DSV opens doors at Leics. hub

Just 10 months after commencement on site, DSV is celebrating the practical completion of a 522,000 sq ft industrial facility and offices. The scheme – designed, constructed and partially fitted out by Winvic Construction Ltd during the pandemic – is located at the 238-acre Mercia Park in north-west Leicestershire.

The plot comprises three buildings – totalling 522,000 sq ft – and contains:

  • 104 dock levellers:
  • A 358,000 sq ft steel-framed warehouse containing three mezzanine floors and two single-storey hub offices totalling 4,360 sq ft
  • A 112,000 sq ft cross-dock terminal
  • A 35,660 sq ft three-storey office building

The large stand-alone office building was designed and executed to meet DSV’s global standard with high-spec fitted office spaces found within the warehouse buildings. The prominent design features to the main office include a glass lift, wood-panelled walls in an oak finish and a feature staircase. The external works package included 381,700 sq ft yard space plus car parking for 406 vehicles, and the programme contained all drainage, retaining wall, and hard and soft landscaping works.

Surinder Dubro, Managing Director, in DSV, commented: “We commissioned the project in September to construct a building in the heart of England to accommodate all three divisions of DSV. The main shared user warehouse facility operated by our DSV Solutions Division will provide logistics services for two existing platforms clients and will ensure both seasonal capacity and growth can be accommodated.

“The facility will also be fitted out with DSV Factory Fulfilment automation. This plug and play system will allow clients to enter an automated tote bin and grid system where robots pick the goods and deliver direct to the packing teams.”

This UK £2.5m DSV investment is one of six initial systems being installed in Europe with an initial investment of over £20m with more to come across the globe and is a clear strategy to ensure DSV delivers operational excellence.

Local Management, Marc Coleman, Louis Ataria and Sarah Pritchett shall be welcoming their teams from two existing locations to the new site from mid-October, which shall bring new job opportunities to the local area of Mercia Park.

Vice President, Jesper Hansen, added: “This is a huge enhancement to our portfolio, the state-of-the-art facility is ideally situated to operate as the key main hub for our distribution network, servicing the entire country. The location complements our already established infrastructure across Europe, adding significantly to our continuously developing DSV groupage network.”

The project has been designed and constructed in accordance with the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) under the 2018 framework to achieve excellence in respect of water and energy efficiency. To name a few initiatives, rainwater harvesting will be used for flushing toilets to reduce consumption of potable water, sustainable drainage systems have been implemented as well as solar photovoltaics for electrical power contribution.

High-performance LED lighting supported by motion sensors have been installed, reducing the total power demand whilst meeting best practice. As part of the Mercia Park site wide scheme beyond the site boundary, there is the creation of landscape buffers and large-scale planting using native woodland species, planting for wildlife habitat and wildflower buffers, roosting boxes for bats and nesting boxes for birds.

The project’s progress has been streamed throughout construction and the completed buildings with their striking striped cladding can still be seen on Winvic Live in timelapse videos.

Winvic Construction Director, Rob Bull, said: “The DSV project bucks the industrial facility trend because it comprises separate buildings for the main warehouse, cross-dock and offices, but there was no doubt that we could carefully sequence the construction and fit-out works to build them all simultaneously and within ten months. Additionally, our team led by Project Manager David Gilbert knew that the aesthetics, material quality and execution had to meet DSV’s high global design standards, and we’re as thrilled as DSV are about the exceptional finish achieved.”

Delamode appoints Fashion & Lifestyle Director

Xpediator, an international freight management & 3PL group, has appointed Penny Gradwell as a Director of the Fashion & Lifestyle division of Delamode International Logistics, the Group’s subsidiary in the freight forwarding division.

Gradwell joins the Group from Nippon Express, a substantial Japanese logistics conglomerate where she held a range of senior management positions and is highly experienced in Fashion, FMCG and e-commerce markets, including European road freight management. Gradwell’s role will be focused on expanding the customer base of the Fashion and Lifestyle division, targeting luxury fashion retailers such as boutiques, individual retail stores, and start-up businesses all over the world.

