PRESERVING THE ENVIRONMENT IS OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITY
How does the Logistics Sector at Pivara Skopje function and what are the main activities of this Sector?
In its current structure, the Logistics Sector at Pivara Skopje was established 5 years ago. Our primary task is ensuring complete movement, timely delivery and tracking stocks of finished goods, intermediate goods, raw materials and packaging. We are in charge of finished goods warehouses, and warehouses housing raw materials, intermediate goods and marketing materials, and cooling equipment. We are also in charge of the complete primary distribution in Skopje, the transportation to our distribution centers, and the last, but certainly not the least, managing Pivara Skopje’s fleet.
The Sector is divided into three sections: finished goods warehouses, warehouses housing our raw materials, intermediate goods and marketing materials, and consumer logistics and transport.
What are the latest trends in logistics and what is the future in this area when talking about consumer goods industry?
Large majority of companies producing consumer goods transfer all operations in the area related to primary and secondary distribution to specialized service providers. Third-party logistics has been a trend in the last ten years. In this particular concept, producers tend to see logistics and distribution as a non-essential area of their overall production activities and transfer such activities to other specialized companies. Companies constantly run detailed analyses to identify the areas in which certain processes may be transferred to a third party led by the benefits from constantly improving the quality of their operations, increasing the level of efficiency and cutting costs. In this manner, they are able to focus more on their primary activity and completely dedicate to what they do best: producing and selling top quality products.
I can freely say that when it comes to this particular area, Pivara Skopje is a pioneer in Macedonia, being the first company relying on services offered by other specialized companies. One of the first steps taken at the start of Pivara Skopje’s privatization process was the use of third-party providers’ services.
What are the best practices you can emphasize at the moment which can serve as an example to other businesses in the country?
Continuous employee trainings should be a constant process. Creative thinking which contributes to improving systems is something that should be implemented in every segment. An important example of advancement of processes is the introduction of systems, such as LEAN or SIX SIGMA adding to faster and more efficient operations. These methods for improving operations primarily come from the automotive industry and the practice shows that such methods may be applied in all segments of the production process, storing and distribution. Rare are the companies in our country which apply these methods to advance their operations. For several years now, Pivara Skopje has been certified by CCHellenic in the area of Lean Logistics.
How does the logistics sector contribute to the advancement of the social corporate responsibility of Pivara Skopje?
As a socially responsible company, Pivara Skopje has initiated the process of modernizing its partner’s fleet. Namely, last year, we have drafted a list of distribution criteria that our suppliers should meet so we can continue our cooperation. It is our objective to contribute significantly to the protection of the environment through the vehicles used to distribute our products. Using only vehicles meeting the strictest environmental standards EURO 5 and EURO 6 is one of the basic criteria we have set.
Please tell us something more about the latest innovation in the area of logistics – the hybrid vehicle. What are the main features and advantages of the hybrid vehicle and why was it introduced?
Preserving the environment is our strategic priority. Our objective is to provide a personal contribution and raise the overall awareness of the community we belong to. We are all discussing the advantages of electric vehicles, so using a hybrid vehicle was the logical next step and we are the only ones to use it.
Imagine, a beautiful sunny day on Vodno: our distribution vehicle delivers products and we are certain that it does not harm the environment. Imagine another situation where there would be a need for supply of products in the City Park and the vehicle would move at a safe speed of around 10 km/h, without any harmful gas emission. This particular responsibility we have assumed is surely setting new standards and I am convinced that other companies will not take long to follow.
Our environmentally-friendly hybrid vehicle is powered by a 150hp diesel engine, assisted by a 54hp (40kW) electric motor. When started, the vehicle is electricity powered and once it reaches speed of 10 km/h, car’s computer calculates the power that each of the engines needs to supply, so the transfer from one to another power supply is barely noticed. The energy supplied to the battery is generated upon braking, when the electric motor is powered which then assists the diesel engine both when the vehicle starts to move and upon acceleration. The vehicle is equipped with a standard stop-start system which additionally helps save fuel. According to the tests done to the vehicle, it features on average 23% less consumption of fuel compared to conventional vehicles and less CO2 gas emissions.
