Strenghts

Traffic-jam free shipping

A deep-sea harbour cannot survive without sustainable connections to the hinterland and must be able to continue to guarantee smooth handling of those connections and goods flows. Antwerp East Port is located just outside the congestion belt around Antwerp, making it ideal as a Gateway Access Point (GAP). The cargoes from the hinterland are grouped in Grobbendonk and forwarded to the Port of Antwerp by inland barge, completely avoiding the road congestion.

Fast and competitive

The distance between the major container terminals in the Port of Antwerp and the transferium in Grobbendonk is only 30 km, the flow-through speed is competitive and often better than shipping by road.

Cost savings

Working closely with other terminals along the Albert Canal has to result in an optimal use of the resources and the inland-waterways ships. By also using the infrastructure in Grobbendonk optimally, the total cost for the forwarder will be structurally reduced.

Green Label

The tenant or the user of the site will not only enjoy savings for shipping his goods. He can also take advantage of the Green Label certificate. The complete site is being developed in an environmentally friendly way: solar energy on the roof, skylights, sun-hunters and transparent polycarbonate walls provide efficient, natural lighting. The site’s and the users’ waste water is purified in a natural way before it even leaves the site.

The buildings are being equipped with sustainable materials to be energy neutral as much as possible. Innovative concepts and the application of innovative technologies are necessary to achieve the ambitious objectives.
A recognised bureau will - following the successful completion of an audit - issue  sustainability certification.
The audit will also help to lower operational costs and improve the ecological performance of the building. That certification is recognised worldwide as a strong marketing tool.

The waterways of the provinces of Antwerp, Flemish Brabant and Limburg with container terminals for inland-waterways shipping.
(Source: www.binnenvaart.be)

Employment – Competence pool

It has been clear for a long time that for this region, and by extension for Flanders and for Belgium, logistics will be the major employment sector in the future. Many multinational companies have recognised the advantages of this region and have set up their distribution centres here (Lexmark, Wilkinson, Energizer, Nike, Estee Lauder, Casa…). All of the training programmes required – both blue collar and white collar – are available in the region. KHK (Geel) provides outstanding bachelor and master’s programmes in logistics. Finding the skilled personnel required is no problem….they are already here.

Customisation

Groep Heylen invests in sustainable buildings with added architectural value, that is clear. In addition, the building will only be built after the requirements and desires of the future occupant have been taken account of. After all, a simple modification can have a major impact on the ultimate operating costs of a modern distribution centre. The specifications are therefore always drawn up very precisely and in consultation. The site and the buildings will be compliant with the requirements for accreditation by ISPS, FM Global, TAPA FRS, etc.