Intermodality in practice
The integration of transportation by road with that by rail or sea offers a broad range of intermodal shipments throughout all Europe, thus allowing a maximum of cost reduction and a minimum of environmental impact. Thanks to our customized consultancy, you can always be guaranteed the optimal solution for managing full and/or partial loads of intermodal loading units (swap bodies, semi-trailers and containers).
If shipped through our intermodal services, your goods always remain inside the same loading unit, from the place of departure to the destination, even though the transportation means change. The result is an efficient solution of combined transportation modes, particularly suitable for shipping heavy goods, such as steel and iron products, construction materials, tiles, timber and drinks.
Convenient, practical and environmentally friendly.
Combined transportation offers multiple advantages:
- environmental protection: thanks to the combined transportation by road and rail the emissions of CO2 are reduced by up to minus 65%;
- more freight: for every shipment, the payload can be increased by up to +15% (some 4 tons per trip);
- more efficiency: no downtime, the weekend downtime is reduced. The restrictions to road traffic are not applied;
- greater loading and unloading flexibility: with the swap bodies at the warehouse, planning loading and unloading operations is extremely simple;
- guaranteed mobility: the goods travel with whatever weather, regardless of weather conditions and traffic jams;
- greater security: the load is controlled and the risk of theft and accidents is greatly reduced in comparison to road transportation;
- greater security for ADR goods: it is particularly advisable for shipping hazardous goods.
The acknowledgement that state-of-the-art logistics demands greater competencies and above all the ability to carry out the strategic management of a complex web of relationships with several parties brought Inter-rail, together with three partners –Interporto di Cervignano SpA, Marlines Srl and Midolini F.lli SpA– to the establishment of the NEST enterprise network agreement. The strategic choice was to join forces in order to form a team and to focus diverse experiences and competencies, so that an all-round solution can be found for all requirements for logistical services.
NEST can rely upon a direct presence in the three seaports of Friuli Venezia Giulia (Trieste, Monfalcone and Porto Nogaro), as well as in the Cervignano Intermodal Terminal, with outdoor work areas for a total surface of 232,000 sqm; warehouses for 40,000 sqm; 65 direct employees; an aggregate turnover of over 54 million Euros, amounting to over 4 million tons of shipped goods in 2012.
Integration, systemic vision, synergies, optimization of resources and quality of the services are the keywords steering Inter-rail’s mission towards the achievement of three fundamental goals: improving and developing the services offered; creating a logistics network functional for railway transportation, in partnership with national and international logistical operators; creating the conditions to be the local part of a synergy with European-scale railway companies. In practice, the offer is for integrated logistics activities, featuring transportation and handling services, and the management of orders from the production plants all the way to the consumer markets of the large-scale distribution networks. The railway logistics operator intends to study customized projects for managing the flow of industrial products and solutions with a view to door-to-door deliveries. The main fields of activity are the steel and iron industry, the forestry products, and the logistical distribution of fast-moving consumer goods. The current Inter-rail’s turnover share concerning activities that are not transportation by rail (warehousing, transportation by road, distribution, logistics) amounts to some 5% of the total turnover, with a strong potential for growth in the future. Railway transportation is our core business, but we are also able to supply a broad range of accessory services, such as:
- storage and distribution of raw materials and finished products for major industries;
- loading – unloading – transshipment – storage and warehousing in sea ports;
- transportation and shipments via rail, road, sea;
- intermodal and multimodal services;
- management of shunting in railway marshalling yards and junctions;
- rental of wagons and loading equipment;
- management of warehouses and storage areas in sea ports (Trieste, Monfalcone and Porto Nogaro) and at the intermodal terminal of Cervignano del Friuli;
- logistical services and customization of products;
- warehousing and distribution services;
- logistics consulting and assistance;
- customs procedures and management of administrative procedures.
The high-quality standards of the services and the availability of highly qualified personnel are the best guarantee when you entrust us with the management and organization of shipments, from the point of origin to the final destination.
