Optimize Compound, Workshop Vehicle Logistics

D’Ieteren Automotive, the official distributor of Volkswagen Group brands in Belgium, has selected INFORM, a global leader in optimization software, to provide a comprehensive solution for vehicle logistics and compound management. This collaboration aims to replace D’Ieteren’s former system with INFORM’s state-of-the-art software, enhancing efficiency and transparency across all vehicle logistics processes including Workshop and PDI.

With a market share of 22.5% and over 1.2 million vehicles on the road, D’Ieteren Automotive is a significant player in the Belgian automotive industry. The company manages a robust network of independent dealers across the country and offers a wide range of services, including maintenance, financing, leasing, and used vehicle sales.

The project’s goal is to implement INFORM’s software suite, designed specifically for the complexities of the vehicle logistics sector. The system, based on Artificial Intelligence and Operations Research, will cover yard and workshop operations at the compound in Kortenberg, near Bruxelles airport. It will provide comprehensive capabilities for optimized parking, real-time work order assignment as well as automatic workshop activity scheduling and efficient execution. All processes will be highly automized and improved by using the proven INFORM algorithms. With the new system and central data management in place, D’Ieteren Automotive will be able to control all its vehicle processes more efficiently at their compound.

“D’Ieteren Automotive is committed to providing fluid and sustainable mobility solutions to our customers,” said Christian Quaedpeerds, Automotive Logistics Manager for D’Ieteren Automotive. “By partnering with INFORM, we aim to leverage their expertise in digital decision-making and AI to enhance our vehicle logistics processes and additional services, ultimately delivering better service to our customers.”

The new system will offer a range of benefits, including higher punctuality, increased efficiency, shorter delivery and processing times, higher customer satisfaction, and future-proof company structures. The solution is expected to go live in 2024.

“We are excited to embark on this journey with D’Ieteren Automotive,” said Hartmut Haubrich, Director Vehicle Logistics at INFORM. “Our solution is designed to handle the complexities of the Vehicle Logistics industry, and we are confident that it will bring significant benefits to D’Ieteren Automotive. We look forward to driving the digitalization of their logistics processes and support D’Ieteren on their journey as the mobility provider for Belgium.”

This partnership marks another milestone in INFORM’s mission to supplement classic IT systems and increase the profitability and resilience of many companies. With over 1,000 software engineers, data analysts, and consultants supporting more than 1,000 customers worldwide, INFORM continues to lead the expansion of digital decision-making through AI applications in vehicle logistics and many other sectors.

Warehouse Tech Driving Growth at Family Firm

One of the UK’s top three automotive salvaging and recycling companies is powering forwards with its ambitious five-year growth plan thanks to timely investment in a digital warehouse management system (WMS).

In just 24 months, since first installing SnapFulfil WMS, Dorset-based Charles Trent Ltd has doubled its warehousing space, as well as its stock holding and orders going out – with over 3,000 ‘green’ parts being processed every week – without increasing head count. With operations much more streamlined, efficient, productive and profitable, the company is on track to achieve its predicted turnover of £250 million by 2026.

The family-owned business, which was founded in 1926, has continued to thrive thanks to its forward-thinking attitude to technology. Influenced by Amazon, the firm’s high-tech operation is the only one of its kind in the UK where you can source a particular part online and then have it delivered next day.

Architecturally robust and easily configurable, SnapFulfil was originally selected for Charles Trent’s Holten Heath distribution centre (DC) but has subsequently been onboarded at its new Poole DC, with a combined digitally-driven warehousing space of 75,000 sq.ft. This latest implementation demonstrates the flexibility and configurability of SnapFulfil and its reputation for delivering rapid ROI, industry-leading deployment speed and low total cost of ownership (TCO).

Charles Trent’s Distribution & Operations Manager, Matt Groves, said: “We used to have about 2-3 orders per day going astray within the old system, but full traceability via SnapFulfil is a huge advantage in a variable business such as ours. It’s also about tempo and efficiency, because in receiving goods staff can scan, process, and have them on the shelf in next-to-no-time – and handle 30 at a time without being label reliant. I also like how SnapFulfil, even from a long list of locations, identifies the part by the prefix of the vehicle class, as this means it can be used by staff in both our DCs simultaneously, and at any point in our operations.”