Customers will have access to Delamode’s one-stop-shop service for fashion retailers, which encompasses every element of the supply chain. Delamode’s international distribution network allows customers to safely and efficiently import items to the UK on a large or small scale, from individual designer items to raw fabric materials from both off and near shore manufacturing locations. Delamode’s Luxury London fashion facility also provides clients with a bonded warehousing solution and garment processing covering all valued added services, which is underpinned by a UK delivery network solution covering every postcode in the UK.

Luke Croome, COO of Xpediator’s Fashion and Lifestyle Division, said: “Penny has significant fashion, ecommerce and FMCG sector experience and I am delighted to welcome Penny as part of the team. There is no doubt demand is growing within the luxury fashion sector for the preference to place their trust in a single logistics provider and as a business we are well positioned to support these clients with every supply chain service.

“Environmental sustainability is also rightly a key talking point for our clients and as an environmentally responsible business I am excited about the plans we have in place to help offset our carbon emission, including the upgrading of our GOH fleet to electric powered vehicles in 2022.”

Gradwell added: “I am delighted to have joined Delamode International Logistics and look forward to adding more high-quality brands to their already impressive customer base.

“It is a fantastic conversation to be able to have with clients when you can offer a true end-to-end service solution delivered completely inhouse. Delamode International Logistics offers every service from international freight management, European distribution, customs clearances with bonded warehousing (London facility), e-commerce solutions, shop fit outs and garment processing covering all value-added services and not forgetting our UK delivery service providing final last mile deliveries of GOH, cartons and pallets.”

Forto opens Netherlands office

Forto, a leading provider of digitised freight forwarding and supply chain solutions, is to expand into the Netherlands with a new office in Rotterdam. Leading the Netherlands commercial office is logistics industry expert Marcel Beentjes, as Director Netherlands.

The new office will serve as a regional operational presence for customer account management and sales, logistics management, and service teams supporting Forto customers based in the region. This team will be supported by Forto’s international network of logistics, operational, and technical teams around the world.

Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, Forto has a worldwide presence with offices across Germany and Asia (Shanghai, Ningbo, Shenzhen, Singapore, Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City). In 2021, the company expanded its European footprint with offices in Copenhagen (Hellerup) and Aarhus, Denmark and Madrid, Spain.

With more than 15 years’ working with logistics, transport, and technology industry companies, Beentjes joins Forto from Uber, where he most recently served as Regional Manager Growth & Expansion for Uber Freight where he was responsible for the commercial team and the successful product launch of the Uber “shipper platform.” Prior to joining Uber Freight, Beenjes spent more than five years at A.P Moeller Maersk, where he most recently was leading commercial teams for the Twill business and previously served as Director of Solution Sales for the Benelux Region.

In these roles he built and led commercial teams and was responsible for growing the business in Europe. Beentjes also spent many years with Yusen Logistics, where he held manager positions in the areas of Route Development, Trade Lane, and Business Development.

“Marcel brings an amazing combination of logistics and technology expertise to Forto,” commented Michael Wax, CEO and co-founder of Forto. “Not only does have a deep understanding of the dynamics of the supply chain, but he has worked with companies working to drive new directions in established markets.”

Forto is leading a new generation of disruptive logistics companies, using its digital platform to simplify interactions, remove process friction, and increase supply chain visibility and transparency — in turn empowering customers with better insights to make smarter decisions. Leading brands across industries ranging from fashion, furniture, and electronics are working with Forto to manage the transport of their goods.

The company has also set the goal to make global trade more sustainable. Already more than half of Forto customers leverage the company’s carbon-offsetting offer, and Forto has implemented the “1+1 Approach” — a programme in which Forto doubles the CO2 compensation of every customer to move towards climate-positive transports.

“Forto has an assembled and amazing team of logistics, technology, and operational experts who share a common vision to drive new efficiencies and transparency in the industry,” commented Beentjes. “What they have achieved so far is truly impressive and I am excited to bring their offering to the Netherlands.”

With operations in The Netherlands, Forto is strategically placed to better serve customers at a key point of international supply chains. The Netherlands is one of Europe’s largest trade hubs and is strategically located within reach of 244 million consumers within 1,000km. It is home to five international sea ports, with the Port of Rotterdam the largest and the Port of Antwerp the second-largest port in Europe. Among its four major airports, Amsterdam Schiphol Airport ranks among the third-largest cargo airport in Europe, and sits at the top of the global list of airports with the most direct international connections.

