Portcentric model aims to lessen handling

Portcentric solutions simply unload and store cargo at the port, rather than transporting it to inland depots. Once the container has been ‘unstuffed’ it is returned immediately to the exporting berth at the port, helping shipping lines to achieve a faster turnaround.

This removes the costly transportation of large, heavy containers – each weighing up to forty-four tonnes – hundreds of miles across the UK, only for these containers to then be transported back along the same route empty.

TLT also partners with back loading service Returnloads.net to transport the products onwards, another way of making the whole operation more efficient, by taking advantage of empty haulage capacity on the UK’s roads.

So what are the advantages of using Portcentric solutions? The main benefit is cutting down on transportation miles, saving time, fuel, money and carbon. Thousands of road miles are wasted every year, returning empty shipping containers back to ports.

Another major advantage is that the goods are handled less. Traditionally a shipping container would be transported to a warehouse or distribution centre, and after being stored there, the goods would be loaded onto another vehicle for onward delivery. By using Portcentric operations goods are handled much less, as these additional steps are removed from the logistics process.

This reduction in double handling means that goods are more likely to get to their end use in the best possible condition. TLT aims to keep damage to a minimum on all products it handles, and offers its clients a photographic trail of any product that arrives damaged inside the containers.

Kevin Gilbert, Director at Ocean Timber &Plywood Ltd, explains why he uses TLT’s portcentric service: “As a leading supplier of timber and plywood to the formwork industry, it is essential that we partner with a logistics business that takes exceptional care of its products.

“Not only do TLT provide an exceptional de-vanning service, they return the containers to berth swiftly, store our cargo and transport it to us immediately upon request.”

The Logistics Terminal is based at the Port of Tilbury, a few miles from the deep-water port London Gateway, the UK’s first new port for 20 years, which opened last November.

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The opening of London Gateway has seen one of the UK major retailers introducing their own portcentric operations, with Marks and Spencer aiming to cut their ‘ship-to-shelf’ time from three weeks to just three days once their new warehouse opens. 

Although London Gateway has a large Logistics Park, with some 9 million square foot of warehousing space, TLT provides a flexible portcentric solution and is a preferred supplier of the port. 

Mike Brown, TLT partner, says they expect to see benefits: “London Gateway should mean more products coming into South Essex, mainly from Felixstowe, Southampton and other UK ports, so TLT should benefit. 

“We are already starting to work with containers coming through London Gateway; its early days but the initial signs are very positive.”

So how do TLT expect the Portcentric industry to develop in 2014?

Richard Newbold, TLT partner, says that things are growing rapidly: “Across the board companies are looking to streamline their logistics and avoid double handling goods. The costs of transport and additional warehousing are somewhere that real savings can be made.  

“Portcentric operations make sense, and some the biggest retailers in the country are now coming to terms with the idea of leaving all their imports at the docks in a portcentric warehouse, where they can have immediate distribution to the end user.”

From opening just over three years ago, TLT has grown to some 350,000 sq ft of space, which includes 150,000 sq ft of covered warehouse space, and 200,000 sq ft of external hard standing.

TLT now deals with more than 1,000 TEUs a month, unpacking the containers and either storing the goods ready for delivery when needed, or arranging immediate onward delivery of de-vanned products.