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The European road transport arm of Imperial Logistics has significantly increased its business with Dutch independent car manufacturer VDL Nedcar, following a renewal of its previous contract to operate trailers carrying automotive components between the company’s plant at Born (Netherlands) and southern England. 

Imperial Logistics has worked with VDL Nedcar since 2014. Under the new contract, it will now handle round-trip movements between Born and southwest Germany, as well as increasing existing UK round-trips. 

Services will be operated using dedicated tractors and trailers, supplemented (when required) with capacity on Imperial Logistics’ shared-user vehicles already operating to and from the UK. To accommodate the additional VDL Nedcar work, Imperial Logistics is adding 20 further vehicles to its fleet, and employing additional drivers and a transport coordinator. Up to 40 trucks and 115 trailers will be deployed on the contract at any one time. 

To facilitate fast turnarounds and efficient use of vehicles and space, Imperial Logistics trailers are positioned at the Born plant’s trailer yard, so that full units can be dropped for unloading, and empty units can be taken away immediately. 

All shipments and vehicle movements will be coordinated through a central control tower, which will receive real-time location information from GPS trackers installed on all trailers, supplemented by comprehensive vehicle telematics.  In the event of deviations from planned routes or schedules, the system will generate automatic alerts. 

The control tower and its state-of-the-art transport management system will give VDL Nedcar total visibility over all aspects of its road transport operations, while providing a single point of contact for its suppliers, as well as Imperial Logistics’ drivers and service partners. 

Says Imperial Logistics International’s Vice President Commercial Road, Srecko Muehling: “We are very grateful for the confidence which VDL Nedcar has shown in us. This doubling of our responsibilities for them is a flattering endorsement of all the hard work our team has put into this contract since 2014. We look forward to playing an even larger role in the future efficiency of their operations. 

“A key to the successful renewal and extension of our involvement with VDL Nedcar has been our Control Tower concept coupled with our sophisticated systems, and the large scale of our automotive logistics operations and fleet resources. Together, these enable us to provide timely information, and respond urgently to short-notice fluctuations in volumes, while utilising vehicle round-trip capacity more efficiently, so maintaining tight control over customers’ costs.”