Tata Netherlands transfers eastbound transport to trains
Tata Steel Nederland says it is replacing a significant portion of road and water transport with rail transportation, especially for delivery to customers in Southern Poland and Slovakia.
This means that about 160,000 tons of steel per year, which used to be delivered by trucks and ships to nearby ports, will be replaced by about 600 km of road transport. Three trains loaded with steel coils will leave for destinations in Eastern Europe every two weeks.
In the Netherlands and Germany, these trains run on "green" electricity, according to Callanish. According to Tata, the cost savings are the result of intensive collaboration with about 50 customers, including major automotive brands, as well as customers in the fields of engineering, construction and packaging. The new railway route makes it possible to reduce the length of highways by 3.5 million kilometers per year and significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 4,300 tons per year.
According to Logistics director Martin van der Meer, rail transportation also saves packaging materials, as steel no longer requires overload protection. "And it's faster – steel is delivered to the customer within 30 hours," he concludes.
Christian Kel Germany
kallanish.com