The Rhenus Group taps on its extensive supply chain network to support COVID-19 relief efforts across borders. Logistics teams in Asia work seamlessly together to help customers deliver essential medical supplies, despite supply chain challenges worldwide.

The Rhenus Group, a leading global logistics service provider, shared key initiatives of its efforts and upcoming plans to support governments and communities in the fight against COVID-19. The Germany-based company aims to deliver up to 200 million essential medical supplies to support relief efforts in several countries against the pandemic. The delivery of the medical supplies will be managed by Rhenus to countries including France, Italy, Djibouti and Canada.

Rhenus Greater China delivered the first batch of 100 million medical items to Europe, Africa and Canada in March and April 2020. In addition to surgical and N95 masks, the shipment included COVID-19 tests and personal protective equipment (PPE) to aid healthcare professionals in these countries. The office also delivered another 20 million masks to France and 922 kilograms of personal protection equipment to Myanmar in April 2020.

As governments around the world rapidly evolve their policies and measures to curb the pandemic, Rhenus has had to demonstrate fluidity and adaptability to overcome unprecedented logistics challenges, such as arranging dedicated charters to ensure the safe and punctual delivery of healthcare items. Backed by the logistics company’s extensive supply chain network, Rhenus offices throughout the region worked around the clock to aid in the pandemic fight. Other efforts include:

• Thorough sanitisation of all cargo and warehouses to minimise the possibility of COVID-19 infection to staff and recipients;
• The arrangement of additional security guards to ensure that the cargo and delivery trucks are safe during the journey;
• The extension of working hours for Rhenus Asia-Pacific offices and warehouses, which are now operational around the clock, to coordinate the process of all urgent deliveries.

“The logistics industry has seen unprecedented obstacles amidst the pandemic. I am proud that our employees have shown exceptional resilience and creativity to leverage our long-established expertise and bring resources to front liners and those in need. In this global fight, we remain committed to provide the best and most reliable end-to-end transport solutions and do our part to support our customers and the communities we are in,” said Jan Harnisch, COO Rhenus Air & Ocean.

Other deliveries to boost relief efforts against COVID-19 include:

• Rhenus Indonesia delivered 62 tonnes of disposable medical masks to China and Hong Kong;
• Rhenus India supported the needs of the Indian Health Ministry and Red Cross to distribute five million essential medical equipment (including masks, ventilators, goggles, temperature meters and protective suits). They reached medical centres and hospitals across 60 locations in India;
• Rhenus Singapore delivered three million masks to the United States and the Dominican Republic.
• Rhenus offices in Japan, Myanmar, Philippines, and South Korea delivered N95 masks, thermal scanners, Personal Protective Equipment, handwash liquid and hand sanitiser, and disposable protective masks to customers in China, Myanmar, Hong Kong and the United States.

Over the past year, Grenzebach and GEODIS, a top-rated, global supply chain operator, have been engaged in a joint project setting up a Grenzebach Goods-to-Person solution for a large consumer electronics customer. The Goods-to-Person solution has been installed at GEODIS’ Nashville, TN campus.

It features Grenzebach L600 Automated Guided Vehicles, mobile storage units and picking stations as well as software. The project has been run as a pilot program, designed to make the jobs of GEODIS teammates easier, safer and more productive. Following the success of the pilot program, GEODIS is now introducing Grenzebach AGV solutions to additional clients.

Optimized warehouse operations: “Pick functions will nearly double”

“The goal for working with Grenzebach is to make our teammates jobs easier and safer by minimizing travel while also increasing picking efficiency and accuracy—and we’re seeing tremendous results already,” said Eric Douglas, GEODIS Executive Vice President of Engineering and Technology. “We’re estimating pick functions will nearly double and that training time for new employees will be reduced by more than 50 percent. This is critical for our clients who need to meet the rapid pace of today’s consumer demands.”

The Goods-to-Person solution optimizes warehouse operations by both speeding up processing and saving space. The L600 AGVs lift, move and present mobile storage units at picking stations where teammates remain stationary as opposed to walking the warehouse and pulling a pick cart. Thus, travel paths for teammates are minimized and a safer work environment is provided.

The picking stations can be used for both order picking and replenishment. They provide teams with a number of tools to support an efficient, reliable and accurate picking process. For example, pick-by-light technology indicates to the employee which item to select for the orders currently being picked and points out the respective “on-shelf” storage position. Put-to-light technology indicates in which box picked items need to be placed.

This not only speeds up picking but also helps reduce errors. Currently, the solution helps with order picking for the customer’s retail stores. In the future, it is expected to be implemented for orders from their online shop that are directly shipped to consumers.

Constant improvement, maximum flexibility

A Warehouse Execution System, also part of the Grenzebach solution, makes the warehouse “think for itself”. The software knows which goods are being stored and where, allocates the work intelligently and translates it into travel assignments for the L600 AGVs. This smooth process is constantly being refined through integrated Artificial Intelligence.

Vehicles are interchangeable and can be added or removed at any time. Thanks to this flexibility, customers can dynamically react to variations in their workload and scale the implemented solution accordingly.

If peaks occur, e.g. due to seasonality or unexpected situations like the current Covid-19 Pandemic, more AGVs can easily be added. Also, the system can still be operated manually, e.g. in case of a power failure. Compared to manual operation, the AGV solution also allows for a denser storage configuration which helps customers saving space.

The British International Freight Association, the trade association that represents UK freight forwarding and logistics companies, says that it hopes the package of measures unveiled by HMRC recently to accelerate growth of the UK’s customs intermediary sector is successful.

Director General, Robert Keen says: “Whilst we welcome the additional funding, as we did when the first two rounds of funding were announced, we can only keep our fingers crossed that it produces the thousands of additional customs experts that the government agrees will be needed come January 1st 2021.

“During our regular meetings with both HMRC and HM Treasury, BIFA has highlighted the concerns of our members regarding the capability of the Customs brokerage sector to increase capacity, at a time when that sector already faces a huge shortage of staff of suitable quality.

“We have regularly emphasised that it could take up to a year to train staff to be fully conversant to prepare a range of basic Customs declarations, even if there was a sufficient number of trainers to train those staff, as well as relevant courses for them to attend.

“Clearly the Government is finally getting the message that increased capacity in this sector will be important whatever our future relationship with the EU.”

The scheme represents a new round of funding for employee training and IT improvements for customs intermediaries, traders and hauliers that make customs declarations to help them prepare ahead on January 1st 2021.

BIFA says the new funding could be used to support a business that is extending and taking on new staff, or to help train an existing employee to start completing customs declarations for the company.

Training can be delivered by an external provider, or an in-house trainer.

As one of the largest providers of Customs-related training courses, BIFA decided to replicate almost its entire course range and deliver it via video conferencing, due to the Covid-19 crisis preventing face-to-face training.

Keen concludes: “Government guidance allows furloughed employees to engage in training, provided that whilst undertaking the training the employee does not provide service to, or generate revenue for, or on behalf of, their organisation.

“Hence, we are encouraging members that have furloughed employees to take advantage of the additional funding that has been made available by applying for it to finance some of BIFA’s online Customs training opportunities for those employees, as well as employees that have not been furloughed.”

BIFA understands that HMRC will unveil more details in due course and is reminding its members that applications for the new funding will be open from July 2020.