Computer Transport and Logistics

ATC Logistics

Christmas in Frankfurt

Last week was another one for the ATC history books as we revealed plans to expand our presence in Frankfurt by opening an office beside the international airport.

So what does this facility mean exactly?

 

(1) Convenient Access to EU

Earlier this year, I wrote about the dreaded Brexit and the potential impact that it will have on our industry as a whole. For that reason, it’s important that ATC evolves to ensure that our delivery times and quality of service are not impacted by border checks and any other unforeseen events that may occur.

 

(2) Critical Spares Shortage

Our drivers are travelling 1,000’s of kilometres on a weekly basis. For that reason, it’s important that they have the ability to retrieve spare parts in a speedy manner to ensure they get back on the road safely and as quickly as possible.

 

(3) Local Control Tower

Our client’s supply chains have become complex, so it’s important to have local facilities where we can manage deliveries, whether on the way to or from a data centre. In a simple scenario where a floor position is not ready, secure local storage is all part of ATC’s white glove service that maintains a chain of custody.

 

Opening our Frankfurt office is the perfect Christmas gift for us here in ATC. Not only have we created new jobs and expanded our team, but we have also safeguarded our services against any economic (Brexit) and climate changes that may occur, thus allowing us maintain our 100% record.

With that, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for reading this piece and indeed my other blogs over the past 12 months. It’s been another very quick but exciting year, and on behalf of all the team, I want to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas.

Frohe Weihnachten und ein glückliches neues Jahr! 

 

Alan Young

Founder and Director

Safeguarding Our Environment

I’ve written about the effects that Brexit could have on our industry, but today I want to draw your attention to climate change and the steps that are being taken on a governmental, local and within our own business to safeguard our environment.

Week after week, we are watching severe weather events unfold on our news bulletins. As I’m writing this, we are shook by the Californian wild fires that are still a blaze. At home, we have been witness to some major weather events over the past 12 months with; Storm Ophelia, Beast from the East and most recently Storm Callum.

Ultimately, we need an immediate reduction in Greenhouse gas emissions – the catalyst for our warming climate. This is a brief overview of how our industry is making changes to do just that.

 

European Emission Standards

European Emission Standards, determine the maximum amount of exhaust emissions that are permitted from new vehicles operating within the European Union and EEA member states.

Enhanced Environmentally Friendly Vehicle (EEV) is the term given to vehicles that are classified as being clean according to the European emission standards. In ATC, all of our trucks adhere to the latest EURO standards and find out more about them in our fleet section.

 

Low Emission Zones

In addition to the European Emission Standards, there are also low emission zones set up throughout Europe which we have to pass through in order to get to our data centre clients. Penalties are given to those companies who do not adhere to the standards that are in place to protect the health of the public and the environment.

An example of a “Low Emission Zone” is in London. This zone covers much of the greater London area and operates 24hours a day. Any vehicle that does not adhere to the parameters are fined.

 

Toll Charges

In an article released in EuroActive.com, Sam Morgan discussed how MEPs are backing the introduction of road toll charges that are charged based on the CO2 emissions a vehicle emits. This is another example of efforts that are being made on a European level to  regulate the CO2 emissions and to encourage truck users to invest in cleaner modes of transport.

 

Eco Driving System

The Eco Driving System is our chosen fleet management system here in ATC. It is well regarded among the transport industry and is designed to offer a “better insight into the driver’s driving style and fuel consumption”.

The objective of this system is to improve driving styles, thus reducing the level of fuel consumption, CO2 emissions, maintenance costs and accidents.

So how does this system work? Well it asseses each driver using an ECO Score which determines the efficiency of the drivers behaviour while in the vehicle. It examines breaking behaviour, speed, number of revolutions (rpm), emergency stops, gear changes, stopping and more. This is a great system for us as it allows us to continuously monitor the quality of our drivers and identify if training is required to ensure we are operating within European standards.

 

Safeguarding Our Environment

Protecting our environment for ourselves, our children and our grandchildren is incredibly important to me and my team. We put a constant effort into our fleet and operations to ensure we meet environmental standards for legal compliance and our own corporate social responsibility.

In addition, our carbon footprint feeds into the data centres that we work with and who have invested in 100% renewable energy, so it is imperative that we as a company are compliant with those standards put in place by our clients.

There is always more to do, but I’m proud to say that ATC is driving the movement in our industry towards a cleaner and safer environment.