The Netherlands is also driving positive change to fight against climate change with the Dutch government committed to reduce the Netherlands’ greenhouse gas emissions by 49% by 2030. The country’s major transport hubs also have sustainability initiatives in focus with the Port Authority of Rotterdam leading the transition to sustainability energy with a range of initiatives, from pilot programmes to test wind and solar power options, to installation of LED-based lighting. The Schiphol Royal Airport Group “aims to operate zero-emissions and zero-waste airport by 2030”.

Pictured (from left): Erik Muttersbach CTO and Co-Founder, Michael Wax CEO and Co-Founder, Dr. Michael Ardelt

Autoclaves transported from Germany to Uzbekistan

Eleven members of the Danir 19 team from its offices in Germany, Latvia, Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan worked jointly to perform a tailored logistics solution  – the transportation of two abnormal autoclaves from Germany to Uzbekistan.

The two out-of-gauge autoclaves, each 45 meters long and with a gross weight of 87,000kg, were safely delivered for use in Uzbekistan’s industrial sector.

The project included transportation of autoclaves with four modes of transport. As a result, the autoclaves under single transportation were moved by truck, barge, ship, and by rail. Every part of transportation included its own successfully solved challenges and difficulties.

One of the interesting challenges for this transportation was the organisation and execution of safe heavy lifting operations. In total, five transshipments of the cargo were performed, safely executed under supervision of survey and company representatives.

SUMMARY

From: Germany to Uzbekistan

Cargo: Out of gauge autoclaves

Dimensions: 45 x 3.5 x 3.6m

Weight: 87,000kg

Quantity: 2

Industry: Industrial sector

Types of transport: trucks/ship/barge/railway

Transshipments: 5

ASOS unveils new Lichfield DC

ASOS, one of the world’s leading online fashion retailers, has formally opened its state-of-the-art fulfilment centre in Lichfield, Staffordshire, with Michael Fabricant, Conservative MP for Lichfield and Cllr Doug Pullen, Conservative Leader of Lichfield District Council.

The facility at Fradley Park, which will employ 2,000 people over the next three years, is being managed by GXO Logistics, and has already recruited more than 700 people.

ASOS will invest a total of £90m in the new 437,000 sq ft fulfilment centre and will use it to serve customers in the UK and over 150 countries around the world. ASOS expects to ship over 30 million units in the site’s first year, and up to 4.5m units per week once the site is fully operational and automation is complete. The site will enable ASOS to meet increasing customer demand and support its ambitions of reaching £7bn of annual revenue within the next three to four years.

Mat Dunn, Chief Operating Officer at ASOS, said: “We are thrilled to be celebrating the opening of our brand-new warehouse in Lichfield, which will support our ambitious international growth plans and bring a significant number of jobs to the area. Our choice of Lichfield reflects the skills and talent it has to offer and we’re looking forward to becoming part of the local community in the years ahead.”

Paul Scully, Business Minister, said: “As we build back better from the pandemic, we want to level up our country with new jobs, and big investments from businesses like ASOS will play a major part in that. It’s brilliant that ASOS – a British success story – is investing in Staffordshire with the creation of a new fulfilment centre and 2,000 jobs to boot, providing a welcome boost for the local economy and people in and around Lichfield.”

Michael Fabricant, MP for Lichfield, said: “Lichfield District is ideal as a location for ASOS’ new global warehouse as it sits in the middle of the country and is well connected to our road system. But Lichfield is much more than that. It has a highly educated, well-motivated and skilled workforce so the District has attracted many hi-tech industries. In addition, it is a great place to live with lively night life combined with a historic centre. I welcome ASOS to Fradley and wish them the very best for the future.”

Councillor Doug Pullen, Leader of Lichfield District Council, added: “It’s wonderful to be able to welcome ASOS to Lichfield District – we’re delighted ASOS selected this location to support the next stage of its global growth. As well as creating local employment and supply chain opportunities, I know ASOS are keen to play an active role in our community and I look forward to working with them in the years ahead. We are ideally located for this type of facility with a skilled local workforce, excellent infrastructure and a high quality of life.”

