SCT Xpress - SCT Logistics

ISSUE 6 WINTER 2015
SCT opens up direct line
to Port of Melbourne
For SCT Port Logistics Manager,
Robert Comley, the opportunity to
deliver product from the Wimmera
region straight to the Port of Melbourne,
was a long time coming but having
now been achieved, will make the
customer delivery process much more
efficient.
As Robert explained to SCT XPRESS
- “Wimmera Container Line has been
running container trains into CRT
Altona for three years. We’ve then
needed trucks to finalise the delivery
to those containers to the Port. There
are direct rail avenues into the port
precinct, but due to existing contractual
arrangements we couldn’t have access
to them. By coming to terms with DP
World, this will allow us to deliver our
trains with customer containers directly
to the wharf.”
DP World is a stevedoring company
which primarily loads and unloads
containers to and from ships.
For Wimmera Container Line, they
will unload containers from trains and
ensure their delivery into their facility as
well as the Patrick Terminal. “DP World
is the fourth largest stevedore in the
world. We now have direct Global
connectivity for our customers in the
Wimmera region.”
Robert said this new development
cuts down one of the biggest risks in
getting a container into a container
terminal; the things which you don’t
directly control. “Delivering our train
directly into the terminal eliminates a
number of risks.
“There are a number of factors that
can affect terminal access, which can
include road delays on the way to the
terminal, equipment breakdowns,
inability to get a timeslot or even a
Super B-double reversing onto a truck
grid. Some guys do it a lot better than
others, but it takes time and can disrupt
traffic flows in the container terminal,
delaying the whole process and causing
additional delays down the chain. So
our aim is to eliminate as much process
risk as possible. By having a direct to
port rail solution, we are achieving that
objective for our customers.”
Robert said the company was
looking at delivering around 15,000
containers a year, and while Melbourne
was the first port covered by the DP
World agreement, the stevedore is a
national company. “There are substantial
commercial benefits to our business,
not only for Wimmera customers, but
for SCT as a whole. DP World sees this
as a partnership and as a result there
may be other opportunities for us to
consider nationally.”
The first direct Wimmera Container
Line service arrived at DP World,
Melbourne on July 1st.
www.sctlogistics.com.au
SCT WA picks up new business with
Fremantle Port Rail Service
SCT Logistics has successfully negotiated and taken over the operation
of the Fremantle to Forrestfield Port Rail
Service from Monday, 6th July 2015, with
the provision of up to 14 return rail services
weekly to Intermodal Link Services.
Intermodal Link Services is part of
Intermodal Group, and is the operator of
the North Quay Rail Terminal, the Fremantle
Port Train and their own Forrestfield
Inland Container Hub.
SCT Logistics’ WA State Manager Brad
Moore said “SCT is delighted to have
won this business and partner with a
reputable and established Company in
ILS, whose origins that date back to the
1930’s are not too dissimilar to that of
the SCT Group”.
Brad said “ILS’s customers’ containers
come into Fremantle Port via international
import and coastal shipping, where they
are handled by stevedores and transferred
to Intermodal Link’s North Quay Rail
Terminal Operation. From here, SCT will
transport the containers to ILS’s inland
container hub – considered to be the
largest in Western Australia – located in
Forrestfield”.
According to Brad, ILS commenced
the operation of a port train to provide
the most efficient, environmentally and
community-friendly supply chain solution
to its customer base.
“In fact,” said Brad, “ILS have recently
announced the movement of their
500,000th TEU on rail, representing the
removal of in excess of 160,000 vehicle
Photos courtesy Terry Moore
From left to right: Ben Higgins - CEO, Intermodal Group, Darrin Smith - General Manager, Intermodal Group,
Jim Stevenson - Chairman, Intermodal Group, Brad Moore - State Manager WA, SCT Logistics and Eddie Davies
- WA Rail & Intermodal Manager, SCT Logistics.
movements between Fremantle and
Forrestfield which is equivalent to approx
approxiimately 6,600 km of vehicular traffic.
