TNT Express Italy has opened a new depot on the Adriatic coast near Ancona to improve servicesfor the region’s footwear industry.
The new facility at Civitanova, south of Ancona, is strategically located in the heart of themost important Italian shoe-making district. TNT’s customers in the region include not only majorfashion brands but also SMEs who are increasing their sales thanks to e-commerce.
The 3,000 sqm depot, located on a 9,000 sqm site, has sophisticated security systems with morethan 40 video surveillance cameras and a conveyor for automated sorting of packages, the companyannounced.
“The new Civitanova Marche depot is the ideal gateway to international markets for the regionalfootwear industry,” said TNT Express Italy CEO Rosario Ambrosino.
In Civitanova, TNT Express is seeing rising volumes after a difficult 2009 when it handled600,000 shipments, the company’s local manager Fabrizio Scoppa said. Footwear makes up about 60% ofvolumes. Exports, which make up about 10% of TNT’s shipments in the area, have risen 8% in thefirst months of this year, Scoppa pointed out. Exports are increasing strongly to India, China andTurkey.
Meanwhile, TNT Express Italy is also piloting a new route planning tool. The company has begunrolling out a new route planning computer tool to reduce miles and fuel consumption, whilemaintaining service levels. The first trial in Pisa, which involved 31 vehicles, showed a 2%decrease in carbon emissions from the fleet as an additional benefit.
The new tool, called “Dynamic Round Planning,” was developed together with ACT Solutions. Itlets TNT map the Italian territory down to street level, plan each driver’s daily route, andsimulate the impact of last minute changes on costs and service level, such as arrival times.
TNT Express Italy operates a fleet of 3,000 pick-up and delivery vehicles and more than 700linehaul trucks. The rollout in Italy is part of a larger project to optimise TNT’s networksglobally.
