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inside APRIL/MAY 2018 Cold chain compliance Australia’s storage start-up Autonomous disruption Direct distribution

SAFETY FIRST

Putting safety at the top of the agenda

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This Inissue this issue March 2016 April/May 2018

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28

A learning culture

There’s great merit in accepting with grace that the way we do things could be improved.

Openness to new ways of thinking, working and interacting with the world around us is key to ensuring the world each new generation adopts is better, healthier and safer than the one its predecessors encountered.

In the April/May 2018 issue of Logistics & Materials Handling, I am proud to share the stories of Australian individuals, groups and companies making contributions to the advancement of social policy, technological understanding and global cohesion.

In our cover story, read about the measures proposed by the Federal Government, industry associations and logistics businesses to address safety challenges the logistics operators traversing Australia’s freight networks face each day.

Mark Mitchell, one of several cold-chain experts behind the formation of the Australian Food Cold Chain Council, tells us how the advocacy group intends to bring about more efficient supply chains, safer food and less food waste (see page 22).

Spacer is an Australian start-up taking on the traditional warehousing model. We speak to Co-founder Roland Tam about Proving profitable growth atthe thesharing cutting economy and the company’s ambitious plans ed Proving profitable growth at the cutfor the future ( see page 26 ). ting edProving profitable growth at the We also edProving share industry insight on advances cutting profitable growth at in autonomous technology, reveal who will be at the cutting edProving profitable growth Australia’s biggest freight industry event, at the cutting edProving profitable and speak toatLinfox’s DebbieedProving Reich about her route growth the cutting profitinto the logistics sector. able growth at the cutting edProving Happy reading. profitable growth at the cutting edProv-

behindthecover

ing profitable growth at the cutting edProving profitable growth at the cutting edProving profitable growth at the cutting edProving profitable growth at the cutting edProving profitable growth at the cutting edProving profitable growth at the cutting edProving profitable growth at the cutting edProving profitPhilippa Edwards | Editor able growth at the cutting.

16 Contents COVER STORY 18 Safety first

32 Science in motion In light of the publication of road safety A new packaging technology from Fromm statistics for 2017, Australia’s transport and Australia is set to take the guesswork out of load logistics industry leaders have stepped up to stability in Australia.

Tru-test 04 Bulletinboard 42 Data Capture & offer their counsel on making roads safer forof all.quality.

Supply Chains 34 Ship shape

Vitawani Shipbuilding Sdn. Bhd will present its Factory Materials 24 06 Mercury Awards Sustainable supply chains.

FEATURES cargo vessels to the Australian and international Handling 2010 Mercury Awards freight industry at inaugural trade event 22 Food for thought Spiral conveyor solves launched.

44 Forklifts & Lifting MEGATRANS2018.

A new advocacy group, the Australian Cold heatFood problems.

Humbled and Exalted Six new overhead cranes Chain Council, addressing food wastage across Cart dollies for simple – 2009 Mercury Award forfuture Ferrocut.

36 Facilitating the of supply chain Australia’s cold chains by showing producers, handling tasks. winners. and logistics Airfreight system reduces logistics operators, supermarkets and consumers MEGATRANS2018 Show Director the cost of inaction.

Double pallet dispenser. handling costs. Simon Coburn talks to Logistics & Materials Handling about 14 Training Palletising robot. who will be attending Hybrid theforklift. inaugural supply26 Access all areas Bell’s Transport benefits chain trade expo this May and what they can from Australian start-up Spacer is bringing the Skills for Growth expect to see.

32 Warehousing 49 Handling Hazardous sharing economy to people’s backyards, literally. & Storage program.

Goods Logistics & Materials Handling finds out how the Record picking company plans to revolutionise warehousing. productivity. 38 Inspiring women Gloves for handling In collaboration with the Women in Industry 16 Information hazardous substances.

Automated storage.Awards and Conference, we speak to Debbie Technology Supply 28 Autonomous disruption Reich, General Manager – Retail, Linfox about Hand-held eyewash.

Chains Storage While populations and governments pondersuccess. making the transport and logistics industry a the implications of the advent of self-driving Information driven. better place. technology, automation in the industrial setting has been gaining momentum, says Sick Australia’s Sean Carter.

contents

30 It all stacks up

After two decades building its reputation for reliable storage solutions for the timber industry, BHD Storage Solutions has its eyes set firmly on becoming the materials handling industry’s goto manufacturer and supplier for reliable storage equipment.

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PUBLISHER: John Murphy MANAGING DIRECTOR: John Murphy ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER: Martin Sinclair e martin.sinclair@primecreative.com.au MANAGING EDITOR: Robbie Parkes e robbie.parkes@primecreative.com.au EDITORIAL CO-ORDINATOR: Ben Hagemann t 02 8484 0884 e ben.hagemann@primecreative.com.au EDITOR: Philippa Edwards e philippa.edwards@primecreative.com.au PRODUCTION CO-ORDINATOR: Ziba Mahabat t 02 8484 0625 e ziba.mahabat@primecreative.com.au PRODUCTION CO-ORDINATOR: Michelle Weston e michelle.weston@primecreative.com.au KEY ACCOUNT MANAGER: Tim Richards t 02 8484 0829 e tim.richards@primecreative.com.au BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER: Michelle James e michelle.james@primecreative.com.au PRIME CREATIVE MEDIA PRIME CREATIVE MEDIA Tower 2, Level 3, 475 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood, NSW 2067 Australia Locked Bag 4700, Chatswood Delivery Centre, NSW 2067, Australia 11-15 Buckhurst St, South Melbourne, VIC 3205 Tel: (03) 9690 8766 Fax: (03) 9682 0044 ABN 80 132 719 861 ISSN 0004-976X www.primecreative.com.au Tel: (02) 8484 0888 Fax: (02) 8484 0633 ABN 80 132 719 861 ISSN 0004-976X www.primecreative.com.au Suite 3.03, Level 3, 1-9 Chandos Street, St Leonards, NSW 2065 Tel: (03) 9439 7227 © Copyright Prime Creative Media, 2016 © Copyright Prime Creative Media, 2017 All rights reserved. No part of the publication may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means without the written permission of the publisher.

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Industry News

New leadership for Infrastructure and Transport department

Michael McCormack, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport.

Michael McCormack has been named Deputy Prime Minister, and the new Minister for Infrastructure and Transport – a position that Barnaby Joyce held briefly, from late December 2017 until mid-February.

McCormack was sworn in on the morning of Monday, 26 February, after Joyce announced he would be stepping down from his position in the Cabinet.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said that he was delighted to welcome McCormack as the new leader of the National Party.

Darren Chester, Minister for Infrastructure and Transport until December 2017, welcomed McCormack and thanked Joyce for his efforts.

“I welcome the election of Michael McCormack as leader of the Nationals,” said Chester. “His determination, professionalism and work ethic make him an ideal leader of our team.

“I want to acknowledge former leader Barnaby Joyce and recognise his many achievements as Deputy Prime Minister. Under his leadership, the Nationals delivered policies and projects that made a different in the lives of regional Australians.”

Geoff Crouch, Chair of the Australian Trucking Association (ATA), welcomed the appointment.

“Michael McCormack will bring great drive and determination to the infrastructure and transport portfolio,” said Crouch.

“I have known Michael for more than 20 years. He is a proven advocate for small business, and regional and remote Australia.

I’m confident he’ll bring this drive and determination to supporting the road transport industry.”

Crouch said that McCormack demonstrated an understanding of the importance of the road transport industry in Parliament on 14 March, 2012. “If it needs to be carried, carted, dumped, hauled, moved, shifted or transported, there is every likelihood a truck or trailer will be the most economical, fastest and most reliable way of getting it from point A to point B,”

McCormack said at that time.

Crouch said the appointment of Minister McCormack was an opportunity to focus the transport agenda on improving safety and boosting productivity.

“The ATA looks forward to engaging with the Deputy Prime Minister on the need for independent and expert safety investigations of heavy vehicle accidents by the ATSB [Australian Transport Safety Bureau – ed.] on implementing the new laws on Chain of Responsibility, and ensuring our fatigue laws and rest areas are focused on saving lives.”

Michael Kilgariff, Managing Director, Australian Logistics Council (ALC), expressed his interest in established a cooperative and productive relationship with the new minister. “It is pleasing that the second most senior figure in the Government will retain portfolio responsibility for this crucial area, given the importance of developing transport infrastructure to support national supply chain efficiency and build Australia’s export capacity,” he said.

Victorian Transport Association (VTA) CEO Peter Anderson also welcomed the appointment.

“We have worked closely with his predecessors in these vital portfolio areas, and we look forward to working with the Minister and his team to develop policies and solutions that improve conditions for freight and logistics operators throughout Australia," said Anderson.

On page 20, read McCormack's message to

Logistics & Materials Handling readers.

Swire Cold Storage sold to US newcomer Australian cold-chain logistics provider Swire Cold Storage has sold its business, including 15 warehouses, customer and employee contracts and land, to US refrigeration technology company Emergent Cold, as reported by the Australian Financial Review.

Swire Cold Storage’s network covers over 65 million cubic feet (275,000 pallet spaces) of refrigerated storage, in 15 facilities across Australia.

The deal reportedly went through before Christmas, though financial terms 6 | Logistics&MaterialsHandling April/May 2018

have not been disclosed.

Emergent Cold also acquired Swire’s Vietnamese cold-storage business in the deal.

Emergent Cold was founded in May 2017

by Neal Rider, former President of US coldstorage behemoth Americold Logistics.

Emergent Cold’s LinkedIn page already reflects the acquisition, calling the company, “the market leader in Australia, with capacity for 320,000 pallets in 75+ million cubic feet of temperature-controlled space, ranging from fully automated high rise to traditional sites.”

“Over the past 60 years, Swire has built the leading cold storage businesses in Australia and Vietnam through dedicated service to customers, commitment to employees and investment in high-quality operations,” said Rider.

“We are excited to partner with this outstanding management team, and we look forward to supporting the continued growth and expansion of the businesses throughout Asia Pacific as part of Emergent Cold.”