ILS customers’ containers carry a wide
variety of goods including bulky goods,
food and beverage products, and
construction equipment. From an export
perspective, CBH’s grain operations are
strategically placed to take advantage of
this rail offering, along with other agricul-
Ron Eustace
tural and primary production exporters.
Brad said the distance between the two
locations on rail was around 60 kilometres.
“The trains will initially carry 90 TEU
(twenty foot equivalent containers) each
way, giving the train an overall length in
excess of 600 metres, twice a day. So that’s
a daily total of 180 TEU inbound and 180
export TEU”.
Brad added, “the commencement of
this operation has also created an opportunity for SCT’s experienced staff, with
SCT WA’s Rail and Intermodal Manager
Eddie Davies assuming responsibility for
the operation.
“We want to thank the Managing
Director of Intermodal Link Services, Jim
Stevenson; CEO Ben Higgins and the GM
for Intermodal Group, Darrin Smith for
entrusting SCT with the business and
we look forward to strengthening the
relationship into the future.”
New Kenworths for Sugar Division
means greater reliability
SCT’s NSW Logistics Manager Bob
Briggs had a smile from ear to ear when
the newest Kenworth prime movers
were delivered in readiness for the 2015
sugar cartage season.
Bob said the Sugar Division needed
to increase its fleet size so they piggybacked on the capital investment for
the acquisition of new forks and trucks
for other areas of the company.
“These prime-movers are specially
www.sctlogistics.com.au
built Kenworth T409’s and they operate
from the Queensland border to as far
south as Grafton in northern NSW,”
explained Bob. “We’ve had the Sugar
Co-op contract for more than 10 years
now, and when the season is in full
swing these trucks are carting cane to
the mills 24 hours a day. So they have
to be reliable and thank goodness we
have never had any great problems
with the fleet we have been using.
Changing to “automatic” gear boxes is
another way SCT is addressing fatigue as
this is an important issue in our industry.
Message from our Managing Director
Well, it’s hard to believe that we’re
half way through 2015. As expected, it’s
been a fairly challenging six months
with rail volumes on the East West
corridor remaining challenged on the
back of a subdued economy in WA and
decreases in shipping rates, as the
Government encourages more foreign
shipping companies to compete in our
domestic market.
There are a number of positive outcomes for the business over the past few
months, some of which are reported
in this newsletter. We’re now 12 months
into our SAP implementation and it’s
pleasing to see the progress that we’ve
made. I think we all shared the frustration
of inflicting such a significant change
on our business. Unfortunately, moving
forward isn’t always easy and the right
decisions are often the difficult ones.
Our port related rail business
continues to grow, with the formation
SCT executives
experience cold
night for charity
Brave members of SCT put up
their hands this year to participate in
“Vinnie’s CEO Sleepout”. Besides
Glenn Smith, there was Pat Kerin,
Noel Ramsey, Peter Lyngberg and
Michael Sommers all representing
SCT as they dossed down at Etihad
Stadium at the start of winter.
Last year, 1,237 CEOs around
Australia raised $6.2 million for such
a worthwhile cause. That money
provided 1,197,633 meals, 365,164
warm beds, and assisted 1,161,239
people.
This year Victorian CEOs raised
more than $989,000 for charity which
is a great result and the money
raised will assist thousands of less
fortunate people in the community.
of our partnership with DP World
which will now allow our Horsham rail
services direct passage into the port of
Melbourne. Congratulations to Allister
Boyce and Robert Comley for all their
efforts in facilitating this partnership.
We also see the commencement of rail
services into the port of Fremantle with
SCT providing hook and pull services for
the Intermodal Group in WA. Well done
to Brad Moore and Andrew Williams for
consummating this partnership.
