Bulk Distributor May/June 2021 | Page 13

Flexitanks
May / June 2021

Flexitanks

BULKDISTRIBUTOR

TransContainer teams up

13 for more flexi shipments

In Russia , PJSC TransContainer continues to develop flexitank transport . Most recently , the multimodal transport company signed a co-operation agreement with packaging materials firm Europack and agribusiness Blago Group . Under the agreement , the parties will develop export transport of Blago ’ s products using TransContainer boxes and platforms . The Memorandum was signed at the TransRussia 2021 exhibition by the president of TransContainer Alexander Isurin , first deputy general director of Blago Dmitry Fosman and Europack chairman Valery Rudyuk . “ We are already co-operating with Europack on the export of oils in flexitanks from the Volga region , Siberia and the Far East to mills in Asia- Pacific ,” said Isurin . “ The new agreement will make it possible to use the accumulated experience from transporting Blago products .” Blago ’ s Fosman noted that the support of TransContainer and Europack will allow Blago to increase the volume of shipments primarily to China , a strategic region for the shipper , but one which poses many challenges for rail logistics . “ Over the past two years , we have successfully increased the volume of deliveries of products to China , from 14,000 tons in 2019 to 71,000 tonnes in 2020 ,” he said . “ An important event in this direction will be the dispatch of a container train with our products to Chongqing in the near future . The new overland route will

Under the agreement , TransContainer will ship Blago ’ s products to wider export markets
reduce cargo delivery time . Travel time will be only 18-20 days , and it will also allow us to do without the sea leg . With the beginning of this new stage of our co-operation , we will be able to develop logistics to this region even more actively , as well as plan an increase in the volume of supplies to other Asian countries , and in the future to Europe .” For Europack , Rudyuk sees the strategic cooperation and planning allowing the company to provide Blago with optimal rates for freight forwarding and provide empty container equipment for any volume of vegetable oils in Europack flexitanks for export . “ This applies to both the production sites of the company located in Siberia and in other regions of Russia ,” he commented . “ In the context of instability and problems in the logistics market caused by the pandemic , the incident in the Suez Canal , strengthening the partnership between the three companies is especially significant and will allow the Russian manufacturer to increase the efficiency of its activities through the joint logistics service .”

PBLA 2nd virtual event a success

The Premier Buk Liquids Alliance ( PBLA ) held its second Virtual Network

conference over a three-day period from 18-
20 May .
PBLA says the response from the global
membership was “ extremely satisfying ” given
the time restraints of logistics operators these
days , not to mention ‘ Zoom fatigue ’
experienced by so many .
“ We are proud to have hosted 50 participants
who are PBLA members and sponsors
representing 40 countries ,” PBLA said .
This time , in response to popular demand , the
meeting schedule was open 24 hours a day for
the full three days allowing existing and new
members plus sponsors and guest applicants
from the 17 different time zones involved , to
connect and continue strengthening their global
presence within the largest bulk liquids alliance
in the world .
PBLA members and sponsors engaged in 600
PBLA second virtual conference hosted 50 member participants and sponsors representing 40 countries
individual pre-booked meetings with each other . Apart from these meetings , attendees had the privilege of participating two hours a day ( each day at a different time to accommodate for different times zones ) in a more informal gathering in the PBLA social lounge where they could meet among themselves and visit and talk to sponsors and partners such as : Bulk Distributor ( PBLA media partner ); FlexitankFinder . com which operates the first B2B global digital platform exclusively serving the bulk container packaging industry , with their suppliers ; OEC Liquid Logistics Solutions , the main event sponsor and founder member in the USA ; and global waste management company Veolia with whom PBLA was able to discuss and lay the foundations for a road map on recovery and recycling of flexitanks and accessories around the world . “ This is now seen as paramount to ensure our sustainability goals are achieved in order to lead
the way in setting circular economy standards in our specific industry ,” said PBLA . Alliance president Jason Wright said : “ Once again , we succeeded in bringing our existing and new members closer together within the PBLA family of bulk liquid specialists that now cover over 50 countries , making us the largest liquid logistics network in the world . The collaborative and dedicated culture of these bulk liquid professionals has been continuously nurtured to ensure momentum is maintained throughout the pandemic and we are thrilled with the commitment shown by members . All our participants congratulated us on the userfriendly meeting platform used and I couldn ’ t ask for much more in these testing times . “ The PBLA has come a long way since it started nearly three years ago with the aim of uniting hidden champions in the bulk liquid logistics industry empowering them to become global players in the international market in a
fast-growing sector like the flexitank and ISO tank industry . The union of these in-house experts around the world is what gives this unique alliance its strength and service offering .” The PBLA is now planning its next physical network meeting for the first quarter of 2022 . Meanwhile , PBLA plans to host member and partner workshops to push forward on its sustainability and recycling processes to lead the way in this domain . It has also just opened an associate membership offering for bulk liquid commodity traders , brokers , and distributors so that these players can obtain competitive services and offers for shipping their bulk liquid products with its members . The PBLA now covers 52 countries and is on track to be in 60 countries by the end of 2021 .
www . pblalliance . com # pblalliance
Back in February TransContainer organized a ‘ flexi-train ’ to export oils from Tatarstan . Working with Russia ’ s major rail carrier RZD , the train carried mineral and rapeseed oils in flexitanks from the Republic of Tatarstan to Novorossiysk port for onward shipment to Turkey , Israel and China . This was the first regular flexi-train of the company loaded with cargo from several regions . The train , consisting of 58 units of 20 ft containers from Tatarstan , Mordovia and Udmurtia , was dispatched from Nizhnekamsk station on 16 February . In three days the train arrived at Novorossiysk port on the Black Sea , after which the cargo was carried by sea . The plan is to dispatch one to two trains a month . “ Foreign partners are showing growing interest in Russian products which is inspiring the search for the best logistics solutions ,” commented Aleksey Bulytov , director of TransContainer . “ Multilayered leak-proof flexitank of 20 tons is the most in-demand packaging ensuring profitability and serviceability as a result of doing away with unnecessary handling operations and it also eliminates external effects on the cargo during transport .” In April 2020 the company together with Ruscon launched a service carrying mineral oils in flexitanks from Volgograd to Turkish ports , via Novorossiysk .
www . trcont . com

Hillebrand takes stake in VignoblExport

Hillebrand has bought a majority shareholding in VignoblExport , a service provider in small quantity logistics of alcoholic beverages . The France-based company provides a worldclass service , supported by proprietary digital solutions , to both businesses and consumers worldwide , said Hillebrand . The specialist beverage forwarder holds an option to acquire the remaining shares in the company . “ VignoblExport enables Hillebrand to strengthen its small quantity logistics business , as well as accelerate our e-commerce activities ,” said Cees van Gent , CEO and chairman of the executive board of Hillebrand . “ VignoblExport ’ s presence in main wine exporting countries , coupled with its unique service offering and advanced digital solutions to facilitate the shipment of small quantity orders for wines and other alcoholic beverages , makes it a perfect fit with the Hillebrand network and scope of services ,” van Gent added . Hillebrand already offers small quantity logistics services to the alcoholic beverages industry . However , VignoblExport ’ s strong market reputation , large customer base and service capabilities will strengthen Hillebrand ’ s current offering and allow it to service endconsumers directly . With Hillebrand as new majority owner , VignoblExport is able to expand its operations to other countries by leveraging the extensive global Hillebrand network . Both companies will employ their expertise and resources to expand the business on a global scale .

https :// hillebrand . com