Interforest Terminal Rotterdam completes investment programme
Interforest Terminal Rotterdam (ITR) has completed a significant investment programme. The stevedoring company has increased both its transhipment and storage capacity and its service level. First, a new 20,000 square metre warehouse will be opened on April 9 ). The second container gantry crane will be put into service in May. A new warehouse management system will come into use late 2008.
The programme’s investment totals 15 million euros. The warehouse accounts for about 8.5 million euros of this. ‘Its clean internal conditions make it unique’, ITR Managing Director Bob de Lange comments. ‘The warehouse was specifically designed to accommodate the most sensitive paper and woodpulp grades, such as the qualities for medical use, for food packaging and for personal hygiene like diapers, tissues et cetera. We comply with the HACCP regulations and one could call it a clean room.’
Dust prevention measures include a concrete floor and electrical lift trucks. Equally clean LPG-powered lift trucks will be applied only for the heaviest lifts. Trucks are not allowed inside and will be handled under vast canopies. A highly effective deterrent system is guaranteed to keep all birds out. ‘Air tight’ dockboards ensure weather independent stripping and stuffing of containers, which is an important activity with Interforest featuring paper and woodpulp.
‘All these additional investments enable us to offer shippers a top quality which, I can honestly say, is unique anywhere in the Dutch ports for such sensitive paper and pulp grades. Stevedoring and storage capacity of this sort is in much demand, but due to tight capacity we regularly had to abstain. Our quality claims also include the proposition of more efficient, flexible operations thanks to the extra storage space. About 75 per cent of the 20,000 square metres of new space is destined for new business. Our total warehouse capacity is now 72,000 square metres.’
Commissioning the second container crane too had a dual motive, notably both to accommodate growth and to raise service levels through increased flexibility. The crane will be put into service early May (200 and is identical to the first one. The panamax type cranes can operate 14 container rows wide and - using a special spreader - can also handle heavy unitised forest products. Interforest Terminal Rotterdam handles deepsea and shortsea container ships and inland barges.
‘Having one crane only is curbs efficiency’, Interforest director Bob de Lange says. “At our 500-metre container quay we can now handle two ships simultaneously, or deploy two cranes on one ship. Like the new warehouse, the crane is to attract growth and to enable faster operations.’
Interforest is currently discussing new container services with a number of shipping lines.
At the end of 2008 a new warehouse management system is to become operational. As it will optimise warehouse space utilisation, it will increase the storage capacity. In addition, a much greater positioning precision will help the lift trucks speed-up order picking or storing.
Interforest Terminal Rotterdam B.V. (ITR) was established forty years ago at its current location at the Eemhaven and Prins Willem Alexanderhaven docks (port number 2810). ITR has 80 staff. The stevedoring company specialises in transhipment and storage of forest products, featuring paper and woodpulp, as well as other breakbulk cargoes and containers. Paper and woodpulp are transhipped both ro/ro and deepsea and shortsea container ships and barges are handled. Other frequent visitors include purpose-built forest products ro/ro ships and deepsea conbulkers. The 18-hectare terminal has 700 metres quay length and six warehouses with an aggregate 72.000 square metres storage capacity. There is 500 metres of on-dock train marshalling track. The annual forest products and general cargo volume exceeds 1 million tonnes. The Swedish parent company SCA Transforest accounts for about half of this. The other half is generated by third party customers and includes forest products, metals and project cargo. In addition, ITR handles an annual 85.000 TEU of containers, all of which for third party
shipping lines. The specialised stuffing and stripping of containers dominantly involves paper and woodpulp.