Transportation & Logistics International Volume 9, Issue 8

TLIMAGAZINE.COM l Volume 9, Issue 8

Visibility is key What is the road back to normal trade?

Shipping trends The need to look more closely at how we can minimize the risks of mega-ships pg.4

Cyber security The changing nature of cyberthreats to the rail industry pg.10

From the Editor Incorporating Land, Sea & Air and Railway Strategies

Chairman - Andrew Schofield Managing Director - Joe Woolsgrove Editor - Libbie Hammond libbie@schofieldpublishing.com lhammond@finelight-media.com Assistant Editor - Will Daynes Staff Writers Alex McDonald • Danielle Champ • Jessica Olley

ON THE COVER

Managing Art Editor XX.\ XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX Fleur Daniels Xxxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx Art Editor xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx David Howard xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxx Art Editor Paul Gillings

Sales Director Alasdair Gamble

COLUMNS AND CONTRIBUTIONS FROM OUR EDITORS AND WRITERS

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Research Managers Xxxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx Michelle Fontaine, Natalie Griffiths, xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx Jo-Ann Jeffery, Ben Richell, Basil Sharpe Editorial Researchers XX.\ XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX Adam Blanch, Victoria Burke, Jodie Garringer, Xxxxxx xxxx xxxx James xxxxx Page, xxxx xxxx xxxx Jeff Goldenberg, Danxxxx Harrison, Wendyxxxxx Russell, Richard Kieran xxxx xxxx Saunders, xxxx xxxxx xxxx Shukri xxxx xxxx Advertising Sales Johanna Bailey, Mike Berger,XXXXXXXXXX Jessica Eglington, XX.\ XXXXXXX James Fuller, Alex Hartley, Reid Lingle, Xxxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx Theresa McDonald, Theresa Stark, Sam Surrell, Gregoryxxxxx Wallerxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx Florida General Manager XX.\ XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX Ryan Finn Xxxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx Boston General Manager xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx Joy Francesconi

Hello and welcome to the November issue of Transportation & Logistics International. COP26 is still underway as I write this, bringing the decarbonization of transport to the top of the agenda for the industry (if it wasn’t there already!) Hydrogen power is being touted as a top sustainable power source – do you think it’s the way forward? Let me know!

Our cover story this month is a feature written

Custom Media Sales XX.\ XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX Dan Bess Xxxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx Digital Sales xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx Mike Psimis

by Mathijs Slangen of Flexport, and he is looking

Subscriptions i.kidd@schofieldpublishing.com

suppliers in new locations could benefit some

Administration Rory Gallacher, Ibby Mundhir

while planning further ahead. He also highlights the

Accounts Rachael Leftley

key to understanding what the issues are and acting

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TLIMAGAZINE.COM l Volume 9, Issue 8

at the shipping sector, and discussing how it can recover from a year of such turmoil. Mathjis suggests that diversifying procurement and finding new shippers, as well as managing short-term issues importance of visibility – which in his words is ‘the quickly to mitigate risks within the supply chain’. To read the full story, turn to page 8 and have a read of what Mathjis has to say.

Visibility is key What is the road back to normal trade?

Shipping trends The need to look more closely at how we can minimize the risks of mega-ships pg.4

Cyber security The changing nature of cyberthreats to the rail industry pg.10

Libbie Hammond EDITOR

libbie@schofieldpublishing.com

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Features 4

SHIPPING TRENDS

Why we need to look more closely at how we can minimize the risks of mega-ships, especially in ports or in bottleneck passages

Profiles

20

MHI RJ Aviation Group 8

FREIGHT

After over a year of turmoil, what is the road back to normal trade or will current conditions become the new standard?

28

Mathijs Slangen reports

10 CYBER SECURITY As restrictions ease and rail passenger numbers begin to rise again, finding the perfect balance between physical security and digital safety is vital

Tuffnells Parcels Express Ltd

36 15 INNOVATION Ayro, a joint venture between French companies Zephyr et Borée and Jifmar Offshore Services, has filed several patent applications relating to its Oceanwings® concept

16 NEWS The latest news, announcements and updates from transportation and logistics, across land, sea and air

Montway Auto Transport

2 TLIMAGAZINE.COM

24

Great Plains Transport

32

Manuport Logistics

40

Port Authority of Gothenburg

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3

Larger vessels.

Larger exposures

Captain Rahul Khanna discusses the increasing risks associated with the advent of bigger and bigger vessels

T

he international shipping industry

(2011 – 98), although 2020 represented

is responsible for the carriage

the first time in five years that losses have

of around 90 percent of world

not declined, suggesting the loss total

trade so the safety of vessels

could be stabilizing around the minimum

is critical. As one of the leading shipping insurers, Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty

As the Suez Canal incident demonstrated,

(AGCS) constantly monitors and analyzes risk

ever increasing vessel sizes continue to

scenarios in the shipping industry.

pose a disproportionately large risk with

The sector continued its long-term positive

4 TLIMAGAZINE.COM

achievable level.

costly groundings, fires and record levels of

safety trend through 2020 with the number

container losses at sea. The canal blockage

of reported total losses of over 100GT

was estimated to have affected an estimated

remaining stable at 49 compared with 48

$9.6bn of goods each day, or around 12

a year earlier. This means annual shipping

percent of total world trade. The latest in

losses have halved over the past decade

a growing list of incidents involving large

Shipping trends

vessels, the Ever Given has added to concerns in the industry that the risks associated with large ships may soon outweigh the benefits.

We need to look more closely at how we can minimize the risks of mega-ships, especially in ports or in bottleneck passages like the Suez Canal or the Panama Canal, given the disruption we have seen that grounding incidents can cause. If a ship runs aground in one of these waterways, specialized tugs would be needed and the port and canals should have access to adequate resources in relatively short time.

Container ships, car carriers and bulk

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5

carriers have grown larger in recent

have already seen a number of very large

wreck removal is more expensive and often

decades as shipping companies seek

claims from fires and groundings for large

still uncharted territory.

economies of scale and fuel efficiency,

container ships as well as fire and stability

a trend that is likely to continue with

issues for car carriers. Large ore carriers have

the increasing size of vessels. While approach

climate change and the introduction of

also seen losses while the grounding of the

channels to existing ports have been dredged

greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets

cruise ship Costa Concordia remains one of

deeper and berths and wharfs extended to

for the industry.

the most expensive marine insurance losses

accommodate ultra large vessels, the overall

in modern times at almost $2bn. The Suez

size of existing ports has remained the same.

vessels are on order. In December 2020,

Canal Authority has sought around $600mn

As a result, ‘a miss’ can turn into ‘a hit’ more

Ocean Network Express ordered six new

from the Ever Given’s liability insurer and the

often for the ultra large container vessels.

container ships with capacity in excess of

Egyptian government detained the vessel as

Last year, a container ship collided with

24,000 teu. The HMM Algeciras, introduced in

it negotiated with insurers. A compensation

another vessel and a dock crane in the port of

April 2020, is currently considered to be the

deal was eventually signed in July 2021,

Busan due to insufficient ballast water1.

world’s largest container ship with capacity of

leaving the vessel free to leave the waterway.

In the case of the Ever Given, had the

More recently, the industry is seeing the

vessel not been freed, salvage would have

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, ever-larger

just under 24,000 teu.

Port infrastructure has not kept pace with

While economies of scale have helped

biggest spike in lost containers at sea in

required the lengthy process of unloading

drive the trend for larger and larger vessels,

seven years. Large claims from container

some 18,000 containers, requiring specialist

there have been unintended outcomes. The

ship fires and groundings, as well as the

cranes. The wreck removal of the large car

different consequences of larger vessels

loss of thousands of containers at sea, all

carrier, Golden Ray, which capsized outside

are now becoming more apparent, including

have one common thread – the increasing size

the US port of Brunswick with more than

impacting supply chains. Large vessels and

of vessels.

4000 vehicles on it in 2019, has taken well

the ports required to handle them present a

over a year and cost insurers several hundreds

massive accumulation of risk, while the costs

Unique risks

are disproportionately greater when things

Very large vessels present some unique risks.

operation, which has required the vessel to

go wrong.

of millions of dollars. The complex salvage

In particular, responding to incidents is more

be cut into sections in situ, has been plagued

For a number of years insurers, including

complex and expensive. Port facilities and

by delays from Covid-19 infections, winter

AGCS, have warned about the growing risks

salvage equipment to handle large ships is

weather, fires and chain link failures.

associated with larger vessels. Insurers

specialized and limited, while salvage and

6 TLIMAGAZINE.COM

Very large container ships and other

Shipping trends

large vessels are a volatile risk for insurers

increase in the frequency of fires costing

number of containers on board, the higher the

to underwrite and will increasingly require

over $500,000.

probability that at least one could ignite and

more and more input from risk consulting

Vessel size has a direct correlation to the

cause a fire, and the harder it is to contain and

and claims. As exposures grow, insurers will

potential size of loss. Car transporters/RoRo

extinguish the fire.

have to ask if they are able to insure some

and large container vessels are at higher

types of large vessels, or if they can only be

risk of fire with the potential for greater

Safety and Shipping review available from its

underwritten as part of a mixed fleet. AGCS is

consequences should a fire break out,

website: https://www.agcs.allianz.com/news-

undertaking analysis of losses involving large

according to Cefor analysis. The larger the

and-insights/reports/shipping-safety.html. v

More details can be found in AGCS’ annual

vessels by size and type to identify areas of potential volatility and to better understand the potential loss.