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Industry News

Executive shake-up at Linfox

Annette Carey has now joined the Linfox Logistics ANZ Board as a non-executive director.

Third-party logistics company Linfox has announced two major updates to its senior leadership team.

After over three years in the role of CEO, during which time the company exceeded its financial, new business and safety targets, Annette Carey has now joined the Linfox Logistics ANZ Board as a non-executive director.

“Annette joins the Board as Linfox continues its growth following recent acquisitions,” said Peter Fox, Executive Chairman, Linfox. “Her appointment reflects the value Annette brings to Linfox and the respect in which Annette is held by both Linfox and the industry.

“I thank her for her time as CEO and welcome her as a non-executive director to the Board.”

Mark Mazurek will take over Carey’s responsibilities as CEO of Linfox’s ANZ business on 1 February. Mazurek joined the company in 2006 and has held senior leadership positions across Linfox, including in the Intermodal and the Resources and Industrial business units.

“Mark has been central to the acquisition of Aurizon assets in Northern Queensland and the development of strategic facilities such as our new Darwin railhead,” added Fox. “Mark brings exceptional acumen along with new thinking and energy.”

Fox noted that the leadership changes reflect the company’s “continued renewal” to meet the needs of its customers. “Our industry is evolving and we are well positioned for

future growth,” he said. “In the past 12 months, Linfox has renewed its leadership team, and we will continue to do this as the industry develops to ensure that we meet the needs of our customers.”

Mazurek contributes to the industry safety conversation in this issue's cover story, see page 16.

Mark Mazurek has replaced Annette Carey as CEO of Linfox’s ANZ business.

Amazon launches fulfilment service in Australia Businesses registered to sell on Amazon’s Australian Marketplace can now access Amazon’s logistics service, Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA).

Through the service, businesses send products to Amazon’s fulfilment centre and, when a customer places an order, Amazon’s fulfilment staff pick, pack and ship the product on behalf of the business, and handle customer service and returns.

Sellers are charged for storage space and the orders Amazon fulfils, while the cost of shipping is included in fees.

“Size doesn’t matter in the digital economy and Amazon Marketplace helps to level the playing field when it comes to starting or growing a business,” said Amit Mahto, Head of Fulfilment

by Amazon – Australia. “We are focused on helping Australian businesses of all sizes succeed by inventing on their behalf and making our technology available to them, and FBA is a fantastic example of this.”

8 | Logistics&MaterialsHandling April/May 2018

Customers purchasing items sold on Amazon’s Marketplace now have access to Amazon’s delivery offers that were previously only available on order direct from Amazon’s own stock, for example free delivery on eligible orders above $49, and other

one-day expedited delivery services in select areas across Australia.

Amazon noted that all FBA orders will be eligible for Prime delivery features, once the Prime service launches in mid-2018.

The Fulfilment by Amazon service is now available to Australian businesses.

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Industry News

Livinia Nixon to host 2018 Mercury Awards The votes are in, the judges are deliberating and it’s time to secure your tickets for the 2018 Mercury Awards.

Australian television presenter and actress Livina Nixon will lead the proceedings, presiding over a night celebrating the very best people, companies, and initiatives Australia’s supply chain industry has to offer.

The Awards ceremony, sponsored by the Victorian Government, the Port of Melbourne, Sick Australia and SEW Eurodrive, will take place on Saturday, 12 May, at Peninsula, on Central Pier in Melbourne’s Docklands.

The Mercury Awards is the official awards program of MEGATRANS2018, the businessto-business trade event focusing on the freight and logistics supply chain, which takes place 10–12 May at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre.

Head to the Mercury Awards’ website – mercuryawards.com.au – to purchase tickets for individuals and tables.

Supported by the USA Bicentennial Gift Fund

10 | Logistics&MaterialsHandling April/May 2018

Television personality Livinia Nixon will host the 2018 Mercury Awards in Melbourne.

Industry News

Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com picks VIC for regional HQ JD.com, one of China’s largest online retailers, opened its regional headquarters in Melbourne in late February.

JD.com has over 266 million customer accounts, and operates China’s largest nationwide fulfilment network, with seven fulfilment centres and more than 400 warehouses in 2,830 counties and districts throughout China.

The company sells a wide range of goods, including vitamins, electronics, clothing and books.

Following a visit by representatives from JD.com to the Food and Beverage Trade Week in Victoria in October, the Andrews Labor Government worked closely with the company to encourage it to establish a presence in the region.

“This announcement will give more Victorian businesses the opportunity to take their products to the world and is a clear indication that we’re leading the nation on the digital economy,” said Victorian Minister for Trade and Investment Philip Dalidakis.

“We welcome JD.com with open arms and

look forward to all the opportunities that this new regional HQ will bring to Victoria, including strengthening our economy and creating more local jobs.”

Patrick Nestel, Manager of JD.com Australia,

added: “Victoria’s wealth of high-quality suppliers, supportive government, 24/7 airport and largest container port in the southern hemisphere made it the obvious choice for JD.com’s new regional HQ.” JD.com has opened a regional headquarters in Australia.

Linx Cargo Care to operate Enfield Intermodal Terminal Logistics infrastructure company Linx Cargo Care Group has successfully bid to operate the Enfield Intermodal Terminal in Western Sydney, which is currently operated

by Aurizon.

Linx will lease and operate the NSW Ports–

Linx Cargo Care is supporting the development of a freight hub on the land surrounding the Enfield Intermodal Terminal.

12 | Logistics&MaterialsHandling April/May 2018

owned, 15.1-hectare intermodal terminal located 18km from Port Botany, west of Sydney.

Linx will operate a port shuttle service between Enfield and Port Botany to reduce traffic congestion in Sydney, ahead of a forecasted increase of 400 per cent in truck traffic in the Port Botany area by 2030.

“Given the forecast for such a significant increase in road and rail congestion across Sydney over the next decade or so, Linx is committed to working closely with the New South Wales state government to develop an effective and achievable solution that will reduce the impact of increased freight movements across the city,” said Anthony Jones, CEO, Linx Cargo Care Group. “Linx has been building its rail capabilities for the past year in readiness for an opportunity like this.”

He added that part of the solution could include the duplication of the freight rail

line between Port Botany and the interstate corridor mainline.

The Enfield Intermodal Logistics Centre includes the intermodal terminal, warehousing, and buildings with vacant land for the development of rail-related warehousing, freight forwarding, IMEX (Import and Export), transport and distribution facilities.

“Linx is currently working closely with NSW Ports to support the development of a freight hub on the land surrounding the Enfield Intermodal Terminal,” added Jones.

Marika Calfas, CEO, NSW Ports, said one of NSW Ports’ key objectives is increasing the number of containers moved by rail to and from Port Botany.

“Linx are well placed to expand the intermodal and rail services at the Enfield ILC and grow the rail mode share to and from Australia’s premier port,” she said.

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Global News

Toyota, Uber, Amazon partner on automated delivery vehicle concept progress,” said Toyoda. “Toyota remains committed to making ever better cars. Just as important, we are developing mobility solutions to help everyone enjoy their lives, and we are doing our part to create an ever-better society for the next 100 years and beyond.

“This announcement marks a major step forward in our evolution towards sustainable mobility, demonstrating our continued expansion beyond traditional cars and trucks to the creation of new values including services for customers.”

In the near term, the alliance will focus on the development of the ‘e-Palette Concept Vehicle’, a fully automated, ‘next generation’ battery electric vehicle (BEV) designed to be scalable and customisable.

Toyota plans to conduct feasibility testing of the e-Palette Concept in various regions, including the US, in the early 2020s, and hopes to have the vehicle on location at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo in 2020.

Image courtesy: Toyota Motor Corporation.

In the US, automotive manufacturer Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) has launched a new alliance focused on developing autonomous electric vehicles for parcel delivery, ride sharing, on-the-road e-commerce and more.

The alliance has the support of US-based e-commerce company Amazon, ride-share companies DiDi and Uber, automotive manufacturer Mazda, and restaurant chain Pizza Hut. Together, they will collaborate on vehicle planning, application concepts and vehicle verification activities.

Akio Toyoda, President, TMC, revealed that the new e-Palette alliance will leverage Toyota’s Mobility Services Platform (MSPF) to develop a suite of connected mobility solutions and a flexible, purpose-built vehicle.

“The automobile industry is clearly amidst its most dramatic period of change as technologies like electrification, connected and automated driving are making significant

Toyota Motor Corporation plans to put its concept vehicle to work at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

Maersk, IBM to apply blockchain to global supply chains Shipping company A.P. Moller – Maersk and technology company IBM have announced their intent to establish a joint venture to provide efficient and secure methods for conducting global trade using blockchain technology.

The new company is to be built on open standards, offering a global trade digitisation platform designed for use in the movement of goods across borders and trading zones to provide more transparency and simplicity.

A distributed ledger technology, blockchain establishes a shared, unalterable record of all transactions that take place within a network, and then enables permissioned parties access to

Image courtesy: Maersk.

Maersk and IBM will use blockchain technology to power a new global trade platform.

14 | Logistics&MaterialsHandling April/May 2018

trusted data in real time.

Maersk and IBM will use blockchain technology to power the new platform, as well as employ other cloud-based open-source technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and analytics, to help companies move and track goods digitally across international borders.

“This new company marks a milestone in our strategic efforts to drive the digitisation of global trade,” said Vincent Clerc, Chief Commercial Officer, Maersk, and future Chairman of the board of the new joint venture. “The potential from offering a neutral, open, digital platform for safe and easy ways of exchanging information is huge, and all players across the supply chain stand to benefit.

“By joining our knowledge of trade with IBM’s capabilities in blockchain and enterprise technology, we are confident this new company can make a real difference in shaping the future of global trade.”

Bridget van Kralingen, Senior Vice President, IBM Global Industries, Solutions and Blockchain, added: “The major advances IBM has made in blockchain have shown that the technology

can foster new business models and play an important role in how the world works, by building smarter businesses.

“Our joint venture with Maersk means we can now speed adoption of this exciting technology with the millions of organisations who play vital roles in one of the most complex and important networks in the world, the global supply chain. We believe blockchain will now emerge in this market as the leading way companies seize new untapped economic opportunities.”