The Fradley Park warehouse joins a growing number of global fulfilment centres for ASOS. ASOS currently operates three other fulfilment centres, in Barnsley, Berlin and Atlanta.

PD Ports offers logistics students unique experience

PD Ports, the largest private employer in the Tees Valley, has offered six Stockton Riverside College students the unique opportunity to shadow its LGV drivers in a bid to showcase careers in the logistics sector in a further step towards combating driver shortages.

The bespoke programme, which has been developed by Stockton Riverside College in collaboration with the Road Haulage Association (RHA), PD Ports and fellow logistics providers Prestons of Potto, will see students travel in an artic LGV alongside experienced drivers to gain an exclusive insight into life on the road.

With news of driver shortages and supply chain issues sweeping the UK, PD Ports Chief Commercial Officer, Geoff Lippitt, explained how programmes such as this are vital to bridging skills gaps and making careers in transport attractive and attainable for future employees.

“At PD Ports, we have long foreseen the potential issues around driver shortages as we recognised that drivers typically fell into an ageing demographic, leaving behind a huge skills gap,” said Lippitt.

“As the largest private employer in the region, and global leaders in the logistics sector, we know how important collaboration is when tackling skills shortages. This programme demonstrates how, by working together, we can effectively challenge perceptions and offer invaluable insights into potential career paths.

“We’re delighted to be able to offer this unique experience within PD Ports and remain committed to actively promoting careers in logistics as an attractive prospect for the next generation.”

Over the course of two days with their respective mentors, students gained an understanding of how to work with EU regulations, conduct pre-vehicle checks, load securing and handle the paperwork associated with being a driver all whilst travelling around the UK.

Following their placements, and upon successfully completing the course, which enables students to acquire their licences and a level 2 logistics qualification, students are also guaranteed an interview with PD Ports for full-time employment, further enabling them to kick start their careers.

Gavin Straine-Francis, 42, was one of the lucky six to spend time on the road with PD Ports, and explained how the experience has left him looking forward to getting started. A former support worker, he said: “My dad was a truck driver and he suggested getting my licence a couple of years back. I think that planted a seed and now here I am.”

Straine-Francis found spending a couple of days working alongside PD Ports’ drivers offered an insight like no other. He added: “It was really good. The early start came as a bit of a shock but the drivers were all brilliant and were happy to answer your questions and share the benefit of their experience.”

Phil Dorn (pictured,with the students), Logistics Team Leader at Stockton Riverside College, explained how the programme has long been in the planning. He said, “Although driver shortages are a ‘hot topic’ at this moment in time, we’ve been working with multiple local employers, stakeholders and the RHA for some time to raise awareness about the need to train the next generation of drivers.

“We passionately believe this type of collaboration is the way forward to deal with the training needs of the logistics industry in the region from the perspective of both potential employees and employers.”

GEFCO UK appoints FVL director

GEFCO UK has announced the appointment of Youssef Bajddi as its new Finished Vehicle Logistics Director.

Bajddi has 14 years of experience working in international supply chain operations and strategy. He has been part of the GEFCO Group for the past 10 years, having joined the business in 2011 as a supply chain analyst.

During his time at GEFCO he has managed FVL control towers for key automotive clients’ worldwide flows, as well as being part of project teams charged with preparing operational transitions to new client FVL processes.

In his new role he will be responsible for strengthening GEFCO FVL’s position in the UK, helping the business manage and overcome future challenges, and improving the accommodation for EVs and new mobility solutions in GEFCO services.

Bajddi holds a master degree in Supply chain management, a FVL manager certificate from ECG Academy and executive Master of Business Administration from the ESSEC Business school in both France and Singapore.

Bajddi commented: “The automotive sector is currently going through some of the most significant shifts – in technology and consumer attitudes towards personal mobility – in living memory. It’s no doubt an exciting time to be working in this area, with many challenges and opportunities that we must be able to meet head-on in the coming years. I’m immensely proud to be entrusted with leading the GEFCO UK FVL team as the company looks to innovate its product offering, respond to emerging trends and deliver for customers.”

Cedric Chacon, Managing Director at GEFCO UK, added: “Throughout times of significant market change, strong leadership is vital. I’m confident that Youssef, with his years of industry expertise and knowledge of the wider GEFCO Group, is well-placed to deliver the excellent customer experience that we’ve come to be known for.”

