3000 Truck Moves to Be Taken off Napier Streets

For Immediate Release

10 August 2006

3000 Truck Moves to Be Taken off Napier Streets

Up to x3000 truck movements previously running through the streets of Napier, between Port Of Napier and Heinz Watties' Tomoana site in Hastings , are to be cut out by an agreement between Heinz Watties; Toll NZ and Port Of Napier l.

Under a contract which came into place on June 12 approximately 1500 import containers a year which up to now have been trucked to Tomoana will now be carried direct from the port on rail wagons.

As no truck moves will be required to bring the empty containers back to the port, it means a total of about 3000 truck trips a year will be removed from Marine Parade and connecting roads.

Toll Tranzlink area manager for Hawkes Bay, Mark Allan, said the new move was a major environmental boost for Napier and Hastings, as well as a shot in the arm for rail freight traffic in the region.

"For a long while, truck traffic along Marine Parade has been a contentious issue for residents. At a stroke, this deal will take away noise and exhaust emissions. It is a significant environmental initiative as well as being far-sighted logistically."

Mr Allan said that along with previous initiatives between Heinz Watties and Toll at the King Street plant in Hastings, where load-outs now go directly "through the fence" on to rail wagons at the adjoining Toll Tranzlink distribution centre, a total of 5000 truck movements had been removed from Hawkes Bay roads.

"Heinz Watties have always shown an innovative approach to the use of rail. The company was always open to a rail initiative, and because Toll does their national cartage, we were keen to come up with a value-added solution here in Hawkes Bay.

"What turned the tide at King Street was the move away from palletised products to containers. Previously, pallets of product would be trucked to the port for loading into containers prior to export. Now, more and more containers are being packed at the Heinz Watties site. This lends itself to direct loading of containers on to rail wagons.

"Rail can work for short freight shuttles as long as there is high volume, and good turnaround of wagons. For import volumes from the port to Tomoana and back, rail is an excellent alternative to trucks, but we still have trucks as a back up for any containers that require urgent door-to-door moves."

Mr Allan said the Tomoana deal had been some years in the making and that it had required a joint imitative from the three companies to put the infrastructure in place, including the recommissioning of a rail siding at the plant, the building of canopies to weather-protect the loading and unloading areas, and an investment in a new forklift and a swing lift.

"A lot of background operational work was required. We had to look at the internal configuration of the Tomoana plant. We had to dedicate some fixed rakes of wagons to Heinz Watties' traffic. Plus we are also working with the port in terms of the peaks and troughs that are caused by the timings of ship arrivals. It is a question of trying to be as flexible as possible."

"Certainly, Heinz Watties and Toll have faith in Hawkes Bay and believe the region's economy will grow. For Napier and Hastings, that faith is creating a much better environment, in reducing a lot of the truck noise and emission pollution that has annoyed residents so much in the past."

"This has been a great example of three corporate businesses working collaboratively together to achieve increased business performance and a cost effective and efficient supply chain"

ENDS

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