Opportunities and challenges
Transcription
Opportunities and challenges
ta n k c e u n e ws Nr. 1 September 2006 Opportunities a n d c h a l le n g e s by Henk Hofman 01 Editorial 01 Henk Hofman (e) 02 Henk Hofman (d) 03 Internal issues 03 Fredi Hugelshofer (e) 05 Fredi Hugelshofer (d) c o n t e n t s 07 Chemical division 07 Silo-Tank 08 Hinterberger 09 IAT Kemi 10 Food division 10 Dekker 11 Albert Keijzer 12 Laabs 13 Planners’ page 13 Transfood 14 Lehnkering 15 Meetings 15 Madrid 16 Hamburg (e) 17 Hamburg (d) 18 Sponsors & colophon 18 Burg Industries 19 Marpobel Antwerp 19 Colophon Let me start this first edition of TankceuNews with a bright and optimistic look to the future. Both the current economic situation and the prospects for 2007 are very good. The result of this is a considerable increase in the number of loads available on the market. Generally speaking, in the past our sector has taken advantage of growing turnover, but has failed to translate this into higher freight rates, even though under normal circumstances one would expect rates to increase. Unfortunately it has often been the opposite! Through a strong desire to raise turnover and attract more customers, plus the way in which the latter, using tenders, have reinforced this attitude, freight rates have steadily decreased. The fact that costs have not kept pace with this development has led to a sharp deterioration in profitability. Not surpris- ingly, the results published by national and international road transport companies reflect this trend: over the last couple of years many companies have experienced negative profitability. As a consequence there has been less investment and many haulage companies have reduced the size of their fleets. Considering that at present demand is greater than supply, it is essential that we do not blindly accept all of the conditions that our customers have, in the meantime, started to look upon as normal. Also we should not limit ourselves to fighting fires in order to satisfy our customers, but instead try to manage our tools, namely our road tankers and tank containers, as effectively and economically as possible. Obviously this must be done without adversely impacting on quality. Not a simple task, but if 2006 is not to be the turning point, then when will things change? For those of us who recognise this, a period of many opportunities and challenges has come. As far as cooperation within Tankceu is concerned, a lot of work has still to be done! There are many daily problems in processing cargos and satisfying customers, and it seems as if our cooperation is suffering as a result. Often there is no capacity available and no time to continue to foster the cooperation that we all agreed upon. Here lies a task for both planners and the board. Good cooperation is one of the elements that will lead to more economic utilisation of our resources and consequently to better results for all of us. 2 tankceunews Möglichkeiten und Herausforderungen e d i t o r i a l vo n H e n k H o f m a n Es ist mir ein Vergnügen, die erste Ausgabe von TankceuNews mit einem klaren und optimistischen Blick in die Zukunft beginnen zu können. Sowohl die heutige wirtschaftliche Lage, als auch die Aussicht auf das Jahr 2007 sind sehr gut, was in einem erheblichen Anstieg der verfügbaren Ladungen auf dem Markt begründet liegt. Normalerweise hat unsere Branche in der Vergangenheit das wachsende Volumen problemlos bewältigt, hat aber dabei vergessen höhere Frachtpreise umzusetzen, obwohl man diese notwendig gebraucht hätte. Leider ist oft das Gegenteil eingetreten. Ein starker Wunsch den Umsatz zu erhöhen und neue Kunden zu gewinnen und die Art und Weise wie die letzten Ausschreibungen ausgesehen haben, haben diese Entwicklung verstärkt und eine ständige Frachtsatzermäßigung zur Folge gehabt. Die Tatsache, dass sich unsere Kosten leider nicht im Gleichschritt in dieselbe Richtung entwickelt haben, hat zu einer verschlechterten Er- tragssituation geführt. Es ist daher auch nicht erstaunlich, daß die, in der nationalen und internationalen Presse publizierten Ergebnisse, einen klaren Trend aufzeigen, d.h. in vielen Unternehmen einen negativen Ertrag über die letzten Jahre. Daraus resultierend hat es weniger Investitionen gegeben und viele Transportunternehmen haben ihre Flotte verkleinert. In Anbetracht der Situation, dass der heutige Bedarf an Laderaum größer ist als das Angebot, ist es unumgänglich, dass wir die Bedingungen unserer Kunden, die unser Preis-/Leistungsverhältnis mittlerweile als normal betrachten, nicht mehr blind akzeptieren. Weiterhin sollten wir uns nicht nur darauf beschränken Aufträge zu erledigen um unsere Kunden zufrieden zustellen, sondern dabei versuchen unsere Möglichkeiten möglichst effektiv und wirtschaftlich auszunutzen. Selbstverständlich muss dies gemacht werden, ohne dabei auf Qualität zu verzichten. Das ist alles keine einfache Aufgabe, aber wenn die mo- mentane Marktsituation keine Wende herbeiführt, wann soll sich dann je etwas ändern? Für diejenigen unter uns, die dies erkennen ist eine Periode von großen Möglichkeiten und Herausforderungen angebrochen. Was die Zusammenarbeit innerhalb Tankceu betrifft, muss noch einiges verbessert werden!! Es gibt viele tägliche Probleme wie Ladungen an den Mann zu bringen und unsere Kunden zufrieden zustellen und es sieht so aus, als ob unsere Zusammenarbeit darunter zu leiten hat. Oft sind keine Kapazitäten vorhanden und keine Zeit um die Zusammenarbeit zu pflegen, so wie wir es uns alle eigentlich vorgenommen haben. Hier stellt sich uns eine große Aufgabe, sowohl für die Disponenten, wie auch