16 DC VELOCITY JUNE 2019 www.dcvelocity.com
newsworthy
German material handling giant Kion Group AG said in April it will forge
ahead with plans to invest in innovation, automation, and energy efficiency
as it adapts to the rise of “digitization” in global logistics.
Adherence to that strategy, dubbed “Kion 2027,” has helped the company
record first-quarter revenue of $2.3 billion, up from $2.1 billion in the first
quarter of 2018, Kion said April 25. The company reported a profit (EBIT)
in that period of $205 million, up from $177 million a year earlier. Based
on that success, Kion will now issue a stock dividend of $1.35 per share, an
increase of 21 percent compared with the previous year, Kion CEO Gordon
Riske said at the company’s annual general meeting in Frankfurt, Germany.
Kion says its strategy will help it benefit from global megatrends like
the growing tendency of consumers to buy online (e-commerce) and the
increasingly fragmented value chains of the global economy, according to
Riske. Those trends are creating a rising demand for “integrated intralogistics solutions,” which Kion expects to meet by having its operating segments work more closely together, he said.
“In the years ahead, digital transformation will be the crucial distinguishing factor for many industries and businesses,” Riske said in a statement. “It
will also massively change logistics. Innovative supply chains will become
key competitive advantages in the modern Internet economy. Goods are
being moved around at an ever-faster pace and in a much more complex
way than ever before. To keep step with it, we need to offer flexible and
highly automated logistics and intralogistics solutions. We are looking to
play a big part in this.”
Kion to continue investing in
automation, innovation
Demand remains red hot for large warehouses near major cities, as e-commerce players seek sites close to their customers in order to provide efficient delivery, an industry report finds.
Online retail giants and their third-party logistics partners are driving the
trend, which is triggering rising land and development costs in many key
markets, according to the Spring 2019 Global Industrial Market Report from
Avison Young, a Toronto-based commercial real-estate services firm.
The facilities in highest demand are customized design-build facilities
that are fully automated and reliant on new technologies, as renters seek
further supply chain efficiencies, the firm said. “E-commerce logistics, dis-
tribution, and warehousing requirements continue to drive the market and
are increasing in line with online retail sales,” Mark E. Rose, chair and CEO
of Avison Young, said in a release. “This strong demand has driven down
supply, with developers increasingly becoming more innovative in regard
to maximizing value through the repurposing of obsolete assets such as
vacant big-box retail stores and aged office buildings, as well as exploring
multistory facilities in a growing trend that caters to demand for close-in
warehousing and distribution.”
Investors are building new warehouse properties to meet the demand.
The analysis revealed that the development pipeline remains robust, in
terms of both product deliveries and new space under construction.
Warehouse demand in urban areas remains
sky-high, report says
European food retailer Lidl UK
has selected Orbcomm Inc., a
specialist in machine-to-machine
and Internet of Things solutions,
to provide its temperature-mon-itoring solution across Lidl’s
third-party network of 400-plus
refrigerated trucks and trailers.
… OneCharge Inc., a provider
of lithium motive batteries for
the material handling industry,
has reached an agreement with
forklift manufacturer Combilift
to outfit its trucks with lithium-ion batteries. … The Iowa
Alcoholic Beverages Division
has contracted with Des Moines-based fleet management and
logistics solutions specialist Ruan
to provide dedicated contract
transportation and warehousing
fulfillment services. … Robotic
technology company AutoStore
has selected turnkey systems
integrator Kuecker Logistics
Group as its newest distribution partner. … Hampton Roads
Chassis Pool, a company owned
by the Virginia Port Authority,
has selected intermodal asset
management company Blume
Global to provide maintenance
and repair services for its fleet of
more than 17,500 chassis. Global
water solutions provider Pentair
has contracted with RateLinx to
provide it with transportation
management, track and trace,
and freight audit and payment
solutions… UPS subsidiary UPS
Capital has partnered with
InMotion Global to integrate
UPS Capital’s suite of shipping
insurance APIs (application
programming interfaces) with
InMotion’s AscendTMS transportation management system.
The partners say the deal will
help give small and mid-sized
shippers access to transactional
insurance coverage.
alliances