Plans are in place for both facilities to increase from 18 hours daily across two shifts to 24/5, which will massively increase the company’s order processing capacity, again demonstrating the efficiency gains of SnapFulfil.

Looking ahead, Charles Trent is on track to open another four new recycling/distribution centre sites by 2026, in major population centres across the UK. At the heart of its plans will be SnapFulfil which can support rapid scaling of fulfilment processes, as well as quick succession of multiple site facility rollouts.

AI’s Transformative Role in Warehousing

Everybody is talking about Artificial Intelligence but what are its potential applications for warehousing and supply chain? Edward Napier-Fenning, Sales & Marketing Director of leading supply chain software company Balloon, explores five key areas that can boost performance – including route planning, picking, labour management reporting and data entry.

Quite suddenly, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere. As with the early days of many other revolutionary technologies, there is a lot of overclaiming, and a lot of what is currently touted as ‘AI-enabled’ is really only a sequence of, admittedly very fast and very clever, algorithms, following logical pathways devised by the humans. The ability to process immense amounts of ‘big data’ at lightning speed is impressive and extremely valuable, but it doesn’t of itself constitute Artificial Intelligence. True AI has the ability to learn from historic data and from current activities, and, in a sense, rewrite its own algorithms.

The pace of development of AI is accelerating and we can already see some key areas in warehousing and logistics where it can be applied.

1. Enhanced route planning

Up to now a driver has set off with a fixed route, perhaps a regular round, or one planned a day or two earlier, and it is up to him/her to work out the best response to an accident, traffic jam or other event as and when these arise. Now, traffic management can be linked in real time to resources such as Google, working out not just the work-around a current problem, but using its learning to predict where the congestion is likely to occur, which strangely often isn’t at the site of the actual incident. This makes a more robust avoidance recommendation and helps keep deliveries to and from the warehouse on schedule.

This approach to route planning can work in tandem with dynamic load building. Currently, there isn’t a full order file at the beginning of the day, or at the point where drivers and routes have to be fixed for the next day’s operations. The route, therefore, may include destinations where there isn’t actually a drop to be made, or leave out drops that could usefully have been made. Intelligent systems can continually replan, modify and optimise the routes as the order profile builds up. That in turn can assist with the next topic, that of efficient order picking, which of course has its own pathing and routeing issues.

2. Efficient picking

A lot of the noise around AI in the supply chain is around issues like inventory and ordering. Improvement here is clearly important, but we have barely begun to touch on how to run the warehouse more efficiently, which is where some really big labour and administration costs lie – as well as potential savings.

Pick path optimisation is a hot topic in warehousing, although at the low end this amounts to little more than putting orders into a sequence and chopping them up into blocks of work. It is nice to be able to do this really quickly, but true AI is beginning to be able to look at the whole situation more intelligently: where goods are in the warehouse, what goods can or cannot be combined on a given trolley or container (and where those containers are), what the priority orders are (which has clear links to the routeing question above), and thus building the most efficient pick routines possible.

AI will be able to improve the choice and operation of picking strategies – and the optimum may differ according to the type of goods, or even the time of day. Strategies are many and varied: for example batch picking, which involves walking a route, picking one SKU at a time for a batch of orders. Or it could be zonal or ‘cluster’ picking where the operator picks all the SKUs in one ‘zone’ for a batch of orders, and the tote (with or without that operative) then moves on to the next zone.

Cluster picking is usually more efficient but does require the layout of goods in the warehouse to be optimised, so that goods most likely to occur in the same orders are grouped together, and the orders to be clustered around similar profiles. It also means that orders aren’t necessarily being picked in strictly chronological order, i.e., according to the departure times of the delivery route, and so are vulnerable to congestion delays, perhaps because of narrow aisles or the need to separate pedestrians from trucks and other machinery.

Working with client Pets Corner, Balloon has been developing a general purpose order clustering model, which can operate as a cloud-based web function. The new technique has accelerated the time taken to pick a wave of orders by 38%. This approach doesn’t strictly use any developed AI, but we can easily see that AI could enable further significant improvements in both the layout and operation of order picking and the selection of the most appropriate strategy for those orders, right now. We are, for example, working on ways by which this approach could be extended to multi-line orders, and to having ‘start points’ for picking routes at different places in the warehouse. That rapidly becomes rather complex, and AI will be very helpful in working things out.