Thanks for reading,

 

Alan Young

Founder and Director

P.S. If you have any questions on this blog or indeed any of our services, drop a mail to alan.young@atc-logistics.com

Data Centre Location and The Supply Chain

Recently we shared an article over on our LinkedIn page entitled “Data Centres worth €7bn says report as IDA fights back”, Independent.ie. This article was talking about how there is a necessity in Ireland to build more data centres in regional areas of the country due to Dublin now being at almost full capacity. However locals are arguing that with a new data centre comes a huge level of energy consumption which they believe will outweigh the benefits associated with the number of jobs that are proposed.

The IDA argue that data centres are generating a substantial amount of revenue for the country and, for that reason, the public should be open to this proposition as, ultimately, there are substantial net economic benefits to be gained for Ireland. Furthermore, ICT makes up such a large proportion of our employment in this country and the IT companies creating these opportunities need to be supported with critical infrastructure.

As I mentioned above, some of the big factors for data centre location are power costs, power availability, accessibility and, of course, data! However, another important factor for Data Centres to consider is the logistics side of their operations.

It may appear to be a small cost in comparison to everything else, however, it can turn into a big problem and an unnecessary large cost if it is not managed correctly.

Data Centres and the Supply Chain

A robust supply chain that has complete visibility right the way through and trusted partners with a clean record is a must for any data centre to ensure that savings made on choosing the right location do not come at the cost of a disrupted logistical experience.

Since the inception of ATC, customer service has been at the heart of everything we do and with that we have developed a European network like-minded partners who share the same values. Working with our partners enables us to provide a ‘White Glove’ level of service to our clients whether they are global logistics providers seeking a final mile service or cloud service providers. When combined with local knowledge and capacity, our training, experience and attention to detail help to ensure on-time deliveries all the way to the final floor position.

As always, if you would like to learn more about any of our services you can email me directly at alan.young@atc-logistics.com

Thanks for reading,

 

Alan Young

Founder and Director

Final Mile – The Highest Level of White Glove Service

Do you remember the blog I wrote last year on White Glove service? It was at the same time that we made the exciting announcement, that we were expanding our team in Frankfurt in order to grow our White Glove and Data Centre services in the region.

Today, I wanted to focus on these services and show you how the Final Mile and White Glove services are linked and complimentary. But first, let me tell you what Final Mile is.

Final Mile – What is it?

Very simply, ATC works within your supply chain or with your global logistics partner to complete the last leg of the journey; that’s the final mile. So, how does White Glove strengthen our Final Mile offering?

Our White Glove services takes our clients’ equipment or racks beyond the loading bay and puts them into final floor position, on time, always. This is so much more than a standard delivery, what sets us apart is the extra level of service and quality we provide. The key to this success is the training, experience and attention to detail of our team at ATC.

Meeting Demands

In a growing economy, we are all faced with increasing demands from clients who have tight schedules and very high standards to maintain. By combining White Glove and Final Mile, we are better positioned to meet these demands.

Furthermore, there is a high demand these days for Final Mile combined with White Glove service. Over the years, we have listened to our customers and what they wanted was to be able to track and trace their shipment from the day of collection right through to delivery and installation. What ATC provides is confidence and certainty that your supply chain will perform as required, 100% of the time.

White Glove and Technology

White Glove isn’t merely about maintaining care and attention of the shipment, it encompasses so much more than that. It informs the technology that a company like ours will use to carry out our service, and the various touch points that will be required along the way. This leads to our final mile service being more efficient and effective.

As I said in my previous blog, “each and every one of our clients has different needs and so it is important that we listen carefully to them and prepare a plan that will tick all the boxes”. 

Managing Expectations

According to the Logistics Bureau, “Consumers are more apt to make repeat purchases when the existing purchase and expectations during the previous Final Mile delivery are met, if not exceeded”.

Our planners sit down with our clients to map out every single detail of their delivery requirements prior to commencement, in order to ensure that they are comfortable with the details and that our 100% record for meeting deliveries to the highest of standards is maintained.

Control

By having a Final Mile service, we have more control over the shipment and can reduce and manage risks. Ultimately, as it says in the Cerais article, “shippers can better align their existing operations with consumer expectations, improving visibility along the way”.

I hope that this blog has provided you with a picture of how our Final Mile supports our White Glove service to ensure that our customers’ expectations are met. Please do get in touch with us if you have any questions or indeed a requirement for our services.

