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Tag: logistics

Safe and sustainable battery transportation

Posted on by David Priestman

With the growing number of electric vehicles on the streets and increased electrification in many industries, the demand for batteries is expanding significantly. According to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) the number of new electric vehicle (EV) registrations rose by 63% in 2021 as compared to the previous year.

Consequently, experts predict battery production capacities in Europe to multiply by a factor of 20 by 2030. The rapid growth of battery production is reshaping automotive supply chains as we know them.

“Lithium-ion batteries are classified as Dangerous Goods. Thus, they are subject to strict safety regulations during transportation and storage,” says Christian Hemming, Technical Director EMEA at ORBIS Europe. “Transporting the large number of batteries in a safe and sustainable way can be a challenge.”

How E-Mobility Affects Supply Chains

Packaging for battery transport must meet high government standards and conform with customer needs at the same time. Battery manufacturers and OEMs are in need of UN-certified, automation-friendly and customised packaging solutions. During transportation, the batteries need to be protected from external influences, such as shocks.

Hemming explains: “It is the packaging industry’s job to protect the product from the environment and the environment from the product.”

UN-Certified Reusable Plastic Packaging Ensures Safety With a robust design and customised dunnage, plastic transport packaging fulfils all these requirements. ORBIS has designed the IonPak as a reusable plastic container for safe transportation of Lithium-Ion Batteries. Transporting other solid dangerous goods such as airbags and belt tensioners is also possible. The foldable large container is UN-approved to transport solid dangerous goods (Packing Group II) and certified in accordance with RID / ADR (UN4H2/UN50H).

The customised packaging consists of a robust foldable large container with European standard footprints (1200 x 800 / 1200 x 1000 / 1600 x 1200 mm) and an inner packaging solution optimised to protect dangerous goods.

Reusable Instead of One-Way

“Still today, single-use packaging is the norm for transporting batteries and other solid dangerous goods. These are produced and then disposed of after every single use. That has to change,” says Hemming. ORBIS‘ reusable packaging solutions are made primarily from recycled materials – with a recycling rate of 100 % at end-of-life. Already during production, that saves around 60kg of CO2 per load carrier.

While electric cars emit less carbon on the road than cars with combustion engines, almost 80% more CO2 is emitted during the manufacturing process. “That’s why it is even more important to make production and supply chains as sustainable as possible,” explains Hemming.

ORBIS’ whitepaper “How to Transport Dangerous Goods – Safe and Sustainable Battery Transportation with Reusable Packaging” offers additional information and is available for download HERE.

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Garbe acquires brownfield site in Salzgitter

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Garbe Industrial Real Estate GmbH has acquired an industrial wasteland in Salzgitter (Lower Saxony, Germany). Following a comprehensive redevelopment of the site, a high-quality and sustainable new building for the storage and handling of industrial goods is to be constructed on the 51,000 sq m site. The logistics property is scheduled to be commissioned in the third quarter of 2024. Garbe Industrial Real Estate is investing around €43m in the conversion project.

The Hamburg project developer took over the property from Alstom. The deal came about as a result of the good cooperation between the two companies. Garbe Industrial Real Estate had previously realised a 30,000 sq m logistics property for the rail vehicle manufacturer on its factory premises in Salzgitter in 2014. The area now acquired is in the immediate vicinity.

Before construction can begin, the site must be cleared of contamination – including foundations of former buildings, concrete slabs, shafts and possibly also explosive ordnance. The potentially contaminated soil will be carefully removed and professionally disposed of. Then a levelling layer is applied and its surface is completely sealed.

“In the process, we bring our many years of experience in dealing with so-called brownfields to bear,” emphasises Adrian Zellner, Member of the Executive Board at Garbe Industrial Real Estate. “With the revitalisation of this area, which has been lying fallow for years, we are enhancing the value of the soil enormously, raising previously unused property reserves without sealing valuable green spaces and thus creating significant settlement potential.”

The complex conversion process is completed by the construction of a modern logistics property with a total area of 32,000 sq m in three fire compartments. For protection, a foil is drawn under the floor slab so that substances that may be hazardous to water can also be stored. At least 28 dock levellers and three ground-level sectional doors are planned for loading and unloading trucks. There will be 140 parking spaces for cars and six for trucks in the outdoor area. Some of them will be pre-equipped with e-charging stations.

