Romania’s largest privately owned contract logistics specialist, Tibbett Logistics – part of the fast-growing UK-based Keswick Enterprises group – has taken delivery of its first 32 intermodal rail wagons from the French company Touax, a leading provider of rolling stock in Europe.
The development ‘further underlines Tibbett Logistics’ strong commitment to its intermodal (road-rail) operations in Romania and across the south-east Europe region’.
It is one of the few logistics companies to acquire its own rail rolling stock as a guarantee of capacity.
Initially the wagons will be used on Tibbett’s own block trains operating out of the maritime port of Constanta on the Black Sea, but the company also has plans to acquire additional rail wagons early in 2012 to secure sufficient capacity for daily services and to create a link between Bucharest and the west of Romania.
Tibbett Logistics CEO, David Goldsborough, said:
“We have recently seen increased interest in – and demand for – intermodal/road-rail logistics solutions, while at the same time the availability of rail wagons on the Romanian market has decreased due to the age and general poor state of repair of the rolling stock.
“For this reason, we have taken the unusual step of long-term leasing our own rail wagons so that our ability to offer regular and uninterrupted services to customers is not compromised.
“Creating a daily service and keeping our promises to customers and partners are our key objectives.”
The delivery of Tibbett’s rail wagons in Romania follows hot-on-the-heels of the arrival of additional terminal equipment – mainly in the shape of a Kalmar DRF450 reach stacker.
This impressive lifter can handle containers and intermodal units weighing up to 40 tonnes, and complements the company’s existing Hyster Top Loader reach stacker.
With phase one of Tibbett Logistics’ second intermodal terminal in Bucharest (at Europolis Park in the west of the city) now complete, construction work is ahead of plan on the second phase of the terminal development – to provide another 150 metres of track access and extra storage space for containers.
The first intermodal trains have just been received at the terminal – a few days before next week’s grand opening.
Tibbett Logistics offers comprehensive logistics services to the automotive, textiles, retail and other FMCG sectors throughout Romania and beyond – operating approximately 100,000 square metres of warehousing plus a distribution fleet comprising tilt trailers, double- and triple-chamber reefers and container chassis, along with its own intermodal rail wagons.
