Contributions to sustainability in logistics

At Infraserv Logistics, three factors –

ecological sustainability,
economic sustainability and
social sustainability –

determine the company’s decisions.

“Chemie³” sustainability initiative

The German Chemical Industry Association (VCI) , the IG BCE trade union and the German Chemical Employers' Association (BAVC) jointly launched the “Chemie³” sustainability initiative in 2013.

Through their joint efforts, the three partners want to make sustainability a guiding principle in the chemical industry. The VCI, IG BCE and BAVC have launched the sustainability initiative as an expression of their commitment to viewing all three dimensions of sustainability – social, economic and environmental – as parts of a unified whole.

Infraserv Logistics is committed to the sustainability goals of the Chemie³ initiative

Our contribution to sustainability – Examples

1. Improved logistics structures

Development of preloading concepts for specific products resulting in reduced processing times and simultaneous shifts from road to rail.
Central storage and order picking for hazardous substances and healthcare products
(chemical and pharmaceutical warehouse logistics) .
Development of a route optimization system for internal transports (road transportation) .
Energy savings through route optimization in the hazardous substance warehouse
(chemical and pharmaceutical warehouse logistics) .
Contracting area freight forwarders allows freight forwarders to pick up backhaul loads based on their basic utilization: Avoiding deadhead runs means optimizing capacity utilization (road transports) .
Upgrading and optimizing barge jetties to simplify and streamline bunkering and cargo loading and also transporting products by barge instead of truck (bulk materials tank farm) .
Optimization of vessel utilization by consolidating shipments or booking round trips through the barge coordination center
( water and container terminal ).

2. Improved logistics with digital support

Use of IT systems to improve utilization of mobile tanks (tank containers, rail tank cars, road tank cars) by implementing optimal payload weights and coordinating order sizes with customers.
Tracking and tracing systems with route optimization.
Central tank farm with direct loading of large quantities. Testing and implementation of round trips.
Central high-bay warehouse with loading of packaged hazardous substances. Starting in fall 2022, we will also have a new, state-of-the-art hazardous substance warehouse with IT-supported route and loading optimization.

3. Supply chain optimization

Pre-carriage to and from the seaports of Hamburg, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp, mainly by barge and rail ( procurement logistics ).
Shipment consolidation and route optimization in distribution logistics .

4. Pooling solutions

Central storage of packaging materials ( chemical and pharmaceutical warehouse logistics ).
Hub designs enable pooling and thus freight reduction.
Container storage network – expansion of the Contargo container terminal at Industriepark Höchst.
Concentration on fewer carriers drives optimization and improves vehicle utilization.

5. Expansion of the multi-user site and its logistics

Chemical park system: integrated production network comprising kilometers of pipelines eliminates many transports that would otherwise be necessary.
Increase in the number of unloading points for rail tank cars.
Upgrading of rail equipment with new, more efficient locomotives.

6. Realignment by expanding intermodal transports (e.g. from road to rail and inland waterway)

Shifting many transports to barges by integrating the tank storage infrastructure (cost savings through realignment – procurement logistics) .
Expanding the tank terminal’s jetties and expanding the container terminal at Industriepark Höchst allows more products to be transported by water.
Optimization of rail service processes by introducing new software.

7. Alternative drive for internal handling (e.g. electric vehicles, electric forklifts)

Electric forklifts
Use of electric and hybrid vehicles as company vehicles

8. Use of innovative drive technology

Use of new, quieter, energy-saving diesel-electric locomotives.
Use of electric rail tank car shunting aids to reduce the use of locomotives on site.

9. Utilities management

Conversion of lighting to energy-saving systems such as LED bulbs (replacement of defective bulbs with LED bulbs).
Energy management system: capitalizing on the potential of efficient energy management.
Controlling pipe trace heating by adapting to environmental conditions. Optimizing pump power consumption.

10. EGTC - European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation

Infraserv Logistics, along with the Frankfurt Regional Association, has been on the Advisory Board of the European Rhine-Alpine Corridor EGTC since its founding in 2015. Industriepark Höchst, located on the Main River, has a logistics connection to the Rhine. Transports on the Rhine River and the railway system are core components of its logistics operations and thus of the supply chains of its customers in the Rhine-Main Region.