Fire claims increase

1 SWZ Maritime, Container ship ONE lacking ballast when it hit terminal crane in Busan, May 11, 2020 2 IUMI, Container ship fires from the insurer’s perspective, March 4, 2020 3 Cefor, Fires - No All-Clear Signal

The number of fires on board container ships has increased significantly in recent years, which may in part be a reflection of their increasing number in the global fleet – 2019 saw a record year (40 cargo-related fires or one every ten days)2.

In 2020, the number of incidents fell slightly, but was still above the average, according to the Norwegian Association of Marine Insurers (Cefor)3. The Cefor statistics found no reduction in large loss frequency for container vessels, despite a substantial

Captain Rahul Khanna is Global Head of Marine Risk Consulting at Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty, a leading global corporate insurance carrier and a key business unit of Allianz Group. It provides risk consultancy, Property-Casualty insurance solutions and alternative risk transfer for a wide spectrum of commercial, corporate and specialty risks across ten dedicated lines of business. Its customers are as diverse as business can be, ranging from Fortune Global 500 companies to small businesses, and private individuals.

reduction in claims frequency and cost for hull claims overall in 2020. Container ship

www.agcs.allianz.com

fires were especially prevalent, with a notable

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7

Visibility

is key

What is the road back to normal trade? By Mathijs Slangen

I

n recent months the global supply

One of the biggest drivers of increased

more typical output levels and resolution to

chain has suffered a repeated

pressure on the freight market has been the

staffing shortages and congestion. However,

onslaught of unexpected and

huge consumer shift from services to goods,

the industry will remain under pressure for

damaging shocks. From trade wars,

largely driven by the pandemic. With many

as long as Covid-19 restrictions continue, and

Covid-19, to port congestion and the most

services closed and lockdowns taking place

demand remains uncharacteristically high.

recent Suez Canal blockage, the scale of the

across the globe, people have switched to

It is suggested that as things open up,

challenge has been seemingly never ending.

spending on goods, stretching the supply

consumer spending may revert to services,

chain beyond its normal levels. This has

but there’s no guarantee that the balance

to a turbulent and ever-changing market that

Shippers have had to adapt and get used

made it increasingly difficult to predict future

of goods vs services will be the same as

has caused huge increases in costs. Research

trade situations.

before. The latest data shows goods mania

from Flexport found that 64 percent of

A return to a somewhat normal trade

is still going strong, even after a minor dip

businesses plan to absorb the costs and

pattern relies on there being a lull in the

in August. As we head into autumn, the

make more price conscious decisions but

demand for goods and subsequent breathing

preference for goods over services is climbing

36 percent consider passing that cost onto

space for the industry. This includes an

back towards peak Spring 2021 levels and

consumers to keep things profitable.

easing of port congestion, an end to

above the peak of Summer 2020.

The question is, after over a year of

equipment shortages and increased capacity.

turmoil, what is the road back to normal

As the pandemic situation improves, we

Meanwhile, we have seen a significant increase in spot rates and overall shipping

trade or will current conditions become the

may see an increase in supply of goods due

costs have reached a new high. Businesses

new normal?

to factories, particularly in Asia, producing at

have been spending more time on each

8 TLIMAGAZINE.COM

Freight order to survive, they have to adapt—and that

wise to rely too much upon them. Creating

could mean partnering with new suppliers in

an agile supply chain will ensure businesses

new locations.

can take advantage of the best rates on

Although China is usually the go-to for

offer but are also prepared for if things go

manufacturing, the recent challenges have

wrong. Ensuring you are doing things like

meant it may be beneficial to diversify

fully loading your containers and prioritizing

throughout South East Asia. Singapore

your highest value SKU’s can help to manage

for example returned to January 2020

short-term issues in the meantime.

manufacturing levels in March this year and have been growing strongly although costs

Visibility

may be higher than in China. Shippers should

The key to understanding what the issues

make use of all available options and assess

are and acting quickly to mitigate risks

the best for their circumstances.

within the supply chain: visibility. Upstream,

Making long-term decisions From an outside perspective, to truly get back to a more normal trading pattern,

allow businesses to plan ahead and avoid any future issues.

In the absence of a significant restructure

governments and industry players are going

or long-term solution, it is the best way to

to have to make significant investments in

ensure cargo keeps moving. Looking at the

port, rail and vessel capacity and update

end-to-end supply chain to identify the

supply chain technology if logistics is to be

obstacles that might prevent you achieving

more resilient against these challenges in

desired results is critical. By using a data-

the future.

driven approach to supply chain processes

However, in the meantime the industry

shipment due to the disruption and have

downstream, internal and external insights

businesses can identify the most cost-

must deal with the problem together using

effective and efficient method and timing

all the tools at its disposal. One of the

to ship their freight. For example, using a

questions businesses may be asking is what

freight forwarder platform that enables you

decisions should they be making in the next

to access real-time information on shipments

few months? With instability so high, ocean

and send messages to your operation

carriers have deployed all available capacity,

support team as well as suppliers through

including ships that are not even designed to

order-level messaging will allow you to pivot

carry containers, but the effective capacity

your strategy if things change.

is 25 percent less than what’s actually

Whilst the road to normal trade is not

deployed, because so many vessels are

likely to be around the next corner, some

caught up in record bottlenecks at ports. As

improvement is emerging. As many countries

a result, it has been more difficult to plan

begin to open-up, it’s likely we will see a let-

ahead.

up in demand in early 2022, after the peak

Fortunately, short-term fixtures, of three

of the festive season. It is hoped then that

had to develop new sustainable business

months or less, where rates are highest,

the lull will give the market time to recover

models or find creative ways to keep goods

are not dominating the market. It is possible

and clear the backlog that has been the

moving. In many cases, it has left businesses

to achieve longer fixtures as carriers seek

biggest thorn in the side of shippers. In the

with no choice but to pass these costs onto

to secure coverage in the medium term.

meantime, businesses should utilize all tools

consumers. For as long as issues and high

This means it is possible to plan and take

at their disposal to remain agile and informed

demand remain, there is unlikely to be any

advantage of these offers, however, it is not

to keep goods moving. v

serious relief.

So, what can be done and what decisions should shippers be looking to make?

Diversifying procurement Flexibility and the ability to remain adaptable has been key to managing goods moving the past year but with conditions persisting, many shippers may be thinking about diversifying their procurement. With such intense change, some businesses have

Mathijs Slangen is Flexport’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Flexport is building the platform for global logistics - empowering buyers, sellers and their logistics partners with the technology and services to grow and innovate. Today, companies of all sizes - from emerging brands to Fortune 500s - use Flexport technology to move more than $10bn of merchandise across 112 countries every year. www.flexport.com

struggled with cost, speed, and continuity. In

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9

Cyber

culture

Understanding the changing nature of cyberthreats to the rail industry. By Alex Cowan

A

report by The European Union

balance between physical security and

turn increased the number of potential

Agency for Cybersecurity

digital safety is vital for the future of the UK

cybersecurity vulnerabilities. The railway

(ENISA) has outlined the

rail network.

is becoming a huge and mobile network of

growing threat of cyber-

highly connected computers processing and

attacks to rail networks across the UK and

Changing nature of cyber-threats

Europe. These include balancing the needs

Cyber-attacks are arguably one of the

begins with a fundamental challenge: if

for high levels of cybersecurity against

most significant and serious threats to

you do not know what is connected to

business competitiveness and ensuring

railway networks. As the modern rail

your network then you cannot secure it.

the security of legacy systems that may

network has rapidly evolved this has led

Ultimately, a network is only as strong as its

now be vulnerable to attack. As coronavirus

to large scale increases in the quantity of

weakest link.

restrictions ease and rail passenger numbers

systems on-board a modern train and those

begin to rise again, finding the perfect

used in signaling networks, which has in

10 TLIMAGAZINE.COM

analyzing data. This means cybersecurity

The evolving nature of cybersecurity risk is impacted by the motivations of different

Cyber security

people engaging with each system and the

allowing the train to maintain a continuous

new and legacy systems meet. Where there

operational risk associated with change. Only

operation. It is a balancing act that is

used to be gaps between systems, there is

some systems have a high level of safety

continuously evolving.

now a digital connection, so cyber-attacks

integrity and with up to a hundred systems

New networks are often more complex

can move across the network – making these

on-board a train, it can represent a target rich

than conventional networks found

legacy systems accessible and vulnerable to

environment for a determined attacker. The

on established rolling stock and IT

cyber threats.

primary goal of railway cybersecurity is to

infrastructure. This requires a cybersecurity

protect a system’s essential functions which,

programme that considers the distinctive

in some cases, are required to maintain the

challenges involved with a moving digital

The importance of security and safety

safety and availability of the rail network.

data center. As more of the network

The rail industry has an incredibly effective

Technical cybersecurity measures need

becomes connected, there is an increase in

culture around safety but in the past the

to be implemented to provide protection,

vulnerability – especially at the points where

focus around cybersecurity was more on

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11

protecting data, rather than the protection of safety critical infrastructure.

