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Issue 3 2013


DSV Projects uses its size to tough out turbulent market


The economic crisis has taken its time to filter down into the project cargo sector, says DSV Projects UK general manager, Tim Eskesen. “Initially, consumers may have stopped spending but the big building and development projects that were already under way continued. It isn’t necessarily that easy to halt them.” But eventually cuts to major


infrastructure and development projects took their toll, while government


funding for the


renewable energy sector has also dipped. However: “The DSV project


team are quite lucky in that our size of operation – we have our own offices in 75 countries and employ 900 project cargo specialists – allows us to target growth markets and regions to make up for shortfalls elsewhere. Not every project company has the breadth of service necessary to be able to do this.” DSV Projects is seeing growth in


“established emerging economies that have an aspirational population” - for example South Africa, Russia, Brazil, Morocco and Libya. These countries require energy to feed the population’s needs and are building new


infrastructure – both renewable and traditional - which is one of DSV’s main areas of expertise. But Eskesen is also positive about the future of more long- standing markets such as Europe, the Nordic countries and the US. These countries see heavy investment in infrastructure projects as an aid to economic recovery and a way of increasing employment. Eskesen says: “So in the medium to long-term we are very positive about our future in our traditional markets. In the UK specifically, we expect long term growth in the renewable market and in fact, we are attending the All Energy exhibition in Aberdeen in May to show our commitment and expertise in the market.” There has been an increase


in the number of companies offering project


the past 12 months, he believes; other


services over forwarders and logistics


companies are looking to develop new opportunities following the economic recession. Luckily, though, “we operate in


the more specialist areas of project cargo such as defence, energy, renewable energy and industrial projects. These sectors require highly specialised skills in order


to understand all the different factors that can impact operations and the average freight forwarder simply isn’t able to offer this. For example, in the energy sector we need to work closely with the local community and government to ensure we communicate why our work is necessary - for example, explaining why a city centre will face congestion for a month while we transport 150 wind turbines.” The defence business also


requires a highly specialised skill set for the military’s very specific requirements. Other projects DSV works on are global operations – for instance a Nordic manufacturer that has won a contract for a Scottish wind farm - and requires local expertise in various markets to organise the transport. “Because of our global office base in 75 countries we are able to offer the level of expertise required,” Eskesen states.


Don’t have a DIY disaster


Moving heavy industrial equipment can be a risky business, writes David Spence, managing director of industrial removals specialists Vanguard2001. Damage or delays can be hugely


expensive. But the logistical and engineering challenges involved can be dangerous not just to bottom lines, but to staff as well. Recently we were called to


help pick up the pieces where a printing company had attempted to move a 60 tonne press itself. An inexperienced operator had liſted


it on a crane, only for it to swing into, and demolish, an outbuilding. Fortunately no one was hurt, but this illustrates the high stakes involved. The reality is that in-house


engineers, while experts at the day- to-day maintenance of machinery, struggle to transport heavy and complex products. They’re also less likely to have, or know how to use, the specialist equipment needed to gain access to and lift these extremely large and awkward objects. Despite the risks manufacturers


are still tempted to keep costs down by using their own staff or inexperienced contractors. Unfortunately this too oſten backfires; in fact 80% of our emergency call-outs last year were to rectify projects that had gone wrong. In most cases this was because the removal project had either significantly overrun, or the site safety manager had shown a ‘red card’ and called a halt.


Downtime is arguably the single


most harmful thing to a business, so speed is of the essence when transporting goods or where the production line has to be halted. Nevertheless the unskilled use of heavy liſting machinery and poor loading can cause great damage, far outweighing any savings made by cutting corners. Improperly loaded equipment risks breaking free in transit and poor liſting and rigging can lead to serious damage of building and other assets, as well as posing a serious health and safety risk. We’ve all heard the horror stories of physical injury and sites being shut down. Meticulous planning at every


stage of the operation is key, as is being able to adapt plans if you hit an unexpected obstacle. For example last year we were


hired to move an aluminium rolling mill from mainland Europe to the UK. The entire rolling machine weighed more than


1,000 tonnes, with one component alone reaching nearly 50 tonnes. The complexity of the job meant we had to think on a large scale, including removing the entire roof of the building in order to gain access. Clear communication and


teamwork was essential, with every team member following the directions set out in our method statement. On projects like this it’s also crucial to appoint an independent health and safety coordinator who is responsible for observing works and double- checking your safety checks. The more thorough the the quicker


preparation, the


execution of the move. Moving objects that weigh hundreds of tonnes with precision is seldom easy, which is why it’s best to use expert specialists who have a proven understanding of the mechanical engineering required to move heavy objects.


///HEAVY LIFT DSV acquires


project forwarder


Danish-owned transport and logistics company DSV is to acquire the entire share capital of


project logistics specialist


Seatainers Group. The company handles large and complex transport projects for the renewable energy industry and others. It has 180 employees, 150 of them in Denmark and offices in the US, China, Singapore, Australia and Latvia.


DSV Group CEO, Jens Bjørn


Andersen, said: “By merging the project


transport activities


and competencies of DSV and Seatainers Group we will create a very powerful player in a market with good growth potential in the coming years.” The agreement is subject to approval by the competition authorities and the transaction price is not being disclosed.


Major move for Slade Shipping


WCA Projects Networks member Slade Shipping completed a move for the oil and gas industry from the US to India. It involved chartering three specialised freighter aircraſt including the giant Antonov An-124. Slade Shipping is now


working on a major charter shipment for an oilfield rig from the US to Chile. The 6,000 cu m cargo will be transported on the MV Champ making use of the ship’s two x 200-tonne cranes. WCAPN’s network of project


specialists now comprises over 340 members in 93 countries.


All set for Sochi


AirBridgeCargo Airlines, part of Volga-Dnepr Group, completed the first of a series of charter flights from Frankfurt to Sochi for the winter Olympics. The


airline increasing expects demand for


transport of heavy and oversized cargo with construction of sports and infrastructure projects in Sochi now under way. It will also provide all other customers of AirBridgeCargo with a direct upliſt solution for general cargo to this fast-developing region of the Russian Federation.


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