A photovoltaic system will be installed on the entire roof area to generate renewable energy. Several green spaces are planned on the property. In addition, the logistics property will not be supplied with fossil fuels. This is entirely in line with Garbe’s corporate strategy of realising project developments with the highest sustainability standards, taking into account all ESG criteria. Garbe Industrial Real Estate is therefore also striving for certification of the property to at least the Gold Standard of the German Sustainable Building Council.

The location is characterised by its central position south of the city triangle of Hanover, Wolfsburg and Brunswick. It is only a few kilometres to the A 39 motorway, which connects Salzgitter in a northerly direction with Wolfsburg and the A 2 Dortmund – Berlin motorway, and in a southerly direction with the A 7 Hamburg – Ulm motorway. There is also a connection to the public transport system. The nearest bus stop is 200m away.

Initial talks with potential users of the logistics centre are already underway. Garbe Industrial Real Estate expects the centre to be let during the construction period.

 

XPO receives BRCGS ‘AA’ accreditation for Arla facility

Posted on by Keith McKinley

XPO Logistics, a leading global provider of freight transportation services, has again received BRCGS ‘AA’ accreditation for satisfying rigorous safety and compliance standards at the Arla Foods Ltd dairy plant in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Arla Foods, a centuries-old dairy cooperative, is the largest supplier of fresh milk and cream in the UK.

XPO earned its initial BRCGS accreditation for Aylesbury in 2021, after being awarded a contract by Arla Foods to store and deliver over 14 million litres of milk per week to retailers in South East England. The two companies then expanded their relationship to include a distribution centre in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, where XPO manages transport. XPO received BRCGS accreditation for Hatfield in 2021, and recently completed the 2022 audit.

Dan Myers, managing director, transport – UK and Ireland, XPO Logistics, said: “The Arla brands stand for food quality and safety, and their reputation is built upon that. Arla and XPO strive for the best standards recognised by the BRCGS ‘AA’ accreditation. We focus on this crucial goal as a joint team effort.”

BRCGS (Brand Reputation through Compliance) was founded in 1996 to harmonise safety standards across the supply chain. BRCGS global benchmarks for food safety, consumer product safety, packaging materials, storage and distribution, ethical trading and other standards help assure consumers that products are safe, legal and of high quality.

XPO provides technology-enabled transport solutions for customers across a range of sectors in Europe, including chilled and ambient food and beverages, retail, trade and industrial goods, and e-commerce, as well as world-class events, such as the Tour de France.

SEC Group delivers IMHX sustainability zone

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Brand new for 2022, the IMHX Sustainability Zone will combine physical displays, augmented reality, and virtual reality demonstrations to give visitors a ‘deep dive’ into the many steps that companies operating in the supply chain space can take to make sure they perform as sustainably as possible.

Prominently located within the main IMHX exhibition hall, the Sustainability Zone, which is being delivered in partnership with SEC Group, will be set across 300 sq m and will allow visitors to take away everything they need to develop an effective sustainability policy or benchmark their existing strategy against examples from some of the most successful companies in the industry.

IMHX 2022 group director, Rob Fisher, comments: “In business, sustainability refers to operating without negatively impacting the environment, community or society as a whole. Sustainable firms consider a wide array of factors, such as a company’s carbon footprint, water usage, community development efforts and board diversity when making business decisions.

“Sustainability has emerged as a strategic imperative. Consumers increasingly show a preference for brands and products with authentic sustainability credentials and, as a result, more companies will only deal with businesses that share their sustainability values and don’t treat the issue as another marketing veneer.”

Managing director of the SEC Group’s Storage division, Harry Watts, says: “Sustainability is the new frontier on which companies must compete and it is going to have a significant impact on every business’s long-term viability. Increasingly we will see that a positive approach to social and environmental issues brings financial reward, so ‘doing good’ will have a direct impact on a company’s ability to ‘do well.’

“It is no longer enough to ‘green wash’ your company’s environmental performance or treat issues such as diversity and inclusion in the workplace as another ‘box ticking exercise’. Companies that neglect the important role that sustainability is starting to play across the commercial world will struggle in the same way that many retailers were left behind or went out of business altogether because they failed to recognise how the emergence of internet shopping was going to affect their business model until it was too late.”

The IMHX Sustainability Zone will comprise a number of dedicated areas where visitors can learn about the developments in technology as well as the social issues and operational trends that are shaping today’s sustainable supply chains.

By taking a holistic approach, the zone will provide visitors with an insight into an array of adoptable sustainable initiatives. Interactive augmented reality features will complement physical displays, while virtual reality will be used to allow visitors to ‘travel through a portal’ and bring different sustainable solutions to life.

