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Issue 7 2019 - Freight Business Journal Palletways Iberia exceeds all expectations


Palletways Iberia is now moving 4,500 pallets a day through its three hubs in Madrid, Zaragoza and Jaen, or 950,000 a year. The international hubs in Madrid and Zaragoza link routes to and from other European cities. The regional hub of Jaen, established two years ago, has surpassed all expectations. Palletways Iberia’s managing


director, Gregorio Hernando describes Palletways Iberia as: “A very consolidated network, although certain changes have taken place due to the nature of the industry.” New members have been added in areas where it has been necessary to reinforce the service, mainly due to the growth in the client base, to maintain service quality. The network is made


up of 69 members who must demonstrate a clear understanding of Palletways’ business model and have proven economic credentials. Hernando adds: “We welcome a wide range of companies


Palletways Iberia has


created ten new jobs in the past 12 months and its members have added six new large ‘Euromodular’ vehicles


into Palletways Iberia. All new members complement our business and help to reinforce our values. Being a member of Palletways Iberia is a very attractive prospect for different types of companies across the Peninsula.”


that cover routes from cities such as Zaragoza, Santander, Cordoba, Malaga, Seville and Extremadura, two of them operated by the Zaragoza depot in north-eastern Spain. The new vehicles have significantly improved operating costs, transit times, optimization of loads, and above all, reduced carbon footprint. In 2018, a second archway


scanner was installed in Alcalá, which has increased efficiency and safety standards. Hernando says that the


market for palletized goods in the Iberian Peninsula “continues to


maintain significant and


consolidated growth of around 15% each year”. He adds that new customers


are now incorporating the service into their own activities: “We have great advantages. Firstly, we are a specialised company with a high level of national and international experience. Secondly, our international reach across 24


European countries is, without a doubt, a factor that differentiates us from our competition. In addition, our technology focused on reliability and customer communications bring us substantial advantages over our competitors. We also have a network of members, throughout the Iberian territory, which allows us to deal with industry challenges and hurdles.” Despite significant growth,


efficiency and quality has been maintained with 98% of services carried out without incident. As well as Spain, Palletways has been present in the Portuguese market for 11 years, covering the whole territory. Currently Portugal’s local, Iberian and international activity


is managed within


current network hubs. For the future, Palletways will


continue to develop regional hubs to provide better and more efficient services.


Rhenus goes deeper into Iberia


UK country manager at Rhenus Logistics, Gary Dodsworth, analyses Iberia’s role as an important worldwide player in the freight industry and explores the challenges and opportunities facing businesses in the region.


The logistics market in the Iberian Peninsula is composed of a few, significant companies of different sizes. This forces freight forwarders to be highly competitive and continuously seek operational improvements. One way to ensure top-level


performance is to invest in new technologies, an area the logistics industry is known to excel in. For example, until a few years ago, customers were largely unable to instantly check the status of consignments, but today this is essential. Alongside this, the ability to integrate technological innovations into operations in both logistics and transport is key for providers wanting to stand out from their competitors. Another element to consider


is the ability to offer maximum customer coverage. For example, the Iberian network of Rhenus comprises 30 locations that serve its customers on a daily basis. Demand for greater coverage is growing and with


it the expectation of quicker transit times. It is this customer demand for immediacy and control over goods to which the supply chain is having to adapt at such a rapid pace, with all stages of the forwarding process having to be highly to meet customer expectations. Despite Brexit, at present,


trade relations between Spain and the UK are positive. As Spain and Portugal operate as a single unit with daily connections, any freight forwarder with a hub within the Peninsula stands in good stead. Situated in the southwest of