 

Thanks for reading,

Alan Young 

Founder and Director

An Insight into ATC’s ‘White Glove’ Service

Last week, we were delighted to announce that we are expanding our team in Frankfurt, where they will be working to expand our ‘White Glove’ logistics and data centre services. To mark this news, I decided to do a deep-dive on the term ‘White Glove’ and explain exactly what we mean by this offering.

It is our business to ensure that we meet and exceed the most stringent requirements of our customer. Therefore, we must ensure that everything we touch is handled with the upmost care and attention – at all times. Everything from the people we employ to the equipment and transport we use must be well equipped and certified to handle the job at hand.

Each and every one of our clients has different needs and so it is important that we listen carefully to them and prepare a plan that will tick all the boxes. I have always prided our company and team on being “Big enough to get the job done, but small enough to care” and that still stands to this day.

From commissioning through maintenance and final decommissioning in data centres, ATC offers services to manage all stages efficiently. When transporting equipment from one destination to the next, we don’t stop at the loading bay; we bring the equipment to its final destination – in some cases connecting to power and networks – whilst at the same time providing detailed inventory and reporting of assets to our clients.

We transport all equipment from door to door by road and sea without transhipping and on time, every time. When we arrive at the destination, our team has already taken care of the security clearances and the delivery is smooth and efficient.

Lastly, when our clients’ equipment reaches end-of-life, ATC manages the physical security requirements through certified media disposal and destruction. We also keep comprehensive records of everything we do and, with satellite GPS trackers in all our fleet, you can rest assured that your equipment is in safe hands at all times.

In the last decade, we have a 100% record for meeting delivery windows, a feat not possible without the dedication of our planners, drivers and data centre installers. That is our ‘secret sauce’ and what makes us a ‘White Glove’ service provider and I for one am very excited for the months ahead as we expand this service in Frankfurt and beyond.

Thanks for reading,

Alan Young

Founder and Director

The Hidden Costs of Logistics in Data Centre Management

Before writing this blog, I decided to conduct some research on the subject of running a data centre more efficiently. I consulted Google, which returned an array of results including the popular topics of energy/heat efficiency and reducing the impact on the local environment. All of these are valid and must be considered when building a data centre but what about the hidden costs? How many of these results related to logistics? Zero! Whilst the industry is focussed on the obvious costs of energy, staffing, redundancy and the environment, nobody seems ready to acknowledge the hidden costs associated with inefficiencies in logistics.

Let’s take a scenario where there’s a requirement to install 5,000 racks in a data centre over a restricted time period. Can your data centre physically manage that kind of throughput? If it isn’t designed for this, have you calculated the extra costs associated including multiple shipments, staff overtime, etc.?

From my experience over the last decade, here are some of the essential logistics issues that should be considered when constructing a new data centre:

Location

Where do you plan to locate the data centre? Will it be surrounded by green fields or city centre based? From a logistics perspective, you need to ensure that the building is at ground level and that there are loading bays, loading docks and yard access to allow maximum throughput of equipment. Remember, these are big 18 wheeler trucks!

Furthermore, it is useful to also have secure and sheltered shipping docks where the logistics team can unload the equipment without being exposed to the elements.

Access

Logistics companies work 24/7 so it is important to have 24-hour secure access to facilitate overnight and weekend installation.

Staging Area

Have you considered creating a staging area where your logistics team can assemble the equipment and test that it is working before moving it to its final destination? I briefly mentioned above about having secure access to the building. It’s essential for both you and your logistics partner that there is availability of secured shipping and receiving services to hold equipment during the move.

Flooring

Racks are getting heavier and heavier over the last few years. You need to ensure that your floor is strengthened appropriately to allow for the racks to roll across and into position. It’s suggested that a 300/ft. floor loading capacity is the best solution for high density computing. Having to use plates to compensate for an under-rated floor dramatically lowers throughput and raises costs. 

Freight Elevators

Specially designed freight elevators should be included in the architectural plans for the building and it’s important that they are big enough to fit oversized equipment such as full-height racks with in-rack cooling units. As racks are getting heavier, they are often getting taller; taking time to tilt a rack to fit in a small elevator or doorway costs time and money.

If any of these requirements aren’t in place, you’re increasing the cost to deliver and position every rack, and that comes off your bottom line.

Here at ATC Logistics, I have overseen the installation of approximately 20,000 to 25,000 racks over 80 data centres across Europe, all with different requirements and logistical challenges. In each case, I’ve advised companies on the design of the data centre to ensure that they tick the boxes above, so if you’re designing or building a new data centre, get in touch to discuss your requirements. Some time thinking about logistics before the building will save time and money later.

 

Alan Young

Founder and Director