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Issue 3 2014 Freight Business Journal


Prospering despite the politicians


The Italian Government says it wants to step up exports to help solve the country’s economic problems. But, in the opinion of Davide Onnis and Marco Cavalieri, co-founders of Genoa-based freight forwarder and FPS member, Sinergy Cargo Management Italy, this will be only part of the solution to the country’s economic problems. Onnis says:


“It is important


to underline that export is not only to countries outside Europe. Italy should also regain competitiveness for exporting its products inside the European Community” - and effective logistics is the key to achieving this. It is also important to stop


the downward trend in internal consumption by reducing taxes. This in turn would increase worldwide imports into Italy to better balance the export ones. Revamping exports while


slightly increasing imports though should only be part of a bigger scheme. The Government also needs to make reforms, at local and European level, to attract foreign investors; it should reduce bureaucracy, invest in research and support manufacturers by allowing more


the Italian government, only promises or good intentions.” However, the new president has announced a list of reforms for the next three months “that also includes concrete help for our activities. The present Italian Prime Minister seems to


be flexible employment


rules. This would also reverse recent unemployment trends, especially youth unemployment and help manufacturers regain competitiveness; it also needs to fight corruption and tax


evasion. But the Italian


Government Government also really needs to address its own stability problems which it has failed to do for the past three years, suggests Onnis. He adds: “As a logistics


operator as well as an Italian citizen, so far we have not seen real intervention and help from


Pallet system goes for growth


Pall-Ex’s Italy “is going from strength to strength, and forms a key link in Pall-Ex’s growing pan- European network,” says project director, Anand Assi (right). Pall-Ex Italia operates from central hub,


one located in


Fiorenzuola d’Arda, with four further regional consolidation hubs located across the territory. The network continues to expand, handling increased freight volumes generated from growth across Pall-Ex’s European network, with a 40% rise in pallet volume in January of this year compared to 2013, says Assi. “The last 12 months have been


an incredibly successful period for Pall-Ex Italia,” he emphasises.


really determined to


change the course of local and European policy though at this stage we have to wait and see.” It


is a matter of debate as


to whether it is the Italian Government or the Italian people who are in real economic crisis. But there is no doubt that ordinary people and small and medium-sized enterprises have been suffering during the last three years and will continue to do so. That said, “the majority of Italians have a great attitude to adapt themselves and maintain positive thinking even when they face problems,” Onnis declares.


///ITALY Keeping the Peroni flowing


Italian forwarder Zeta System is working with


MSC and short-sea carrier


shipping line BG


Freight to bring some of southern Italy’s best food and drink to UK customers. A MSC mother vessel departs


frrom Naples on Tuesdays and La Spezia on Wednesday, connecting in Felixstowe with a BG Lines short-sea feeder service to Tilbury, Immingham, Felixstowe and Grangemouth. Connections are guaranteed, giving transit times of around six days. Peroni beer is a major


customer, along with other southern Italian food and drink firms; in the southbound direction the service carries empty kegs for Peroni although other traffics are being sought in both directions. Last year, the company moved 3,100 containers for Peroni alone. Zeta has taken the unusual step


for a forwarder in investing in its own fleet of containers – to date, there are around 300 45’ pallet- wide units in its fleet.


TNT delivers Italy’s first parcel locker network


“An increased focus on service quality has paved the way for an influx of new hauliers joining the network, while current members are continually increasing their pallet volumes. There are now 66 members, including two new hauliers who recently made the move from a major competitor to join the Pall-Ex network,” he says.


Gefco keeps up with the car market


Vehicle-carrying specialist forwarder Gefco has launched a new service for the Italian market designed to help car dealers cope with changes in the market place and keep car stocks


at dealerships to a minimum. The D2D (Dealer to Dealer) service allows dealerships to work together so that car models can be dispatched to areas of increased demand.


TNT Express Italy and private postal firm InPost have signed a deal to provide the country’s first parcel locker network, with 400 lockers in the biggest cities by June 2014 and a plan for 1,000 by the end of 2015. This follows an agreement whereby Banzai, the largest e-commerce platform in Italy, will be the first company to offer a self-service pick up option, integrated with the parcels carrier’s own network of 1,200 TNT Points and 100 depots. The locker scheme will start in


Rome, Milan and Turin. InPost has lockers in 500 cities in 20 countries, including the UK and Ireland, the largest such network in the world. The wirelessly connected


terminals are in easily accessible areas such as petrol stations, supermarkets and railway stations, and are described as a modern letterbox, with the great advantage of being always accessible. Once TNT has delivered the goods, the customer receives an SMS with a pin or QR code and an e-mail with detailed information. Stefano Moni, general manager


of InPost Italia, commented: “From today, Italians with access


to InPost Lockers don’t have to wait around for their e-shopping to arrive, as the parcel is waiting for them. We believe that thanks to this cooperation with TNT Express Italy we will become a delivery leader for the demanding Italian market, as we are in other markets.” “InPost’s research shows that


58% of customers use the lockers when depots are closed or during weekends, taking full advantage of the convenience of these machines. Last but not least, this is a ’Smart city solution’: with 400 lockers installed, the community will benefit from the 16% reduction of city congestion and CO2 emissions generated by TNT’s distribution fleet.” At the same time, InPost Italia


will investigate new partnerships, in order to expand further its network.


The company also has its


own office in Harwich, with two operational staff, but hopes soon to open another outlet in the London area before long. Other services are available from Venice, Bari, Gio Tauro and


Civitavecchia. Zeta System is also a substantial


global forwarder, and it is active on many other trade lanes, both to and from italy and worldwide. Another major customer is Dutch brewer Grolsch.


Etihad ponders Alitalia stake


In late March, Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways was expected to complete its due diligence process prior to taking a stake – believed to be up to 40% - in Alitalia. The Italian flag carrier has been through a torrid time since being privatised in 2008, but it is hoped that the injection of funds from the Middle East would give it a new lease of life. However, it is likely that Etihad’s intervention will come at a price – the new part- owner is expected to demand job cuts and financial restructuring, along with the write-off of a large chunk of Alitalia’s bank debt. An outside carrier taking a


stake in an EU flag carrier is an almost unprecedented situation. At one stage, Anglo-Dutch Air France-KLM held a 25% stake in Alitalia but this has since been


diluted to only around 7% or so. However, Alitalia chief executive officer Gabriele Del Torchio has suggested that Air France-KLM could be brought back into the picture in a three-way partnership. If a deal with Etihad can be


pulled off, it would give the Italian airline unprecedented global reach through Etihad’s Abu Dhabi hub and its extensive fleet of freighter and wide body passenger planes. Etihad, for its part, would be able to extend its reach into Europe and North America through Alitalia’s extensive worldwide network. Etihad has been pursuing a


policy of taking stakes in overseas carriers that have run into financial difficulties, including Ireland’s Aer Lingus and, most recently, India’s Jet Airways.


Luſthansa plugs in Milan


Lufthansa Cargo has added Milan Malpensa in northern Italy to the schedule of its freighters returning from Cairo to Frankfurt, giving exporters direct connection to its main hub. Services


operate twice a week with either MD-11 or the carrier’s new Boeing 777Fs. The move plugs Lufthansa’s Lombardy customers into its network of


299 destinations in 100 countries.


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