JF Hillebrand win Best Logistics Company award
21st May 2008

JF Hillebrand were today announced the Best Logistics Company 2008 at the Drinks Business Awards. The awards, held at the London International Wine Fair, are amongst the most prestigious awards in the drinks industry. 2008 is the third time JF Hillebrand has won this award since the awards were introduced in 2004.

According to the Drinks Business, the judges were particularly impressed by JF Hillebrand’s current efforts toward: “Improving their impact upon the environment and in helping their customers to understand the challenges that new, greener legislation presents the drinks industry as a whole.”

“JF Hillebrand have really put their money where their mouth is in the past 12 months when it comes to providing more environmentally friendly wine supply chain solutions,” said one of the judges. “Their hefty investment in the Wine Train has put them at the forefront of their industry when it comes to helping their customers, and the trade at large, understand more about how we can ship wine in a more effective way that is, at the same time, kinder on the environment.”

The news of the award comes just one day after JF Hillebrand announced the launch of their new Transport Carbon Calculator. The calculator, which was designed in partnership with the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WISTA), works out CO2 emission results that incorporate all aspects of a shipment; such as the mode of transport, distance and size of the load. The Transport Carbon Calculator is available for use on the JF Hillebrand web site.

JF Hillebrand at the London International Wine Fair
9th May 2008

JF Hillebrand will be exhibiting at the London International Wine Fair, which takes place between 20th and 22nd May 2008. Please visit us at Stand G22.

Held at the Excel Centre in London's Docklands, LIWF is one of leading shows for the international wine and spirits industry, drawing visitors from across the globe.

On our stand, members of JF Hillebrand’s global network will be on hand to discuss your logistics needs. In addition, we will be launching our new Carbon Calculator, an online tool which enables you to establish your carbon footprint and assess the impact of transportation.

For more information on the London International Wine Fair, please visit www.londonwinefair.com   

JF Hillebrand launches The Wine Train
18th March 2008

JF Hillebrand, the UK's number one specialist logistics provider to the wine and spirits industry, has been hard at work over the last two-years to address major UK transportation concerns. With an emphasis on improving freight transport efficiency through better use of infrastructure, while supporting the wine and spirit industry’s commitment to minimising carbon emissions, JF Hillebrand is proud to be introducing their innovative Tilbury to Daventry Rail Service. “The Wine Train” will operate on a daily basis, with each train carrying over 350,000 bottles of wine.

The launch of this service involves a £1-million investment that has been undertaken by JF Hillebrand to address many environmental issues associated with transport. The Tilbury to Daventry service is estimated to save an average of 326 km (204 miles) per road-trip equivalent. This equates to at least 1.7 billion grams of CO2 savings per-year. The service is estimated to take 6000 vehicles off the heavily congested M25 and M1 major trunk routes per year. These motorways are widely recognised as two of the busiest roads in the UK.


L-R: David Mawer (Joint MD JF Hillebrand UK), Peter Maybury (MD Freightliner), Tom Yusef (JF Hillebrand Executive Board), Lord Berkeley (Chairman Rail Freight Group), Dave Boomer (Maritime Transport), Jeremy Hawkins (Head of Logistics, Fosters EMEA)

Foster’s EMEA, the UK’s division of Foster’s Group Limited, which is a major provider or wine from Australia, including such popular brands as Lindemans, Wolf Blass, Rosemount, Penfolds and Beringer is among the primary clients taking advantage of JF Hillebrand’s new rail service. Since trials of the rail service commenced earlier in 2008, 75% of Foster’s containers have been moved by rail from port to the inland rail terminal at Daventry. From here, they are then road hauled the short distance to Lutterworth.

According to Rob Hollis, Foster’s Director of Regional Supply and Production, “Foster’s is delighted to be supporting JF Hillebrand in this initiative. Along with measures we have already taken such as the light weighting of glass bottles, the use of PET bottles and the transfer of packaging of some products to the local market, this represents another important development for Foster’s.

