Tarmac boosts rail freight capabilities
Published by Lucy Stewardson,
Editorial Assistant
World Cement,
As part of an ongoing commitment to productivity and supporting the delivery of the UK’s infrastructure ambitions, a series of new innovations have enhanced Tarmac’s rail freight abilities.
The company has become the first in the UK to install a Liebherr LH80C ‘Supergrab’ Gantry Materials Handler. The new equipment was recently unveiled at the company’s Battersea concrete plant in London. The equipment is expected to significantly boost site performance by enabling faster offloading, improved stock control, and increased delivery capacity.
In a European-first partnership with Ermewa, Tarmac has also installed GPS tracker systems on its freight wagons, giving real-time visibility of their positions on the network. This also allows customers to know precisely where a train is and when it will arrive for offloading.
Tarmac is also working with VTG, a leading international wagon hire and rail logistics company, to trial a new system. This system is designed to enhance the company’s rail freight maintenance programme. VTG Connect units have been fitted to freight wagons and provide live visibility of the company’s trains to maintenance crews, helping to reduce overall train downtime.
In addition, the company has stated that it is continuing to enhance its fleet of modern, efficient wagons to support freight expansion and the latest set of box wagons from Freightliner are now operating from Tarmac’s Tunstead site.
Tarmac is one the UK’s largest users of rail freight, currently transporting more than 9 million tpy of construction materials by rail across the UK each year. This is helping to cut carbon from road vehicle movements.
“Developing our rail freight capability and capacity is key to our operations and aligns with the national agenda to deliver a low-carbon built environment,” said Chris Swan, Head of Rail at Tarmac. “We are continually exploring and embracing innovations that support our efficient delivery of the right materials to the right place for customers. With these industry firsts, we have been able to increase our stocking area by over 300% at Battersea, thanks to the acquisition of the ‘Supergrab’, while the GPS tracking system further highlights our abilities to drive efficiencies by adopting cutting-edge innovation.”
Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/europe-cis/12022019/tarmac-boosts-rail-freight-capabilities/
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