Ikea stores in Portugal now supported by Scania electric trucks
The new Scania electric trucks deployed in Portugal will transport Ikea products from the IKEA Industry factory in Paços de Ferreira to the Porto Harbour in Leixões, and IKEA stores.
Similar electric transitions for the transportation of IKEA products are also taking place in southern France and Poland, according to Scania.
The deployment of its trucks in Portugal marks Scania’s first move in the southern European country, where the Volkswagen subsidiary says the electrification of heavy transport is “challenging and the development of local infrastructure is still in early stages.”
“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, Ikea Supply Chain Operations. “Today’s announcement is a great example of how we reduce carbon emissions and find scalable solutions together.”
In terms of infrastructure, charging solutions are being provided at the harbour by the Portuguese Port Authority of Leixões (APDL) and are expected by Ikea at the Ikea Industry factory. To optimise operations, Ikea Industry has implemented a pick-and-drop solution that sees the vehicle’s trailer left at the depot and replaced with another loaded one. This measure maximises the vehicle’s uptime and avoids empty trucks.
“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 of APDL (Port Authority of Douro, Leixões and Viana do Castelo).
Ikea is no stranger to electrification measures and has implemented these at numerous Ikea locations globally. This includes charging facilities for customers as well as conducting deliveries and logistics operations with electric vehicles.
Scania has been a little slower off the mark, only having expanded its range into more speciality electric commercial vehicles earlier this year and vowing to continue with combustion models till 2040. Although Volkswagen Group saw a shrinking of its electric vehicle sales so far this year, commercial and heavy-duty electric vehicles have still delivered the company’s greatest increase in electric vehicle sales. Navistar and Volkswagen Truck & Bus saw an increase of electric vehicle sales by 330 per cent and 347 per cent respectively. Not so Scania, with sales dropping 36 per cent.
Like its competitor, Volvo Trucks, Scania introduced a pay-per-use model this year to support companies with the upfront costs of switching to electric vehicles.
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