facilities in the North of England. The new warehouse also offers additional space for nonstandard palletised products and dedicated space to meet customers bespoke pick and pack requirements.

The warehouse is being reconfigured to meet the company’s tailored layout and racking specifications, offering a combination of storage that accommodates 5,000 pallet spaces, pick and pack operations and additional floor space for oversized goods. The configuration of the warehouse and additional space will also improve its cross-dock operations in terms of speed and efficiencies when handling goods for international and domestics distribution.

Delamode Nidd provides regular road freight services for Northern & Southern Ireland, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany and Eastern Europe, as well as a providing a high-quality UK distribution service in the North of England.

Wim Pauwels, Interim CEO, Xpediator Plc, commented: “There has been strong demand for Delamode Nidd’s services since the turn of the year and we fully expect this to continue on a positive growth trajectory. The new warehouse will help Delamode Nidd accommodate current customer transport and warehousing requirements, whilst also providing a strong platform to develop our service coverage further in the North of England.

 

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