We welcome the opportunity provided
to us in servicing the Linehaul
requirements for the Foster’s Group to
Western Australia. As a family company
we pride ourselves on the longevity of
our customer and supplier partnerships,
so it’s particularly satisfying to be
awarded this business once again. Well
done to Glen, Pat and all involved in
the process.
The SCT Group has recently secured
85 million,
the largest
funding piece
by a private
company
through the
Australian bond
d market. In the
the
he past
pas
astt
12 months we’ve successfully transferred
most of our debt structure away from
the major banking institutions, with a
view to allowing us to capitalise on
opportunities and expand our business
in key areas such as Wodonga and the
Melbourne to Brisbane rail corridor.
Congratulations to Michael Fiteni in
anchoring this significant achievement.
With much hard work and repositioning of the SCT business having occurred
over recent years, we look forward to
capitalising on the opportunities that
lie ahead.
Geoff Smith
Managing Director
Bonds for Financial Flexibility
The SCT Group has recently accomplished Australia’s largest private unrated
bond release, closing at $85 million.
The offer was oversubscribed and done
in conjunction with FIIG Securities acting
as the sole originator for the dual-tenor
issue.
The SCT business is extremely capital
intensive requiring sizable investment in
rail infrastructure, rail and road equipment
and expansive terminals. Historically these
assets have been principally funded by
the major Australian banks. The bond
release has provided SCT the benefit of
a new and more flexible capital market
which is a very exciting initiative for the
business and unique for a private
company. The money procured by the
bonds will be applied to other existing
bank debt which will enhance the overall
capital structure as well as supporting
future growth.
The success of the bond release
denotes a vote of confidence in the
company from a new group of investors.
It is pleasing that they have backed its
vision and SCT is looking forward to
working with them in the coming years.
This release signifies the progressive
and innovative nature of the business.
The SCT Board compliments its CFO,
Michael Fiteni on engineering the
largest private company equity raising in
Australia to date.
New refrigerated containers
give SCT unique edge
According to SCT’s National Refrigeration Manager, Peter Lyngberg, the new
refrigeration containers SCT has purchased
will give the company an edge when it
comes to moving merchandise across
the country. “We have 25 containers, ten
of which have up and down lift bars, and
15 containers with the traditional carry-in
and carry-out bars,” explained Peter. “They
are all 48ft long and are designed for our
well-wagons. They sit in the well-wagons
and are also designed to travel on the
5-Packs. The issue with the 5-Packs has
been that the fridge hangs over the 48ft,
so the 5-Packs have been specifically
designed to take these 48’ containers with
the added length for the fridge.”
He said 25 of them will travel back and
forth to Perth weekly, carrying product for
some of SCT’s major customers, predominantly in the lighter freight sector. Peter
said that included things like frozen breads,
chocolate and confectionery amongst
others. He said they were the only 48ft
reefers travelling around Australia and
very few travelling on rail.
While these units are brand new, they
will replace some of the current older
The new 48ft refrigeration container
Inside an up and down lift barred unit
46ft containers. “They effectively give us
an extra two spaces of revenue in each
container for no extra cost,” commented
Peter, “so it’s a dual program of additional
capacity and a replacement program.
It is not a standard shipping container,
nor a standard rail container. It has been
designed specifically around our rolling
stock.”
At the time “SCT Xpress” spoke to Peter,
the units were being fitted with fridges
by ThermoKing. “These ThermoKing
fridges are unique, a brand new fuel
efficient model, and specifically-modified
for us,” added Peter. “We built a prototype
last year and we have run that prototype
successfully for 12 months.”
Container Terminal opened at Penfield
After months of organisation, hard
work and minor set-backs SCT’s newest
jewel in the crown – the Container
Terminal at Penfield – was opened and
is ready for business. The official party
consisted of Mr Bryan Nye CEO of
Australasian Railway Association,
Mr Glenn Docherty Mayor of the City
of Playford and Managing Director
Geoff Smith from SCT.
