Since the successful renewal of its transport contract with FOCUS in 2008, the Lloyd Fraser Group has undertaken a number of initiatives with a definite bias towards ‘green’ logistics. The first of the new initiatives has been the introduction of a rail freight trial for the movement of containers between Felixstowe and the Tamworth rail terminal. Conducted in partnership with the train operator Roadways Container Logistics, containers of FOCUS product are collected at Felixstowe docks, loaded onto a freight train, and then delivered to Tamworth.
“This has allowed us to ‘smooth’ container collection and thus improve inbound activity at the Tamworth warehouse”, comments Adrian Rea, Lloyd Fraser General Manager for the FOCUS contract. “An added benefit has been an improvement in driver utilisation so, in addition to the obvious ‘green’ benefit of removing road journeys, we have also seen considerable savings against our road transport budget”. With the potential to move 60 loads per week, and the corresponding reduction in road transport miles, this represents a fantastic first step into the world of multi-modal freight operations for Lloyd Fraser.
The contract has also commenced trials of bio-fuels, as well as the fitting of a revolutionary fuel-saving device. “Cynics will say that this is just another claim that won’t work”, says Adrian, “but, with the way engineering technology has moved over recent years, it stands to reason that at some point one of these ideas will work…maybe this is the one and with a potential prize of £30,000 per annum for every 1% decrease in fuel usage it can’t be ignored”
It was agreed to trial the bio diesel using two vehicles and, after consulting with Scania Trucks GB for approval, two Scania R420’s were selected. All details of the vehicles are being recorded daily, distance travelled, fuel issued, trailer types, return loads etc. to establish performance of the fuel and to ensure there are no detrimental side effects to the vehicles.
In addition to the bio diesel trial, a further two vehicles at the Tamworth site have been fitted with Hydrogen generators and are currently being trialled and monitored on a daily basis using on board telemetry to provide journey details and MPG figures. This will be compared with the previous three months daily running stats taken using the same telematic source and a cost saving of around 10% is anticipated. The new unit separates the hydrogen and oxygen molecules that make up water creating hydrogen and oxygen gases by electrolysis. The gases are produced under a slight pressure, which ensures a consistent flow to the engine and a hose from the unit delivers the gas to the air intake of the vehicle.
The small amounts of oxygen and hydrogen present in the air-fuel mix cause a chain reaction that ignites all of the primary fuel molecules simultaneously. Because the burn is now more efficient, the cooler burn process means emissions such as nitrous oxides, hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide are reduced both over time and distance. Burning the fuel in the combustion chamber more completely therefore increases both fuel economy and horsepower.
Lloyd Fraser
Mike Dennis:
Tel: 07980 940803
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