IBM and Maersk began a collaboration in June 2016 to build new blockchain- and cloud-based technologies. Since then, several companies have piloted the platform, including DuPont, Dow Chemical, Tetra Pak, Port Houston, Rotterdam Port Community System Portbase, the Customs Administration of the Netherlands and US Customs and Border Protection.

The joint venture will now enable IBM and Maersk to commercialise and scale their solutions to a broader group of global corporations. General Motors and Procter and Gamble and Agility Logistics have already reportedly expressed their interest.

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ALC Column

WE ALL HAVE WORK TO DO ON SAFETY

Michael Kilgariff Managing Director Australian Logistics Council

H

eavy-vehicle safety issues have featured significantly in the mainstream media during the early part of 2018, driven in part by a series of tragic incidents involving heavy vehicles in the year’s first few weeks.

These added to existing commentary about the fact that in the year to September 2017, there was an increase in the number of fatal crashes in New South Wales that involved heavy vehicles.

However, it is equally important to note that over the corresponding period, fatal crashes involving heavy vehicles decreased in Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania – all of which are subject to the same Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) that applies in New South Wales.

Moreover, statistics published by Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) in 2016 suggest that in 80 per cent of fatal crashes involving heavy vehicles, the driver of that heavy vehicle was not at fault.

This doesn’t mean industry should be complacent – there is far more to do – but it is important the discussion is placed in its proper context.

No one has a greater incentive to invest in improving heavy-vehicle safety and the safety of drivers than operators themselves. That is why our industry is committed to working collaboratively with governments and with regulators to drive better safety outcomes.

Time for mandatory telematics It’s interesting to note that in December 2017, the United States mandated the use of electronic logging devices (ELDs) by truck drivers. This 16 | Logistics&MaterialsHandling April/May 2018

will produce more accurate data for operators and regulators, while making it far less onerous for drivers to comply with safety regulations.

Canada is expected to follow suit in 2019, and the European Union is likewise expected to mandate the installation of ‘new generation’ tachographs at around the same time.

These will include a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) source to produce a location stamp at the start and end of driving (and otherwise at three-hour intervals), a wireless enforcement function to communicate possible manipulation to enforcement authorities, and integration with telematics equipment.

Given that these international trends will undoubtedly place further pressure on Australia to act, we should embrace far greater use of technology to enhance road safety now.

One feature currently missing from Australia’s HVNL is a mandatory requirement for heavy vehicles to use on-board telematics to report key information. These devices would be used to capture data regarding the longitude, latitude, speed, date and time of circumstances of speeding events as well as engine on/off data.

Although such equipment may previously have been prohibitively expensive to install, particularly for smaller operators, today a smartphone is able to capture most of the required data.

Provided there are strong safeguards to protect the privacy of the data, the ALC strongly supports the introduction of mandatory telematics as means of improving heavy safety.

Opportunities for further improvement The ALC also strongly supports the Chain of Responsibility (CoR) laws contained in the HVNL. The premise of CoR laws is simple. If you consign, pack, load or receive goods as part of your business, you may be held liable for breaches of the HVNL. Companies cannot ‘contract out’ their CoR obligations, no matter what their industry or part of the supply chain.

Our courts are dealing with HVNL breaches harshly. In 2017, one company was

fined $982,206 for failing to ensure that a sub-contractor they managed was complying with the load requirements of the HVNL. This fine was imposed despite these breaches not causing injury or harm to any person or property.

Plainly, authorities are not waiting for incidents to occur before punishing non-compliance.

This is particularly important given the relatively low barriers to entry for new industry participants, who may have little to no formal safety training.

The Australian Logistics Council (ALC) believes the risks posed by this situation could be reduced by the introduction of national operator standards, along the lines of schemes that exist in other comparable jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom.

This will help to make certain that the nation’s heavy vehicle fleet is being operated by competent professionals who clearly understand their safety obligations, and who can train sufficient capital to invest in transport safety.

CoR changes will further boost safety profile Having appropriate procedures in place will become vastly more important when the amendments to CoR laws commence operation, which is expected in mid-2018. These changes are designed to align CoR more closely with work health and safety laws (WHS).

Under the expanded regime, a primary duty of care will be introduced for supplychain participants to ensure – so far as is reasonably practicable – the safety of ‘road transport operations’, with executive officers (such as directors) having the primary duties regime applied to them through a positive due-diligence obligation, similar to that imposed by WHS law.

Essentially, this means that if you or your company operate, load, drive or send/receive goods using a heavy vehicle, you will effectively have the same responsibilities as you presently do under WHS law to ensure that the CoR under the HVNL has not been breached.

This means you will need to make certain all reasonably practicable steps are taken to ensure

ALC Column vehicles are properly loaded and goods secured, and that drivers undertake their responsibilities in a safe manner.

Helping industry meet its CoR obligation To help all supply-chain participants better understand and meet these expanded obligations, the ALC is partnering with the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) to develop a Registered Industry Code of Practice (RICP) for heavy-vehicle safety.

This project has been under way since May 2017, developed in close consultation with the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) and is supported with funding from the Federal Government through the Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative.

Commonly referred to as the Master Code, this document will define national standards for best-practice risk assessment and treatment for heavy-vehicle safety and compliance.

How will the Master Code work?

The Master Code will translate the requirements of the HVNL into a framework of known risk types, risk-assessment information, and risk controls for parties with CoR obligations to implement in their operations.

It will help to provide clarity for industry,

investigators and courts regarding the known risks around road-transport operations, and the best-practice response measures that may be installed to minimise those risks.

The Master Code will be published on the NHVR’s website and made freely available to anyone who wishes to use it, subject to the terms of use.

When the HVNL is amended around mid-2018 (which will give effect to the expanded CoR obligations), RICPs may be used as evidence in court to determine what is reasonably practicable in a given circumstance to which the code relates.

The Master Code will primarily address the four principal areas covered by CoR requirements: speed; fatigue; mass, dimension and loading; and vehicle standards and maintenance. The information contained in the Master Code will be applicable to all heavyvehicle supply-chain operations in Australia.

Industry input has been essential Central to the continuing development of the Master Code has been an ongoing and extensive process of engagement with key industry bodies, supply-chain participants and other stakeholders who will be affected by the coming changes to CoR. This began in earnest with a series of interactive consultative workshops held as

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part of the 2017 ALC Supply Chain Safety & Compliance Summit, which provided industry practitioners with an early opportunity to shape the design of the Master Code.

These initial sessions have been supported further direct consultations with a wide range of industry representatives throughout the latter part of 2017 and continuing to the present.

The net effect of this has been to establish a dynamic process of quality control, which is helping to make certain that the Master Code will be relevant to the needs of the whole industry, accessible to users and effective in the process of risk management and driving continuous safety improvements.

The next steps The Code developers are continuing to engage closely with industry representatives on the draft version of the Master Code, and making necessary refinements that will deliver the best possible product for the industry.

We expect to submit the final draft of the Master Code to the NHVR for assessment before the middle of the year, when the changes to CoR are expected to commence.

You can find out more about the Master Code and the upcoming changes to CoR by contacting aaron.moeller@nhvr.gov.au or peter.elliot@ austlogistics.com.au.

NORD Drivesystems (AU) Pty Ltd 18 Stoney Way, Derrimut , Victoria 3030 Australia Phone: +61 3 9394 0500 Fax: +61 3 9394 1525 www.nord.com.au National Customer Service 1300 00 NORD (6673) au-sales@nord.com Member of the NORD DRIVESYSTEMS Group

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logisticsmagazine.com.au | 17

Safety

Safety first In light of the publication of road safety statistics for 2017, Australia’s transport and logistics industry leaders have stepped up to offer their counsel on making roads safer for all.

18 | Logistics&MaterialsHandling April/May 2018

Safety

I

n late 2016, the National Transport Commission (NTC) predicted a 26 per cent increase in Australia’s freight task over the following decade, as a result of the country’s economic recovery from the 2007/2008 global financial crisis. The statistic has been widely used by industry bodies, including the Australian Logistics Council (ALC), to highlight the need for better transport policies and more efficient processes within the logistics industry.

Since the Federal Government reported in February that the number of serious road accidents involving articulated trucks in New South Wales spiked in late 2017, the logistics industry has spoken out to highlight the safety focus that permeates the actions the industry undertakes – and also put forward ideas for making Australia’s roads safer.

Updating the rulebook ALC Managing Director Michael Kilgariff emphasises that, while accidents involving heavy vehicles increased in the 12 months to September 2017 in New South Wales, they decreased in the corresponding period in Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania, suggesting that industry efforts to promote safety have been supported in those regions by the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HNVL). “This doesn’t mean industry should be complacent,” he says.

“There is far more to do – but it is important the discussion is placed in its proper context.”

He endorsed a rollout of national operator for standards, and the inclusion of a mandatory requirement in the HVNL for on-board telematics, to make compliance with safety regulation less onerous for drivers. “Telematics has been part of the conversation for many years, but the pace of adoption has been far too slow,” he says. “It is time for industry and governments to rectify this and make 2018 the year that mandatory telematics stops being a talking point at meetings and becomes the law of the land.”

Geoff Crouch, Chair of the Australian Trucking Association (ATA), notes that the suggestion that the increased roll toll was caused by driver fatigue and the way truck drivers are paid – proffered by University of New South Wales Researcher Professor Ann Williamson – is “not supported by the evidence.”

“About 80 per cent of multi-vehicle crashes involving trucks are not the fault of the truck driver,” he says, citing the National Truck Insurance (NTI) 2011 Major Accident Investigation Report. “These crashes can not be prevented by changing the way truck drivers

work or are paid.” He proposes that governments focus on improving roads and speed enforcement, and providing education for passenger car– driving populations on sharing roads safely with trucks. He also notes that new industrybacked truck safety laws due to come into effect in mid-2018 will further support better safety outcomes. “Under these laws, trucking businesses and powerful customers will have a strong new safety duty, back by stiff penalties,” he says.

