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Belgian Scrap Terminal (BST) moves onto the Givet multimodal platform

The Belgian group has created its subsidiary BST France to take advantage of the waterway, provinding recycled raw materials at lowest cost to the Meuse Valley steel industries, or transport them to the port of Antwerp and load them onto boats going to Egypt, Spain, Turkey, etc. In January 2006, the group signed an agreement withe the Ardennes Chamber of Commerce, manager og Givet port, for the provision of seven acres. 

" This is to be used for constructing a grouping platform and a production terminanl on site, with presses, cutters, cranes, and administrative infrastructures. On the Givet SIte, the processing capacity may exceed 70,000 tons per annum " explained  patrick Craenhals, chief executive of the BST group, wich is investing between 3M € and 5M € in Givet 

Patrick Craenhals, the acting managing Director of BST

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FM LOGISTIC is establishing an 80,000 m² platform in Châlons-en-Champagne

Why Vingeanne Transports has chosen the Langres-Chalindrey zone

" The multimodal platform of Chalindrey is advantageous for several reasons for Vingeanne Transports and generally for most people involved in logistics: the first advantage is its ideal location at the crossroads of a north/south road network, rail interchange and major motorways.
The Chalindrey Grand Est platform also presents an excellent alternative to maritime transport as a dry port as it can be used as a support base for both the distribution and collection of containers.
The second advantage lies in its workforce : First of all, it’s worth mentioning that drivers and logistics operators make up three-quarters of the team at Vingeanne Transports. The availability of skills is fully ensured locally around the Chalindrey platform. Accordingly, during unexpected busy periods, flexibility and reactiveness are guaranteed. Secondly, the work quality of the workforce is confirmed by its low rate of change, which enables us to keep hold of know-how and avoids us having to train other people for each operation. Our transport operators are often youngsters fresh out of school that Vingeanne Transports trains personally to ensure they gain the right skills. This exchange of good procedures perhaps explains a high work assiduity, that is always verified. Last but not least, the competitive labour costs compared with the high quality of work can really be felt.
In conclusion, I would say that all of these points make the Chalindrey platform an undeniable asset in our service offer and our activity sector where the ongoing improvement of competitiveness and productivity are essential and where margins are particularly low. "

Jean-Claude Plâ, Manager of Vingeanne Transports

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B.T.L. is transferring its logistics centre in the Parisian region to Reims. Location and costs, a winning combination

" B.T.L. is one of E. Leclerc’s multiregional centres for household appliances, IT equipment, audio and digital devices. Almost 4 million packages are delivered annually to 240 Leclerc supermarkets, in an area encompassing the very wide East, from Dunkirk right down to Nice.
The potential of Reims and its region is undeniable. The flow study conducted by B.T.Lec and cost analysis concluded that Reims was located ideally close to Paris, at the crossroads of busy networks such as the A4, A26 and A34 motorways; which means that the north and south of France can be accessed effectively in under 48 hours. The company therefore decided to leave the Parisian region for the Reims urban area in a 52,000 m² purpose-built warehouse. 
This transfer is facilitated by the fact that Reims is a major breeding ground for training programmes through which administrative and sales staff can be recruited, along with handlers or forklift truck operators at a height. Reims is resolutely a choice of the future for dealing with transport and logistics requests. "

Ludovic Lesoudier, B.TLec Manager

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Givet? Living proof!

The Belgian company Aerofleet specialises in composite materials, working for such high-tech sectors as aeronautics and the space industry. Raphaël Van Vlodorp, founder of the Liege-based company, combined his knowledge of these materials with his passion for water sports by also setting his hand to the manufacturing of luxury trimarans and catamarans for an international clientele. He then decided to go one step further, with the set-up of Aerofleet France, a shipyard located in Champagne-Ardenne that will be launching its first boats this year !

" We were looking for a place to set up near our Liege factory, easily accessible to our customers and providing an easy outlet to a seaport. The port of Givet fulfilled all these requirements - just an hour's drive from Liege, our customers could land at Charleroi to oversee the manufacturing of their boats, which could then be launched from Givet to sail into the North Sea by way of the Meuse. The river is wide enough at Givet and the water level is constant, enabling sailing boats to use it all year round. We thus avoid having to make use of road transport, with all the complications that arise with long loads. Apart from these objective advantages, the quality of reception that our project was accorded made us all the more certain that we had made the right decision, as did the fact that we are located in a free zone. As far as I am concerned, Givet was the perfect choice ! "

Raphaël Van Vlodorp, Aerofleet Director

Strategic, sustainable logistics take root at Vatry

A subsidiary of the Wal-Mart Group, Gazeley is one of the major ‘sustainable logistics real estate' operators, with 5 million square metres constructed throughout the world. Founded in Great Britain in 1987, it has been active in continental Europe since 2001. It is developing its activities with logistics platforms in China (since 2006), and in Mexico and India (since six months ago), and is now looking to the Russian and Brazilian markets. The objective of this worldwide real estate developer is to design and build sustainable logistics sites with minimal impact on the environment and reduced operational costs for tenants. In France, it is involved in construction of Magna Parks, one of the first of which should be inaugurated at Vatry's ZAC 3, in Marne.