Watts continues: “At SEC, we’re extremely excited about delivering an experience for visitors that will showcase Industry 4.0 technological, operational and market trends, through cutting-edge, immersive technologies. Visitors will be able to step into a world that will highlight not only how fascinating the logistics industry is right now, but will also show how much potential there is in their own operations.”

Fisher adds: “Our Sustainability Zone is certainly going to have the ‘wow factor.’ It is one of many new features planned for IMHX 2022 which will ensure that every aspect of the event is relevant for the challenges and opportunities presenting themselves to companies in the logistics and supply chain sectors today.”

 

 

IAA Transportation has themed logistics day

Posted on by Keith McKinley

From September 20th to 25th, the IAA Transportation in Hanover will present the trends and innovations in the field of commercial vehicles, logistics and transport. An important part of the new event concept are the four theme days as part of the IAA Conference. The second theme day “Trade and Logistics” will take place in cooperation with the German Retail Association (Handelsverband Deutschland e.V.) on September 21st.

In various formats such as keynotes, panel talks, or fireside chats, international speakers from politics and business discuss, analyse and present the challenges of global logistics, autonomous logistics, sustainability in the supply chain or the challenges of the last mile.

The speakers include Frank Appel, CEO of Deutsche Post DHL Group, Dorothea von Boxberg, CEO of Lufthansa Cargo, Kurk Wilks, President & CEO of MANN + HUMMEL and many other representatives of well-known companies such as Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Mercedes Benz Vans, Arrival, Gorillas, Udelv, Einride, Michelin, UPS, Apex.AI, Goodyear, Plus.

Stefan Genth, General Manager of German Retail Association (HDE), commented on the joint theme day at the IAA Transportation in Hanover: “The trade faces considerable challenges in maintaining a functioning supply chain. Production bottlenecks, disruptions in ports all over the world and capacity bottlenecks in Europe show that the supply situation is tense. In addition, there are requirements for climate-friendly logistics, which will require considerable investments in the coming years. There’s good reason to find out about current trends in the transport sector so that you can react to upcoming developments in time.”

VDA Managing Director Jürgen Mindel said about the joint theme day at the IAA Transportation: “We are very pleased that HDE has agreed to sponsor the ‘Trade and Logistics’ theme day. With the theme days at the IAA Transportation, we want to jointly discuss opportunities and challenges that concern us all across the industry. The topics will be discussed and presented in a correspondingly broad manner on this day: the future of global trade, the current challenges of the supply chains or future topics such as autonomous logistics. The individual theme days will thus become an important think tank for future dialogue in the transport and logistics industry.”

 

 

Last-mile Logistics Estates in Greater London acquired

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Prologis, a leading owner and developer of UK logistics real estate, has further strengthened its portfolio in London and the South East, with the acquisition of two prime urban logistics estates in Park Royal and Watford (pictured) . This transaction continues the company’s strategic focus on Greater London, following recent acquisitions in Croydon and Erith in July.

Comprising more than 360,000 sq. ft. of prime last-mile logistics space, on a total of 17 acres, both estates offer a range of Grade A units and are 100% leased to customers operating in diverse industry sectors including distribution, construction, pharmaceutical and film and television.

Located in two densely populated urban markets, Prologis Central Park (Park Royal) and Prologis Imperial Park (Watford) are strong additions to the UK portfolio, with both benefiting from excellent connectivity to London and beyond. Situated at the heart of Park Royal, the capital’s premier industrial and logistics estate, Central Park was built in 2014 to BREEAM ‘Excellent’ specification. Imperial Park was built in phases from 2000 and is well located less than 5 minutes from Junction 5, M1 in Watford, north west London’s principal commercial district.

The purchase of both assets complements Prologis UK’s existing portfolio – expanding holdings at Park Royal and, in the case of Watford, increasing the company’s presence along the southern M1-London corridor. The Watford site in particular adds to a number of successful projects in Hemel Hempstead.

Paul Weston, Regional Head of Prologis UK: “The purchase of these prime urban logistics estates illustrates our confidence in and appetite to grow our last mile offering servicing London and the South East. We look forward to working with new customers across the two parks, all of whom are welcome additions to our business.”

The assets were acquired from Schroders Capital who were advised by Gerald Eve.

Bis Henderson Space named as a CCS supplier

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Bis Henderson Space has been named as a supplier on the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) Storage, Distribution, Kitting and Associated Services (RM6282) Framework Agreement.

