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According to the World Shipping Council, the majority of global cargo is delivered in containers or – in logistics terminology – TEUs. About 90% of world trade is carried out by sea. After the cargo has arrived in port, onward delivery is made to its final destination, which is rarely in the port itself. In such cases, intermodal shipments are made from the shipper's door to the recipient's door. Recently, the growing popularity of intermodality has been an increasingly useful development tool for European transport policy.
In the logistics industry, intermodality refers shipping cargo from the place of departure to the destination via several consecutive modes of transport. One set of consignment documentation accompanies such a delivery. Transport is executed with a single cargo unit TEU without overloading the load itself. In fact, intermodality naturally increases transport service providers’ traffic volumes and operational efficiency.
“Today, there is a clear trend in freight: intermodal transportation is becoming more popular than traditional approaches. Rail plus sea plus road modes are used in schemes to optimize delivery cost structures. So that increased efficiency is obviously one advantage. Another one, however, is the reduction of toxic emissions into the atmosphere,” says Volker Boettger, Branch Manager of AsstrA’s Hamburg office.
Intermodal logistics is understood as a qualitatively new methodology for optimizing and organizing rational cargo traffic. This approach ensures higher flows and lower unproductive costs. It also allows meeting the most modern requirements demanded by specific Customers and the overall market.
“To work towards solving this modern challenge, this year the AsstrA international corporate group opened a representative office in Hamburg. The city occupies a strategic geographic position in the international intermodal shipping world. The port in Hamburg is one of the top 20 largest ports in the world, serving 8.7 million containers per year. We have big plans for this new location. It will help expand the range of logistics services we offer and allow us to meet the rapidly growing demand for intermodal cargo delivery,” adds Mr. Boettger.
For the past couple of years, the popularity of intermodal transport has risen above alternatives thanks to the requirements of modern business models. The drivers of this widespread adoption of the intermodal approach are growing customer demands for timely delivery, minimized risks, and simplified border crossing procedures.
“In 2020, good intermodal cargo delivery solutions will become instrumental in achieving Customer satisfaction. The use of intermodal logistics approaches will be the preferred solution for projects involving the delivery of urgent goods. Therefore, it is preferable to work with a trusted Third Party Logistics provider who is able to guarantee the door-to-door transportation. The team in our new Hamburg office will play a key role here,” summarizes Mr. Boettger.