" The choice of Vatry was an easy one for us. It is a strategic site - ideal, in terms of what we were seeking, for implementating our project. It has a central location in France, enabling us to reach 75 % of European freight within an 800-km radius. Most importantly, it is a multimodal site, directly connected to the motorway and at the crossroads of the north-south and east-west trunk roads, accessible by rail, and with an international cargo airport on its doorstep designed to decrease congestion at the Paris airports, Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle in particular - all of which will be of interest to logistics integrators and service providers, our customers, even though air transport may not be a key factor for ourselves. An added advantage is that Vatry has large surface areas available, well away from major towns, which is important in the eyes of Gazeley's management, for whom the environment is a top priority. Large R&D budgets have been devoted to creation of platforms in line with sustainable development objectives - in the same mould as the first ‘green' platform we delivered last summer (and which was inaugurated just a short while ago) to the logistics company Norbert Dentressangle for its customer Cora. We carried out a tailor-made operation on the company's behalf, constructing a platform of over 52,000 m² at Vatry's ZAC2. A 19 M € investment, incorporating a maximum of environmental solutions, including solar panels, solar water-heater in bathroom facilities, low-consumption lighting for offices and warehouses, and rainwater recovery. A building permit was also requested for a 24-metre high windpump. And we are going to continue our ZAC 2 investments in the same spirit - building permit for 18,000 m² and request for 30 000 m² - and then on to ZAC 3, with a Magna Park covering some 130 hectares. In other words, we believe in Vatry ! "

Thomas Karmann, Managing Director of Strategic

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By developing alternative means of shipment, Paris Terminal has opted fully for a modern, not to say futuristic vision of transport. In this context, the company introduced container shipment along the River Seine, an activity now carried out by a number of different operators. Paris Terminal continues to open up new possibilities, with a combined transport shuttle linking Gennevilliers and Chalindrey, a complement to the existing Gennevilliers-Basel-Italy service.

" Paris Terminal now has an interest in Chalindrey Services, which operates a bimodal platform, there being real potential for activity in the region. In Haute-Marne, Haute-Saône and Doubs in particular, exporting companies have shown interest in the combined transport system, and especially in the port of le Havre as a destination. The thrice-weekly link launched last autumn between Gennevilliers and Italy already serves the Paris region and, beyond it, the port of le Havre. As from the coming spring, Chalindrey will act as a bimodal splinter platform serving border provinces. It will also be an export platform for regional companies, which will be able to opt for this mode of transport, which is more economical and less polluting, and whose development will be continued in the years to come. "

Michel David, Director 

Raoul Veit, Director of Groupe Soufflet

Much more than just a carrier, DGD Est is in a way the outsourced delivery and assembly service for major furnishers and telesales companies. Initially specialising in deliveries to households, the company has since expanded its business to the office furniture sector, particularly for the needs of local authorities. In fact, at the request of its customers, particularly corporate names, DGD Est regularly expands its geographical reach. After Metz and Lorraine, the 80-strong workforce has opened new branches in Alsace and Burgundy. The most recent is in Charleville-Mézières, which will enable deliveries to customers in the four counties of the Champagne-Ardenne region.

“ We receive furniture from all over Europe on our platforms, which we then deliver and assemble at the customers’ of the companies for whom we work. There is therefore a notion of local service which is important, and which prompts us to open new branches to serve the counties in which our customers are based. We had a high demand in the Champagne-Ardenne region, and the choice of Charleville-Mézières suited us well, both for its transport infrastructures and its geographical location regarding our other branches. This new move will enable us to continue developing in this specialist profession, for which we employ joiner-fitters as well as logisticians, providing our customers with permanent traceability and environmental responsibilities through the retrieval of waste. ”

Bruno Ganaye, DGD Est Manager

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ARVATO takes care of its branches 

“ Arvato Services Healthcare is the main international logistics specialist in the biomedical and pharmaceutical industry. This requires a perfect understanding of the requirements associated with such sectors, as well as a dense network of geographical zones to supply. As a result, Arvato Services Healthcare has over forty logistics sites across Europe. In the Aube, in Troyes, the specialist logistician has seized an opportunity by taking over the Italian company Bomi, which created a pharmaceutical logistics site in 1998. With its international experience, Arvato Services Healthcare has turned this 15,000 m² warehouse, within the immediate vicinity of a major motorway interchange, into a highly effective logistics centre that mainly delivers to wholesalers, chemists, hospitals, clinics and doctors. ”

Laurent Buisson, Director of Arvato Services Healthcare France
 
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From the Belgian ports to Lyons, via Chalindrey

Since the beginning of February, the ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge have been connected to Lyons by the "Rhone-Flanders Express". An organiser of multi-modal transport by rail, river and road, and operator of harbour terminals, the Inter Ferry Boats group has a lot of faith in the future of this new rail transport line for containers, which could one day become a daily service. Up and running since early February, it already has twice-weekly services and part of the train stops off at Chalindrey, in the Haute-Marne, north of Dijon. With the container transfer facilities managed by Chalindrey Services, train to truck movements are greatly facilitated and the carriage of goods can be tracked.

