Portugal Pioneers Electric Transport for IKEA with New Cross-Industry Partnership

(IN BRIEF) Portugal is taking significant steps towards sustainable transport with the launch of heavy-duty electric vehicles for IKEA product transportation. Starting in late June, KLOG will deploy battery-electric vehicles from Scania to transport goods from the IKEA Industry factory to Porto Harbour and IKEA stores. This collaboration, initiated by IKEA Supply Chain Operations and Scania Group in 2023, marks a bold move in the Portuguese market, addressing challenges in infrastructure development. The initiative includes route planning and efficient charging solutions, with support from the Portuguese Port Authority of Leixões. The project exemplifies how cross-industry cooperation can drive the shift towards decarbonized transport.

(PRESS RELEASE) SÖDERTÄLJE, 19-Jul-2024 — /EuropaWire/ — The transition to sustainable transport transcends the mere replacement of conventional vehicles with electric ones. It encompasses the establishment of new cross-industry collaborations, exemplified by this forward-thinking initiative to introduce heavy-duty electric vehicles for transporting IKEA products in Portugal.

Starting in late June, logistics company KLOG will launch the first of several battery-electric vehicles from Scania to transport IKEA products from the IKEA Industry factory in Paços de Ferreira to the Porto Harbour in Leixões and IKEA stores.

This pioneering collaboration and electric transition are the fruits of discussions initiated by IKEA Supply Chain Operations and Scania Group in 2023. These steps mark a bold entry into the Portuguese market, where heavy transport electrification poses significant challenges, and local infrastructure development is in its nascent stages. Similar electric transitions for transporting IKEA products are underway in southern France and Poland.

The shift to electric transport in Portugal has been made economically and practically viable through meticulous planning of routes, energy usage, and charging times for the battery-electric vehicles.

IKEA Industry will employ a pick-and-drop solution, where the vehicle’s trailer is left at the depot and replaced with a loaded one, maximizing vehicle uptime and eliminating empty runs. Charging solutions will be provided at the harbour by the Portuguese Port Authority of Leixões (APDL), with additional facilities expected at the IKEA Industry factory.

“To be able to make a real shift towards transport decarbonisation, we need to collaborate across the value chain,” says Dariusz Mroczek, Category Area Transport Manager at IKEA Supply Chain Operations. “Today’s announcement is a great example of how we reduce carbon emissions and find scalable solutions together.”

“At Scania, we have made it our purpose to drive the shift towards a sustainable transport system. Although the technology for sustainable transport is ready, the deployment and scaling of it often requires that the relevant actors come together. This collaboration shows how it can be done in practice and I hope it inspires others to follow suit,” says Evalena Falck, Head of Strategic Account Management at Scania.

“History is being written, and we are of course immensely proud to be among the first in Portugal to run electric goods transportations. Our vision is to be recognised in the international market as a leading logistics company in excellence of services, consistently providing high standards of quality to our customers and promoting responsible business and environmental practices,” says Egídio Lopes, Managing Director at KLOG.

“The port operations we run have a significant direct influence on the Portuguese economy. We recognise our responsibility to contribute to sustainable development and strive to be a leading force in the transition to a carbon-neutral future, not least by enabling electrified transports,” says João Neves, President of the Board at APDL (Port Authority of Douro, Leixões, and Viana do Castelo).

For more information please contact:

Anders Norrman, Corporate Communications Specialist
anders.norrman@scania.com 
+46790992563

SOURCE: Scania