One source of efficiencies is that operations need not be so bound by ‘standard’ processes, which sometimes may not be necessary. A minor example is some work we recently did for Birlea. This firm had a conventional procedure whereby picked goods are given a ‘WMS’ label showing the order to which they are assigned, and sent on for checking and repacking, after which they are given a different ‘carrier’ label. But their furniture items don’t need checking or repacking. It proved possible to eliminate the WMS label for these goods, and reprogramme the SQL so that the system thinks the carrier label is the WMS label it was expecting at this point. That in itself doesn’t require AI, but it is easy to conceive of AI systems that can learn to recognise that for a particular item certain processes are redundant and can be eliminated – without the risk of a human operator making the wrong call.

3. More effective labour management

In current conditions the greatest challenge for increasing efficiency is that of where to allocate scarce and expensive labour. A facility with good Warehouse Management Software (WMS) and other systems should have a great deal of data from end to end: what is happening in receiving, put away, picking, replenishment and so on. That should tell the operator where they need to put their people, but it is complex. A traditional WMS manages this, up to a point, but relies heavily on people creating, inputting and maintaining data, from standard times for elements of work, to who is allowed to perform certain tasks, and so on.

To some extent we are already able to marshal goods, activities and resources more effectively using historical records and current data capture to allow more complex labour management models. But AI could certainly make a further contribution in pulling data from the various different sources and making sense of it.

Effective deployment will become even more important as companies take up the use of robotics in the form of ‘cobots’ – machines working collaboratively with people. This is perhaps particularly pertinent for SMEs, who can increasingly afford this type of automation, and need it to be a lot more flexible than the big ‘goods-to-person’ automated systems operated by large operations. For example, workers could be ‘tagged’ with a Bluetooth device to locate them relative both to the current or intended position of a robot and the position and current status of priority orders, but taking full advantage of this requires intelligent systems.

We don’t see the use of AI to improve labour efficiency as primarily about reducing headcount. Rather it is about eliminating ‘dead time’, and non-productive activities such as walking from one end of the warehouse to the other. Obviously, that improves productivity, but also it is easier to retain good people if they aren’t spending half their time idle and the other half in a frantic rush, which can leave staff feeling both fatigued and under-valued.

4. More accurate reporting and analytics

Balloon is actively involved in applying AI in the supply chain space. Activity in the sector is growing fast. It has to be remembered that everyone’s environment is different, especially among SMEs, which is one of the reasons why AI’s ability to learn from the situation, rather than merely process an externally derived algorithm, is so attractive. Another consideration is that a lot of the data is text-based, so one of the things we are doing is to pull data from multiple sources into a Microsoft analytics package with a data model that tells the system how to relate data to different objects. We can create a dashboard and on top of that we can layer some ChatGPT type functionality – ‘show me a pie chart of my staff picking by day and by person’ – so managers don’t have to ask IT to build them a report.

AI based systems can lift a lot of the cost and burden of manual record keeping and analytics, not to mention eliminating (or at least detecting) the errors that inevitably arise in manual systems. Ultimately there may even be savings to be had in integrating all the different systems that warehouse and distribution operations use: AI may be able to ‘learn’ how to get data from one system to another, despite apparently incompatible formats, rather than having someone laboriously write code for every eventuality.

5. Enhanced image recognition and reduced rekeying

AI is already making a difference here, for example in data entry, including Optical Character Recognition and image scanning – making sense of it, relating it to other elements in the system, and particularly in looking for errors and discrepancies. That might be a quantity difference between a sales order and the relevant pick note; or it might be a delivery address that doesn’t exist or doesn’t make sense: in which case it may be possible to configure AI to make intelligent suggestions about what the address should be, before the delivery driver sets off on a wild goose chase.

So there is a lot going on with AI in the warehouse environment. At present the landscape is a patchwork of small developments helping people to fit bits of AI to their operations, often to start with just eliminating smaller pieces of work at the interfaces between systems, which is where, for instance, data discrepancies tend to manifest. But this patchwork will surely coalesce in fairly short order.

That chimes with Balloon’s own approach whereby our innovation team is targeting small pockets of advanced functionality, clustering being one of the first, and one where we have already seen big efficiency gains on customer sites.

Warehouse management is characterised by multiple data inputs and multiple possible decisions and output scenarios. These are beyond the capability of human managers to optimise robustly and in time, while traditional algorithmic approaches rely on assumptions and simplifications that are often not always or entirely valid. Meanwhile, scarce labour may be sitting around waiting to be told what to do. AI promises to provide the tools to resolve these problems.