Six steps to safety In January, Michael Byrne, Managing Director of Australian transport and logistics company Toll Group, penned an open letter to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and all road and road safety ministers across Australia, addressing the country’s “dire road safety problem.”

He wanted to give his insight, as “the leader of Australia’s largest transport and logistics company,” former leader of “the second largest transport company,” Linfox, and a secondgeneration industry veteran who has worked in the industry since he was 13 years old.

In the letter, Michael gave an industry perspective on improving road safety, along with six critical areas for attention.

“Our approach to heavy vehicles in this country is core to tackling this issue,” he said.

“It’s time for a genuinely national approach to heavy vehicle regulation.”

First, Michael requested a national rulebook containing a common definition for ‘heavy vehicle’, and consistent approaches across states for driver fatigue, speed limits, heavy-vehicle regulation and licensing.

“The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) was supposed to deliver one rulebook,” he said. “It hasn’t. Western Australia and the Northern Territory have refused to sign up to the national law. And so today, Australian road freight operators are subject to multiple and overlapping rules at the local council, state and national level.”

Second, Michael called for the introduction of an operator licensing system, to ensure safety and competence and bring the industry in line with others, such as maritime, rail and aviation.

“In road transport, virtually anyone with a truck, a driver and an ABN (Australian Business Number) can be a road freight operator,” he said.

“Most comparable countries have an operator licensing system for road transport.”

Third, he wrote, road safety won’t be achieved by industry alone; the community, government, enforcement and road safety bodies must also

FAST FACT Road transport delivers the bulk of Australia’s non–bulk commodity freight.

According to the National Transport Commission’s 2016 Who Moves What Where report, rail transport accounts for half of all freight movement in Australia, of which 80 per cent is transport of iron ore and coal. One-third is transported by road, including perishable consumables, consumer goods and construction material and also some bulk commodities such as cattle, grain and processed metals.

logisticsmagazine.com.au | 19

Safety

A MOMENT WITH

THE MINISTER

Michael McCormack, the Federal Government’s recently appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, will be the person tasked with investigating, actioning and leading the country’s efforts on safety. He talks to Logistics & Materials Handling about his excitement for the new role, assuming the mantle for the Inland Rail, representing rural Australia and the road ahead.

As I settle into my new role as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport I would like to thank the team at Logistics & Materials Handling for the invitation to introduce myself to your readership. I welcome my new responsibilities and as a Member of Parliament from a regional seat, I know the long distances people have to travel on our roads. That’s why we need safe and reliable transport infrastructure.

Small regional communities hold a special place in Australia. Our vital supply chain sector, road and rail, accounts for approximately 10 per cent of GDP and plays a pivotal role in supporting enhanced productivity and economic growth.

Moving stock and produce efficiently from farm gate to market is critical, which is why the Coalition Government will invest $75 billion over the next ten years to deliver strategic land transport infrastructure projects in cities and in regional centres across the country.

This investment in national roads, railways, improved port access, intermodal links and the upgrade of hundreds of ageing bridges is revolutionising the planning and funding of projects. These projects have long-term benefits for all Australians using our transport networks, including public 20 | Logistics&MaterialsHandling April/May 2018

transport and heavy vehicles.

Big-ticket projects are not the only projects to improve safety, with the Government also extending the Black Spot Program, targeting dangerous locations where frequent crashes are occurring.

I look forward to receiving the final report of the Inquiry into National Freight and Supply Chain Priorities from the Expert Panel later in March. It is pleasing to hear of the strong interest and support the Inquiry process has received from industry, and I look forward to working with my state and territory counterparts to address priorities raised through the development of a national freight strategy.

Acting on these priorities will not only help drive the productivity improvements necessary to sustain and raise Australia’s standard of living and economic growth, but will also help to improve safety and environmental outcomes of the national freight sector.

I value the contribution of transport and logistics companies to our economy. The Coalition Government is leading a process to reform heavy vehicle user charging – but as we consider decisions at each step of the way, we are very conscious that we need to be able to demonstrate benefits to heavy vehicle operators. We welcome industry

participation to influence and shape a fairer system. Within the next two to three years, the plan is to move to a more independent and forward-looking model for setting heavy-vehicle user charges, which will deliver significant productivity and efficiency benefits for the nation.

I am sure readers of Logistics and Material Handling will also be interested to hear the first of 14,000 tonnes of steel rail has been delivered for the Parkes-toNarromine section of the Inland Rail. This project is a game-changer for our regions, creating thousands of jobs nationwide, and returning $16 billion to the national economy during the delivery phase and the first 50 years of operation. It will improve travel times for local farmers and producers, reduce the number of heavy vehicles travelling through small towns, and slash business costs for freight operators.

I look forward to working with the freight and logistics sector to build on the progress that has been made through partnerships with all levels of government and industry to deliver a sustainable, safer and reliable freight network.

Michael McCormack Deputy Prime Minister Minister for Infrastructure and Transport

Safety

do their parts. “We know that in 93 per cent of fatalities involving a truck, the other party was at fault,” he said, citing the NTI’s National Truck Accident Research Centre’s 2017 crash report.

“Yet national and safe road safety strategies are silent on how light vehicle drivers can ‘share the road’ safely with trucks.”

Fourth, Michael called for government incentive to encourage safe behaviour.

“Governments can incentivise and reward safe behaviours from heavy-vehicle operators,” he wrote. “Discounted registration and stamp-duty fees could be offered to operators with sound safety records.”

Fifth, Michael advised the Government to mandate telematics for all new heavy vehicles.

“Mandatory telematics on every vehicle will identify operators that systematically and deliberately speed, overload vehicles and push fatigue limits,” he said.

Byrne’s final proposal was for the Government to ensure operators such Toll Group are actively engaged in debate and policy development regarding road safety. “Any discussion on heavy-vehicle regulation must draw on private sector expertise to truly understand how we can overcome the obstacles that are holding us back Projekt1 05.04.17 09:23 Seite 1

from creating safer roads for our community,” he added.

An industry imperative The need for improved safety has dominated headlines for the first weeks of Mark Mazurek’s tenure as CEO of Australian supply chain company Linfox Logistics. He tells Logistics & Materials Handling that safety forms a major part of the company’s culture, and he looks forward to working with the Federal Government to bring about better conditions across the industry. “You can’t put an unsafe driver in a safe truck and expect it to be safe,” says Mark.

“Industry, government and road users each have a role to play in creating a culture of safety on our roads.”

Like Toll Group’s Michael, Mark hopes to see the Government focusing on creating consistency for the industry. “On a policy level, it is critical to align national heavy-vehicle legislation across Australia, to make operations simpler, more efficient and safer,” he says. “This includes maintenance standards, driver medical standards and heavy-vehicle licensing. We’d also like to see greater restrictions on older vehicles and trailing equipment.”

“In terms of infrastructure, we’d like to see significant improvement to the road network – particularly in regional areas.”

Mark adds that the Government will need to be responsive to advances in technological capabilities. “Linfox would like to see policy advanced in mandatory telematics to assist with management of speed, fatigue, mass and maintenance – and, crucially, for the Government to create an environment for innovation and technology to be trailed and implemented quickly.”

The convergence of several major changes will impact the industry as a whole. For a start, the NHVR’s new Chain of Responsibility regulations are set to solidify safety obligations across the supply chain from mid-2018. The ALC and the ATA will also continue work on their jointly developed Master Code, a set of guidelines to support HVNL safety and compliance, and the National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy is set to be revealed in Q2 2018.

There are busy times ahead, and if the Federal Government, industry representatives and supply chain operators continue the conversation, collaboration and commitment around the safety issue, all stand to benefit.

logisticsmagazine.com.au | 21

Compliance

Food for thought

A new advocacy group aims to address food wastage across Australia’s cold chains by showing food producers, logistics operators, supermarkets and consumers the cost of inaction.

T

he Federal Government estimates that wastage across the Australian food cold chain costs the economy $20 billion each year. In November 2017, the Department of the Environment and Energy released the National Food Waste Strategy, a document outlining the impact – both economic and societal – of food wastage, and what action the Government will take to tackle the issue and halve wastage by 2030.

One group already aware of the urgency of the problem is the Australian Food Cold Chain Council (AFCCC), an advocacy group launched by logistics professionals in August dedicated to spreading knowledge about food wastage, improving compliance and refining legislation, With senior figures at major Australian refrigeration, manufacturing and transport companies as founding members, the AFCCC aims to be part of the solution to Australia’s food waste problem.

“We want to change the industry for the 22 | Logistics&MaterialsHandling April/May 2018

better,” says Mark Mitchell, chair of the AFCCC and managing director of cold storage and transport specialist Supercool Asia Pacific.

The AFCCC is targeting the middle section of the cold food chain, which the Government estimates accounts for almost a third of the $20 billion lost annually. “Food moving from the farm to the consumer – in transport and in storage – accounts for $6.4 billion in losses annually,” he says. “Unfortunately, there is a tendency for businesses in refrigerated transport and storage to be price driven, rather than quality driven. The by-product of this is wastage, a lack of compliance and a disregard for correct procedures.”

Mark points out that the industry has been ripe for a process overhaul for some time, but it is increasing consumer interest in companies’ “triple bottom lines” – or their social and environmental impact, not only financial performance – that has created the perfect conditions for him and other industry

veterans to take action. “We’ve been trying to do things ‘better’ for many years, while trying to appeal to businesses that are driven by the dollar to step up,” he says. “It’s very hard to ask companies to pick up their quality games when everyone is focusing on delivering the cheapest product.

“In recent times, society, consumers, governments – everyone who lives on the planet – they have realised that we can’t keep abusing the environment like we have been.

With this shift in focus, we can encourage refrigerated logistics businesses to do the job properly, resulting in a cold chain that produces less wastage and fewer emissions, while improving food safety and quality for consumers.”

The cost of waste Mark says that the cost of discarded food does not only represent the price paid for it by the consumer, it is calculated based on the

Compliance

water, fuel and human resources it took to get it from the paddock to the plate – though food waste does not occur only at the end of the supply chain.