Europe, Iberia is a privileged ‘gateway’ for the transport of goods to and from other countries. All goods can be transported by air, sea and road, expanding the transport possibilities. Thanks to Iberia’s location


advantage, it has great relevance at both European and global levels, with recent years seeing significant growth in the transportation of food


and automotive goods. It is crucial for freight forwarders wishing to excel in international logistics to have a facility within the Peninsula, as it simplifies communication throughout Central Europe, the Mediterranean, Latin America, Morocco and the rest of North Africa. Rhenus Logistics Iberia offers a wide


services through its network throughout the peninsular and its various islands. These include highly specialised national and international multimodal transport services, the management of specific customer needs, such as customs or special projects, as well as transport between the Iberian Peninsula and the Canary and Balearic Islands. Rhenus’ broad portfolio of


clients is made up of top-level companies in the automotive, chemical, textile, retail, and food industries, among others. Given the specificity of each product, all these sectors have unique


needs. For this, Rhenus Logistics Iberia incorporates the most innovative technological tools on the market to adapt to the particularities of each service, optimising the logistics process. Along the same lines, Rhenus


is carrying out an acquisition process in the Iberian Peninsula, as well as various


range of internal


initiatives that allow it to continue growing and increase its coverage and expertise. One example is the recent acquisition of Basque Langarri Logística, a company with more than 30 years of experience in the sector, allowing Rhenus to further strengthen its presence in the Basque Country. Rhenus Logistics will


continue to invest in service enhancements to meet its current and future customer needs. It will continue to unify activities, improve operations and infrastructure while also making use of internal and external growth that reinforces and further optimises its coverage.


The process of stretching a freight ro ro vessel is essentially the same as creating an extra- long motor car, says Finnlines UK sales manager, Richard Turner. Take an existing ship, chop it in half, insert a new ready-built centre section and weld all the bits back together again. Late last year, Finnlines,


a subsidiary of the Italian- owned Grimaldi shipping giant, completed the process for the Finn Breeze, Finn Sky and Finn Sun ships used on its fixed day weekly services from the UK to Bilbao in northern Spain. Turner says: “You really can’t see where the join is, for outside. On the inside, you can tell, but that’s only because the paint is a slightly different colour.” The result of adding an extra


30 metres to each vessel are 218m long ships offering an extra 1,000 lane metres, giving a total of 4,500lm. Equally importantly, the vessels are fitted with exhaust scrubbers, cutting emissions by 30% and bringing them into line with IMO emissions limits. While unaccompanied traffic


is important on the long routes to and from Spain, the vessels offer all the creature comforts to accompanying drivers including cabins, meals dayrooms and, that all-important essential for any Finnish ship, a sauna. Turner adds: “We have also


tweaked the schedule so that we load in Tilbury on Sunday and discharge into Bilbao on Sunday, which puts you ahead of driving all the way, as you will be leaving the ship with completely fresh drivers’ hours.” Finnlines also has a new


terminal in Bilbao in a dedicated part of the port offering far more storage space than the old one, particularly for outsize loads and project cargo. The new 6.5 metre-wide ramp can handle pretty much any out-of-gauge cargo or a double line of normal- width trucks; all awkward turns in loading or unloading the ships have been eliminated. The terminal in Bilbao is


well equipped and can handle anything from a standard trailer to a large indivisible load and it is also possible to stuff or unstuff containers carried on maafi trailers. “The market in Spain is pretty


good at the moment, especially as Finnlines is becoming better known for its Spanish services,” Turner confirms. As well as the direct links


between Tilbury and Spain, being part of the wider Grimaldi group also lends itself to a range of connectional possibilities. Cargo from Teesport or Hull can also be transhipped via Zeebrugge to Bilbao while the Finnlines vessels use the same Tilbury terminal as the Grimaldi ships to and from South America – creating a link between Spain and


a potentially important


market which will certainly come into its own once the Latin American economies pick up again, says Turner. It’s also possible to offer a


shipping service direct into Setubal in Portugal via Antwerp, although Bilbao is pretty well placed to reach large parts of Portugal by road. Grimaldi also offers a direct service between Southampton and Setubal.


///IBERIA


DSV on the move in Valencia


DSV’s Road office in Valencia has moved from Beniparrell to a new location in Picassent. The new cross-docking facility offers a total of 4,000sq m and is close


to the main motorways. The building is also energy efficient with low water consumption and low CO2 emissions compared to conventional buildings.


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