Ambercor in the Heavy Lift Magazine: Project cargo presses ahead in volatile markets News

Easy Does It – Pressing Machine on the winter roads

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Ambercor Shipping, a freight forwarder headquartered in Toronto, was affected "as soon as China went down", according to Christian Wagner, vice president. "Cargo out of Asia was extremely slow. By the middle of March it had started to resume somewhat, but that is when business started being delayed in Europe and also North America."

Falling enquiries

With manufacturers shutting in production, Wagner said enquiries are down by 50 percent currently. "That said, we did move a cargo out of Italy very recently. We are going back to every piece of business that we were asked to quote and asking if it is going to proceed."

He added that the oil industry has gone through downward cycles before. In terms of new capital investments, it will take time for the effects to be felt. Outside the oil industry, business remains brighter. Ambercor is moving components for a paper plant in Quebec and a super-heavy piece into the US state of Oregon, said Wagner. "We are seeing activity across all industries, from automotive to the cruise sector to power generation. It is just that everything is delayed a month or so."

To underscore the range of its clients, Wagner ticked through a variety of current activities. "Two of our biggest projects are breweries, one in Montreal and the other in Edmonton. "The tanks for Montreal are being delivered. Those have to come first because the rest of the building is constructed around them. Then comes the rest of the equipment. There are 20 tanks coming from China for Edmonton."

There is also a hydropower project in British Columbia for which the generators are scheduled for installation later this year and into next. Ambercor is also involved with the LNG project in Kitimat, as seem to be most project logisticians in Canada. Ambercor is also working on a refinery upgrade in the east, "and there are power and mining upgrades in Quebec and Newfoundland," said Wagner.

Wind power

Across the plains of Canada, the government's commitment to wind power is sustaining project logistics activity in that segment. "Last year we shipped 250 rotor hubs for Siemens out of China," said Wagner.