Launched in February 2022, the commercial agreement will last for four years and offers public sector organisations in the UK, such as central and local government authorities, emergency services and the NHS, access to a range of storage, distribution and kitting solutions and services under one agreement. The agreement includes UK and international storage and transportation, quality control of items and specialist collection and delivery services.

What does this mean for the public sector?

The Crown Commercial Service is an executive agency of the Cabinet Office; supporting the public sector to achieve maximum commercial value when procuring goods and services.

In 2020/21, CCS helped the public sector to achieve commercial benefits equal to £2.04bn – supporting world-class public services that offer best value for taxpayers.

For public sector organisations, the CCS agreement delivers significant and sustainable cost savings through its commercial activity and aggregated procurement arrangements. Suppliers are carefully evaluated during the tender process, and pre-agreed terms and conditions offer clients sound contractual safeguards.

The framework is available to all central Government departments and other UK public sector bodies, including local authorities, charities, executive agencies, the health sector, police authorities, fire and rescue services, education providers and the devolved administrations.

Steve Purvis (pictured), Managing Director at Bis Henderson Space, commented, ”We’re delighted to be named as a supplier on this framework and to have the opportunity to build on our excellent track record working with Government and the Public Sector. As an SME, this framework agreement allows us to open up our services in storage, kitting and transport to Crown Commercial Services customers, which is pivotal to our business direction and growth.”

Bis Henderson Space has been awarded a position on the following lots for RM6282:

  • Lot 3a – Storage
  • Lot 3b – Kitting and Fulfilment Solutions and Service
  • Lot 3c – Transport and Distribution

DHL and Nespresso expand partnership

Posted on by Keith McKinley

DHL Supply Chain is extending its strategic partnership with Nestlé Nespresso S.A. Building on a relationship dating back to 2014, DHL will now also provide logistics and fulfilment services in the UK and Republic of Ireland (ROI). The existing partnerships between DHL and Nespresso in Italy, Brazil, Malaysia and Taiwan will continue.

“Having successfully supported Nespresso in some of its key markets since 2014, we’re delighted to be extending our relationship to cover the UK and Ireland for the first time,” said Saul Resnick, CEO of DHL Supply Chain UK&I. “Today’s news is a great vote of confidence in our people and the quality of our logistics and e-fulfilment service provided globally over the past eight years. We look forward to further building on this great partnership.”

From Q1 2023, DHL will handle all warehousing across Nespresso’s e-commerce and network of retail boutiques in the UK & ROI. Projected to handle six million orders in year one alone, the UK operation will be based in a dedicated omnichannel facility in Coventry. It is equipped with state-of-the-art automation, with a BREEAM rating of ‘excellent’ thanks to extensive environmental features including solar panels, electric charge points and air source heat pumps. The Irish operation will be based in Dublin.

In all markets, DHL will manage key aspects of the supply chain, including storage, warehousing and picking and packing of individual orders.

“I am delighted that we will be working with DHL from next year. With their warehousing expertise, innovative automation technology and a strong focus on delivering sustainable operations and services, DHL is the ideal supply chain partner for Nespresso UK & Ireland. Together, we will deliver on Nespresso’s ambitions to further build our premium quality of service and achieve joint success,” added Jan Süßmeir, Customer Care & Services Director at Nespresso UK & ROI.

The blend of robotics and manual input across the operation was a key driver in Nespresso’s decision to partner with DHL. To meet the brand’s ambitious growth plans, DHL will employ both ‘spider’ and collaborative robots to scale up at short notice, without requiring additional labour. Robot pickers are able to process up to eight times faster than manual handling. Meanwhile, colleagues at the site will have the opportunity to upskill in automation management.

Garbe develops logistics centre near Jena

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Garbe Industrial Real Estate GmbH is continuing its expansion course. In Bollberg near Jena (Thuringia, DE), the Hamburg-based real estate developer will build a logistics centre with a total area of 35,500 sq m on a 65,000 sq m site. Construction is scheduled to start in December 2022, with an investment of around €48m.

The property is located in the industrial park of Bollberg, a district of Stadtroda (Saale-Holzland district) in Thuringia. “A location for a logistics centre could hardly be better,” emphasises Adrian Zellner, Member of the Executive Board at Garbe Industrial Real Estate. The Hermsdorfer Kreuz interchange, which connects the A4 Bad Hersfeld−Dresden motorway with the A9 Berlin−Munich, is seven kilometres away. Both motorways are among the most important north-south and west-east axes in Germany. The A4 runs virtually within sight of the business park. The Stadtroda junction is easily reached after a one kilometre ride without having to pass through the town.