Pharma company quadruples tenders via Transporeon

Boehringer Ingelheim was the first pharmaceutical company to fully outsource its operative tender management process to Transporeon in 2020. One year later, the benefits of this step have become clearly visible.

In the current volatile market situation characterised by fluctuating prices, Boehringer Ingelheim was able to quadruple its logistics tenders and ensure the robustness of its logistics processes. At the same time, Boehringer Ingelheim retains full control of all strategic decisions: the schedule, the scope of the tender, and the pool of service providers are managed by the pharmaceutical company itself.

By working with Transporeon, Boehringer Ingelheim receives better service at a lower cost. Even in times of reduced transport capacity, the pharmaceutical company obtains attractive offers via Transporeon’s active tender management. In parallel, costs and effort for the internal coordination of the tendering process decrease.

In addition, the logistics experts from Ulm regularly supply market insights to Boehringer Ingelheim to facilitate navigating the current volatile market situation, as part of their procurement excellence programme. These analyses by Transporeon have proven essential for making long-term strategic decisions.

Sören Brodowy, Head of Global Sourcing Logistics at Boehringer Ingelheim, said: “Working closely with the Transporeon employees is of paramount importance for us. They are the logistics experts for the execution of the tendering process, as well as data processing, validation and analyses.”

Expanding this partnership in the future is highly likely. Boehringer Ingelheim successfully introduced Transporeon’s spot tendering tool at a site in Belgium to bridge the shortage of air freight capacity during the pandemic. Due to this success, the pharmaceutical company is considering deploying the spot tool developed for air and ship freight across the entire company in the medium-term.

Boehringer Ingelheim and Transporeon have been working together as trusted partners in the field of contract tendering since 2010.

Prologis report lays bare supply chain crisis

New research by Prologis, a global leader in logistics real estate, has highlighted the global supply chain crisis, with logistics space at an all-time low, a slowdown in the flow of goods and rising construction costs.

Prologis‘ Research team’s new paper, Persistent Disruption,  explores the shift logistics customers are making from “just in time” to “just in case” – or a permanent shift toward resilience. This shift will create powerful demand tailwinds in logistics real estate and could prolong or worsen the current shortage of space.

Highlights include:

  • Robust inventory-to-sales ratios are key to the future supply chain. Disruptions in the flow of goods will persist beyond the pandemic, driven by structural forces in climate, geopolitics and labour.
  • Higher inventories will require 800 million sq ft (74.3 million sq m) of logistics real estate or more to fix the shortage and build in resilience. Logistics real estate leasing is not yet reflecting this demand because companies need to first focus on immediate inventory challenges.
  • Gateway locations are poised to benefit as the first step on the consumption end of supply chains. Because these locations generally have high barriers to new logistics development, demand is expected to outstrip supply.

Eva van der Pluijm-Kok, Director, Research & Strategy at Prologis, commented: “During Q3, we saw a record low of 3.0% in vacancies in Europe. This trend already pointed towards increasing demand for space and for inventory stock up early on.

“In the UK, due to Brexit, the urgency to build supply chain resilience has been somewhat expected but we also saw that the disruption was more severe than predicted In Europe, demand to build inventory has been traditionally low. This is now slowly changing and leading to shortages.

“Both across Europe and the UK, findings show that the demand for logistics space and to increase inventories will continue as part of customers’ aim to build resilience.”

Furthermore, Prologis’ current Industrial Business Indicator (IBI), the company’s proprietary quarterly survey of customer activity and sentiment, reveal that strong retail sales and supply chain challenges are driving urgency in leasing. US net absorption reached a record high of 115 million sq ft (10.7 million sq m) in Q3 2021 and 280 million sq ft (26 million sq m) year-to-date – more than double the same period last year, pushing vacancy to a new low of 3.9%.

CLICK HERE to download the Persistent Disruption report by Prologis.

 

DENSO solutions help digitalise logistics

Due to the corona pandemic, logistics has to master its greatest challenges. Innovative technology from DENSO Wave Europe makes logistics processes leaner, faster and more efficient.

Logistics is under massive pressure: On the one hand, the industry has good growth prospects due to the corona-related growth in e-commerce. On the other hand, however, it has to meet increased customer demands and at the same time master the digitalisation.

