French transport leader Geodis has signed a six-year, €10 million contract with Presstalis, amajor distributor and seller of print media, to create a multimodal platform with rail links in the
port of Bonneuil-sur-Marne, southeast of Paris.Once the platform becomes operational in March 2011, Geodis BM, the group’s road transportationunit, will handle a significant portion of logistics related to national print media distributionat the site for the next six years. It will receive 250,000 pallets a year from more than 50 bookbinders and then send out deliveries throughout the country by road or rail.
Geodis BM will dispatch more than 80 road vehicles daily, as well as two high-speed trains(160km/h) with one destined for Montauban and one going to Avignon, for print media distribution.The new organisation system will help optimise Presstalis’ transport plan, eliminating around 20semi-trailers. In addition, modal transfer will save the company €1 million annually andsignificantly reduce its CO2 emissions.
This unprecedented contract, worth more than €10 million to Geodis, is the result of thepartnership the two companies have built over many years.
The platform will have a surface of 19,000 sqm with most of the building dedicated toPresstalis. In addition to a 14,000 sqm order preparation area and 54 loading platform doors, itwill provide clients with a 5,000 sqm rail transhipment area allowing simultaneous access anddeparture of two trains, as well as a multimodal platform for loading and unloading swap bodies.Besides, the building offers the possibility of developing waterway transport in the future whichcontributed to the decision to locate the facility in the port of Bonneuil-sur-Marne.
“This site is a true multimodal hub with an unprecedented potential for activity: a single pointlinking road, rail and waterway transport and offering cross-docking logistic services,” Geodissaid in a statement.
Jean-Louis Demeulenaere, CEO of the Geodis group, commented: ‘I am very pleased with thedevelopment of our relations with Presstalis, a long-standing customer of Geodis BM. The newplatform fully illustrates the innovative multimodal global offering of our Group, which nowcombines improved service quality and respect of environment.”
In France, Presstalis runs 2,400 specialised newsstands and shops through its Mediakiosk andSeddif subsidiaries. Internationally, it manages 14 subsidiaries and works with more than 100distributors. On the strength of its recognised expertise in logistics with 60,000 productsdistributed annually and 2.3 billion copies distributed to 160 print media agencies and 30,000points of sale, the company is expanding into new markets.
