Bulk Distributor Nov/Dec 17 | Page 18

18 BULKDISTRIBUTOR Logistics November / December 2017

18 BULKDISTRIBUTOR Logistics November / December 2017

Tarmac opens new rail depot

new Tarmac rail depot contained within

A Freightliner ’ s existing Garston complex , which will take around 10,000 trucks off the roads every year , has been officially opened by the Mayor for Liverpool City Region , Steve Rotheram , and local MP for Garston and Halewood , Maria Eagle . The operation , created by Tarmac in partnership with rail freight operating company Freightliner and terminal handling business Rail Freight Services , will supply aggregates to Tarmac customers across Merseyside and Cheshire . Richard Kirwin , area director for Tarmac , said : “ We ’ re delighted to mark the official opening of our new depot which is part of our national strategy to increase the movement of material by rail . The operation at Garston enables continuity of high quality material supply to customers in the North West at the same time as supporting an important drive towards more efficient , sustainable transport and a lower carbon built environment .” Steve Rotheram , mayor of the Liverpool City Region , said : “ Tarmac has a strong presence in the Liverpool City Region , and this depot will help serve the ambitious development plans that I have for the Liverpool City Region . I am heartened to hear that Tarmac is putting environmental concerns at the centre of its thinking . Moving materials by rail over long distances has got to be better than thousands of HGV movements on our already crowded roads .” Maria Eagle added : “ Garston is a perfect location for such an important rail freight depot to serve the Liverpool City Region and beyond . We have years of underinvestment in our national

L-r : Maria Eagle , MP for Garston and Halewood ; Steve Rotheram , mayor of the Liverpool City Region
infrastructure to catch up on , and I am really pleased to see Garston playing such an important strategic role in this . I particularly welcome the new jobs that the rail depot will create , and I look forward to working with Tarmac in the future .” Freightliner UK managing director Adam Cunliffe said Garston is one of Freightliner ’ s most established terminals and has seen a steady increase in rail-hauled container traffic over the last five years . “ The introduction of this new aggregates workflow will bring added environmental as well as economic benefits to Liverpool and the surrounding North West region .” The Tarmac Garston depot , approximately five miles from Liverpool City Centre , will supply materials for use in a wide range of infrastructure projects across the region including the newly constructed Mersey Gateway project .

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Imperial Logistics International is selling Laabs GmbH , Spedition to Boettger Group , in Berlin . Laabs , which will remain a separate brand , will be assigned to Fernlast Spedition GmbH & Co KG , which is part of the Boettger Group . The acquisition strengthens Braunschweig-based Fernlast ’ s position in the market for food transport . Founded in 1949 , Fernlast carries white , liquid and granulated raw materials for the food industry . The acquisition of Laabs means Fernlast will almost double the number of tank and silo trailers it operates to 170 units . “ With Laabs , we are able to bundle our strengths to meet the changing market demand for bulk liquid food transport and offer customers the right solutions ,” said Alexander Mock , managing partner of Boettger . “ In the Boettger Group , Laabs has found a new owner whose service portfolio it complements in the best possible way ,” added Carsten Taucke , CEO of Imperial . The parties agreed not to disclose the details of the contract . Laabs , which was founded in 1945 , has specialised in transporting dark liquid goods for the food industry since 1968 and was taken over by Imperial in 2007 .

Carbon-neutral terminal trials Hyster handler

Intermodal transport and logistics specialist

Frankenbach operates the only carbonneutral container terminal on the Rhine , based at the inland Port of Mainz . The latest generation of Hyster empty container handling trucks , which use significantly less fuel than their predecessors , have been introduced to the port . Around 1,500 20-40ft containers are moved daily in Port of Mainz . Containers arrive on the Rhine from Rotterdam or Antwerp and are then loaded directly onto train or truck for onward transport . The new 10,500 TEU capacity container terminal was opened in May 2011 and today the company handles 455,000 TEU annually . Since the late 1970s , Frankenbach has used empty container handlers from various manufacturers for handling , storage and repair , and containers need to be stacked seven high if necessary . Since August 2014 the logistics company has been testing the latest generation of Hyster machines with Cummins QSB 6.7 Stage IV engines and ZF 5-speed WG211 . “ The general consensus here in the terminal is that the Hyster trucks are very good ,” said CEO Ernst Frankenbach . “ Fuel consumption can be reduced by up to 20 percent compared with a Stage IIIA engine . Even compared with a competitive Stage IV engine , the Hyster truck could reduce costs by up to 10 percent .” Before making the decision , Frankenbach visited the Hyster test track in Weeze , Germany to see the new models . “ I was particularly impressed by the load-sensing hydraulics which enable a high lift speed at a low engine speed and the 5-speed ZF transmission ,” he commented . “ I also liked that the usual idling speed is automatically lowered when the truck is inactive for more than five minutes . The Stage IV empty handler was developed through the close co-operation of Cummins , ZF and Danfoss with the Hyster Big Trucks department in Nijmegen , the Netherlands .
Frankenbach is trialling the latest generation of Hyster empty container handling trucks which use significantly less fuel than their predecessors