Audi hails Shanghai port as sustainable distribution hub

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Audi is taking advantage of the Haitong Port in Shanghai in its efforts to reduce carbon emissions, seeing the port as one of its major distributing channel for its imported vehicle business.

"China's ports can be a benchmark among global ports in terms of comprehensive capacities, with its advanced technologies, green efforts, optimized systems, and abundant staff," Feng Bo of the Quality Assurance department at Audi China said.

Among Audi's three major import harbors in China, the Shanghai port serves as a crucial hub for the East China region, including Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces. While there isn't much difference in terms of import volume between the three ports (Tianjin, Shanghai and Guangzhou), the Shanghai port's favorable location between the north and south make it a preferred choice for temporary vehicle storage, according to Feng.

With the Shanghai port being a key distribution channel for its imported vehicles in east China, Audi is actively exploring and implementing innovative solutions for sustainable logistics in collaboration with the port.

It has taken the lead in innovatively reducing carbon emissions by purchasing Green Electricity Certificates at Haitong Port to power its infrastructure. This strategy is being implemented until the Shanghai port achieves its goal of 100-percent renewable energy supply through a photovoltaic power generation system currently under construction, Feng said.

Of note, Audi is actively negotiating with the Shanghai Haitong International Automotive Terminal to make use of its automatic storage and retrieval system (SA/RS), of which the construction is to be completed soon and will become China's first fully-automated warehouse.

This automated warehouse will centralize parking and retrieval of vehicles without manual intervention, significantly reducing carbon emissions generated during the movement of vehicles within the port.