"In recent decades, the railway transport business has faced critical problems which lead to a clear trend from rail freight transport to road freight transport. Rail freight is often inflexible, underperforming and thus unattractive in comparison to road transport, especially since the rolling stock is overaged within Europe, the logistic management is inefficient and the wagons are very specialized with a very narrow range of utilization.
The overall objectives and goals of the project are:
• becoming one of the main market players in the supply of the steel industry,
• establishing the innovative technologies InnoWaggon, different containers and unloading solutions as standard equipment within the iron and steel branch,
• and addressing the transport of all raw materials and semi-finished products,
• increasing the railway logistics performance in comparison to the ""state of the art"" tremendously.
During the project period, Innofreight was able to introduce innovative logistic solutions based on railway transport and combined transport for the supply of the steel industry to potential costumers all over Europe. The company structure was changed and new Sales and Service Companies were introduced, as well as new departments and new processes. Innofreight got a lot of feedback from stakeholders and integrated them into the business processes in order to improve the service level and also to create new business opportunities. Furthermore, an increase of the human resources and a fresh setup of the quality management system took place.
We were able to proof the exceptional performance of our logistic solutions by several full-scale demonstrations at steel mills and a number of smaller demonstration activities. For instance, our container and pallet systems, as well as the adapted versions of the InnoWaggon as wide gauge version and 90 ft version and the patented Innofreight unloading solutions (Forklift Truck with turning device and Stationary Unloading Machine). Longterm demonstrations lead to a step by step increase in the net-load, because the innovative technology used and because of adapted loading procedures and lead altogether to e.g. a plus in the net-load of up +40% in some destinations and transported goods and a well functioning, stable logistic performance.
Several new businesses within the iron and steel branch could be started already and some are in intensive negotiations.
With our activities we could push towards a disruptive and well functioning, reliable and highly performing supply system for one of the basic key industries for Europe. The new logistic supply systems of Innofreight help to lower the productions costs for the steel industry and secures long term jobs in this branch and adds to a lower use of ressources in the transport and minimizes the negative external effects by strengthening the evironmentally friendly railway transport system.
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