“You can’t just blame the consumer – consumer food wastage is 25 per cent of the problem, the other 75 per cent of food wastage happens upstream in the supply chain,” he says.

‘Temperature abuse’ – the failure to maintain transported and stored food items within recommended temperature ranges – is rampant in Australia, Marks explains. At worst, it can compromise food safety, though most consumers will have unknowingly fallen victim. “We see a lot of temperature abuse, and it’s something that affects all of us on a daily basis,” he adds.

“That pack of sausages that lasted two weeks in the fridge last time you bought it – it only lasted three or four days this time due to a lack of care in the cold chain.

“One of our priorities will be to apply pressure in industry and in government to make sure the existing Australian standards for cold-chain food handling are properly followed.”

A more compliant cold chain – free from temperature and hygiene abuse – will mean that food lasts longer on supermarket shelves and longer in the family fridge, Mark explains.

According to Mark, in order to improve Australia’s “far from perfect” track record in efficient, farm-to-plate cold-food handling,

collaboration between government, industry associations, food handlers and suppliers will be crucial.

“There’s lots of rhetoric about commitments to food waste reduction and cold chain compliance, but little, if nothing, is being done at any level about improving the cold chain, and ensuring that standards are followed,” he says.

“Nearly 40 per cent of all the food we produce in the world is never eaten. Consider that the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) found in 2013 that one in every eight people on Earth goes to bed hungry each night – there’s a whole food wastage agenda to fix globally.”

Future focus The 2017 Hunger Report prepared by Australian non-profit Food Bank found that food insecurity is a growing concern locally, which Mark thinks many Australians would find surprising. It reported that 3.6 million Australians had experienced food insecurity within 12 months of being surveyed – and pressure on food charities is increasing by 10 per cent each year.

“Our focus on making the cold chain better essentially comes at the task from two perspectives – reducing the environmental impact of food wastage through CO2 emissions, and tackling hunger,” he says.

“If we want to feed the globe, we’re going to need to develop and maintain highly efficient

Food Foolish “A full accounting suggests that every dollar of food preserved today has the multiplying financial impact of about 2.5 times.

In other words, for every dollar of wasted food saved, we receive US2.50 ($3.10) in health, agricultural, social and environmental benefits.

As we continue to understand and measure the full costs associated with lost and wasted food, it seems possible that this multiplying effect will only grow.”

– John Mandyck, chief sustainability officer for global manufacturing company United Technologies, in his 2015 book looking at the connection between food waste, hunger and climate change, Food Foolish.

VALUABLE EXPERTISE. VISIONARY SOLUTIONS. logisticsmagazine.com.au | 23

Compliance

According to the World Health Organization’s How to feed the world in 2050 report, there will not be enough to feed the world’s population by 2050.

refrigeration systems in the cold chain.”

He adds that the World Health Organization’s How to feed the world in 2050 report, produced in 2009, projected that if global food wastage continues at its current rate, there will not be enough to feed the world’s population by 2050.

“We produce enough food for 10 billion people right now, though there are only seven billion of us,” says Mark. “We have to fix this – I don’t want my great grandchildren living in an environment where there’s not enough food on the shelf.”

Josh Frydenberg, the Federal Minister for the Environment and Energy, has invited the AFCCC to sit on the steering committee shaping and implementing the policies that will support the National Food Waste Strategy.

“We will help the Federal Government as much as we can,” says Mark. “For us, a major priority will be establishing a decent code of practice for the carriage of chilled and fresh produce, a document that the industry is missing.

“While most of the developed world is on the cusp on taking initiatives to stem food wastage, at present it’s more talk than action.

24 | Logistics&MaterialsHandling April/May 2018

I think Josh Frydenberg is to be congratulated on having developed a formal, national food waste reduction strategy – it’s a little bit visionary.”

The AFCCC has entered into a partnership with the National Road Transport Association (NatRoad), with the groups working together to revise and rewrite the code of practice for the road transportation of fresh product, a “long overdue” update, according to Mark.

“The code of practice that is in place currently was a voluntary guide put together by the now-defunct Australian United Fresh Transport Advisory Council,” he says. “We’re going to review and rewrite the document, so that it can support legal implementation.”

The AFCCC is also keen to raise industry awareness of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) in ambient and cold food supply chains, with a view to eventually developing an accreditation program.

“Very few trucks or loading docks in Australia have temperature monitoring, even though the technology is available,” says Mark.

“The nation’s cold chain compliance is behind other developed nations, and Europe is leading

the way. We want to spread the word about the HACCP principles, to show businesses how to improve food safety and gain better control over their supply chain.”

After that, he says, the end goal is to get every stakeholder carrying food for Australian consumers involved in an accreditation program – through a common desire to do better, ideally, rather than through fear of legal reproach. “We believe there’s a better way to go about bringing in better standards than by enforcing strict legislation – there are already more than enough rules to follow in Australia,” he says.

“We want this to be about doing the right thing, for the right reasons – and it won’t hurt companies’ triple bottom lines when consumers see the steps they’re taking to help end hunger, reduce their impact on the environment and maintain quality and food safety.

“It is my wish and the AFCCC’s wish to enable and empower the logistics industry, food producers, supermarkets and all other stakeholders to voluntarily do some heavy lifting to bring about a compliant, quality cold-chain and supply environment.”

, D E E N U .

O T Y E R R E R .

V E N E F O T N S A I O H W D IT RCH A N I E F ES TH

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Interview

Access all areas

[L–R] Roland Tam and Mike Rosembaum, Co-founders, Spacer.

Australian start-up Spacer is bringing the sharing economy to people’s backyards, literally. Logistics & Materials Handling speaks to Co-founder Roland Tam to find out how the company plans to revolutionise the warehouse space.

T

he idea behind Australian start-up Spacer is a simple one. It is an online platform that connects people and businesses with underutilised space – be it a parking spot, a garage or warehouse capacity – with individuals and businesses in need of short-term or informal storage.

Co-founders Mike Rosenbaum and Roland Tam have ambitious plans for ‘the marketplace for space’ to bring on-demand access and logistics processing to the warehousing space. Logistics & Materials Handling speaks to Roland to find out more.

Q. Where did the idea come from originally?

A. My business partner Mike Rosenbaum is a serial entrepreneur – he launched online retail company Deals Direct in 2004, sold it to auction clearance site Grays Online in 2014, and then went out to look for his next big thing. He went to Silicon Valley for inspiration and came across a storage concept originally pitched by US company Roost. The concept centred around 26 | Logistics&MaterialsHandling April/May 2018

“We have publicly stated our desire to have three verticals – self storage, parking, and warehousing.

We’ve already got a strong foothold on the first two, and the third is certainly on our radar this year.”

Roland Tam Co-founder, Spacer.

peer-to-peer storage and parking solutions. We launched Spacer here in Australia in 2015 and in March 2017, we acquired Roost.

Q. What kind of client is approaching Spacer for warehousing needs?

A. We’re finding that our service is particularly popular with small- and medium-sized businesses.

Warehousing has typically been provided in a very static way, with very little flexibility – landlords are looking for a minimum commitment of a 12-month lease, essentially. We realised very

early on how seasonality impacts companies – particularly those in the retail space – leaving them to cycle between inventory overflow and space surplus. Some of our members have lots of extra warehouse space at certain times of the year, but need extra space at other times of the year to cope with peaks in demand. Through Spacer, they can have their disused space bring in money in slow months, and take advantage of flexible terms on space in other venues in busier months.

The ability to flex up and down at very short notice is very valuable, and the ability to

Interview

Start-up Spacer launched in 2015 to provide flexible storage solutions.

make some money out of something that you’re otherwise wasting is an attractive proposition.

For small businesses, it can mean the difference between being able to survive or not, from a cashflow perspective.

Q. How does storage rental work, in terms of access?

A. The host listing the space typically sets the rules for access. For example, full access may be available – at a premium price – while supervised access would be cheaper and requires more flexibility from both parties.

We haven’t fully gotten to a flexible model where we can provide the full pick-and-pack service, but it’s something we’re heading down towards. It’s on the strategic horizon for us, and we are currently scoping out the technical platform to be able to build that full logistics capacity.

Q. Is anyone else doing what you’re doing in Australia?

A. On the storage side of the business, with self storage and warehousing, we’re the only company doing what we’re doing with any traction today.

There are a number of other businesses also operating in the parking solutions space, though for the most part they focus on short-term parking. For example, enabling homeowners to rent out their driveways for two or three hours during major football matches.

We’re more focused on long-term parking, such as monthly or six-monthly parking solutions.

Q. Do you have e-commerce in your sights as a potential traffic driver for Spacer?

A. The recent market entrance of Amazon had everyone scared and excited, and prompted local retailers to take a good look at their e-commerce capabilities. We’re not sure exactly what this will mean in the coming years, from a warehousing and logistics perspective, but it will certainly require the market to become more efficient. As that happens, the need to utilise otherwise underutilised assets will become greater – and hence the importance of platforms such as Spacer will become greater.

Q. What does the future hold for Spacer?

A. We want to be a marketplace for space – we’re agnostic about whether it’s peer-topeer, business-to-business, or other models.

We have publicly stated our desire to have three verticals – self storage, parking, and warehousing. We’ve already got a strong foothold on the first two, and the third is certainly on our radar this year. It’s a very exciting time for us – we’re growing 20 per cent, month on month, and have raised close to $5 million in seed and Series A capital. We have over 100,000 members and over 15,000 listings on our site, so it’s clear that people were ready for a more flexible approach to storage.

Q. Has the sharing economy been welcomed in Australia?

A. The sharing economy is becoming more mainstream, off the back of companies such as Uber, Airbnb and Airtasker. PwC released a report a couple of years ago that found that 53 per cent of people had heard of the sharing economy, but only around 20 per cent per cent were actively using it. I think those numbers have now flipped. A recent Deloitte report found that over 65 per cent of people had used a sharing economy platform in the previous months. People now know these companies and so are happy to take advantage of the flexibility they offer. logisticsmagazine.com.au | 27

Automation

Autonomous disruption While populations and governments ponder the implications of the advent of self-driving technology, automation in the industrial setting has been gaining momentum, says Sick Australia’s Sean Carter.