Proximity to Jena also played a role in the property purchase: “The city has made a name for itself as a high-tech location. Both international corporations and small and medium-sized companies are represented in Jena,” says Zellner. “Demand for developed land is correspondingly high. That’s why we decided to develop the logistics centre with a view to the future.”

A multi-user logistics centre with a hall area of 31,500 sq m is planned. The hall will be designed so that it can be divided into units of around 10,000 sq m or more. In addition, there will be 1,400 sq m for offices and social rooms as well as 2,500 sq m of mezzanine space. The new unit will be equipped with 30 dock levellers and three ground-level gates. Parking spaces for 117 cars and four trucks will be provided outside.

Garbe Industrial Real Estate is developing the property together with Terrae Immobiliengesellschaft mbH. A major focus of the construction is the consideration of numerous sustainability standards. Benchmark is the fulfilment of the Efficiency House Class 55 standards of the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau / Reconstruction Loan Corporation (Kfw). For an example, a photovoltaic system will be installed on the roof to generate renewable energy. Garbe Industrial Real Estate is aiming for the property to be certified according to the gold standard of the German Sustainable Building Council.

Talks with potential tenants are already underway. “There is a lot of interest. That’s why we expect full occupancy during the construction period,” says Zellner. The property is scheduled for completion in December 2023.

 

UPS acquires healthcare logistics provider

Posted on by Keith McKinley

UPS is to acquire Bomi Group, an industry-leading multinational healthcare logistics provider. The transaction will add temperature-controlled facilities in 14 countries and nearly 3,000 highly-skilled Bomi Group team members to the UPS Healthcare network in Europe and Latin America.

“As a leading global healthcare logistics company, Bomi enhances our portfolio of services and accelerates our journey to become the number one provider of complex healthcare logistics,” said EVP and President of UPS International, Healthcare and Supply Chain Solutions Kate Gutmann. “UPS Healthcare and Bomi Group employees share similar values and our cultures are firmly rooted in a relentless focus on quality. The combination of our two teams will significantly improve our healthcare customers’ ability to continue to develop and deliver life-saving innovations.”

Since 1985, Bomi Group has provided high value-added services for the Medtech and Pharma sectors with a customised and tailored approach. It is a quality-focused company devoted to healthcare that has built solid and long-lasting business relationships with more than 150 multinational customers worldwide.

Key Bomi Group leaders, including CEO Marco Ruini, will continue in their roles to provide seamless service to Bomi Group customers after the transaction closes. Bomi Group’s employees will also continue to play vital roles in the combined organisation.

“With over 35 years in the healthcare logistics industry, our team has developed best-in-class services designed to meet and exceed the needs of our medical technology and pharmaceutical customers,” said Ruini. “Joining the UPS team will expand those capabilities and create an even more integrated and smart global network for our customers.”

The acquisition will add more than 350 temperature-controlled vehicles and 391,000 sq m to the UPS Healthcare global footprint, offering customers access to faster shipping times, greater production flexibility, and offerings to help them attract new business. The acquisition will play a key role in the delivery of next-generation pharmaceutical and biologic treatments that increasingly require time-critical and temperature-sensitive logistics.

“We are focused on building healthcare logistics capabilities and services that allow our customers to deliver the newest healthcare innovations,” said UPS Healthcare President Wes Wheeler. “We are excited to combine Bomi’s talent, expertise and capabilities with UPS Healthcare – together, we will provide unmatched solutions to our customers, powered by UPS’s integrated, global smart logistics network.”

The acquisition of Bomi is part of UPS Healthcare’s continued expansion of its network and services to meet growing demand – including Bomi, UPS Healthcare has doubled its global footprint since 2020. Recent expansions include newly constructed and soon-to-be-opened dedicated state-of-the-art healthcare logistics facilities in Germany and Australia, and expanded campuses in Hungary and the Netherlands.

UPS Healthcare also recently enhanced UPS Premier, a technology-led service that can prioritise and track critical shipments within about three meters of their location anywhere in UPS’s global network. UPS Premier brings worldwide visibility, control, reliability and product recovery capabilities to UPS Healthcare customers.

These expansions and new services meet the complex and varied needs of UPS Healthcare’s customers, helping them turn logistics into a competitive advantage.

The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2022, subject to customary regulatory review and approval. The value and terms of the transaction are not being disclosed at this time.

 

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