SLK Cement has expanded its own rail fleet to transport raw materials and cement. One hundred modern four-axle gondola cars arrived in the midst of the construction season to ensure that the company's products were delivered to customers on time.
An increase in own fleet ensures the stability of cargo transportation and guarantees timely delivery of goods to customers. As during the period of the general shortage of gondola cars, which is a characteristic of the summer period, the risk of growth in the volume of products not exported on time decreases. One more “sore” topic for the transportation market which is being solved (in part): is a risk fines being imposed for excess idle time. Judicial practice has now developed in such a way that some operator companies were able to collect fines for idle time of wagons based not on the terms of the contract, but on the basis of the Railway Transport Charter, according to which the permissible time of a car turnover at the terminal loading and unloading stations is limited to only 36 hours and the fine rate is 6 times higher than the market, thereby the cost of transportation increases, affecting clients of cement plants.
“The acquisition of 100 new gondola cars allowed us to increase the share of our own cars in the total used car fleet by almost 10%,” noted Evgeny Grishchenko, Logistics Director of SLK Cement. “In this way, the company reduces the risk of product delivery delays, increases the share of high-quality wagons supplied for loading cement, and reduces transportation costs. In general, all this helps to improve the quality of customer service."
Today the fleet of railway cars (hoppers, gondola cars and dump cars) of SLK Cement counts 570 units. The quantity is determined from those requirements for the transportation of cement and raw materials that constantly prevail at SLK Cement, that is, the equipment is always involved and does not stand idle.
