TNT marks fifth year of the Asia Road Network

Sept. 6, 2010 - PRLog -- TNT marks fifth year of the Asia Road Network with a further investment of €4.5 million over the next two years
Bulk of investment earmarked for new fleet of trucks specially designed for Asia

Malaysia, 26 August 2010 – TNT, one of the world’s leading express integrators, today announced that it will make further €4.5 million (About RM17.95 million) investment in its successful Asia Road Network (ARN), which currently serves six countries and 127 cities in Southeast Asia and southern China. This brings the total investment to date in the fully integrated ARN to more than €12.5 million (Around RM 50 million).

Most of the new investment will be to acquire a fleet of trucks specially designed to suit pan-Asian routes. The 41-foot trucks and trailers are larger and more environmentally friendly than their predecessors. This announcement coincides with the fifth anniversary of TNT’s unique ARN. TNT has had brisk and growing demand for its road solutions in the last five years. Capacity on the ARN has grown over 20 per cent year-on-year. At the same time, volume between 2009 and 2010 (year to date) has grown by 70 per cent.

Onno Boots, Regional Managing Director of TNT Southeast Asia and India said, “Five years ago, we announced our intention to develop a road network in Asia, very much like our Europe Road Network. We were the first to attempt such an ambitious project in Asia, and we faced a set of unique challenges. TNT did what we do best, which was to innovate, facilitate and create an unrivalled road network that offers our customers a combination of cost efficiency, speed, security and reliability. Over the years, we have seen the profile of freight diversify to include more high-value goods, such as electronics, healthcare products and automotive and industrial equipment.”

Transporting goods by road on the ARN is, on average, 30 per cent cheaper than air transportation and three times faster than sea transportation. Apart from cost efficiencies from using the ARN, TNT has also noted that more businesses in Asia are taking steps to reduce their carbon footprint by using overland transportation when the speed of delivery is not the most important factor. In the future, TNT expects to see a further shift in transportation from air to road as the ARN and other international transport routes continue to develop.

Gerry Power, Managing Director of TNT Malaysia & Brunei said, “The ARN is the backbone that cohesively connects Malaysia, SEA & China to each other and to the rest of the world. In the five years since its inception, it has become a well accepted alternative to air transportation for our customers in Malaysia, who extensively rely on it to move their goods efficiently and cost effectively.  Malaysia occupies a key position in the ARN due to its strategic location and we are committed to enhance the ARN by investing in our fleet and bringing in one-of-its kind, Euro 6 spec 41 footer trucks which are three tonnes lighter, have 20% more load bearing capacity with enhanced security features like camera in cabs, GPS tracking and remote locking mechanism. All of this with 17% less carbon footprint than the industry standards to ply the 7,650 km long (and growing) ARN”.

The ARN is seamlessly linked to TNT’s air networks and is supported by its multiple facilities across the region, most notably the S$20 million TNT Regional Hub – an integrated air and road hub located in Singapore.

Redefining road transportation in the APAC region

TNT’s new fleet will comprise of 12 trucks and 14 41-foot trailers. Produced by Scania, the  model R380 trucks were specially designed for TNT and tailored specifically for maximum efficiency on pan-Asian routes. The trucks are also amongst the first Scania R-series assembled and sold in the region, coinciding with TNT’s requirement for double beds for the long, 7,650km routes within the ARN. These new trucks represent the future of road transportation in the region. TNT and Scania have collaborated closely on design and security features which are still, to this day, completely unique in the region. The security systems have been provided by Astrata, with whom TNT will continually partner to ensure systems and processes are kept up to date.

Some of the design features of TNT’s new trucks include:

•   Increased capacity – capacity on the new trucks is 20 per cent greater than that of previous trucks
•   Lighter – three tons lighter than predecessors, meaning reduced wear and tear
•   Enhanced security (partnering with Astrata) – in-built security system that enables efficient, round-the-clock remote monitoring of the trucks
•   Greener – improved fuel efficiency and reduced emissions; new trucks are 17 per cent more efficient when measured against the industry benchmark.

The first two trucks have been delivered to TNT and will commence service immediately.

David Stenberg, General Manager, Asia Road Network said, “In a recent report , the total volume of road freight carried domestically and internationally in Asia is expected to grow by 8.4 per cent for the next four years, from 2,090 billion tonnes-km in 2010 to 2,889 billion tonnes-km in 2014. A number of years ago, TNT recognised that there was a fantastic opportunity to create and invest into a road network that spans the region and offers customers an attractive and safe middle option in freight transport, outside of air and shipping. We are very proud of our new fleet of trucks, they represent the future in trucks, as does our ARN in road transport.”

TNT plans to announce further security enhancements to the ARN and plans to expand the road network further into mainland China and subsequently into India.

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Notes to editor:

About the Asia Road Network
Established in 2005, the Asian Road Network currently links 6 countries across 127 cities - a distance of more than 7,650 kilometres. The TNT Asia Road Network offers businesses a cost and time effective solution with a land transport service that will provide significant savings compared to air freight and with transit times that are two to three times faster than sea freight.  


About TNT’s Express division

TNT’s Express division is one of the world’s leading express delivery services providers. It delivers 4.4 million parcels, documents and pieces of freight a week to over 200 countries using its network of 2,409 depots, hubs and sorting centers. The division operates 26,310 road vehicles, 48 aircraft and has the biggest door-to-door air and road express delivery infrastructure in Europe.

TNT provides businesses and consumers worldwide with an extensive range of services for their mail and express delivery needs. Headquartered in the Netherlands, TNT offers efficient network infrastructures in Europe and Asia and keeps optimising its global network performance. TNT serves more than 200 countries and employs about 160,000 people. Over 2009, TNT reported €10.4 billion in revenues and an operating income of €648 million. TNT is quoted on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange. TNT recognises its social responsibility and has formed partnerships with the United Nations World Food Programme and the United Nations Environment Programme to fight hunger and pollution in the world. Our efforts are being recognised: In 2009 TNT again reached the highest score of all companies included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. More information about TNT can be found on its website http://group.tnt.com.

For more information and inquiries, please contact:
Nazeen Koonda
Mongoose PR
nkoonda@mongooseasia.com
+603 21666650
+6012 3375786

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