Felixstowe has led the way in the creation of a new breed of services designed at leveraging its extensive Port assets for the benefit of the shipper and cargo owner. Simply entitled ‘Port-centric Logistics’ it was not envisaged that this innovation would become the industry standard it is today, challenging much of the conventional wisdom of inland cargo movement and creating a broader approach to hinterland distribution.

This highly successful arrangement has evolved into a series of mature relationships with importers and cargo-owners, together with their third-party operators, ensuring that the very best possible supply chain solutions are specified and consistently delivered. This results in the most cost-effective options being utilised by optimising every link in the chain while, at the same time, removing any that are unnecessary.

PORT-CENTRIC LOGISTICS - INTEGRATED SUPPLY CHAIN SOLUTIONS

In direct response to the growing trend for overseas manufacturing and in conjunction with many of the Group’s port and logistics operations in countries of origin, Hutchison’s UK ports have increasingly established themselves as leaders in the field of Global Logistics. From ‘Factory Gate - Postcode Delivered’, the Group now has responsibility for a growing number of manufacturing brands all wishing to take advantage of Hutchison’s unique position. Whether it’s a full end-to-end service or simply an element of cross-docking and consolidation, a package of Managed Logistics Services can be tailored to cater for the entire needs of a cargo-owner. Systems and hardware such as ‘PARIS’ and ‘SaviTrak’ also add to the supply chain elements that are available through Hutchison.

PARIS is a real-time, inland container movement planning software tool. Developed by Hutchison Port Holdings, PARIS will automatically match import loads with exports whilst optimising the usage of rail, barge and feeder services to instantly produce the overall least cost transport plan for an organisation, saving time, cost and resources. The PARIS system is used by some of the world’s leading container shipping lines, planning over half a million individual transport orders with several hundred users in Europe.

Savi Networks provides SaviTrak™, a real-time information service based on wireless technology that fuses together data from all trading partners so that shippers, cargo owners, and logistics service providers can manage supply chain execution from a financial perspective, and regulatory bodies can offer incentives because of managed security risks. This is done by sliding wireless devices onto shipping containers and combining that information with key data from customers ERP system. Clients are able to improve service levels, drive down costs, mitigate supply chain risks and obtain benefits from participating regulatory agencies.

Hutchison’s Port-centric Logistics concentrate on supply-chain solutions at the very point of landing in the EU. Leveraging the advantages of a port location, offering devanning, consolidation and bonding all within the security of a policed complex, Hutchison’s ports continue to work closely with both the Shipper and Consignee. By challenging the ‘traditional model’ whole sections of the supply chain have been removed and with them, expensive and wasteful practices. Early visibility, fast tracking, elimination of demurrage and the driving down of inventory levels are just a few of the advantages to be realised from the services on offer. Multi-modal capabilities for break-bulk cargoes are also available including inbound rail distribution and next-day continental European deliveries by trailer direct from our logistics facilities.

All of the on-Port warehousing is now assigned to the provision of Managed Logistics Services with tens of thousands of containers each year now routed internally for devanning, palletisation, labelling, conditioning, picking and packing for onward distribution. The Port of Felixstowe Logistics Division provides customer personalised on-site container transport solutions. Containers can be repositioned overnight, avoiding peak times at the container terminal, whilst also allowing for the delivery of these to a customer’s site during operationally quiet times. This in turn enhances the customer’s opportunity to achieve its optimal operational capabilities, by reducing the impact of container movements on their operations and also providing containers ready for first thing in the morning.

The Port of Felixstowe provides over 70,000 square metres of warehousing located within the HM Revenue and Customs wharf-approved area, providing the cargo owner with the unique opportunity to benefit from importing containers that would otherwise be overweight for travel on UK roads. 2009 also saw the development of on-port temperature-controlled Consignment Handling Services in a collaboration between the Port and Seafast Celsius Ltd. This new Port-centric solution now offers a range of services to carriers, importers and cargo owners of cold chain consignments all seeking to reduce their supply chain costs and improve their overall efficiency.