Prior to the launch of the Wine Train initiative by JF Hillebrand, there was no existing freight service operating on this route. The company has worked closely with intermodal train operators Freightliner to develop a commercially viable service that compliments pre-existing lines. The company invested well-over two-years of development to create this solution in a cost-efficient manner, whereby their customers and clients would enjoy both environmental and supply chain performance benefits without enduring any additional costs.

The Daventry terminal is on the route normally taken by HGVs running up from Tilbury. JF Hillebrand reports a direct savings in so-called "road miles,” which equates to roughly 326 per container movement (this is the round trip distance between Tilbury and Daventry). The savings between road (63gCO2/tkm) and rail (20gCO2/tkm) is 43gm per tonne km x 326km = 14018 x an average of 20t payload per movement (conservative) = 280,360gm CO2 emissions per container shipped via the rail service.

In addition, JF Hillebrand reports that they have already been in negotiations with a couple of major retailers who have expressed an interest in reloading containers with cargo emanating from the East Midlands area for delivery to the South East. The overall positive effect of these new shipping relationships will both benefit the environment and lead to further reductions in road congestion.


JF Hillebrand at ProWein
12th March 2008

JF Hillebrand will be exhibiting at ProWein, which takes place between 16th and 18th March 2008. Please visit us in Hall 6, Stand G100.

The event, in Dusseldorf, Germany, is one of leading shows for the international wine and spirits industry, with 3,058 exhibitors from 43 countries, and around 31,639 visitors from 51 countries in 2007.

On our stand, members of JF Hillebrand’s global network will be on hand to discuss your logistics needs. In addition, our colleagues from Hillebrand Bulk will be on stand to demonstrate the very latest developments in bulk wine shipping.

The event is held at the Dusseldorf Exhibition Centre and is open daily from 9am until 6pm. For more information please visit ProWein’s website at www.prowein.de  


JF Hillebrand launches dedicated bulk wine division
1st October, 2007

Following its acquisition of Trans Ocean Distribution, JF Hillebrand is proud to announce the launch of a dedicated bulk wine division. Hillebrand Bulk will give importers greater service options by combining the experience and expertise of the two companies’ bulk wine divisions.

“JF Hillebrand’s unrivalled knowledge of beverage transport, coupled with TOD’s expertise in the design, construction and use of flexibags makes a formidable team,” commented JF Hillebrand Executive Board Member Brendan McKenna. “Capitalising on the synergy of the two companies, Hillebrand Bulk will be able to provide customers the best possible service for the transport of wine in bulk, with technical expertise and customer service that is second to none.”

Hillebrand Bulk offers a full-service bulk wine solution, including supply and installation of their VinBulk flexitank. JF Hillebrand’s expertise in cased wine transport, combined with TOD’s extensive experience in bulk transport provides an unparalleled service combination in the protection of wines from extreme temperature fluctuations and other risks associated with long distance transport.

While the transportation of wine in bulk has traditionally represented just a fraction of the total volume of wine movements around the globe, bulk shipping is becoming increasingly popular for the transport wines. A single container load of wine in bulk is equivalent to over two container loads of cased wine. Not only does this significantly reduce transport costs, but it also reduces the associated carbon emissions. Furthermore, importing wines in bulk and bottling them in the destination country using recycled green glass, companies can further highlight their green credentials to retailers and consumers.


Trans Ocean Distribution joins JF Hillebrand Group to create the world’s leading company in liquids logistics.
5th April, 2007

JF Hillebrand Group, the world’s leading provider of logistic services to the beverage industry, has acquired 100% of the shares of Trans Ocean Distribution Limited, the leading and most innovative provider of transportation solutions to the bulk liquid shipping industry.

Headquartered in Mainz, Germany, JF Hillebrand employs 1000 people in 36 offices located in 22 countries throughout the world. The company reported a €500 million turnover in 2006.