CMC’s new Chief Digital and Operations Officer

CMC Packaging Automation is pleased to announce the appointment of Domenico Gallozzi as the new Chief Digital and Operations Officer. With over two decades of executive management experience in the operations of various global industries, Domenico brings a wealth of expertise in efficiency creation, process optimization, and reengineering to his new role.

Domenico Gallozzi has held leadership positions in esteemed organizations including Coesia, Philips-Saeco, Stevanato Group, and Indesit Company. As a Mechanical Engineer with an impressive track record, he has excelled in managing both B2C and B2B markets at local and international levels, showcasing his strong understanding of factory management, operation strategy, project management, lean six sigma implementation, and new product startups.

In his new role at CMC Packaging Automation, Domenico has been entrusted with the vital task of spearheading the company’s digital transformation initiatives. He will also oversee Global Operations, Customer Service, Health and Safety, further bolstering the company’s commitment to operational excellence.”

“Domenico’s extensive experience and dynamic leadership style make him an ideal fit for the role of Chief Digital and Operations Officer at CMC Packaging Automation. His in-depth knowledge of various operational facets and strategic acumen will play a pivotal role in steering our company towards continued growth and success,” said Francesco Ponti, CE0 at CMC Packaging Automation.
Domenico Gallozzi expressed his enthusiasm for his new role, stating, “I am honored to join the CMC Packaging Automation team and further contribute to its journey of transformation and innovation. I look forward to leveraging my experience and passion for driving efficiency to enhance operations and position CMC Packaging Automation as an industry leader.”

With this appointment, CMC Packaging Automation reinforces its commitment to staying at the forefront of digital innovation and operational excellence in the packaging automation industry.

Based in Città di Castello (PG), CMC Spa is a company in the portfolio of KKR Global Impact Fund and supported by Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund engaged in the design, production, and sale of innovative solutions and high-tech machinery for mailing, graphic art, e-commerce, and logistics. Founded in 1980, the company has dedicated itself to developing strategies that could transform it into the leading provider of technologies, services, components, and professional technical training. CMC has always been attentive to promptly respond to the changing market demands with creative projects and tailor-made solutions. With the exponential growth of e-commerce reshaping the shipping industry, CMC now assists retailers and logistics companies in optimizing the order fulfilment process and using sustainable, robust, highly personalized, and secure packaging through its popular and award-winning 3D packaging technology, which perfectly adapts to the content of the package.

Hyster Celebrates 70 years of Big Trucks

The plant in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, where Hyster® Big Trucks are produced is celebrating its 70th year in 2023.

In 1952, Hyster created its first European plant in Nijmegen, with the first Hyster Big Trucks manufactured at the factory from January 1953. An official event was held to open the site in October 1953, attended by a number of dignitaries and more than 500 guests. This celebration saw the Mayor of Nijmegen cut the ribbon at the plant’s gates while riding a Hyster® lift truck.

To this day, the Nijmegen plant stands on the same site. However, it is now the global centre of design, development, and testing for Hyster Big Trucks globally. This includes the production of heavy-duty forklifts, with capacities from 8 – 48 tonnes, Hyster Empty Container Handlers, and the Hyster RS46 Reach Stacker, as well as support services for the entire Big Truck range.

The Research and Development centre in Nijmegen has always been dedicated to the next generation of Big Trucks. In recent years, this has enabled Hyster to introduce a new cabin, available across most Big Trucks, which is packed with ergonomic, productivity-enhancing features in an efficient, cockpit-style design. It has also seen the launch of Big Truck engines compliant with the Stage V emissions standards, and solutions that enable Big Trucks to utilise HVO100 fuel, both of which support businesses to reduce their CO2 tailpipe emissions.

Most notably, the R&D centre in Nijmegen has seen an increased focus on supporting the transition to zero-emission port equipment, leveraging lithium-ion battery and hydrogen fuel cell technologies in particular. This is a long way from the ‘Karry Kranes’ and forklifts produced in the plant’s first year – mobile equipment based on tractor frames, that may seem primitive by today’s standards.

