CUSTOMERS & MARKETS 04 / 19 Multimodal, safe and efficient Cross-docking helps the Daimler RailNet accommodate new, environmentally sustainable transport. he Kuppenheim plant near which minimises the impact of robot continually shunts the wagons Rastatt in southwest Germany weather on the transshipment process. on the siding. “Cross-docking makes has one of the world’s most In the cross-docking process in it possible to transport goods rapidly modern car body presses. At Waldbronn, pressed parts arrive on and highly efficiently by consolidating T the plant, premium auto- load carriers brought by lorries, and cargo volumes on rail”, explains maker Mercedes-Benz manufactures forklifts load the parts directly onto Simon Weickenmeier, who is respon- pressed parts out of various types of DB Cargo’s sliding-wall wagons with sible for the new service at DB Cargo steel and aluminium, which are then no time lost. In order to ensure the Logistics. Seven or eight large-volume used for various purposes, including wagons move as efficiently as possible wagons are filled per day — equivalent the production of compact vehicles. to guarantee high-frequency trans- to 14 to 16 lorries. The logistics processes for these parts shipment, an autonomous shunting need to meet highly stringent quality requirements governing their storage, transshipment and transport. Daimler AG entrusted the automo- tive specialists at DB Cargo Logistics DISPATCHING with the task of transporting these auto body components to the Mercedes- Seasoned staff in Benz plant in Kecskemét, Hungary. Kelsterbach keep the The route covers some 1,000 km by entire traffic running smoothly. rail, which lightens motorway traffic and radically reduces CO 2 emissions. KELSTERBACH DB Cargo Logistics serves as lead logistics provider (LLP) in the effort, _ planning service from the first to the The pressed KARLSRUHE last mile while managing more than parts are driven WALDBRONN half a dozen service providers. 25 km by lorry from the press KUPPENHEIM plant in Come rain or shine Kuppenheim to Waldbronn for The process begins with the first mile cross-docking. on lorries handled by service provider Rhenus Automotive. The pressing plant in Kuppenheim still lacks a private siding at present, so the pressed parts are first loaded onto megatrailers there. Next, lorries take them to the transshipment hall in Waldbronn, about a 25 km drive away. The trans- shipment facility of logistics provider Dachser in Waldbronn was chosen because its private siding is covered, 26 04 / 19 CUSTOMERS & MARKETS After that, the parts continue The empty containers are also THE SERVICE AT A their journey by rail, with Albtal- returned, so all transports are round- GLANCE: Verkehrsgesellschaft (AVG) taking trips, and they are managed by care of local service. Once the goods DB Cargo Logistics. Along the route, are cross-docked, AVG takes the different service providers need to be Route: freight car group to the freight terminal coordinated, and cross-border rail Kuppenheim–Kecskemét (Hungary) in Karlsruhe for DB Cargo Logistics. transport has to be organised. The Cargo: From there, the cargo heads on a various streams of information Pressed parts for car bodies (automotive) long-distance route to central Hungary, converge at the dispatching tower in riding the rails for the remainder of Kelsterbach. DB Cargo’s fleet is Type: Multimodal transport the trip. It doesn’t take long. The GPS-enabled, so the tower can moni- assembled wagons leave Karlsruhe at tor each transport with around-the- Special features: 8:00 pm on the day they are loaded. clock transparency. The customer can Cross-docking in weatherproof facilities, The pressed parts arrive at the plant in reach employees at any time. DB Cargo Logistics serving as lead logistics provider (LLP) Kecskemét on the following evening. “The new multimodal Kuppen- The route first leads to Passau, then heim-Kecskemét transport is yet Frequency: continues on through Vienna to another building block in our complex Every business day Hungary in collaboration with DB’s and ever-growing Daimler RailNet”, Customer: long-standing partner, Rail Cargo says Martin Fildebrandt, Key Account Daimler Group. DB Cargo Hungária, the Manager. Focused on the sites of the plant’s shunting service provider in automobile manufacturer, DB Cargo Kecskemét, has provided reliable Logistics’ multimodal network is both service for many years, transporting constantly expanding and becoming the goods on the last mile between the increasingly flexible thanks to the receiving station in Kecskemét and continuous logistics chain. Among the Mercedes-Benz plant. other things, DB Cargo Logistics _ During cross-docking in Waldbronn, car body components are loaded from lorries onto DB Cargo slid- ing-wall wagons. _ DB Cargo SHUNTING ROBOTS Hungária handles shunting services To ensure quick loading, in Kecskemét. the wagons are continu- ally and automatically shunted on the tracks by shunting robots. PASSAU VIENNA MUNICH AUSTRIA BUDAPEST HUNGARY KECSKEMÉT 27 CUSTOMERS & MARKETS 04 / 19 1 “The cross- docking concept enables rapid and highly efficient service with cargo volumes consolidated on the rails.” 1 _ The CLA Shoo- SIMON WEICKENMEIER ting Brake also rolls Account Manager, off the assembly line DB Cargo Logistics one more factor: The receiving plant at the Mercedes- in Hungary has a private siding. Benz plant in Kec- That makes the decision to use rail skemét, Hungary. transport a no-brainer. • 2 _ During can guarantee the three-metre cross-docking in loading height required in the auto- Waldbronn, the motive sector throughout the entire pressed parts transport chain. are loaded onto It also consolidates cargo volumes on sliding-wall wagons Simon Weickenmeier, using fork-lifts. rail so customers can enjoy high avail- Account Manager, DB Cargo Logistics ability and punctual arrivals. There’s [email protected] 5 28.