This is changing thanks to a couple of factors. Firstly, the EU Directive (NIS Directive) on security of network and information systems, which has been implemented across Europe, requires rail operators to boost levels of cybersecurity and develop a stronger and deeper culture around security. This has helped rail companies focus on designing and implementing more effective cybersecurity programs to better manage risk within the control of rail networks. Also, new rail cybersecurity standards and technical specifications including IEC62443 (Global) and TS50701 (Europe) are giving clearer guidance on requirements for rolling stock and signaling.

The growing importance of cybersecurity to the rail industry’s long-term commitment to safety is now driving the industry to consider that if a train is not secure, then it can no longer say that it is safe. A typical modern train includes more than a hundred digital systems and each one is potentially a vulnerability unless it is protected – even a mid-size fleet of a hundred trains has tens of thousands of systems that require protection.

The sheer number of systems, some of which might be quite old and difficult to update, can present a large attack surface.

Initially, cybersecurity in rail focused around developing and implementing technical products and solutions, often as a quick fix in response to an identified vulnerability. More recently, cybersecurity

“A typical modern train includes more than a hundred digital systems and each one is potentially a vulnerability unless it is protected – even a mid-size fleet of a hundred trains has tens of thousands of systems that require protection”

certifications and standards have been introduced to encourage further cyber resilience. Now there are signs of how building the culture is the next step on cybersecurity’s evolution, which recognizes

train and trackside systems. Trains will often

in real time. After that, these monitoring

that people make an organization secure, not

have a working life of 25 years or more and

systems need to record anything out of

just technology. Although a cybersecurity

will undergo changes during their lifespan

the ordinary.

culture started with basic awareness training,

with new connected systems added by each

the industry is adapting as organizations

owner or operator. Vulnerabilities can appear

legislation is now being driven into the

understand that people can be both the best

as information systems are added, replaced,

digital domain through a combination of new

response to cyber-attacks and the weakest

and connected.

cyber-security technology, standards and

Implementation of safety through existing

link. To get security culture right, it is critical

The priority is to identify all the

to foster an environment where everyone is

connected systems on a network and

shifts. The rail industry needs to keep pace

security conscious.

understand the behavior and traffic flows

with these changes. Encouragingly, rail

between them. Then the industry needs

organizations are responding to regulatory

to implement the proper cybersecurity

changes in cybersecurity and through

The rail industry needs to have a clear

monitoring systems to ensure that anything

collaboration with manufacturers, operators

understanding of the numerous connected

out of the ordinary is identified and stopped

and owning companies, technical aspects

What the future holds

12 TLIMAGAZINE.COM

guidance, as well as policy and governmental

Cyber security

of cybersecurity are beginning to be implemented under the umbrella of achieving safety.

Industry priorities should go beyond just technological solutions and work towards the development of a culture that understands the role cybersecurity plays when maintaining a safe railway. As practices evolve cybersecurity is being integrated into the design of critical transport systems, driving the industry into an era of increased collaboration part of an industry-wide approach to management of all safety risks, including those of a digital origin. v

Alex Cowan is CEO of rail cybersecurity specialist RazorSecure, which he founded in 2015. With more than 15 years’ experience in the gaming industry, Alex used his expertise to develop RazorSecure’s technology which provides intrusion detection cybersecurity software to the rail industry.

Headquartered in Basingstoke, RazorSecure now provides leading companies across the rail industry with tailored cyber security solutions. Its technology is powered by machine learning and designed to protect rolling stock, signalling and infrastructure systems.

To date, RazorSecure software has been deployed in more than 1,600 rail vehicles and protected more than 50 million rail passenger journeys. www.razorsecure.com contact@razorsecure.com

TLIMAGAZINE.COM

13

Innovation

Patent of the month

Patent Pending, Application Number WO2020115717A1

Innovation gets a second wind in the shipping industry.

By Russell Edson

T

other envelopes (220) of the aft flap (200). This results

he concept of wind-assisted propulsion dates back thousands of years to ancient Egypt. Today,

in a variable camber (as shown in the difference between the

however, as the modern shipping industry sets its

aft flap at (200’) versus the aft flap at (200”)), which can

sights on the latest emissions reduction targets, a

improve efficiency by adapting to the wind gradient and control a

return to sail-power and using the trade winds for the purpose

righting torque.

In another arrangement, which is

that first gave them their name, is on the horizon.

designed to make reefing possible, each

Wind-propulsion technology for ships makes use of a renewable and more sustainable power source, and innovation

flap (100, 200) is formed from telescopically

in this area could make wind power a more viable choice for

nesting rigid ‘shape members’ (130, 320).

shipbuilders in the future.

This can be seen in Figure 12, which

A number of innovations relating to wingsails in particular

illustrates the dimensions of each shape

are in development at the moment. Wingsails are designed to

member (130, 230). The nesting feature

generate lift on either side in a manner comparable to aircraft

allows them to be enclosed within one

wings. They are generally categorised as either ‘soft’, such

another. This in turn enables the sail to be

as fabric sails generally used for sailboat racing, or ‘rigid’. One

reefed more easily, reducing the overall

weakness of rigid aerofoil sails, which are typically proposed

height and surface area of the sail, as well

in large vessel concepts, is that they cannot easily be stowed,

as maintaining the ability to twist variably.

Ordinarily in ship design, the selection

remaining instead in a fully hoisted state. Without a suitable solution, they can only be stowed when removed from the

of rigid sails could mean a reduction in

vessel. Additionally, conventional rigid aerofoil sails cannot be

the flexibility of sail configuration and

‘reefed’, meaning that their surface area cannot be reduced in

reefing options. These improvements in

operation. Being able to adjust the area of the sails is a useful

the Oceanwings® concept offer potential solutions to these

safety precaution, as it can prevent a vessel from capsizing in

limitations, as well as a means to reduce carbon emissions for

dangerous weather and can help to keep it on an even keel.

maritime transport vessels.

Assuming Ayro secures strategic IP protection via its patent

Ayro, a joint venture between French companies Zephyr et Borée and Jifmar Offshore Services, has filed several patent

applications, it will be better placed to protect its market share

applications relating to its Oceanwings® concept. Patent

within the wind propulsion space. Granted patents may also be

Application Number WO2020115717A1 discloses a number of

treated as revenue-generating assets, if a decision is taken to

double aerofoil sail arrangements, which are

license the rights to a third party that may wish to apply the

designed to overcome the above deficiencies.

technologies to its vessels.

Additionally, Oceanwings® is a registered trademark. This

Figure 1 shows a double aerofoil

gives Ayro legal rights to protect its brand by preventing other

arrangement with a fore flap (100) mounted

companies from misrepresenting its products in a way that seeks

on a first mast (310) and an aft flap (200) mounted on a second mast (320). As shown

in

to exploit the reputation that the business has gained. Paired with

figures 3A and 3B, the flaps (100, 200)

a robust patent portfolio, these rights represent a further tool

may be individually rotated to optimize the

that the company can use to protect its market share. v

performance of the sail in response to the wind direction (indicated by arrow V).

Figure 3D depicts the function of variable twist where the angle of some envelopes (220) – best

Russell Edson is a partner and patent attorney at European intellectual property firm, Withers & Rogers. He specialises in advising innovators of technologies for use in a variety of transport industry settings – road, rail, air and marine

seen in Figure 1 – is different to

www.withersrogers.com

Russell Edson

the angle of the

TLIMAGAZINE.COM

15

News In Brief Turn to the cloud Google Cloud is helping Deutsche Post DHL Group (DPDHL Group), one of the world’s leading logistics companies, to deliver scalable cloud services that meet the demands of Deutsche Post DHL’s growing logistics business, demands that have massively grown in the last few years.

“Through the power of cloud APIs, Deutsche Post DHL Group can reliably provide the connectivity and processing

Hub launch

power that is needed for the integration

GXO Logistics, Inc. and Saks have revealed that the new GXO e-fulfilment center in

of information into their customers’ day-

Middletown, Pennsylvania, has begun shipping directly to customers nationwide

to-day operations,” said Daniel Holz, Vice

as part of an innovative strategy to meet the surge in demand for luxury fashion

President, EMEA North Region at Google

heading into the holiday shopping season. The e-fulfilment center represents the

Cloud. As of the first quarter 2021, Google’s

first time the two companies have collaborated.

cloud API services have now provided

Saks is using GXO Direct, a shared space distribution network (pioneered by

seamless scaling technology to serve an

GXO in North America) that enables businesses to position inventory close to

exponential growth in tracking events for

target customers while reducing fixed costs and transit times. The solution helps

DHL.com, with zero downtime over the

lower shipping miles and CO2 emissions by reducing the need for expedited air

past six months. In fact, Deutsche Post

transportation, which is six times more carbon-intensive than over-the-road

DHL has processed record numbers of API

transport, while providing flexibility for rapid shifts in inventory as demand changes.

transactions - more than one billion per

The facility will deploy GXO’s advanced automation, including collaborative robots, to

month, a volume that has tripled in just the

optimize efficiency, improve accuracy and enhance the employee experience.

past year.