“ There is a high demand for container transport between the major ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge and the Lyons region. A study confirmed the interest in passing through Chalindrey, and it was even more practical that the railway is equipped with a public platform for transferring the containers on to trucks. Technically speaking, there are four wagons (capacity = 16 EVP) that are unhooked from the train to go on to Chalindrey. This volume could expand in the future depending on demand. It has become very apparent that combined transport will have to develop increasingly, and Chalindrey is promising for both its geographical location (several major shippers are based there) and the equipment in its rail terminal. It will nevertheless be important that freight agents and shippers convince the various ship owners of the importance of creating a park/warehouse for empty containers in Chalindrey. ”

Ronny Van Petegem, Procurement manager Inter Ferry Boats 

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INVICTA is capitalising on its Ardennes location : a new logistics platform in Donchery, in the Ardennes

The foundry Invicta is certainly well established in the Ardennes, where it was founded in 1924. But it is from its Ardennes “home” (the company employs 275 people in Donchery and Vivier-au-Court) that Invicta, currently managed by Jean-Pierre Dupire, has set off to capture France and Europe. With an annual production of over 170,000 cast iron wood-fired heating appliances, as well as kitchen ware, barbecues, future and decorative objectives,  Invicta is one of the leaders of its field. Its reputation has spread far beyond France’s borders, since 45 % of its annual turnover (60 million) is made from export. Invicta uses the industrial expertise of the Ardennes region and makes the most of its strategic geographic location.

“ We have recently decided to invest in a new logistics platform in Donchery, in the Ardennes, to take full advantage of our geographic positioning. We are very well situated to easily supply both the French market and other European markets to which we export our products. Having our own production tool and a logistics platform in an internationally renowned region is a tremendous asset. ”

Jean-Pierre Dupire, Managing Director of Invicta
 
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GJ SERVICE FROID, an example of successful pooling : Cold logistics platform in Torvilliers (Aube)

Two successful SMEs from the regional food processing industry, and renowned leaders in their speciality (Troyes andouillette, a small tripe sausage, and Chaource cheese), have pooled their means and skills around a cold logistics platform which is currently being completed on Torvilliers industrial estate, west of the Troyes urban area. With €4 M of investment, this 5,000 m² site should be up and running by next June and open to other operators from the sector from September.

Dominique Lemelle, Managing Director of AT France, and Didier Lincet, Managing Director of the company bearing his name, both original members of the Regional I3A Club (Agricultural, Agro-Food and Agro-Industrial Industries) chaired by Antoine Campredon, are the co-founders of GJ Service Froid and of this innovative tool intended to pool storage, order processing, IT data management and shipments of chilled products. Dominique Lemelle also chairs the Troyes and Aube Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

AT France is going to group together the shipments of its three pork product factories and Lincet, those of its two cheese dairies. Both have carefully analysed their different flows beforehand and chosen Torvilliers, an up-and-coming industrial estate less than 10 minutes from a motorway interchange (A5 and A26). Their new high-performance tool therefore lies at the logistical centre of their different production sites and relatively near their markets.

The Torvilliers industrial site is one of the business parks acknowledged by the National Research Agency under the national Comethe project (Design of Methodological and Assessment Tools for Industrial Ecology), involving Troyes Technological University and its laboratory, the CREIDD (Centre of Interdisciplinary Studies and Research on Sustainable Development) in Aube, as well as the CEIA (Aubes Industrial Ecology Club), Troyes Urban Area Community, the County Council and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

“ We are quite simply doing what large companies do when they rationalise their logistics, but at SME level. Our factories are therefore going to be able to refocus on what counts, production, while GJ Service Froid, a positive cold platform, takes over all of our shipment operations. The refrigerated lorries leaving Torvilliers for Paris and the Parisian region in particular won’t travel half empty, but usefully full, and we will be able to expand by involving other food businesses who share our values. This is at once more economical and more ecological, which means everyone wins. ”

Dominique Lemelle, Managing Director of AT France

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LOGIFROID has chosen Saint-Dizier The group is continuing to expand in France

The Lorraine-based company, LOGIFROID, has seized the opportunity of taking over MIKO’s cold stores in Saint-Dizier, the Haute-Marne, to expand its business in the East of France. This specialist in the negative cold transporting and storing of meat and food products, which already has bases in Nancy and Mulhouse, is continuing to branch out geographically in response to its customers’ needs. The opening of a site in Saint-Dizier is a new stage for LOGIFROID, which fully intends to move on to other French regions in the future.

“ Saint-Dizier lies at the centre of our chilled and frozen food businesses. We specialise in micro-distribution, a highly rated service by our supermarket and catering customers, as well as by local authorities. This needs a fine networking of the zones to be covered though. From Saint-Dizier, we have easy access to a fairly dense area, within a 120 km radius, from Reims to Dijon. By taking over MIKO’s premises, we have immediate access to large storage capacities from the outset: 22,500 pallets at -25 °, 2,500 positive cold pallets and 1,500 pallets at room temperature. Some forty people work on the site, and we are currently expanding to reach around 100 employees between now and 2011. ”

Patrick Georgel, Manager of the Logifroid Group

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