With its short transit from Alexandria of 3-4 days, Ravenna offers one of the shortest routing options to market, even during “peaks of peaks”, ensuring a total end to end shelf delivery of 5-7 days.
As consumers enjoy fresh produce 365 days per annum, the supply chain has to respond – Terminal Container Ravenna increasingly plays a role in the end to end supply chain by ensuring that European supermarkets and shops remain fully stocked. This often involves a concentration of activity, corresponding to the short growing and transportation season.
A case in question is the supply of Egyptian grapes, whose overall season from harvest to final delivery lasts approximately 6-8 weeks, during which, under the auspices of the Agricultural Export Council of Egypt, the annual crop needs to be transported to market.
With its short transit from Alexandria of 3-4 days, Ravenna offers one of the shortest routing options to market and has proven year on year to be able to respond, even during “peaks of peaks”, ensuring a total end to end shelf delivery of 5-7 days, compared to the alternative sea voyage of 7-10 days.
The 2015 summer season peak demand required precision planning and co-ordination, as some 20% of the entire crop for the complete season discharged in TCR needed to be processed within 24 hours from the time of ship arrival. A single total of 170 import reefer containers to be discharged is not an unusual operation for a container terminal, but TCR, with its ability to deliver value added services as a “Special Port for Special Products” was also called upon to deliver the vast majority of imports for local processing, including health and quality inspections as well as physical transfer to trucks both at its own on-dock facilities and adjacent facilities close by, meaning the first trucks were already en route to market, whilst ship operations were being completed.
Luca Guerrini, Customer Service Manager - TCR, comments: “This year the Egyptian grape season marked the beginning of the “hot” summer. TCR is not limited to being a simple “crane mover”. The whole team is committed to the handling of a wide variety of cargo typology requiring customized service and co-ordination and we know that the supply chain has a choice to make to ensure a safe, reliable and trusted route to market. In processing some 3,500 k/tonnes of fresh produce, from ship arrival, sequenced discharge and delivery to trucks each team member is keenly aware that timing is of the essence and even when things inevitably are interrupted, a flexible approach is required.
This year, once again, TCR has achieved the objective, serving markets in Germany, Holland ,Belgium, the United Kingdom enabling consumers to enjoy the “fruits of summer”, supported by Ravenna. A special thank you to the Agricultural Export Council of Egypt for having the confidence in using Ravenna as a staging point for its produce in Europe from where we would like to believe that the TCR team has contributed to ensure that European consumers have already enjoyed the sweet taste of Egyptian products once more.”
Riccardo Martini, CEO of TraMaCo (a leading logistics operator specialized in the fruit & vegetable trades, managing the Egyptian grape produce via Ravenna) adds: “Perishables, growing in volume are routed via many ports and each one performs its role. Ravenna is able to provide bespoke solutions and here is just one typical example. The market is not just the port, but extends beyond the gate to European consumers.”
Beyond the gate is a comprehensive service put in place by TraMaCo, requiring specific co-ordination and for this we need reliable partners in the supply chain to ensure that our direct customers, at origin and destination can be satisfied.”
TraMaCo Website: www.tramaco.net
AEC Website: www.aecegypt.com
In the slider group picture, AEC delegation visit to Ravenna September 2014.
