Transport in the shadow of logistics

Eye-catching: a tiltable container in height. (Photo: Ralf novel Rossberg)
The word "logistics" moves relative to the actual transportation of goods more and more into the foreground. This is at the fair - become clear in Munich "transport logistic".

Logistics is the classic freight more and more into the shadows. Two figures illustrate this: At Deutsche Bahn (DB) with independent companies for transport and logistics in 2012 brought the transport of goods by rail in Europe € 4.9 billion in sales, logistics worldwide with 15.4 billion euros more than three times. At the fair, "Transportation - Logistics» Logistics in Munich was on everyone's lips: "It is the flywheel of the economy," said the German Transport Minister Peter Ramsauer. Initiated by the Federal Government Logistics Alliance praises Germany Germany as a logistics country number one. And the Federal Logistics Association speaks of the "largest economic and trade area by automobile."



Additional services for transportation
It even hesitate experts if they are to explain the term "logistics". Basically it is any additional power for transportation with appropriate diversity: Every day brings a freight train from Germany for the automobile company BMW in 40 containers auto parts to China. Logistics ensures that they are already so loaded as specified by the manufacturer that they can go directly into production at the assembly plant Shenjang after the 20-day journey. Or in air freight: Swissport, a former Swissair subsidiary is at 192 airports in 38 countries employed with logistics, because the airlines outsource their ground services more and more. Logistics is also important in the growing shipping trade: Sun, Swiss Post is a cross-border logistics is largest in the country, which does everything from storage, picking and packing, shipping, and returns management to the customs clearance.

In addition to the online trading forces the growth of megacities, the courier, express and parcel (CEP) services to new forms of city logistics. This is about reducing the traffic in the city and its side effects. Bundling of trips, but also use electric vans are considered approaches.

Remain controversial CarrierIQ, lorries with over 25 meters in length, the "more goods - less traffic» promise: You can hold up to 40 percent more cargo, but constitute obstacles on the roads and reduces the competitiveness of rail transport. In Germany, the government has set a five-year test run, which encourages the industry to have investment. A new focus of the fair was the "intra-logistics" for material and product flows within companies.

In the Swiss Railways Logistics plays a business (yet) a subordinate role as partner Hupac or the SBB subsidiary Chemoil provide the necessary services. The plan, however, SBB, with its "three-pillar strategy" an increase in the uptake of logistics services in the terminal area of ​​the combined rail-road transport. The other two columns relate to the strengthening of international business on the north-south axis and an optimized single car traffic, the X-Rail now expands as a European alliance of seven tracks on northern Italy.

Swiss under one roof
In Munich, presented a series of "Swiss Movers» together with the SBB under one roof, the Federal Office of Transport and the University of St. Gallen. Eye catching range made from the traction the hybrid locomotive Eem 923 and - symbolically sealed in Munich for a closer cooperation with the Austrian Innofreight - a tiltable container in height.

The Rhine ports of Basel, and Mulhouse Because tension electronically together: a common IT platform to help coordinate the congested at peak handling capacity of container traffic to use. Innova Train led before a horizontal transhipment of swap bodies and 20-foot containers, as it already use Coop and Heineken. The Cargo-projector, with the container of an entire train can switch between road and rail at the same time, these days goes to the first scheduled traffic between the VW plant in Wolfsburg and Bettembourg.

Many freight cars on the open road were an example of the modern freight train. Wascosa, Swiss car-rental company and a pioneer in security solutions for transport of dangerous goods by rail, combined all the innovations in two petroleum tankers. To see was one of the electric locomotives with "last mile equipment," the BLS Cargo three hires to drive directly into sidings or terminals without catenary can. Then the power comes from the battery that is charged by a diesel generator set.