Tim Timmermans, Blanalko’s Project
Manager for the project, said the actual
Left to right: Mr Bryan - Nye CEO of the Australasian Railway Association, the Mayor of the City of Playford
Mr Glenn Docherty and Geoff Smith - SCT Managing Director.
construction took around nine months
and was a major SCT investment in
the area allowing improvements and
expansion of available services for our
customers. It has also resulted so far
in the creation of about 70 new jobs
within the precinct, with a majority
of those being employed from
surrounding suburbs.
Tim said that throughout the project
the strong support from the City of
Playford, as well as a number of other
SA Government departments has
assisted SCT greatly in the delivery of
this project.
This was the fourth multi modal
estate development undertaken by
the SCT Property Group, and the site
occupies a major growth corridor of
Adelaide.
SAP receives positive response after
12 months of hard work
Anybody who has been involved
with an implementation of SAP knows
that it isn’t a walk in the park, and that
it involves a lot of work, and dedication
from all areas of a business. SCT’s
implementation is now more than
12 months and according to the
company’s CFO Michael Fiteni, a lot of
the hard yards have been surpassed,
and SCT is now talking to customers
on ways to integrate the system into
their businesses.
“Generally the reaction has been very
positive,” explained Michael, “Customers
understand that getting SAP in initially
and getting it bedded-down, comes
with a lot of challenges. However,
post that they realise benefits can be
achieved through the integration and
better visibility. This is especially so as
a number of our large customers use
SAP themselves.
Michael readily admits that SAP has
been challenging for some employees
and others have taken to it like a duck
to water. “The pleasing aspect is that
they’re now starting to communicate
using the SAP terminology and thought
process, but in saying that, there is
still some work we can do to make that
experience a lot better for them.
“Now, we want to go on the path of
process improvement and simplification
so we are undertaking a few pieces of
work around this. At times people
tend to forget the benefits. You always
remember the hard bits, and you have
to take stock of those to realise how
far along we’ve actually come.”
SCT CEO, Glenn Smith, has also been
intimately involved in the SAP project
and told the “SCT XPRESS” that the
project was: “Ever evolving for us, but
the company is starting to see real
benefits from the system now. After all
the hard work, we are starting to get
some very good information. We found
that difficult to begin with, but we are
now generating the reports and
information to improve the business.
We are also starting to engage with our
customer base, to share this information
and bring real benefits to their
businesses. As Michael has said, it has
been very encouraging to see how
our people have applied themselves
to understanding the system which is
no mean feat.”
SCT shows Mars employees
how it helps move their products
Sean’s experience
with SAP was a
big advantage
It was an invitation-only event when
SCT was asked by Mars if they were
interested in manning a stand at the
Mars Petcare Supplier Trade Show held
in Wodonga. Glen O’Brien, National
Manager - Major Accounts who’s based
at Altona, said the show is held each year
and a number of key suppliers are invited
to participate at an in-house trade show
at the Mars Head Office. “It’s not open
to the public and is only for Mars Group
personnel,” said Glen. “All their suppliers
have their own stand and obviously talk
about what they do and can do for the
Mars Group.
“It gives us a chance to promote our
brand and interact with Mars personnel
across a range of different levels. They
also have a black tie Supplier Awards
night during this event, which culminates
in the Supplier of the Year Award. Besides
myself we also had Pat Kerin - General
Manager Business Development there,
and it was a great opportunity for us as
Sean Atchinson, new SCT Chief
Information Officer, has only been
with the company since March
but is already making an impact
assisting the company to settle
down the SAP system as it rolls out.
He joined with extensive SAP
experience, working with the system
both here and overseas. “He brings
a good understanding of the
solution,” said Michael Fiteni. “Sean
is a ‘hands-on’ pragmatic person
who shares his knowledge with the
rest of the SCT members.”
He’s somewhat of a fitness fanatic
and rides or runs to work each day.
According to Michael, Sean has
been able to mediate well between
the technology solution and the
business needs.”
a company to spell-out what SCT does
for them.”