Premium tracking TMSfirst has implemented CHAMP’s

Milestone reached

Traxon Premium Tracking. The US-

Windship Technology’s Zero Emissions solution for shipping has been independently

based transport management system

assessed by classification society DNV. By using data provided by Windship

provider has integrated the service for its

Technology – a British innovation company – DNV has performed an independent

customers.

computer-based analysis of the concept’s emissions abatement potential. Using the

Traxon Premium Tracking allows the

COSSMOS analysis modelling suite for the drivetrain and based on the information

user to register interest in a shipment and

provided, DNV assessed that Windship Technology’s solution captures 100% of the

receive automatic status updates through

CO2 generated whilst providing 49% fuel savings.

its lifecycle. Premium Tracking enables

Speaking about this significant development, Simon Rogers, Technical Director of

high visibility with a single data sharing

Windship Technology stated: “Today everything changes. The world now has a True

point for all parties involved in an air

Zero Emission solution for the shipping industry with technologies that are available

waybill shipment, reducing the overhead

today and a commercial case rooted in economic sustainability. It’s a significant

of bilateral tracking. TMSfirst has used

inflection point for the shipping industry. From a technical standpoint, Windship

CHAMP’s Application Programming

Technology is now proven.”

Interface (API) to subscribe to air waybills

In due course, Windship Technology will issue a further information on its cost-

for tracking, leaving CHAMP to take care

efficiencies in relation to future fuels with evidence showing a comparative cost but

of all the connectivity and information

with zero CO2 emissions, NOx,

conversion details. “As a TMS supplier

SOx and particulate matters

for customers across the supply chain

and VOC (volatile organic

– tracking is an integral part of gaining

compounds) with a clean

new business,” says Tim Sensenig, CEO

exhaust emitting non-toxic

at TMSfirst. “Our customers expect the

nitrogen, oxygen and water,

kind of stability and structure of Traxon

further bolstering the economic

Premium Tracking for TMSfirst to deliver

case and providing solutions

visibility, pro-active alerts and freight lane

for commercial fleet operators,

analytics.”

shipbuilders and charterers.

16 TLIMAGAZINE.COM

News Expanded presence at JFK

Added solutions

Alliance Ground

into a partnership

International (AGI)

agreement with HAI

has expanded its

ROBOTICS, to include the

operations at John F.

manufacturer’s cutting-

Kennedy International

edge Autonomous

Airport (JFK), New

Case-handling Robotic

York, USA, increasing

(ACR) systems as part of

service offerings to

the Invar solutions suite

airlines operating in

for customers in the UK,

the region.

Europe and the USA.

Invar Group has entered

AGI moved in to JFK’s

HAI ROBOTICS is a global

Cargo Building 22, adding 11,960 square feet of office space

leader in the design and Warren Jones

manufacture of ACRs used in order picking, put-away and dispatch operations, while

and 82,153 square feet of warehouse space to its existing facilities

Invar Group has a global network of high profile customers in

at the airport. Operations from the new facility are due to begin on

sectors such as, ecommerce, retail, pharmaceuticals, FMCG and

December 1st 2021.

manufacturing. Commenting on the partnership, Craig Whitehouse,

“This facility will allow AGI to expand JFK operations to our

Managing Director of Invar Integration, said: “These are exciting

existing client base, as well as enabling us to support new airline

times, robotics has transformed automation in the warehouse.

customers looking to develop services into the New York region,”

Their flexibility, scalability and low-Capex appeal offers huge

said Warren Jones, Vice President Business Development, AGI.

advantages over fixed solutions. HAI ROBOTICS has a fantastic

“We expect this operation to create over 200 new full and part-

range of intelligent ACRs, well suited to the varied demands of

time jobs and we are excited that AGI is able to be a part of New

fulfilment applications, and so we are delighted to include HAI

York’s regional economic growth.”

ROBOTICS’ advanced ACRs in our fast-expanding solutions suite.”

Sustainable transit solutions Wood, the global consulting and engineering company, is leading the advancement of sustainable public transportation for the municipalities of Charlottetown, Stratford and Cornwall in Prince Edward Island, Canada.

The tri-municipal transit service, managed by the three municipalities and operated by transportation company T3 Transit, includes a current fleet of 14 diesel buses that transports people throughout the capital region of Prince Edward Island.

A team of public transportation infrastructure experts will use Wood’s cloud-based transit simulation app, ZeroEmissionSimTM, to develop an energy transition plan to replace the current fleet with electric vehicles and review options for possible future expansion.

The specialists will advise on the selection and design of infrastructure, suitable vehicle specifications, electric facility requirements and charging facilities and equipment to develop a roadmap for full project execution.

“We are delighted to assist the municipalities as they invest in Prince Edward Island’s future with energy efficient public transportation,” said Naeem Farooqi, Global Technical Director of Zero-Emission Mobility for Wood’s environmental consultancy business.

Philip Brown, Mayor of Charlottetown, said: “At the City of Charlottetown, reducing our carbon emissions is a key priority. Wood’s support will allow us to make significant leaps towards a more sustainable transit system, a more accessible city and a cleaner environment.”

Steve Ogden, Mayor of Stratford, added: “The Town of Stratford looks forward to seeing the plan developed by Wood. It will help us to meet targets set out through our own Community Energy Plan, as well as contributing to the overall plan for the Province of PEI to reduce emissions.”

“The Town of Cornwall is excited to partner with T3 Transit and Wood to transform our transit system to be more environmentally friendly and sustainable,” concluded Minerva McCourt, Mayor of Cornwall. “This will help provide our residents with a better-quality place to live by reducing carbon emissions.”

TLIMAGAZINE.COM

17

MHI RJ Aviation Group

Far from grounded

Now that the challenges brought on by a turbulent 2020 are slowly moving behind it, MHI RJ Aviation Group (MHIRJ) is looking to soar into the future with a strong team and a clear vision to be a pioneering support service for its industry

A MHI RJ Aviation Group https://mhirj.com/ Services: Aircraft maintenance and support service

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fter being forced to remain on the ground, aircraft across the world are taking to the skies, connecting communities once again, despite a year of unprecedented uncertainty. The aviation industry has managed to bounce back quite quickly and MHIRJ is pulling its resources together to ensure planes are of the highest standard and safety. “We all thought it would be a much longer recovery period than what it’s turning out to be. Our company inhabits the smaller end of the airline spectrum where the flights are generally shorter and the passenger counts are under 100 seats; that segment has recovered even quicker than the main airlines, which none of us anticipated,” shares Ross Mitchell, who is the Vice President of Corporate Shared Services. He discusses the

new ventures that the recent merger between Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and CRJ has opened up for his business, as well as the challenges that his sector has had to overcome during the past 18 months. “As you can imagine, the impact of the virus on our industry has stretched our supply chains fairly thin when everything shut down completely and then moved into a rapid acceleration as passengers got flying again. I think the focus between now and the end of 2021 is making sure that as airlines put their planes back in the air, we need to be at the top of our game.

“The other challenge for us and the industry is getting the right people to do the job. I think recruiting skilled and talented individuals is tough at the best of times. In aviation, we can’t just take anyone off the street to maintain an airplane, they need to

“Weight is the enemy of flight performance. We’re talking about lifting massive objects into the air to travel long distances and electric batteries are inherently heavy, but we’re getting involved to help some of these companies move forward

have several years of training before they are licensed. So, we need to solve the personnel issues as well in order to continue a strong recovery moving forward,” he says.

While MHIRJ may be a young company, the two businesses that were brought together are old timers in their own rights.

The first CRJ made its first flight in 1991 and received its Canadian certification in 1992.

The program revolutionized regional aviation with the launch of the 50-seat Canadair regional jet and was later expanded with the launch of the 70-seater in 1997, the 86-seater in 2000 and the 100-seater in 2007. The CRJ Series has been the world’s most successful regional aircraft family for the last three decades and is said to be the backbone of the world’s air fleets.

Mitsubishi, on the other hand, can be traced

back to the late 19th century when Yatarõ Iwasaki took a lease out on a shipyard based in Nagasaki to start his shipbuilding business. By 1934, the business had established itself as the largest firm in Japan manufacturing ships, heavy machinery, airplanes and railroad cars.

However, last year proved to be an exceptional challenge for the aviation industry, and despite the consequences, the company managed to sail smoothly through the merger transition. “We closed the contract on June 1, 2020, which was around the time that the pandemic was at its peak and impacting aviation very seriously. Yet through all of this, we’ve had to move our employees from their former offices to the new ones in Toronto and Montreal, build a new culture and get everyone settled in the business, which I feel is a really significant milestone,” Ross shares.

The merger brought together the capabilities to provide MHIRJ clients with three core services, with the most crucial consisting of support given to the existing CRJ fleet. Now, with roughly 1300 planes, the company runs two repair and overhaul facilities, which, when combined, sets it up to be the largest regional maintenance, repair and operations provider in the world. “We maintain the aircraft predominantly for American customers and most of the regional fleet that moves people around in the US is maintained through our service centers. We also reinforce this with our engineering support. The majority of our engineers are found in our headquarters in Montreal. In that regard, we provide a 24/7 response center to deal with any issues that may happen in the field with respect to the aircraft. We also have component replacement TLIMAGAZINE.COM

21

MHI RJ Aviation Group and overhaul available and supply a number of spare parts for customers through our distribution centers,” he adds.

