newdesk in depth l
KNAPP picks up Clarks US contract
Shoe supplier Clarks has selected warehouse automation provider KNAPP to supply the material handling systems at its brand-new logistics facility in Hanover, Pennsylvania. At a recent groundbreaking
ceremony at the site of the state-of-the- art distribution centre, which will be located directly opposite the company’s current facility, the management of Clarks Companies, North America (CCNA) revealed that the logistics solution will be designed and installed by KNAPP Logistics Automation Inc, the Austrian group’s US subsidiary. This significant order follows on from highly successful collaboration with KNAPP since the company installed the
handling system (pictured) at Clarks’ worldwide headquarters in Street, Somerset, in 2005. That system has been upgraded several times since by KNAPP and continues to be maintained by a resident team of KNAPP engineers. The new logistics centre will employ leading-edge technology capable of handling volumes of up to 50 million pairs of shoes annually to support growing demand from customers and retailers in the US. The new building – which will be 451,000 sq ft (almost 42,000 sq m) and approaching 25m in height – is expected to be occupied by the end of 2012.
www.knapp.com
A new high-speed rail line between London and Birmingham – High Speed 2 (HS2) – has been approved by Transport Secretary Justine Greening.
The first phase of HS2 could be running by 2026, later extending to northern England. Extra tunnelling along the 90-mile (140km) first phase has been proposed in response to environmental concerns.
See you at MODEX
The annual MODEX trade show takes place in Atlanta at the Georgia World Congress Centre on February 6th - 9th. This international event features over 500 suppliers to the logistics industry,
and IMHX 2013 will be among them. If you’re travelling to the event from the UK, please do track us down. It would be a pleasure to see you there.
www.modexshow.com
10 ShD February 2012
www.PressOnShD.com
The Freight Transport Association has expressed concern that potential passenger benefits are not gained at the expense of freight. Christopher Snelling, FTA's Head of Supply Chain Policy, said: "For investment in infrastructure to provide best value it must give sufficient weight to the needs of those that move goods, not just passengers. While HS2 will yield only some indirect benefit to freight it most certainly shouldn't be introduced at its expense, whether in terms of diverting funding away from other areas or by jeopardising existing freight paths. "Rail freight demands a fair share of any capacity created by HS2 on the existing network. We must try to support what is not just a growing market, but one without which the UK's emissions reduction targets would begin to look a lot less achievable." Steve Agg, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in the UK (CILT), said: "The
announcement...is to be welcomed as the first step towards building a vital new route to Manchester and Leeds, with connections to Edinburgh and Glasgow.
"Its importance is not about how
quickly we can travel to Birmingham, but as a project that will be a permanent legacy, ensuring our children have a revitalised transport network with an essential new route to the north. It will provide a vital boost which, in the long term, will create new jobs and spread wealth across the country, as well as alleviating congestion and improving connectivity for millions of people in a sustainable way.
"The line will also free up much needed spare capacity on the congested existing main lines to the north, which will ensure more paths for freight trains and local passenger traffic. This means journey time savings, passenger volumes and the economic benefits of a new line can be extended and maximised."
The Rail Freight Group (RFG)'s Chairman Tony Berkeley commented: “We congratulate the Government in standing firm and announcing the go- ahead for this vital transport link. We urge it to press ahead with HS2 with the minimum of delay as a means, not only of delivering much needed capacity on this corridor, but of making a major contribution to reducing the carbon emissions from road freight transport that is can unlock.”
The first phase of the project would cut London-Birmingham journey times, on 225mph trains, to 49 minutes. This would be followed by a second phase of Y-shaped track reaching Manchester and Leeds by about 2033. Phase One is expected to cost £33bn.
www.hs2.org.uk
HS2 gets the go-ahead
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