W

hile populations and governments ponder the implications of the advent of self-driving technology, automation in the industrial setting has been gaining momentum, free to explore its potential safely enclosed in private mine sites, manufacturing facilities and distribution centres. Industry has had a head start, says Sean Carter, Product Manager – Identification & Measurement Products at sensor specialist Sick Australia – but we’re still very early in the journey towards widespread adoption of autonomous technology, and the accuracy, safety and efficiency improvements it promises.

“The technology is still relatively new – it has come a long way in a short amount of time, but there’s still so much more that can be done with it,” says Sean. “I believe that it is in industry that we will see the biggest breakthroughs. It’s so much easier to test boundaries inside a secured environment such as a warehouse – where there are few variables to worry about – than in the real world, where unknowns such as the weather and passers-by have to be considered.”

He notes that the next phase of process autonomy will involve smart applications for technology that already exists. “We already have the technology ready to go, or in use for particular applications,” he says. “I think next it will be a matter of tying that technology together into unified solutions, and overcoming community pushback on forecast job losses through engagement and education.”

warehouses run according to pick lists generated by a computer, picking, packing and tracking.

As such, it is changing the way we work and the skills required to work inside facilities such as distribution centres.”

He notes that the rise of automation has caused many to question the future of workers currently employed in factories and across supply chains, though he doubts machines will completely replace human workforces.

“Autonomous technology is already helping to perform tasks previously completed by low-skilled workers,” he says. “For the companies, this results in increased efficiency and speed, and a lower chance of human error, but it has the drawback of

New roles A 2015 report by professional services firm Deloitte, From brawn to brains – The impact of technology on jobs in the UK, found that automation added £140 billion ($250 billion) to the UK economy in the 15 years since the millennium, and had a positive impact on the national workforce. “While technology has potentially contributed to the loss of over 800,000 lower-skilled jobs, there is equally strong evidence to suggest that it has helped to create early 35 million new higher-paid ones in their place,” Angus Knowles-Cutler, Vice Chairman of Deloitte wrote at the time. “Each one of these new jobs pays, on average, just under £10,000 ($17,700) more per annum than the one lost.”

“Already, we’re seeing massive disruption to the way workplaces are organised,” says Sean.

“Autonomous forklifts and vehicles in operation in 28 | Logistics&MaterialsHandling April/May 2018

Manufacturing company Siemens runs a ‘lights out’ facility in Amberg, Germany.

making these roles redundant.

“As Deloitte’s 2015 report shows, increased automation actually creates jobs in areas that no one had ever thought of – it’s not simply a case of redeploying people around a business, but actually creating positions that were never thought of a decade ago. Upskilling will be crucial, however – future governments will need to have a focus on increasing the number of skilled people in the workplace.”

There are already examples of human-free operation in the supply chain. The new industrial revolution: robots are an opportunity, not a threat, a commentary prepared by researchers from Heriot-Watt University in Scotland, UK, highlights

Automation a manufacturing plant in Amberg, Germany, that has embraced automation while maintaining a considerable human workforce. The ‘lights out’ facility, run by manufacturing company Siemens, is highly automated, with lines reportedly able to operate for weeks at a time without supervision.

Despite this, the factory employs 1,150 workers, in roles ranging from programming and monitoring to machine maintenance.

“We’ve talked for many years about ‘lights out’ warehouses that run with such minimal human intervention that you could virtually turn the lights out,” says Sean. “It’s very much a reality these days.”

Better safe Sean notes that logistics industry need only look towards the mining industry to see the impact investment in automation can have on productivity, whilst improving safety.

In early January 2018, Australian-British mining corporation Rio Tinto celebrated reaching one billion tonnes hauled through the use of autonomous trucks, an achievement bolstered by the news that there were zero worker injuries since the launch of its autonomous hauling project in 2008. In late 2017, the company carried out Australia’s first fully autonomous rail journey, a 100km trip in Western Australia without a driver on board. At the time, Chris Salisbury, CEO – Iron Ore at Rio Tinto, noted the company’s commitment to investing in innovation and autonomous technology to deliver competitive advantages, and also addressed fears about workforces displaced through automation. “New roles are being created to manage our future operations, and we are preparing our current workforce for new ways of working to ensure they remain part of our industry,” he said.

The advantages of automation gains in mining are clear, Sean explains, and the logistics industry stands to benefit from the lessons it learns.

“There are two key reasons why mining companies are pursuing automation, and other industries should be taking note,” says Sean. “First is safety. When working a kilometre underground and dealing with unstable rock formations, the impetus to remove people from the situation and have a machine do the work autonomously is much greater. That’s one reason why you hear less and less about mining accidents these days – rock faces still cave in, tunnels still collapse, but these days no one is down there.

“The second reason is efficiency. When commodity prices were high, the push was on getting as much stuff on the ground and into boats as possible. Now that commodity prices have sunk dramatically, there is a much greater focus on

removing material as efficiently as possible, and that means getting plants to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

The need for improved safety and productivity is common across logistics, mining, and other major industry segments, Sean notes.

“The prospect of getting work done by autonomous machines that require no downtime for sleep or coffee breaks, and only occasional program maintenance, is incredibly exciting for companies, and in fact makes human workers available for non-repetitive, complex tasks,” he adds.

All-seeing While Sean notes that autonomous technology will change workplaces in every industry, each will require its own solution.

“There are six types of ‘seeing’ technology for machines (see breakout box), and each has different strengths,” he says. “Outdoor applications, say, self-driving and mining vehicles, require a combination of all of the technologies. For example, RADAR is good for long-range detection but lacks accuracy.

LiDAR works well at close ranges but can be less effective extreme weather and dust, and ultrasonic sensors can only be used at extremely close ranges.”

LiDAR technology is the best fit for logistics applications, he explains, as it functions well in contained spaces, and can scan rooms or corridors in warehouses, building an image of the area as it goes. “Using a LiDAR sensor, a machine can essentially teach itself the environment, and use its self-made map to navigate,” Sean explains. “Then, it can work around this map to perform tasks requested of it.”

Sick Australia has recently developed a LiDAR sensor that creates high density–point three-dimensional views of its environment, he adds. “Existing LiDAR sensors generally ‘see’ in one plane, or one line,” he says. “That is fine, but it means low or high obstacles may be missed. The new MRS6000 is a multilayer sensor that scans in multiple planes and produces a 3D-picture of the real world, which can then help a machine to navigate around pallets and other objects commonly found in a warehouse.”

Leaps and bounds Sean shares that, as a sensor engineer, he is fascinated by the technology he sees around him. “”I see a lot of things that excite me, in particular in the logistics space,” he says. “Our ability to transport things is so far in excess of where it has been in history – it’s astonishing just how much is

moved to keep our society moving, from containers at ports, to parcels through the international postal system and equipment around factories and distribution centres.

“Without this technology, we’d be lifting things by hand and moving them by horse and cart – far slower processes that could not sustain the pace of business today.”

While nothing can be said for certain of what the future will look like, he says, he is in no doubt that the changes will be significant, and he looks forward to seeing what innovation industry is able to come up with.

“We’re living in an age of change,” says Sean.

“I look at the technology that industries such as logistics have come up with so far, and how automation is already disrupting the way we work, and I can’t help but imagine the possibilities of what is to come.”

MACHINE VISION Sean Carter, Product Manager – Identification & Measurement Products, Sick Australia, explains that six types of technology enable ‘vision’ in machines.

LiDAR (light detection and ranging), RADAR (radio detection and ranging), stereoscopic vision, ultrasonic, RFID (radio-frequency identification) and GPS (Global Positioning System).

“LiDAR is incredibly useful in collision awareness, as is RADAR – though it should be noted that RADAR doesn’t offer the positional accuracy you can get from other sensor technologies,” says Sean. “GPS is currently in widespread use on autonomous harvesting and sowing equipment, but is best known for use in autonomous on-road vehicles. Through radio detection of RFID tags, RFID readers can ascertain the location of forklifts in a warehouse; read information from tags mounted on pallet racks, on ceilings, or even glued to the warehouse floor tags; and write information to tags. The best known application for ultrasonic sensors is car-parking sensors – almost every new vehicle is now fitted with them to detect objects when reverse parking, parking forward or changing lanes.

logisticsmagazine.com.au | 29

Storage

It all STACKS UP After two decades building its reputation for reliable storage solutions for the timber industry, BHD Storage Solutions has its eyes set firmly on becoming the materials handling industry’s go-to manufacturer and supplier of reliable storage equipment.

S

ince 1999, Victoria-based BHD Storage Solutions has supplied cantilever racking – or tree racking, so named for its protruding appendages branching out from a vertical base – to the timber industry and major hardware retail chains in Australia and New Zealand.

Following the company’s acquisition in 2014, it turned its focus on the varied storage needs of the country’s broad range of industries, applying the company’s in-house storage expertise across warehousing, logistics, retail, and beyond. It was decided early on that the company would need a new name to reflect its new direction

and capabilities. In October 2017, the company officially rebranded from MECA Racking Solutions to BHD Storage Solutions.

BHD boasts dedicated and thorough racking design, manufacture and installation services, thanks to the vision and hard work of owner Suny Deng and Managing Director Jessica Zhu. “We no longer look after just the timber industry,” says Jessica. “Now, we provide for the whole storage solutions industry, stocking tyre, pigeonhole, mezzanine, long-span and pallet racking, and electronic, mobile and shuttle storage technologies.”

Jessica explains that moving towards a full-

service offering was a key consideration during the company’s acquisition.

“The majority of storage solutions providers in the industry focus on one end of projects – they either do technical design here in Australia and outsource manufacturing to another country, or they focus on manufacturing and hand over the finished goods,” she says. “At BHD, we lead projects all the way from conception through to customer delivery – that’s something we decided to do right away when we started the acquisition.”

This has helped BHD quickly become a force to be reckoned with for storage solutions, Jessica explains, as they can react quickly to customer needs and deliver projects promptly.