Glen said they supplied information on
the SCT network, which not only carries
product out of Wodonga but also from
the other Mars manufacturing sites
around Australia. “It certainly gave them
a broad overview and even down to the
people on the production lines, who are
interested in how we move what they
produce. The Mars contract has been with
the company for nearly 40 years and is
one of SCT’s flagship customers.”
www.sctlogistics.com.au
New Sydney
premises
doubles SCT’s
distribution
facility
Mick Sommers - National Fleet Manager
SCT united in getting the best
forklift deal for their drivers
As of July this year, SCT depots throughout Australia will be serviced by United
Forklift & Access Solutions, and according
to National Fleet Manager Mick Sommers,
there are great expectations that there
will be an important lift in problem
solving through partnering with the
new supplier.
“While United’s head office is in Perth,
they have branches in every state except
Adelaide,” explained Mick. “They have
been a supplier to SCT in Perth for the past
18 years, while on the eastern seaboard
we have had a range of other suppliers
over the years.
“United will now supply and service all
forks and associated equipment, which
amounts to around 150 units throughout
our network of depots and warehouses.”
Mick said five companies were invited
to tender after he and the team had
researched those who could supply what
SCT required now and into the future.
“We came up with a list we had been
impressed with, they submitted their
proposals and we selected United. We have
signed a five-year contract and we can
add or subtract units to the agreement
as requirements change.
“United has a very good reporting
system, with dedicated people at all
locations plus, a dedicated management
team who will liaise with me on a monthly
basis. They will be looking to pin-point
issues like peaks and troughs and if we
have an ongoing damage issue with
vehicles, rather than just repair or replacing
that damaged item, they will investigate
the cause so it doesn’t happen on a
continual basis.”
Mick said the forks selected were
Caterpillar and the complete roll-out
should be completed by the end of July
this year. United has worked with the
company to make them more economical,
and fitted them with speed limiters and
catalytic converters delivering better
fuel economy. “We have tried to make
the fitted accessories as protected as we
can, with all the lights and mirrors facing
inwards, so they are not hanging outside
the forklift. They have additional safety
features like detection presence, so they
won’t start for instance, if the seat belt is
not fastened. They all have reverse buzzers
and we have introduced a new LED
spotlight that goes forward and rear with
a reach of six metres. Plus, when a forklift
is in the vicinity, you will see a blue dot
coming past you which gives an indication
that a fork is approaching; backing out of
an aisle or from a wagon.”
Increased traffic and a need for
an expanded area for the company’s
distribution and freight services, has
seen the Sydney SCT Distribution
Centre move from Wetherill Park to
Erskine Park, which is also located
west of the city.
“It is a far more strategic location
in terms of the major customers we
trade with and more attuned to
what SCT does,” said Glenn Smith.
“It’s also on the intersection of the
M4 highway which heads west all
the way to Parkes.
“This will reduce driver fatigue
risk, because it saves about half an
hour on each trip and will give us a
better turnaround. Another great
plus is that the new centre allows us
to handle temperature-controlled
freight stock, including the new 48ft
refrigerated containers. Previously
we couldn’t store containers on
site, so there are many pluses for us
making the move.”
Glen handles double
trouble without a
problem
It was a case of ‘Hello”… “Hello” when
SCT’s Glen O’Brien and wife Kate were
presented with a pair of beautiful twins
called Alexander and Mackenzie O’Brien.
The two healthy little future SCT employees
were born at the Freemasons Hospital, East
Melbourne and welcomed into the world
by Glen, Kate and big sister Sofia O’Brien.
What’s moving in SCT’s WA operation? Ask Matthew
The old western saying: “Get ‘em up!
Move ‘em out!” should be a carved sign on
the desk of Western Australia’s Operations
Manager Matthew Carruthers. Matthew
says his role is all about “the end-to-end
process of both loading and unloading
deliveries for in-bound and out-bound
freight from four warehouses.”