The second service within the business’s portfolio involves its aerospace engineering center, where expert MHIRJ engineers offer aircraft design and certification services to third-party customers. “Whether it’s a startup company looking to bring forward a new battery electric aircraft or someone in another industry that needs engineering support, our engineers are now capable of taking on projects for other companies and supporting them with the qualifications that they have in design, testing and certification of aircraft.

“In the final area, we have our advisory services team, which is made up largely of our commercial and marketing group, who would usually sell aircraft. Now, they are turning outward and providing consulting services.

This service assists those who are beginning to navigate the market landscape and require a second opinion on how best to manage their business – so it’s really those three aspects that make up what MHIRJ is today,” he explains.

With these services at the ready, Ross is proud to share the business’ success in continuing to invest in growing its resources and developing its infrastructure, noting that the aviation, engineering and aerospace advisory services are brand new and doing well. “Those didn’t exist before, but recently we’ve announced the expansion of our Bridgeport facility to take on more lines of maintenance. As we continue to provide the best services for our clients, we are also expanding into the component repair and overhaul sectors, as well as used serviceable material to assist with increasing the company beyond its original footprint. We’re pushing our revenue so that we can look at further expansion opportunities as well as cementing our two businesses to make for a stronger and more united company,” he explains.

As Ross has emphasized, the main reason bolstering these expansions is that the business is swiftly moving into becoming a manufacturing certificate holder for its clients’ aircraft. At the moment, many airlines with in-house maintenance operations and that conduct the servicing themselves pay a higher price to ensure their planes are safe and secure. “With us, on the other hand, we’re able to take these skills and abilities of our workforce, and the experience that we’ve accumulated to make sure that we can drive down the costs for servicing these airlines,” he states.

Now that MHIRJ is moving into its second

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year of servicing the aviation industry, it is honing its focus in on the well-being of the people within the business. “We are quite a far-flung company in that respect, we have offices across North America and so keeping in touch with everyone is vital to us. It’s been a challenge with the fact that for the last 18 months, everyone has been working out of office and we’ve had to make some pretty significant changes. To ensure that everyone was aware and involved in what was happening, we instituted quarterly employee meetings over Zoom to update the team on the status of the business. What we’ve also been trying to do is provide a bit of an education on the larger company we’re now a part of, because most of our employees came from CRJ and didn’t know very much about MHI. We hosted small segments to keep in time with the pulse of their thoughts and concerns and ensure that we gave them as much information as possible. But of course, it’s not all business around here! We also encourage a little bit of entertainment to try to bring in as much fun and interaction as possible,” he expresses.

Ross shares the story of the virtual celebrations the company hosted to honor MHIRJ’s first anniversary. Not only did the event commemorate its success, it also commended the resilience of its team to push through a challenging year of obstacles.

“We had a singer-impressionist perform an online concert for us, which was part of a personalized party for our employees. It’s strange to think that none of us had actually been together in more than a year and weren’t able to get together before the fact or after.

So, when it comes to moments like that, we’ve tried to come up with creative ways of keeping everyone in touch and part of the family,” he says.

According to Ross, now that MHIRJ has finally settled into its new home, it is looking to the future of its industry with a focus on strengthening its services in order to support clients in the best way it can. One of these measures is to encourage the innovation of greener strategies for the aviation sector.

“Many of the companies that are moving towards that zero-emission goal want to introduce new technologies to the market.

In some cases, they are smaller businesses and don’t have much experience in testing and certifying aircraft, so we’ve been engaged in a campaign to go out to all of these companies and offer up our services to bring them through the process. We’ve found that working with the Federal Aviation Administration or the European authorities

can be quite a complex procedure, but our team has certified a number of airplanes over the years so we’ve gathered a methodology that is thorough, succinct and runs smoothly for our clients,” he adds.

Ross believes that supporting other companies in their drive towards a more sustainable future is a significant step for the industry, although it may not be easy. Of all the transport industries, the one that will be most challenging to meet green targets is aviation. “Weight is the enemy of flight performance. We’re talking about lifting massive objects into the air to travel long

distances and electric batteries are inherently heavy, but we’re getting involved to help some of these companies move forward.”

As MHIRJ gears up for an exciting future, it is also keen to welcome new members onboard to join the team. “On the recruiting front, we are actually trying to hire a number of people.

We’re looking for aviation technicians, and I think that will be a permanent fixture of our organization going forward, so send us your applications,” Ross adds excitedly. This, he hopes, will help push the business forward as it strives for continued success for the remainder of this year and beyond.

TLIMAGAZINE.COM

23

Great Plains Transport

Trucking as a

team

Father and son led trucking company, Great Plains Transport, challenges the industry standard with its family-orientated values

Great Plains Transport https://greatplainstransport.com/ about Services: Trucking, refrigerated freight and cargo services

24 TLIMAGAZINE.COM

S

ince being founded in 1977, Great Plains Transport (Great Plains) has demonstrated what it really means to run a family business. The company’s founder, Robert ‘Bob’ Holland— after buying his first truck from his uncle— began building a fleet that could offer refrigerated freight, cargo and designated

transport solutions to companies across the nation. Thirty-four years later, his son would enter the business, and their combined experience would see Great Plains grow into a $75 million company of over 300 employees.

“One of the key drivers of our success is that we have always been about people

Above: Mike Holland, Great Plains Transport company President

here at Great Plains,” says company President, Mike Holland. “I’ve always been a people person, and I think growing up with my dad’s business meant that I was able to develop those skills. When I joined the company at age 33, he slowly started turning operations over to me, until I was the full owner. That support, and lifelong

familiarity with the company, has been invaluable.”

Building on the people-centric company culture established by his father, Mike has expanded the Great Plains’ team, and ensured their loyalty with an industryleading base salary. “I have always been interested in recruitment,” he explains.

“Using social connections and relationships with drivers meant that I was able to find good people. If you have reliable drivers, you can always get the vehicles to go with them.

“We were one of the first companies to offer salaried pay for truck drivers, and to me that goes right back to my father.

He always wanted to take care of people, TLIMAGAZINE.COM

25

Great Plains Transport

“People want to know where their produce is coming from, and they want to know that the actual process is environmentally friendly. Transportation is a big part of that, and as a certified cold carrier, we are in a position to help” Fargo Freightliner Fargo Freightliner strives to provide exceptional customer service by representing a technology driven product that helps customers like Great Plains Transport achieve their goals by lowering costs of ownership in their truck fleet through less down time, improved fuel economy, enhanced safety systems, and a high level of service support. Fargo Freightliner is a proud truck supplier to Great Plains Transport and wishes them continued success!

26 TLIMAGAZINE.COM

and offering a salary is one way we can confidently support our employees, by providing them the security of knowing that, no matter what, they will get paid for their work,” he adds.

Mike has continued his father’s legacy, and his hard work has resulted in 500 percent growth over the last ten years. In 2020, Great Plains Transport was united under a new set of core values. “Our values are accountability, teamwork, increased productivity, and having fun with the work we do. They have really bought everyone together,” Mike summarises.

“We are always looking at how we

can deliver more. I know I pay my people more than average, and we have really good tenure, but beyond that I think that the culture here is always going to be about pushing ourselves, and challenging expectations. We are always winning, even if we are not always achieving everything we want, we are collecting all the data so that we can use it to meet our goals further down the line,” he adds.

Family is the foundation of everything Great Plains Transport does, and the company’s core values are no exception, as Mike reveals: “They are very much inspired by what I have learned from my dad over the years; he’s not interested in hierarchy and has always been part of the team. He still test-drives every vehicle that comes in, and picks up brand new trailers as they come off the line at the plant. His example is the reason teamwork is so important to us.”

Mike and Bob have built a community for their drivers, and the result has been ongoing success for Great Plains. “We actually have drivers waiting to come and work here, and we have a lot of rehires, people who have come back into the company because of all it offers as an employer,” Mike testifies.

“We also have good relationships with our customers,” he adds. “They often give very positive feedback, and this results in repeat

Supported by its dedicated team, and generations of trucking experience, the future of Great Plains Transport certainly looks bright. “We expect to grow by about 50 percent throughout 2022, and we are planning on adding 100 trucks this year,” Mike announces.

He hopes to use this success in order to build a better future by working more closely with the renewable food market: “I think it’s important that we recognize the move toward sustainable agriculture. People want to know where their produce is coming from, and they want to know that the

business, with customers often requesting larger fleets. Our main strength is that we actually do what we say we are going to do, if a customer requests five drivers, then they will get five drivers.”

actual process is environmentally friendly.

Transportation is a big part of that, and as a certified cold carrier, we are in a position to help.”

As it continues to expand, Great Plains

Transport is on a trajectory to double in size and open a new location over the next three years. The company will also continue to promote better job security, and improved working conditions, within the freight and haulage sector.

“We are a very direct, very simple company that is fighting a demon in the industry,” says Mike. “I like to think of Great Plains as a company that pays it forward. I will pay my drivers a salary before they even drive a mile. That definitely isn’t the industry standard right now, but it should be. The transport industry undervalues its employees, and our payment structure here at Great Plains is changing that. Salaried pay and the four core values: that is our magic sauce,” he concludes.