Key projects from the team in Nijmegen include a hydrogen fuel cell-powered container handler, currently in testing at the Port of Los Angeles, an Empty Container Handler powered by hydrogen fuel cells for Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG, Germany, and a fuel-cell powered Reach Stacker in development for the Port of Valencia, Spain. In addition, Hyster is developing a 100% battery-powered Hyster Empty Container Handler for use by CARU Containers in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Earlier this year, Hyster also previewed a zero-emission Terminal Tractor which will be powered by Nuvera hydrogen fuel cells and is in development in collaboration with yard truck brand Capacity.

“The plant in Nijmegen has always aimed to deliver dependable Hyster Big Trucks that meet the needs of tough applications and demanding working conditions. That we are still here, and still innovating new solutions, 70 years on is testament to the quality of our manufacturing, and to how well we understand our customers’ ever-changing challenges,” says Peter van Sommeren, Senior Director Manufacturing and European Parts Ops.

DS Smith Launches R&D, Innovation Centre

DS Smith, leading provider of sustainable, fibre-based, packaging, today announces the launch of its global Research & Development (R&D) and Innovation Centre, ‘R8’. The new facility is an industry-first and allows DS Smith, its customers, and partners to accelerate the research and development of radically new packaging fulfilment solutions.

Located near Birmingham in the UK, the R8 facility includes a 4,000m2 pilot hall, four laboratories, conditioning chambers, an ideation and design studio, prototyping areas, and collaboration spaces. As well as being the home of DS Smith’s Group Innovation and R&D teams, it is intended to spearhead research in manufacturing, maximising on the growing demand for sustainable packaging, and the innovation needed to deliver it.

Stefano Rossi, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Packaging Division, DS Smith, said, “our customers are some of the world’s most iconic FMCG brands, online retailers, and industrial players, so innovation and sustainability are very high on their agenda. Our global R&D and Innovation Centre will facilitate the collaboration that we know is needed to solve some of the industry’s biggest challenges.

“We will be partnering with customers to help them transition to the circular economy by focusing on novel packaging solutions that deploy new materials and technologies. Nothing is off the table – we have designed the hub to encourage scrutiny of existing ways of working and explore all the possibilities, especially for service-based offerings in the packaging supply chain.”

With R8, DS Smith has created a collaboration space that allows it to cover the whole innovation spectrum under one roof: from early technology and material development, ideation, and concept development, testing and product development, through to prototyping and customer pilots.

Projects will be informed by key industry drivers rooted in sustainability, supply chains, and data. Smart packaging for tracking and monitoring the supply chain, alternative natural resources in papermaking, reusable fibre-based packaging and technologies, and advanced barrier technology for food and industrial applications, are all areas for exploration.

Among the leading-edge technologies at R8 is a modular Pilot Line, inspired by the automotive industry and developed in Italy, which uses robots to make boxes from multiple components, and fill them at high speed.

Rossi added, “we believe in sharing expertise to help customers reduce waste, streamline production, and increase sustainable productivity. At the heart of this is a solid commitment to reducing plastics, paving new pathways for alternative fibres, and designing out waste altogether.”

Sustainability is integral to the DS Smith business model, which is inherently circular, and is supported by the DS Smith Now & Next Sustainability Strategy. This ambitious plan focuses on the sustainability challenges the world faces today, as well as those that will impact on future generations, empowering the business to lead the transition to a low carbon, circular economy.

In support of Now & Next and DS Smith’s commitment to the Circular Economy, the R8 facility is carbon neutral. It has been designed for both re-use and deconstruction, and uses reconditioned furniture, solar panels, and air-sourced heat pumps.

Last Mile Deliveries Partnership

ShipStation, a cloud-based ecommerce shipping solution, announces that it has partnered with leading independent parcel carrier, Yodel for last mile deliveries across the UK. This new partnership sees Yodel join ShipStation’s carrier services platform, enabling new and existing ShipStation merchants to choose Yodel as their carrier of choice for domestic deliveries.

By joining ShipStation’s platform, more SMEs will be able to access Yodel’s flexible delivery services, including Yodel’s Xpect service where customers receive a two-hour delivery window on the morning of their delivery, along with the carrier’s Xpress service. The quick and easy integration provides greater choice and convenience to SMEs as they look to streamline their delivery operations and enhance their delivery experience to meet the changing demands of consumers.

