BIFA Awards
general-purpose containers to bring them up to food grade standards – a challenge that grew increasingly difficult towards the latter stages of the project. Needless to say, these efforts paid off, and the job was completed on time. “As a long-established freight forwarder our bread and butter is ocean freight. This project was unique; however, it is a testament to, and reflection of, the years of experience that our dedicated teams have,” Smith said. Another key requirement of the client, and a priority for Woodland Group in all it does, was achieving carbon efficiency. Strategic consolidated rail movements were facilitated with the aim of moving multiple containers on single trains from UK ports to the final delivery point; for these rail movements, Woodland reported an 85%+ reduction in carbon emissions versus all-truck deliveries. Smith said: “Rail is an easy fix for carbon savings, as opposed to looking at changes to warehousing, installation of solar panels and so on, which take time and cost money to implement. If the infrastructure is there, it is a no- brainer. Fifty containers are equivalent to a train or two rather than 50 trucks.” “There is a sustainability drive at our ports,” Rowlands observed. “DP World, which operates Southampton Container Terminal, will subsidise you to go to certain rail heads rather than truck, for instance.” Cost savings The rail component of this project resulted in cost savings, too, as a shortage of HGV drivers in the UK had pushed up road freight rates. Woodland Group also managed to negotiate a favourable ocean freight rate for the final batch of containers, resulting in a significant saving for its client. When BIFAlink spoke to Woodland Group in February, rates were making headlines once again owing to developments in the war in Israel. “Ocean freight rates have gone up five or six times because of the Red Sea crisis,” Rowlands said. “Volumes coming out of the Chinese export market tend to dictate rates.”
iPort rail terminal, an integral part of the iPort site – where Woodland Group has a 195,000 sq ft sustainable distribution facility.
Woodland fi nds solutions for tricky Xmas delivery
The successful delivery of over 270 containers from Mexico to the UK amid various challenges, without sacri fi cing carbon ef fi ciency, earned Woodland Group the BIFA Ocean Services Award
W oodland Group’s winning project involved shipping more than 270 containers from a Mexican plant to the UK in time to meet Christmas demand. Manufacturing had been shifted fairly late in the day from the UK to Mexico as a result of high seasonal demand and limited manufacturing capacity, so the race was on to produce and transport approximately 4,500 pallets’ worth of goods. Besides the challenges of a short timescale, large volume and the need to deliver as green a solution as possible, Woodland Group also faced an unexpected requirement. 11th hour request “At the 11th hour, when the first batch of containers had been positioned, a request was made to change the equipment to food grade standard,” said Jim Smith, account manager. “This undoubtedly became our biggest challenge, given that the factory was in a heavy automotive centric region and therefore food grade containers were extremely scarce.”
To make matters worse, added Iain Rowlands, executive director: “There was an equipment shortage around the world at that time because of COVID-19 and the Suez blockage.” Being an international business and moving products globally via any mode of transport, “there are always challenges that present themselves”, Smith said. But Woodland Group moved quickly, pushing carriers to source suitable equipment and organise the cleaning and making good of Port Express was established in 2004 to provide a comprehensive range of container transport Ocean Services Award
“ Rail is an easy fi x for carbon savings – Jim Smith, Woodland
services to the supply chain industry. Specialising in UK container haulage, Port Express works in partnership with its clients to provide innovative cost-effective supply chain solutions. Due to its ongoing investment and development in new equipment and technology, Port Express operates from strategic locations throughout the UK ensuring the level of service it delivers remains among the very best in the industry. Port Express operates to the highest standards and is committed to the health of safety of its employees, customers and visitors.
14 | August 2024
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