At any one time, Matthew is juggling
a diverse array of freight on the company’s
100-150 semi-trailers each day and that
doesn’t include SCT’s rigid fleet of smaller
vehicles. Prior to joining SCT nearly six
years ago, Matthew worked for a much
smaller transport company involved in
road linehaul, not rail, and after resigning
and travelling for six months, he returned
to the West and joined SCT.
Asked what the obvious differences
were between his previous employer
and SCT, Matthew said size was the major
difference with a vastly busier operation
at SCT and freight arriving daily.
“Previously my road linehaul experience
was receiving 3 B-doubles per day on
our busiest day,” said Matthew. “At SCT
on our biggest day of the week, we are
probably unloading 42 rail vans through
one shed alone and handling 55 rail
vans on our busiest day – so it’s the pure
volume coming in that is superior.”
Matthew said the company’s east
bound freight is part of his new role and
Matthew Carruthers, Operations Manager (far right), along with his team of supervisors and leading hands.
From left to right, Matt Johnson, Timothy Harvey, Irene Walters, Greg Steinke and Richard Andrews.
Apologies for Darren Symonds, Meng Yeow and Shaynon Easther who were unable to be present.
while the volumes from the outbound
shed were not as large, they kept him
busy. “We’re seeing 80 to 100 rail vans a
week, most of which are for our largest
customer Laminex. I believe it’s a growing
area for us and we are definitely trying
to service our customer base who have
product headed to the east. It is of course,
more efficient and more economical to
send a returning wagon back full.”
WA State Manager, Brad Moore,
endorsed Matthew’s ability to take on the
challenge of managing what is possibly
SCT’s largest operation. “Matthew
commenced with the business some five
years ago, and in that time has demonstrated a willingness to learn and advance
with the Company, which has resulted
in him being afforded some fantastic
opportunities to showcase his potential.
Matthew provides a wonderful example
to new people to our business, and
I personally look forward to witnessing
his career advance”.
In his spare time, Matthew enjoys footy
(a West Coast Eagles supporter) and golf
and currently has his girlfriend visiting
from Canada.
A champ on the field and in the office
While Billy Duckworth is remembered
by the over-‘40s as a sensational
footballer, who played 182 games; was
involved in two Premierships in ’84
and ’85 and a Norm Smith Medallist in
1984, it’s Bill’s work efforts and the focus
he places on his job at SCT’s Perth
depot, that really makes him admired
and liked by his workmates.
Bill commenced with SCT in 1991
assisting on the dock unloading wagons.
Within 3 weeks he was asked to help
out driving a truck for the CUB division
on an as-needed basis. And before too
much longer, was transferred to this
division on a full-time basis.
Bill continued to drive for CUB up
until 2005 when he underwent surgery
on a neck complaint that was causing
numbness and muscle fatigue in his
arms. The operation was not successful
and he spent two years recuperating,
returning to driving for SCT in 2007.
However he found it very difficult to
complete his tasks and when an
opportunity arose with the departure
of the fleet controller, Bill was offered
the role given his experience with the
deliveries and outlets. He commenced
as Perth depot fleet controller in 2008
and has been doing that ever since.
According to fellow employees, Bill
is reliable in this role and outstanding
when you consider that the number
of absences from work in this period
could be counted on one hand. His
ability to overcome obstacles such as
driver absences, truck breakdowns and
meeting time windows, has been critical
in SCT Perth achieving target for on-time
performance.
Bill came to
football from
the country, and
h in
joined West Perth
the WAFL in 1980.
0. He
joined Essendon in ’82 and had a stellar
career, returning to Perth in 1991,
where he played for West Perth in ’91
and ’92. After retiring from WAFL at
the end of ’92 he joined the North
Beach team in its ’93 Premiership year.
After retiring from playing, he started
his coaching career at North Beach
in ’97. In his 15 years as senior coach,
North Beach achieved 11 Grand Final
appearances.