“Offering a full service makes BHD more competitive, but more importantly, the customers get more efficient responses, better cost control and can see across the whole project more transparently than when dealing with several companies, or across several countries,” she says.

“We are one of very few in the industry capable of providing truly turnkey solutions, from production through to completion of projects.”

What’s in a name?

The company’s new name reflects the importance its new owners place on their obligations to its people, its customers, and its future, Jessica explains. “BHD stands for ‘beholden’, meaning ‘responsible’,” Jessica adds. “Our slogan is ‘Beholden to the future’ and this idea runs throughout the business.

“We are responsible to our people – to their job satisfaction, health and ownership of their performance. This supports our responsibility to our customers, to give them high-quality, safe completed projects. It is paramount to us that we can walk away and sleep at night after completing a project. Finally, we are responsible for supporting our own success, and happy customers and treating employees right will help us to achieve that.”

Protecting against the unknown

In October 2017, MECA Racking Solutions officially rebranded as BHD Storage Solutions.

30 | Logistics&MaterialsHandling April/May 2018

Jessica explains that BHD prides itself on being a problem solver for its customers. “I think that Australia’s logistics professionals are very capable at identifying and solving issues to avoid crises,” says Jessica. “The issue, however, is that since supply chains are long, with many

Storage links and people involved along the way, it’s not always possible to buffer for contingencies.

When something goes wrong, fixing it requires a coordinated effort by various people in various job functions, which is time-consuming, and can cause more problems.”

She explains that BHD’s full-service offering enables the company to take care of its customers’ storage worries, delivering them a prompt resolution. “We take everything under our control,” she says. “Our promise to the customer is to let them hear no noise, only solutions.”

She gives the example of a customer that had been a long-time customer of the company in its previous iteration, who approached BHD with a seemingly impossible task.

“A customer we had worked with for many years in the cantilever industry approached us for our help with an extremely time-tight project,” Jessica explains. “He was seven days out from opening a store in time for Christmas, and had been let down by the supplier set to help stock the store with 1,000 pallets. It was a very tough deadline to meet, and obviously not many people can achieve that.”

What’s in store for MEGATRANS2018 Aside from providing turnkey storage solutions, BHD Storage Solutions stocks a range of storage technology solutions.

Two of the company’s newest ranges will be on display at multimodal trade show MEGTRANS2018, which takes over the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, 10–12 May, 2018.

“First, we will have our new mobile racking system,” explains Jessica Zhu, Managing Director, BHD Storage Solutions.

“This especially suits customers who are about to build a warehouse, since it’s a ground-up solution.”

The space-saving system is built into the flooring of a warehouse and stores rows of goods alongside each other, with an aisle appearing between chosen rows at the push of a button.

The second solution, BHD’s own shuttle racking system, makes high-density pallet racking strain-free.

“We will be bringing both systems to MEGATRANS2018 in our signature colour – BHD Green,” explains Jessica. “We are excited to show off the capabilities of these ranges, to show customers how we can help make their processes even more efficient and their businesses more successful.”

The customer offered BHD the opportunity to stock the store, noting that he was prepared for there to be a delay in opening. “Because we have the advantage of controlling every part of the process, from design and manufacture to project delivery, we managed to finish the project in seven days,” says Jessica. “Our team all worked together to successfully carry out the project.

She explains that collaboration between BHD’s overseas manufacturing facility and Melbournebased warehouse means the company efficiently manages the stock both in the mill and in the warehouse to adapt to changes in demand, saving customers from having to wait two to three weeks for shipment.

“The customer was able to open his store on time, and we’re now his go-to provider for all his storage needs,” Jessica adds.

Branching out As BHD now undertakes major projects from a broad range of industries, it has been important to ensure its team works together seamlessly and effectively, Jessica notes. “In the past, when the company dealt with the timber industry, and only cantilever racking, the order sizes were far smaller,” she says. “We are incredibly fortunate as the company has team members that have expertise acquired over two decades in the storage industry. With the move towards becoming a provider of supply-chain storage solutions, and the large projects involved, though, it was crucial for us to develop and foster a strong culture.

“We needed cohesion between the salespeople, the finance and operations teams, construction managers, the manufacturing team, and everyone in between. The effort we have put into this has been worthwhile, as it has enabled us to deliver large orders, to a high quality, and on time.”

Jessica adds that the close team dynamic also helps when customer needs change partway

through a project. “We involve customers heavily at the beginning, to establish their needs,” she says. “We help them consider whether a shortterm solution suits them, or whether they are in need of a long-term inventory plan. It’s not unusual for customers to change their plans when the project has been designed, approved and started, due to unforeseen circumstances, but we’re able to be very responsive across our team.”

Passion for growth Jessica has been a passionate advocate of the storage industry for a decade, and in her seven years with BHD she has seen it grow from a medium-sized business serving loyal customers in a niche market to a large organisation forging relationship with major international companies and expanding its capabilities tenfold. “I saw the opportunity for expansion for BHD when I first joined the company and, when it was acquired by Suny Deng. Fortunately he shared my enthusiasm for the potential of the industry, the technology and its people.”

Jessica adds that she loves delivering complex projects for customers, while making sure they experience no stress. “When I meet a customer who has a task they need help in handling, and we exceed their expectations for budget, professionalism, deadline and quality, it makes all of the effort worth it,” she says. “When our customers’ project managers or supply-chain managers tell us we have conquered a challenge, that gives me great pride.

“We never have ‘short-term’ customers; we’re always considering how we can contribute to their long-term success. I take pride in seeing our long-term large customers expanding sustainably, and small customers growing their successes together with our team.”

Jessica Zhu, Managing Director, BHD Storage Solutions. logisticsmagazine.com.au | 31

Packaging

Science in motion A new packaging technology is set to take the guesswork out of load stability in Australia.

F

or Richard Layton, Managing Director of packaging company Fromm Australia, 2017 was full of experimentation. He spent the year putting the company’s new US-built load stability machine to the test. “We’ve acquired a piece of equipment that simulates the conditions a pallet goes through during transport,” he explains. “It enables us to do in-house testing on load stabilisation and stress on load in transit – a first for the packaging industry in Australia.”

The technology allows Fromm to make a science of pallet building, stretch wrapping and load handling, and give customers concrete advice on reducing material wastage and returns due to damage in transit.

Worth its weight “Manufacturers and supply-chain businesses hate returns and product damage because they eat away at the bottom line ,” says Richard. “The industry average is around four per cent, and a lot of it can be improved simply by stretch wrapping Fromm Australia’s new transit simulator is a first for the packaging industry in Australia.

“I don’t think that transporting goods should be guess, or luck – there should be a science behind it.”

Richard Layton Managing Director, Fromm Australia.

their palletised goods correctly – they don’t know how to do it.

“When you’re a large manufacturer, that translates to a huge amount of wastage from the goods you’re shipping across the country or overseas.”

Fromm uses its new equipment to tailor advice for secure shipping. “We look at the products our customers are currently wrapping, how they’re wrapping them and the trip to the end destination,” he says. “Then, using our new machine, we simulate the g-forces that would be experienced in transit.

“No other packaging company in Australia offers this kind of testing.”

Fromm takes the customer’s pallet, wraps it, places it onto the machine, and observes what happens when it’s tilted to simulate stresses of up to the equivalent of 1G . “If the contents move in our static test, this means the pallet’s contents could shift when the truck carrying it brakes abruptly, or goes round a corner,” says Richard. “This could spell damage for the pallet’s entire contents, which is an extremely expensive exercise.”

Fromm analyses the results of its g-force simulations and shows customers how to get loads to their destinations without damage, and in a more cost-effective manner.

“We can give the customer a report with our recommendations on how they should wrap a pallet,” says Richard. “It includes what kind of film they should use and what kind of stretch they need to apply on the stretch-wrapping machines to satisfy industry guidelines for shipping goods in Australia, which are set out in the National Transport Commission’s Load Restraint Guide.

After demonstrating the optimum wrapping method, Fromm sends its mobile wrapping test device out to its customer’s facility, to help them replicate the results achieved in the static environment with the Fromm Test Tube.

Put to the test After 12 months of extensive in-house testing and collaboration with an industry partner experiencing load-stability problems, Fromm is now offering its diagnostic service to customers.

“As a value-added service, it will give our customers and potential customers much more confidence,” says Richard. “Beyond that, it will also save them money by reducing their returns and making wrapping processes much more efficient.”

He notes that Fromm is proud to be at the forefront of the packaging simulation testing “breakthrough” in Australia. “Until now, load wrapping has always been based on historical film usage,” says Richard. “I don’t think that transporting goods should be guess, or luck – there should be a science behind it.”

32 | Logistics&MaterialsHandling April/May 2018

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SHIP SHAPE In May, Vitawani Shipbuilding Sdn. Bhd will present its cargo vessels to the Australian and international freight industry, at inaugural trade event MEGATRANS2018.

M

EGATRANS2018 will provide a platform for a diverse set of suppliers to the entire supply chain industry to display their wares, share their expertise and generate business with Australia’s road, rail, air, sea and warehouse operators. One such supplier, Malaysian company Vitawani Shipbuilding Sdn. Bhd, will take the opportunity to get better acquainted with visitors representing the nation’s vast shipping industry.

“We are a relatively young company, but we have big capabilities,” says Ling Tiu Khing, Director, Vitawani. “Vitawani recently turned 10, and in its first decade we have custom built vessels for cargo operations, oil and gas activities and offshore support.”

Tiu Khing explains that when constructing

landing crafts for general cargo – which support container vessels in shallow water – satisfaction and safety are paramount.

“We are customer focused, which for us means that we make a commitment to listen to their needs and put their satisfaction at the forefront of all our decisions,” he says. “Our emphasis on safety is an extension of this – each of our vessels is built to the highest quality, so that those who serve aboard can trust their lives to our work.”

While the company is keen to build new relationships with industry in Australia, it has previously provided vessels to prominent logistics companies here, including Toll Group and Tasmanian Ports Corporation (TasPorts).

“In 2013, we delivered a 68m landing craft to Toll Group, and TasPorts recently ordered a 80m

landing craft, which is now completed, delivered and ready to serve at Tasmania’s King Island,” says Tiu Khing.