Matthew Trattles, VP of SMB Revenue at Auctane, ShipStation’s operating brand said: “At ShipStation we’re always looking to add innovative carriers to our platform that empower our SME merchants with the tools to grow their business and drive exceptional delivery services. Yodel suits our needs perfectly, as they’re one of the most prominent carriers in the UK, known for their excellent customer service, comprehensive nationwide coverage and for providing great value to merchants. We look forward to working with them to provide existing and new merchants with more choice and convenience when it comes to domestic deliveries.”

Mike Antwoon, Sales Director at Yodel said: “Our new partnership with ShipStation in the UK allows us to provide clients with easy and direct access to our delivery service via a simple integration. Our variety of services places us in a strong position to provide delivery options for businesses of all sizes. From standard deliveries to more specialised requirements, we provide greater flexibility and control when it comes to shipping. We’re excited to be working with ShipStation to serve the needs of their growing clients and create the best delivery experience for consumers.”

Mobility Company opts for Mitsubishi Forklifts

By any measure, CareCo is a genuine success story. Built on energy, innovation and a keen attention to detail, the company’s continued expansion has seen it grow from a small family business operating from a barn to pole position as the UK’s leading whole-range supplier of mobility aids. An expanding fleet of lift trucks has been instrumental in that process, supplied and supported by the local Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks distributor.

Overcoming dual challenges

The challenges facing CareCo were two-fold as relocated from its previous showroom-warehouse in Brentwood to a purpose-designed facility incorporating 100,000 sq ft of warehouse space in Braintree. The first was to coordinate the movement of stock from a series of different locations in the Brentwood area. This was achieved seamlessly with the help of the local Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks distributor who supplied the most appropriate handling equipment on short-term rental.

The second was to identify precisely the right equipment to ensure the new warehouse would operate with optimum efficiency. That resulted in a fleet comprising two Mitsubishi VELiA low level order pickers (LLOPs), two Mitsubishi PREMiA power pallet trucks (PPTs), one Mitsubishi SENSiA reach truck, two Mitsubishi EDiA electric counterbalance trucks plus four Aisle Masters.

All the trucks were supplied on time and in stylish CareCo house livery.

“Meeting a hard deadline of early May was a real challenge,” explains Joe Bronze, local distributor for Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks. “The international shortage of components means that virtually all new forklift and warehouse trucks are on extremely long leads times. We had to be really creative, using a range of different models from our rental fleet to bridge the gap and ensure CareCo were able to commence operations right on schedule.”

Huge range handled with ease

With more than 200 employees, the company offers an exceptionally wide range of products that play an essential role in daily life, helping its customers maintain their independence by managing medication, using the bathroom and getting dressed in the morning.

“We supply everything from a mobility scooter to the rubber tips that go on the ends of walking sticks,” explains CareCo Head of Operations Steve Robinson. “It’s a huge range that calls for specialised storage and handling systems but our truck fleet handles it with ease.

“The Mitsubishi VELiA low level order pickers are used mainly to pick larger items such as wheelchairs, rollators and bath lifts from the lower racking. The power pallet and counterbalance trucks are used to run stock away from assembly lines – where it’s held for checking – before being taken to the intake lanes for the racking.

“That’s where the Aisle Masters take over, operating in the narrow aisle section of the warehouse, putting stock away and feeding pickers in the assembly area. They also work in the bulk racking aisle alongside the Mitsubishi SENSiA reach truck which also feeds a mezzanine floor where smaller items such as spare parts for the service team are stored. Plus we have a scissor-lift that is used for order picking as well as for essential maintenance work.”

At a second CareCo distribution facility in Leeds, CareCo also have four additional trucks – also supplied by their local Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks distributor: two Aisle Masters, a Mitsubishi VELiA low level order picker and a Mitsubishi EDiA electric counterbalance truck that keep the goods moving.

Nimble and exceptionally reliable

“The trucks have been excellent,” says Steve Robinson. “The Mitsubishi low level order pickers and power pallet trucks are really nimble and all the trucks have been exceptionally reliable. We’ve had absolutely no issues at all.

“On the service side, the team are fantastic. They’ve been with CareCo from the start and have proved themselves time and again. We had a minor issue with the speed of the low level order pickers and they adjusted them immediately to suit our particular working environment. The team are genuinely on the ball and their response times are outstanding.”

Port of Felixstowe Deepening Complete

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

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.

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Webinar: Digital Transformation to Optimise Transport Operations

 

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