The current study “Mobilising the Delivery Workforce: The State of Mobile Technologies in Transport and Logistics 2021” by Arlington Research shows that mobile-first technologies will play a key role in the delivery of goods in the final delivery area. 70% of those questioned are of this opinion. Almost half of the respondents also stated that technologies for implementing the mobile-first strategy will play the most important role in accelerating delivery processes.

DENSO Wave Europe, part of the Toyota Group, knows the challenges in logistics and the competitive pressure, which is increased by globalisation but also the call for more digitalisation. In logistics, it is also important to transport goods safely and just-in-time over ever longer distances.

“Transparent processes show potential for optimisation in logistics,” says Dirk Gelbrich, General Manager Technical Department at DENSO Wave Europe. “The Auto-ID solutions, handheld terminals and scanners as well as wearables from DENSO record data from picking to delivery. In this way, they provide essential information within the supply chain in order to make processes comprehensible and measurable,” he explains.

RFID technology also plays a key role in the digitalisation of the logistics industry. RFID ensures that processes along the supply chain become leaner, faster, and more efficient. Information on how DENSO Wave Europe can contribute to overcoming current and future challenges in logistics with its handheld terminals, scanners, wearables, RFID readers, and Auto-ID solutions, can be found here: https://www.denso-wave.eu/en/industries/transport-logistics.html

Logistics benefit from RFID devices and IoT solutions

In the future, it will become more and more important to accelerate delivery processes. In the above-mentioned study, 40% of the respondents said they want to invest in technology that accelerates deliveries. RFID readers are ideally suited for these projects as they help logisticians accelerate their processes and work more efficiently.

The RFID scanners from DENSO Wave Europe offer outstanding reading speed and robustness – a decisive advantage for logistics, but also for warehouse management and transport.

“With RFID, processes along the supply chain can be optimised. Additionally, inventory surpluses and shortages in the warehouse can be avoided with RFID and the appropriate mobile data collection devices. If logisticians can record accurate inventory data along their supply chain, a basic problem has already been solved and further optimisations to accelerate the processes can follow,” says Gelbrich, explaining the advantages of RFID when digitalising logistics.

The UR40 RFID reader from DENSO, for example, can read 700 RFID tags per second. This makes the RFID reader one of the fastest in the industry.

Another result of the study is that 80% of the transport and logistics companies surveyed are planning significant investments in technologies such as mobile devices, wearables or IoT devices and IoT solutions.

DENSO Wave Europe is also very well positioned in the field of IoT solutions and, with the ORiN IoT data management platform, offers an ideal tool for logistics and transport companies. “Practically speaking, it is not that simple to create a data-networked environment in a company,” says Gelbrich. For a smart factory, however, the technology to connect devices within the facility and to collect data from these devices for analysis purposes is essential.

“DENSO offers ORiN as the best solution. It is our IoT data management platform, which provides a middleware with which information from various automation devices can be collected more efficiently. The data can then be shared with other systems and cloud solutions,” says Gelbrich. Data can be freely forwarded and transformed between all connected devices and software systems and further steps can be planned accordingly.

ORiN can be used, for example, in the production sector for process optimisation, condition monitoring, and production control. Collected data can be viewed using built-in data analysis and display tools. “The logisticians are faced with the great challenge of having to make their own company processes faster and more efficient – a huge long-term task. But it can be mastered with DENSO Wave Europe, RFID, and innovative IoT solutions,” summarises Gelbrich.

Further information on the RFID scanners and IoT solutions from DENSO Wave Europe, and how companies can optimise processes in logistics, transport, and warehouse management, is available HERE.

For the European market, DENSO Wave Europe is the contact point for all enquiries on RFID, QR Codes, mobile data collection, handheld terminals, and scanners. The durable and robust terminals and scanners manufactured by DENSO are to be found in storage, logistics, at the POS, in production, and field & sales automation applications.

Short and informative video clips about the terminals, scanners, and solutions from DENSO Wave Europe can now be viewed on YouTube. The clips include the 20th anniversary of the QR Code, a company presentation, and introductions to the various devices for mobile data capture such as the BHT-1500, BHT-1400 and the GT20 scanner.

 

 

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