Vitawani’s 100-strong workforce is based in Sarawak, a picturesque Malaysian state on the island of Borneo. Its headquarters are based in Miri, a coastal city on Sarawak’s northwest coast, while the inland town of Sibu is home to Vitawani’s 43,600m2 shipbuilding facility.

“We are excited to send our team members to Melbourne to introduce Vitawani at MEGATRANS2018,” says Tiu Khing. “We will be exhibiting information about the vessels we have built over the years, and also the types we are able to construct.

“Most important to us is that visitors have the opportunity to learn a little more about our company, how we work and our values.”

Vitawana Shipbuilding Sdn. Bhd recently delivered an 80m landing craft to Tasmanian Ports Corporation in Tasmania, Australia.

34 | Logistics&MaterialsHandling April/May 2018

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Supply chain

FACILITATING THE FUTURE OF SUPPLY CHAIN AND LOGISTICS MEGATRANS2018 Show Director Simon Coburn talks to Logistics & Materials Handling about who will be attending the inaugural supply-chain trade expo this May and what they can expect to see.

T

he movement of goods from A to B may seem a simple process on paper for the average consumer. But it has taken years of development, progress and innovation to reach this level of streamlining, and that process is only becoming faster and more efficient.

For the industrial supply chain, this can be an intricate process, involving a variety of stakeholders with countless variables to consider along the way when moving goods from one place to another. Road, rail, air and sea transport, warehousing, packaging services – there are many different facets involved in the process and adding value to every step of the supply chain.

Giving the freight and logistics providers, and their customers – manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers – the opportunity to see the businesses, technology and innovation leading the cutting edge of progress within the Australian and international supply chain firsthand is one way to help the industry grow and reach a new level of supply chain safety, connectivity and efficiency.

The future of supply chain and logistics MEGATRANS2018, a new multimodal supply chain trade expo, aims to provide this unique platform and bring industry together under one roof. The event, delivered in partnership with the Victorian Government, is designed to bring together those who plan, implement and control the efficient and effective forward flow and storage of goods, services and related information between the point of origin and point of consumption.

In the grand scheme of things, this supply chain covers all facets of Australia’s industrial transport and logistics sectors. These specific industries comprise the main features of the trade show, which makes its debut 10 to 12 May this year at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, based in the heart of the world’s most liveable city – Melbourne.

Simon Coburn, MEGATRANS2018 Show Director talks to Logistics & Materials Handling about who will be making their way to Melbourne for the major industry event.

“MEGATRANS2018 is poised to be the biggest supply chain and logistics trade event in Australia 36 | Logistics&MaterialsHandling April/May 2018

Operators and suppliers for the entire supply chain will attend MEGATRANS2018 in May.

and the Southern Hemisphere. By spreading the expo across all 30,000m2 of exhibition space at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, we’re trying to include every business, service provider and leader within the supply chain,” he says.

“From warehousing to road transport, infrastructure, telematics businesses, manufacturing companies and packaging specialists – the show is including everything and everyone involved in the movement of goods from one place to another, with significant focus on the technology driving this process.”

The show is designed around the needs of the logistics firms, freight companies and various technology innovators and service providers involved in the supply chain. Those coming to the event will be the retailers, manufacturers and third and fourth-party logistics providers (3PLs and 4PLs) utilising the supply chain and looking for new ways to increase efficiency and security in the movement of goods.

“Those who need to move goods by sea, air, rail, road, are those who will benefit the most from hearing about the latest in telematics, data optimisation, freight forwarding, Industry 4.0 and future developments in the industry,” says Simon.

“Those are the people – the business leaders and decision markers – who will be making their way

to Melbourne for the show, and we can’t wait to hear about all of the successful partnerships, business meetings and engagement coming off the back of this event.”

Bringing industry together Many major industry conferences and events are being held in conjunction with the show and are aimed at drawing even more national and international leaders from across different facets of the supply chain.

MEGATRANS2018 brings together a variety of international and domestic conferences, including the Australian Logistics Council’s (ALC) inaugural Supply Chain Technology Summit 2018, Australian Road Transport Suppliers Association (ARTSA) Global Leaders’ Summit, the Logistics & Materials Handling Mercury Awards, a Ministerial Breakfast delivered in partnership with the Victorian Government, Transport Certification Australia’s (TCA) Technology Hub and the 2018 Global Shippers Forum Conference (GSF2018).

The ALC Supply Chain Technology Summit, for instance, will gather key industry leaders and businesses and take place on 10 May, onsite and in partnership with MEGATRANS2018.

“Technology is a major component of the logistics supply chain and will play a dominant

Supply chain role in the exhibitions at MEGATRANS2018,” says Michael Kilgariff, Managing Director at the ALC. “The Supply Chain Technology Summit 2018 will align well with the technology theme and ensure that those who attend the integrated event can maximise their time and investment.

“The dedicated Supply Chain Technology Summit will focus on the policy priorities articulated by ALC in Freight Doesn’t Vote – our submission to the Inquiry into National Freight and Supply Chain Priorities. This includes collecting greater data on freight movements, adapting to automated technologies and global labelling standards.”

Peter Hart, Chairman at ARTSA, says MEGATRANS2018, and the industry players it will draw, is a good fit for the association’s annual summit.

“We see this event as an opportunity to bring together international thought leaders in a world-class conference and exhibition hosted in Melbourne,” says Peter. ARTSA will be holding its 2018 Leaders Summit as part of the scheduled events, featuring industry authorities from around the globe debating the business models, systems and equipment that will continue to deliver for the customer.”

The GSF2018 likewise, will host its conference

and AGM in Australia for the first time.

The Australian Peak Shippers Association (APSA), the peak body for Australia’s containerised exporters, will host the GSF2018 in coordination with the International Cargo Handling Coordination Association (ICHCA), the Freight & Trade Alliance and MEGATRANS2018.

Paul Zalai, Director and Founder at the FTA, the Secretariat for the APSA, says the GSF2018 is set to host policy makers and international trade practitioners from around the world, people whose decisions have a lasting effect on the way cargo is moved in Australia.

As the event is run in conjunction with MEGATRANS2018, Paul says it will attract representatives from across the sector. “It’s quite unique to have transport operators, freight forwarders, customs officials, cargo owners and policymakers, all in the one room discussing logistics and trade issues,” he says.

GSF2018 takes place alongside MEGATRANS2018 and a range of other events either running concurrently or bookending the show. As a result, Simon expects Melbourne will be the place to be for leaders and stakeholders in the global and national supply-chain sectors come May.

“We envisage the week of MEGATRANS2018 will set a few milestones for the national and international supply chains,” he says. “With so many industry leaders and decision makers from around the globe heading to the events, I’m confident we’ll see some positive outcomes for the future of the industry.”

Simon explains that as the borders between industries blur, new multi-dimensional concepts have to rise to the challenge and facilitate conversation between the key stakeholders in these areas, and MEGATRANS2018 is leading the way.

He says a trade event with the same scope as MEGATRANS2018 hasn’t been done before in Australia, and it will be an exciting hub for representatives across the entire supply chain.

“We’re inviting everyone to be a part of this game-changing expo format and we anticipate that everybody, from hands-on decision makers in the supply chain and logistics industry to CEOs, chief operating officers, regulatory bodies, urban planners and government on all levels, will be out in force,” he adds.

“Watch this space for more developments – MEGATRANS2018 will facilitate the topics of discussion, networking and decisions around the future of Australia’s supply chain process.”

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Women in industry

Inspiring women The Women in Industry Awards and Conference recognise women who are relentless in working to make the transport and logistics industry a better place. In collaboration with Women in Industry, we are featuring one such woman – Debbie Reich, General Manager – Retail at Australian logistics company Linfox.

Q. What first drew you to logistics?

A. My journey started in 1983. I was 17, studying two degrees at university part time and needed to work. I was fortunate to be given an opportunity by the Myer Group in their distribution centre in Brisbane.

Q. What role do you hold now?

A. As Linfox General Manager – Retail, I am responsible for our three Coles partnerships, including the Coles Regional Distribution Centre in Victoria, Coles Ambient Transport in Victoria and Coles Ambient & Temperature Control Transport in New South Wales.

Q. What does a standard day for you look like?

A. I start at 7.00am unless I am travelling, which requires 4.00am starts. I like to get a head start on the day – the first hour is vital to setting up my day. My day generally finishes between 6.00pm and 6.30pm, though it is not unusual for the day to continue long after I have made it home.

I try to apply 10 per cent of my time to being ‘in the business’, 50 per cent of my time managing the business and 40 per cent of my time transforming. Of course, this doesn’t always go to plan. The key is to keep enough

time in your day to respond to the everchanging demands and priorities, as well as enabling your team to have a licence to operate.

Q. What has been a highlight of your career so far?

A. My top two are leading the team that developed and introduced new equipment into the industry that improved driver safety whilst providing customer efficiency benefits, and being awarded employee of the year for my mentoring and development of young women entering the logistics industry.

women to join logistics. It is hugely important that young women joining the industry see females in leadership roles and industry support for female participation.

Q. How can people and companies in the logistics industry better promote it as a career of choice for women?

A. We need to showcase the variety, that it’s not a ‘male’ domain, the flexible working hours, the challenges, the amazing career path and the diversity of roles available.

Q. What is the best thing about the logistics industry?

A. The pace, the link to the community and the daily ‘brain’ tests.

Q. What do you think could be improved?

A. We as an industry must showcase our innovation, our safety standards and the talent that exists within the industry.

Q. What do initiatives like the Women in Industry Award/Conference mean to you?

A. I am supportive of any initiative that showcases female talent and inspires other Debbie Reich, General Manager – Retail, Linfox.

FAST FACT The Women In Industry Conference and Awards provide a forum for those in road transport, mining, manufacturing and engineering to create action plans to tackle gender issues. In 2018, the events will be held at Doltone House in Sydney on 14 June.

Head to womeninindustry.com.au now to nominate an exceptional woman – tickets go on sale on 30 April.

38 | Logistics&MaterialsHandling April/May 2018

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