TLIMAGAZINE.COM

27

Tuffnells Parcels Express Ltd (Tuffnells)

A clear path to success A year and a half on from its sale, and now spearheaded by a new leadership team, Tuffnells finds itself travelling along an exciting route towards the future

I Tuffnells Parcels Express Ltd (Tuffnells) www.tuffnells.co.uk Services: Mixed freight distribution

28 TLIMAGAZINE.COM

t was back in April 2020 that Connect Group formally announced that it had agreed a deal to sell its logistics business, Tuffnells, for £15 million. The deal would see Tuffnells’ acquisition by Palm Bidco, and over the next few months, a remarkable turnaround.

For those uninitiated with the business, with over 100 years’ experience, Tuffnells is the market leading specialist in the transportation of items of irregular dimensions and weight (IDW), trusted to collect and deliver on behalf of over 4000 small and medium sized enterprises across the UK. Supported by a network of 33

depots and more than 2000 colleagues nationwide, Tuffnells makes around 45,000 daily drops, and offers a range of timed deliveries for predominantly business customers. Tuffnells also offers European and Global services to the rest of the world, providing a complete range of distribution solutions in the IDW sector.

Catching up with Chris Tresadern, Tuffnells’ Chief Executive Officer, in October 2021, he begins by detailing some of the events that have shaped the months since Tuffnells’ return to independent ownership. “The story of Tuffnells since May 2020 is of a business undergoing a remarkable turnaround

“What has become increasingly clear to us is that sectors of the industry are starting to see a shift towards electric and alternatively fueled vehicles, which will no doubt grow significantly over the next few years. As technology allows, we are committed to assessing and adapting our fleet to reduce our carbon footprint

following a significant loss-making period under prior ownership – a feat we believe to be unprecedented within our industry.

As a result, this is a business that is now very much on a clear path towards an exciting future.”

Of course, this period has coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic. “There is no doubt that the pandemic has changed the industry as a whole in a number of unexpected ways, some of which have been temporary, with others potentially more permanent, as society and the wider economy has had to adapt,” Chris states. “Our society’s reliance on the Transport & Logistics industry throughout

the pandemic required businesses such as ours to continue operating, both safely and sustainably. The safety of our teams, therefore, has been of the highest importance.

“Tuffnells is a predominantly B2B carrier, so one of the most significant changes for us was the increase in demand for home deliveries. As the economy has reopened, B2C demand has reduced, though it is still much higher than before the pandemic. This has required us to make longer term changes to ensure our operation is flexible and able to adapt to the existing and future needs of our customers.”

Early on in the pandemic, the company also played an important part in supporting the roll out of the UK’s network of emergency Nightingale Hospitals, set up to cope with a surge of Covid-19 cases. “We were tasked with the delivery of essential components required to manufacture ventilators, and other infrastructure critical to the operation of these hospitals,” Chris says. “There is truly no greater obligation and privilege than to ensure those in need receive life-saving help, and we were extremely proud that a number of our team members went on to be rightly recognised by the industry for their response.”

The men and women who make up Tuffnells’ workforce are clearly fundamental to its success, and as such a core part of the company’s strategy revolves around ensuring that it remains a great place to work for everyone. “One of the areas that we have focused on in recent times is providing clear ways for our team members to progress within the business,” Chris highlights. “To that end, our ‘Green Shoots’ culture and engagement initiative helps us to provide comprehensive training and development programs, while our new Training Academy creates a career progression path for our drivers to embark upon.”

As a responsible business, Tuffnells is also committed to operating in a way that meets the current needs of its customers, TLIMAGAZINE.COM

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Tuffnells Parcels Express Ltd (Tuffnells) Left-right: Gary Milne (Operations Director), Sue Bancroft (HR Director), Shellea Crosby (Commercial Director), Chris Tresadern (CEO), Ian Brewer (Finance Director)

without sacrificing the ability of future generations to meet the needs of their time. This pledge to conduct its operations in an environmental and sustainable manner is a fundamental part of its ongoing strategy.

An example of this being put into action is demonstrated by the upgrade of Tuffnells’ fleet with more environmentally friendly vehicles in order to help reduce its carbon footprint. “We are now well over a year into a significant fleet upgrade programme, which is providing our operation with newer efficiency standards and the latest technology to enable better route optimisation, helping us to reduce mileage throughout our network,” Chris explains. “We are also adapting many of the routes currently served by larger HGVs to instead be operated by more environmentally-friendly 7.5-ton Euro 6 trucks.

“What has become increasingly clear to us is that sectors of the industry are starting to see a shift towards electric and alternatively fueled vehicles, which will no doubt grow significantly over the next few years. As technology allows, we are committed to assessing and adapting our fleet to reduce our carbon footprint.”

What will also undoubtedly play a key role in ensuring the company meets its long-term targets is the fact that

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Tuffnells is by no means a stranger to introducing innovative industry firsts to market. In February 2021, for instance, it was announced that the company had partnered with Don-Bur to develop a new, innovative, easy-access ‘Mini-Wedge’ trailer for urban use. “This new concept achieves increased efficiency in areas usually served by our larger 18-tonne vehicles by providing higher degrees of maneuverability and maximising the utilisation of tractor units for daytime distribution,” Chris enthuses.

Despite its small stature – it measures nine meters in length – the ‘Mini-Wedge’ trailer design is able to carry an impressive 13,000-kilogram payload, which is far more than is afforded by a typical midweight rigid vehicle. It also comes fitted with a host of safety features, such as additional lighting and specialised load restraint to cater for irregular dimension and weight freight and diminishing loads, and has recently won an industry Clean

electric vehicle, which I feel is another clear signal of our direction as a company,” Chris continues. “This, combined with a continuous focus on route optimisation, ongoing work with our partners on sustainable practices, plus the next phase of our roll out plan for more fuel-efficient vehicles, provides the basis of our current strategy, which we will continue to build on as technology enables more innovative opportunities.”

Turning our attention to what the coming years hold for Tuffnells, Chris provides us with the concluding insights.

“We have a fresh new leadership team in place here today who are responsible for building on the achievements of our turnaround year,” he says. “Personally, I can’t think of a better team to take us forward into our next phase, which is to consolidate our position as the number one IDW carrier in the UK. “Together, we will deliver a strong and healthy future for Tuffnells, offering

Air award.

“In addition to the ‘Mini-Wedge’, we are also now trialling a new eSprinter

the best service for our customers and ensuring that this remains a great place to work.”

Menzies Distribution Menzies Distribution is proud to work in partnership with Tuffnells Parcels Express Ltd. As one of the UK’s major logistics providers, Menzies enables companies to optimise value from their supply chain activities. Our partnership with Tuffnells spans 20 years, delivering parcels to Argyll, Inverness and harder to reach areas across the Highlands & Islands.

We distribute over 29.5m units across the UK and Ireland weekly, to over 30,000 locations daily, including, parcel delivery services, newspapers and magazines, retail stock and POS, and healthcare consumables. As a futurefocused business, we are committed to delivering sustainable routes to market for our customers.

TLIMAGAZINE.COM

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Manuport Logistics

Across the land and sea

With nearly a century of experience in the freight forwarding industry, Manuport has proven itself to be a leader in its sector, and, with offices spread across the globe, the company knows how to go the distance to reach its customers

A Manuport Logistics www.manuport-logistics.com Services: Freight forwarder

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lthough Manuport Logistics (MPL) has its headquarters based in Antwerp, Belgium, it also boasts 19 offices worldwide that cover an expansive catalogue of logistics services.

“At MPL, we are a non-asset driven company; the only assets we need are our people and our system,” begins Guy Pasmans, the company’s CEO. “In my opinion, and I feel that this applies to any person in a senior position, we are just as powerful as the people surrounding us, so at MPL, our people are everything.”

The global forwarder’s primary services include transport solutions for ocean and air freight, barging solutions, road and rail transport, and customs liquid services. “This means that we also do the pre-carriage, which includes the transportation before the product is taken to the carriage by barge, truck, or train.

Amongst these offerings, we have solutions for global companies that allow us to control the logistic supply chain for our clients; wherever the factory is based, we arrange the entire transport journey that will take the products

Below: Part of the team at Manuport

straight from the factory to the customer.

That’s basically what we do,” says Guy. As far as the history of the business is concerned, MPL’s timeline is quite extensive, and exhibits a business that is willing to adapt to the changing climate of the transportation industry. It was in 1926 when its ancestor, Northern Shipping, was established. The company spent the next 70-or-so years strengthening its offerings so that by 1994, when the business became NORFRAM Logistics, it began to increase its holding across the world. In 1998, a separate entity, Hamann International, was formed and seven years later, it went on to open its first office in Dubai.

In 2007, the merger of Hamann and Norfram birthed Manuport Logistics. From then on, the company pushed its limits to grow and acquire further businesses that would allow it to expand across the world to countries like the US, Chile, South Africa, Russia, Brazil, Spain, Turkey, Singapore, Germany and France. In each location, the company hosts a unique selection of transport services to fit the economy in which it is found.