Bill is an identity at the Perth depot
and has the respect of everyone who
comes in contact with him.
www.sctlogistics.com.au
Part-time job resulted in
heading up operations margins
The responsibility for controlling and
despatching stock out of the Altona
terminal is a joint responsibility between
Simon Kefalas who looks after Operations
Margins and Shane Avram who is
Terminal Manager, looking after everything that moves across the floor.
For Simon who works with a team
of seven, the task is to ensure that
customer products are organised on to
the right services. “Say a consignment
from Mars comes into our depot, I come
in with my team and ensure that we get
that consignment away on the right
service,” explained Simon. “It obviously
has to meet the delivery date, so I have
my load-planners – who do all the
allocations – oversee the freight so
(a) we are utilising the wagon the best
way we can by meeting our weight/
cubic targets to produce good healthy
margins and (b) that we make sure we
are servicing our customers throughout
the movement.”
Simon has a fair bit of interaction
with SCT customers and was previously
an SCT Account Manager. He will have
been in the present role 12 months in
August, so his previous job is a great
blend for his current position. While
there is no Operations Manager as such,
Shane and Simon split the responsibilities between them. “I’m more
administration while Shane looks after
the floor,” said Simon.
“In a week we get away four rail
services to the West and five services to
Queensland. I really like the challenge
of the position and having a customer
role was great experience,” he said.
“Sitting in the hot seat in an operational
role facing the daily challenges revolving
around warehouse congestion and
capacity, is stimulating.
New drop well and high cubes
offer customers extra space
New PWXY wagon in Penfield, SA
With SCT always looking at ways
to improve their freight carrying
capacity for customers, the latest
purchase of Drop Well and High Cube
wagons means just that. CEO Glenn
Smith said this fleet will predominantly run out of Parkes in NSW.
“Parkes services mostly our customer
base in NSW and west-NSW,” explained
Glenn, “as well as some of our QLD
customers. We established our depot
in Parkes because it is strategically
located, being the first point on the
rail line heading towards Perth
where you can run a train up to
1.8km in length and without height
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restrictions.
“So from Parkes we are allowed
to double-stack containers using
the new Drop Well wagons. It’s also
the first place where we can use our
High Cube wagons going to Perth.
We’ve used the High Cube wagons
in the past for our freight out of
South Australia.” Glenn said they are
used for general freight and initially
had been built for their major
customer in South Australia, Big W.
“Now, with increasing volumes
coming out of NSW and QLD, adding
the most economical vans to our
fleet just made sense. They will
Left to right: Troy Clarke (Vic Load Planner),
Simon Kefalas (Vic Planning Manager) and
Shane Avram (Vic Terminal Manager).
“It’s all about efficiency and thinking
outside the square”, he said, “and how
do we do things; how do we load a
wagon to reduce cost and maintain
margins?” Simon has been with the
company for nine years and joined as a
part-time employee while undertaking
his Bachelor Degree in Logistics at RMIT.
It was a four-year course including a
gap year, but he said it ended-up
taking him five years as he wanted to
continue to work at SCT.
replace the existing wagons on the
north-south corridor.”
The Drop Well wagons are an intermodal wagon into which containers
are placed. “Drop Wells allow us to
double stack our containers one on
top of the other. This will be done out
of Parkes and ADE, with the majority
going out of Parkes and will increase
our capacity to service our market
out of Sydney.”
Glenn said he expected that a lot
of this new stock going into Parkes
would be temperature-controlled
goods. “We see these new additions
as improving our service ex-Perth,
and as more freight comes on board
out of Perth with temperaturecontrolled facilities, the whole
program enhances what we can offer
new and future customers.”
Do you have
a story to tell?
SCT Xpress is your voice, so if you
have a story to tell, contact
Bree Hillsdon on 03 9269 5437 or
bree.hillsdon@sctlogistics.com.au
You don’t have to be a budding
novelist as we can help you.