inbound
When it comes to the best mode of
shipping a containerload of clothing
from China to Spain, air, rail, and
ocean all come to mind. But Dutch
third-party logistics (3PL) giant
Ceva Logistics AG says it has developed a better way to move freight
between Europe and Asia: truck.
With echoes of the ancient “silk
road” trade route, Ceva said last
month that a truck hauling 15,430
pounds of garments destined for a
global retailer in Spain had completed the 8,450-mile intercontinental trip in just 16 days. The shipment departed from South China
and passed through Kazakhstan,
Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany,
and France. Despite multiple bor-der-crossings, the load required
no import/export inspections after
being sealed at a customs station at
Khorgos on the China-Kazakhstan
border, the company said.
Ceva inaugurated the “Highway
to the West” road service in
November 2018, when it dispatched
a truck from China to Poland. It is
now extending the service, which
the company describes as an attrac-
tive alternative to air and rail trans-
port. “Compared to air transport,
the [China-Europe service’s] cost is
more than 40 percent lower,” said
Kelvin Tang, director of road and
rail at Ceva Logistics North Asia,
in a statement. “And it’s at least 10
days faster than rail transport.”
The Ceva China-Europe trucking
service will be operated as a round
trip twice a week, with exact depar-
ture and destination details dictated
by the customer’s needs. In addition
to the FCL (full container load) ser-
vice, Ceva Logistics North Asia will
also launch LCL (less-than-contain-
erload) service this June, the firm
said.
Ceva launches truck
service between Asia
and Europe
Here’s our monthly roundup of some of the charitable works and donations
by companies in the material handling and logistics space.
b In the last quarter of 2018, associates of freight transportation company
Averitt Express logged more than 4,100 hours of community service as part
of Averitt’s annual “ 40 for 40 Community Challenge.” All together, associates
from 87 facilities across Averitt’s system donated their time to clothing, food,
toy, and blood drives.
b Fremont, Calif.-based 3PL RK Logistics Group has once again teamed up
with Fremont’s Community Services Department to provide summer recreation scholarships for low-income children. The company’s $1,450 charitable
contribution will support scholarships for up to 18 children.
b Raymond Handling Concepts Corp., a material handling equipment
supplier in Northern California and the Pacific Northwest, has announced
that J&K Trucking and Prism Logistics were the winning bidders in its fifth
annual Pink Pallet Jack Project online auction. This year’s event raised $9,470
through the pallet jack sales and a $1,000 donation from Cascade, with the
proceeds shared between the Tina Fund in Greene, N.Y., and Hers Breast
Cancer Foundation in Fremont, Calif.
b Dallas, Texas-based material handling hardware company The Crosby
Group LLC has committed to donate up to $25,000 to the Children of Fallen
Patriots Foundation based on the sales of its popular wire rope clips from
April to June. The charity provides college scholarships and educational
counseling to military children who have lost a parent in the line of duty.
Logistics gives back
Pallets support osprey-breeding project
In warehouse lingo, “nested” pallets are pallets that are fitted and stacked
together for storage. But a British pallet and container supplier has put a
much more literal spin on the term. East Sussex, U.K.-based distributor
GoPlasticPallets recently donated seven pallets
to be repurposed as makeshift nests for ospreys
as part of a project aimed at reintroducing the
bird of prey to England.
The effort dates back to 2001, when conservation group The Rutland Osprey Project
launched an osprey-breeding program at
Lyndon Nature Reserve in central England.
GoPlasticPallets is now aiding the effort by providing its heavy-duty Qpall 1210 HR 5R polypropylene pallets, which are being mounted atop telephone poles and outfitted
with a mesh of twigs, moss, grasses, and other nest material, the company says.
Volunteers have built and installed five platforms so far on farmland in South
Lincolnshire, with assistance from electricity provider Western Power. Plans
call for a total of 10 platforms to be installed near water bodies where ospreys
have been seen in past years.
Fans can view a webcam video showing a pair of the birds hatching eggs and
feeding chicks, although it’s not clear whether that particular nest is supported
by a pallet. And yes, since these are birds, you can also follow them on (what
else?) … Twitter (@rutlandospreys).