In France, for example, MPL’s activities include international ocean freight in both an import and export capacity, customs clearance and intermodal logistics solutions. While in America, the company specializes in domestic transportation and owns an in-house customs and clearance license. “We’ve been very

strategic in being able to expand our company, and we’ve focused on certain areas where we needed to excel. I’ll give you another example: five years ago, regarding our liquid services, we bought a company that was considered a big player in the industry. In purchasing this business, we became the major player in the flexitank transportation sector, and likewise, we did something similar with an ISO tank operation. Our approach is always to infiltrate

as many areas as possible, and to be the all-in-one name our clients can depend on,” he explains, and the items that the company is capable of transporting are equally as expansive.

Since its inception, the business has continually pushed to increase its fleet to accommodate a wide selection of clients.

Accordingly, MPL boasts a clientele base in fertilizers, perishables, minerals and oils, TLIMAGAZINE.COM

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Manuport Logistics

automotive, household and decorations, and sugar to name a few. “If we take sugar for example, we are at the heart of European sugar export. Between 2017 and 2018, over one million tons were handled by our dedicated sugar team, and exported from different inland production plants and distribution hubs. We act as an independent party towards producers, trading partners and logistics service providers. Our sister company, Euroports, manages two of the most sophisticated sugar terminals in Le Havre and Antwerp. With our knowledge, experience and network, the blueprint of the MPL sugar operations has been copied to the international market to cover countries like Ukraine, Morocco and Brazil for example,” he comments.

According to Guy, this strategy is critical to the business’s operations in ensuring that it maintains its success, particularly in times of crisis or when it is faced with a turbulent market. Covid-19 was one such situation in which the company was able to continue to thrive despite many industries struggling to stay afloat. “When we noticed that the air

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freight was going down, there were other commodities that remained successful. By being active in a wide portfolio of products and commodities, we maintain our stronghold across the world. Above this, I feel that our origins are found in quite niche markets, which, looking back now, gave us the advantage to expand into broader markets, and offer a wider

"In 2021, we finalized another acquisition in Spain, and last year was spent establishing our footprint in Valencia, Madrid and Barcelona. On that side of the business, we offer a personalized consultancy service, international trade specialists, cross-trade shipment management, and tailor-made solutions.”

variety of services to cater to these markets,” he says.

As Guy has shared with us, MPL has a successful record of strategic acquisitions, and one of its most recent examples has been the purchase of Mira Transport Services, integrating yet another business under its belt.

“This is a Turkish company and an excellent forwarder. We had five targets in Turkey, but the managerial team that we worked with demonstrated unparalleled confidence and agility in their capabilities, and that’s the reason we chose Mira. It has been about a month since it joined our team, and consists of about 130 people, which brings our total to about 600. We are very happy with the outcome of the acquisition, and bringing onboard the Mira team has been a fantastic addition,” shares Guy. In discussing the reasons behind how the business was able to grow to the volume that it is today, Guy expresses that the company culture is one of the secrets behind its success.

“For about 20 years, when MPL was still growing, there were about 35 people, but

Below: left: Ken Joris, Manuport Global Commercial Director Forwarding and right: Guy Pasmans, Manuport CEO

that was a special culture, because obviously everyone knew each other and we were like a family. During my studies at business school, I was always inspired by the cultural differences of our employees, and I wanted to find out how this could be a unique aspect to working with us that made us stand out. Since then, it has only strengthened. Our international roots bring together a melting pot of people to learn from and grow with, and that is something that I feel we do incredibly well, and have been encouraging for many years.

“I think that many people are here because they enjoy the culture. I know everybody’s name, and even to this day, I’d still consider us a big family. Ever since our first acquisition, every company that we have purchased, after a few months of being around our culture, we see that the people that we welcome on board become even better because of the culture that is embedded into our working atmosphere,” he says. Guy continues to add that this will remain an aspect in which the management team continues to pay close attention. “I think that it is another factor

that differs us from our competitors. Other businesses, particularly those that operate on a global scale, may see their customers and employees as numbers on a computer, but we believe in adding that personal touch. I feel that we have become incredibly successful in this area because we were determined to perfect it right from the start,” he adds. This, he feels, is also what will keep the company on its strong trajectory for the years to come.

On the note of its future, Guy shares that MPL has no intention of slowing down; with its eyes set on spreading its roots across Europe, the bigger the acquisitions, the better. “This year has been great for us. In 2021, we finalized another acquisition in Spain, and last year was spent establishing our footprint in Valencia, Madrid and Barcelona. On that side of the business, we offer a personalized consultancy service, international trade specialists, crosstrade shipment management, and tailor-made solutions. Now, there is potentially a new development happening in Greece, and we are looking to increase our offices in Rotterdam.

On top of that, we are also looking at further

expansions in Slovenia and Italy. So, as you can see, our agenda is already quite full for the upcoming years.

“But for the remainder of this year, it’s business as usual. We hope to offer a global solution to increasing our customer reach, which we will then look to develop in all of the countries we are currently present in.

There is also the possibility of consolidating more offices. However, considering how well our global players are coping with the orders, that may not be necessary. Overall, our main goal is to continue to grow and enhance the acquisitions that we have made so far. In doing so, we will also ensure that our employees are well taken care of, because, as I mentioned, none of this is possible without their dedication and hard work to keep our wheels turning,” he concludes. It comes as no surprise that Manuport Logistics’ well-oiled machine is determined to continue to drive its success forward. In doing so, Guy is certain that it will strive for the best practices that guarantee its customers receive the world-class service, both locally and internationally.

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Montway Auto Transport

Touch of a button

Based in Schaumburg, Illinois, Montway Auto Transport is challenging itself to be a leader in the auto transport industry by providing access to quicker deliveries and convenient services for customers

Montway Auto Transport www.montway.com Services: Auto transport delivery provider

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F

ounded in 2007, Montway Auto Transport (Montway) began as a basic brokerage, shipping to the east and west coasts for local dealerships and auctions. The company’s success story kicked into gear when it secured a contract with Luxury Motors in Chicago, the business’s first client as an independent transport management group. Montway then pivoted its direction

and established an advanced website that incorporated user-friendly features, and auto transport services nationwide.

Following this, the business was faced with the challenges of the 2008 recession that swept across the United States. While many transport companies suffered the storm alongside other industries, Montway found its feet by assisting people in relocating within the United States. This

Below: Dimitre Kirilov, President and CEO

“Because we work with an array of different consumers across the B2B sector, we have an advantage over the competition. If one sector is down, the others cover for the loss, and so when companies were closing in April 2020, Montway continued to grow compared to the previous year

allowed the business to surpass many established competitors by providing adequate pricing, and superior service to those who needed it most.

Then, in 2013, another significant milestone was added to the company’s journey. While working with the moving and relocation industry, Montway recognized the need for technological solutions for businesses that regularly shipped vehicles.

Montway created the concept for a transport management enterprise software called Miles Ahead, which provided direct access for companies and their sales people to tools required to receive quotes and book vehicle transport.

Now, having zoomed through the past 19 months successfully, Montway is set to take on the next five years with greater ambition, and fresher innovation to make

ordering auto transportation services simpler and more efficient. Working with small independent dealerships to large groups with multiple locations, as well as auto manufacturers like Nissan and General Motors, the company has been improving its technology to become one of the largest auto transport businesses in the world. “The company was established to resolve an issue. We have always wanted to TLIMAGAZINE.COM

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Montway Auto Transport be on the edge of innovation, and provide a better service to the consumers that surpasses our competition. As society moves closer towards the online realm, we want to offer a service that makes ordering transport delivery easier than ever,” shares President and CEO Dimitre Kirilov, who is determined to see Montway become an industry pioneer, and discusses with us recent developments within the company to achieve its goal. “There are only a few companies doing what we do, which means that we have to navigate the industry waters with agility to accommodate different types of consumers and their needs,” he says.

Fortunately, as a tech-oriented business, Montway has implemented measures for a robust system that exceeds customer expectations. Its determination to deliver a five-star customer experience led it to transporting close to 100,000 vehicles in 2019, scaling up to 140,000 during 2020, and for 2021, the business is forecasting a staggering 200,000 deliveries. Fueled by innovation, Montway is classified as the first business to market an online rate calculator to provide its clients with instant shipping quotes, as well as the first to market an auto transportation portal to support enterprise partners. “We have always developed our own software, and with assistance from our technology partner, Ship.Cars, we have been able to venture into additional automotive logistics verticals,” Dimitre explains. One such project in which Ship.Cars has played a role in this collaboration is LoadMate, which Dimitre shares is an all-in-one auto transport management platform that helps both small and large shippers manage their transportation needs, and maintain control of their auto movements. The new addition to the business’s catalogue offers in-app chatrooms with carriers and drivers, as well as the ability to view and track loads in real time, while receiving live notification updates. “This has the potential to help businesses tremendously, and so far, we are gaining great traction on it,” he adds.

Dimitre elaborates that a faster shipment timeframe and cost-effectiveness are only a few of the benefits of the TMS feature.

“We have companies with both small and large inventories to transport, and LoadMate eradicates the issue of getting in contact with multiple people, waiting for numerous quotes, and determining who will do it faster,” he shares.

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Montway also offers a home delivery solution that centralizes auto logistics.

“Through our state-of-the-art machine learning algorithm, we have developed an industry leading smart rate engine. We noticed that one of the problems shippers’ face includes securing auto transport when purchasing vehicles outside of their traditional buying areas. This was a big issue during the pandemic when not much inventory was available. As consumer demand has continued to increase, we have found that customers have expanded their searches nationwide to find inventory.

So, to accommodate these increasingly longer-haul and less commonly used transport routes, we provide a solution for viewing estimated pricing across any route, ensuring cost-effective and reliable transport.

“Finally, an extra feature that keeps this process running smoothly is our electronic proof of delivery. Alongside our services being online, we also provide clients with the final bill of lading, and when the vehicle is picked up or delivered, they are notified immediately,” Dimitre adds. This level of development is what led the company to becoming the recipient of the Bronze Stevie Award in 2021 for ‘Innovation of the Year’, in the Business Service Industries category for home delivery solutions.

Tying in with its perseverance for technological success, over the past 19 months, Dimitre notes that his team has been fantastic in keeping Montway’s mission alive. “Because we work with an array of different consumers across the B2B sector, we have an advantage over the competition. If one sector is down, the others cover for the loss, and so when companies were closing in April 2020, Montway continued to grow compared to the previous year. But to facilitate this, we needed a dedicated and hardworking team, and thankfully those are exactly the sort of people we have working with us. During the pandemic, we did everything possible not to let anybody go, and we succeeded in that. With the help of additional restrictions, we managed to keep everyone safe, and have the business up and running at higher speeds that we have not experienced since 2013; an achievement that would not have been possible without our incredible staff,” Dimitre expresses.

Now, as it surges forward into the remainder of 2021 and beyond, Montway will continue to increase its market share

across the board. “It’s clear that the future for our sector is in technology, so we will invest in those advancements internally to focus on becoming more customerforward. Simultaneously, we will be working closely with Ship.Cars to grow their business efficiently. It is my opinion that after Covid-19, there has been a dramatic increase in the demand for shipping parts and vehicles; more people are shopping online for their next vehicle, and if they are not available locally,

they are willing to have them shipped. This, I feel, makes us all the more essential. We also serve the dealership market. Our home delivery solution and managed service portal allow dealerships to offer estimated price and delivery times to consumers looking to purchase vehicles from online inventory. This also allows dealers to reach a wider audience,” Dimitre concludes. We look forward to catching up with Montway in the future to see how it is continuing to keep the transportation industry moving.

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Port Authority of Gothenburg

Greener

waters

Since 1620, the Port Authority of Gothenburg has worked industriously to develop pioneering maritime services and infrastructure that provide the best preconditions for efficient and sustainable trade through its cargo hub

Port Authority of Gothenburg www.portofgothenburg.com Services: Port operator

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D

espite its size, Sweden is one of the world’s leading nations, and has been for the last 400 years.

Its success is owed to longstanding relationships with the international community, and a prime location that allows it to host a catalogue of trading routes. As its global connections have strengthened, so too has the infrastructure to support these operations, which is how the Port Authority of Gothenburg came to be what it is today.

Tasked primarily to maintain land areas, quays

and other infrastructure, the port is also innovating the transport industry by building new facilities to keep up the pace with ongoing developments happening around the world. Amongst other responsibilities, the trading hotspot ensures that the movement of vessels are as safe, efficient and environmentally sound as possible in order to encourage more import and export companies to make use of its worldwide range of services.

“Over the last 90 years, a great deal of

“We have already designed and established distribution of hydrogen through the first public gas station in the Nordics, and by early 2023, people will be able to fuel their trucks either with hydrogen, or direct electricity or biogas, and all these products will be accessible for the public to utilize

investment has been pumped in to developing infrastructure that links the nation’s roads and rails to the port. This is how we can support more than 72 percent of everything that comes and goes via the port,” says Elvir Dzanic, the Port’s CEO. Located on the Scandinavian peninsula, the Port of Gothenburg is one of the largest in Europe, and offers 130 direct services to destinations in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and North America. The area also includes three capital cities – Oslo, Copenhagen and Stockholm, allowing almost

30 percent of Swedish foreign trade to pass through the port. Apart from its direct services, Gothenburg port also has frequent departures to major trans-shipment hubs on the European continent as well as daily intra-European sea traffic. “Our key driver to succeeding in what we do has not been reacting to the industry needs, rather we focus on predicting the trajectory of those needs to determined where the logistics industry is heading, and then respond accordingly. We aim to get there early and

capture the proper market, which is how we have been able to support several terminals – a unique capability for a port at both a European and a global level,” he says.

With this approach to its operations, Elvir is excited to share that the port is investing in hydrogen filling for HGV’s through a joint venture between itself, Volvo group, Scania and Stena line. He notes that the port’s ethos is to be as green and sustainable as possible, and in doing so, numerous strategies are taking place to transform the industry, as it TLIMAGAZINE.COM

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Port Authority of Gothenburg rapidly becomes the Nordic region’s first to commit to being fossil fuel free.

As a port that is able to support cruise ships, ro-ro ferries, finished car vehicles, and containerized transport, Elvir discusses how his operations are being rapidly enhanced to support the global sustainability movement.

“We are moving away from simply talking about sustainability, and heading towards taking action. Reports are becoming more and more mandatory to show how businesses are reducing their carbon footprint, and the port is absolutely one of them. In terms of our vision, we want to reduce emissions by 70 percent, and to achieve this, we have begun implementing our TransZero project.

“We realized that we own the right to grant access to the port, just as anyone has the right to decide who is and is not welcome into their homes. Likewise, we are building up the infrastructure to support transport that runs on renewable fuels, whether that involves biogas, LNG, LPG, methanol, ammonia or hydrogen. We will ensure that those importing can refuel their ships or trucks, or whatever mode they use, at our facilities.

“We are committed, over the next 72 months, to establishing the infrastructure required for the production and distribution for alternative fuels, and we are working closely together with partners in the industry such as Scania, Volvo, Stena Line, Maersk, and DFDS, to make sure they have their future assets necessary to run on alternative fuels,” Elvir explains. He continues to note how encouraging it is that other users are equally as enthusiastic to jump on board. “They want to make sure they have these assets to run on these fuels, which means that by around 2025, we will be able to prohibit access to the port if they are not green,” he says.

So far, the port has successfully reduced its CO2 by 92 percent. “We have done so by transforming all of our machinery to electric, hydrogen or biogas, and we have electrified our fences and roads. However, in comparison to the work that remains, these changes only contribute to 26,000 tonnes of the overall carbon footprint reduction, and we need to take care of the sector that travels to and from the port, which makes up another 250,000 tonnes of carbon.

“We have already designed and established distribution of hydrogen through the first public gas station in the Nordics, and by early 2023, people will be able to fuel their trucks either with hydrogen, or direct electricity or biogas, and all these products will be accessible for the public to utilize,” he expresses.

Looking further ahead, although Elvir’s

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Above: Elvir Dzanic, the Port of Gothenburg’s CEO five-year vision for the port includes the 70 percent less emissions strategy, there is another project that he is adamant to pursue, which, he says, ties in smoothly with his sustainability plan. Known as Project CinfraCap, Gothenburg and Sweden could be the first in the world to create a joint infrastructure for the transport of liquefied carbon dioxide extracted using CCS technology. The project is a unique

collaboration between Göteborg Energi, Nordion Energi, Preem, St1, and Renova. “It is a lucrative project for many reasons. As a society, we really want to achieve greater environmental standards for the future, and this project is based on the fact that we want to capture the CO2 in the atmosphere, liquefy it, transfer it to the Port of Gothenburg through infrastructure that we have built, and then load it on ships to be taken to Nordic Life

Above: Project CinfraCap 1. Carbon dioxide capture facilities.

2. Liquid carbon dioxide is transported through pipelines from capture plants nearby and by truck or railway from plants further away.

3. CinfraCap reception site with temporary storage at the Port of Gothenburg.

4. Liquid carbon dioxide is loaded onto a ship using loading arms.

5. Receiving terminal from where liquid carbon dioxide is unloaded and pumped into rock formations 3,000 metres below the seabed.

6. Porous rock, with impermeable rock above, where liquid carbon dioxide is returned.

in Norway. Then finally it will be placed about 24 kilometres beneath the sea where it can be stored safely. We believe that this has the potential to store away ten million tonnes of carbon safely underneath the earth instead of out in the atmosphere,” he explains. By partnering with CinfraCap companies, Elvir is sure that logistics businesses across the world will be able to reach sustainability targets quicker once the technology for this project is fully operational.

Finally, Elvir reflects on the broader scope of the transport industry, stating that companies need to learn that being nimble and agile is crucial to making the transportation industry a greener one. “I do truly believe that becoming digital is part of the answer to this, because digitalisation helps to create transparency, which we need for the customers who use these ports. So, if there was one wish I could have come true, it would be for the ports to figure out what digitalisation means for their efficiency, and how we can work together with the technology to help make this sector a leading one,” he says. After more than a year of restricted travel, it is refreshing to see Elvir and his team surge on with determination to keep transportation an innovative and renewable industry; one that contributes to

the solution of global warming, rather than the problem. “In light of our progress so far, I am proud of the team that keeps the Port of Gothenburg open. Around 3000 people work this port daily to ensure the world gets what

it needs, everyone continues to work to the shared goal of an effective service delivery, and we wouldn’t be here without them, so I look forward to seeing a continued success with their assistance,” Elvir concludes.

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