für den Vorstand. Eine gute Zusammenarbeit ist eine der Grundvoraussetzungen, die zu einer wirtschaftlich besseren Nutzung unserer Möglichkeiten und schlussendlich zu besseren Ergebnissen für uns alle führt. zurück zum Inhalt 3 tankceunews SOME THOUGHTS O N TA N KC E U ’ S M A I N TA S K S i n t e r n a l i s s u e s b y Fre d i H u g e l s h o fe r From time to time it is worthwhile carefully reviewing the values and objectives of established ideas and institutions. First of all we have to ask the question: what does «established» actually mean? «Established» often has a flavour of the old-fashioned. And today nothing, absolutely nothing, especially in business, can be out-of-date. How does Tankceu measure up in this respect? Over the last couple of months we have spent a lot of time discussing whether or not to admit new companies to Tankceu, and if so, what kind. We also know from our conversations with others, that many companies, from the smallest to the very biggest, are anything but happy with their results and profits. It used to be that people felt that food transports were no longer profitable, but that (thank goodness) at least the chemical division was still blessed with good freight rates. Nowadays though, the good times in the chemical division are also clearly over. What are the reasons for this? On the one hand the «nasty» East European countries are given the blame, others, on the other hand, feel that the bad, modern habit of putting work out to tender has also resulted in the loss of those professional ethics that did remain and contributed to shaping the new, meagre rates landscape. What about the satisfaction of our member companies? When was the last time we put any serious thought into strategies and opportunities for improving our profitability? Or don’t we have enough time for that in the hurly burly of everyday working life? In my opinion the possibilities for cooperation, either with or without internal exchanges of cargo have by no means been exhausted yet, and so far our initiatives have been good. What other options do we have? Perhaps we should be more willing to say no to transports that are not costeffective, particularly as there is a greater demand than supply, especially in food transports within Europe. Our small organisation, Transfood, has had to refuse dozens of transport orders, not having been able, either within or outside of Tankceu, to find the necessary transport capacity. In a conversation with Mr. Konrad Strauss, owner of TABY, I was asked why Tankceu, with its favourable position on the European transport market, had not succeeded achieving more stable (or possibly better) freight rates in Europe. I have heard the same basic question from Dr. Hansjörg Bertschi. I was recently invited to a business event and sat at the same table as him and therefore heard his views about the European chemical transport market. Although he is unquestionably operating on a qualitatively high level for high-end customers, he too is dissatisfied with European freight rates, and therefore also unhappy with the profitability situation. Even he, whose company is in a relatively good position, wonders how things will develop in the future. Where should we go from here? What can we do? In my humble opinion we should, b a c k to co n te n t s i n t e r n a l i s s u e s 4 tankceunews as well as continuing with the never-ending quest to improve our «exchanges of cargo», pay much more attention to improving our profitability. One option would be for all of us to reject rates that are not cost-effective, and attach much more importance to our profit margins on individual jobs than to overall turnover, which, incidentally, bigger companies increasingly do in view of the economic recovery. Perhaps we should follow the example of the airlines and increasingly switch to more flexible day- or seasonal rates, and when we are offered a low-rate load, turn it down and reply with a price for which we would be willing to carry out the transport in question. Someone has to take the plunge and make sure that everyone else is aware of it. Ideally we should all act together... ... in the spirit of Tankceu. Clearly it is of fundamental importance that each company has a precise and in- depth knowledge of its own costs and freight rate calculations. Everyone within each company must be fully aware of the rate per kilometre required in order to cover costs or make a profit. This basic knowledge is available: our planners, who all have to be familiar with the calculations and costs, received a model for these at the meeting in Frauenfeld. This could act as the basis for raising awareness amongst all the personnel in a company instead of welcoming the growth of turnover or the increased number of operational vehicles. Companies who believe they will only find a cure in using Eastern European drivers or opening branch offices there, are looking for solutions that are too simplistic. Moreover, making use of the economically sound instrument of freight rate calculation plus exchanging experience in the field would make Tankceu membership even more profitable and would present our organisation in a new, attractive light. b a c k to co n te n t s 5 tankceunews G E DA N K E N Z U D E N H A U P T A U FGA B E N D E R TA N KC E U i n t e r n e s vo n Fre d i H u g e l s h o fe r Von Zeit zu zeit, lohnt es sich über den Sinn und Zweck etablierter Dinge, oder konkreter, etablierter Institutionen grundsätzlich nachzudenken. Zuerst kurz die Frage, was ist eigentlich etabliert? Etabliert hat oft den Nachgeschmack, auch veraltet sein zu können. Und veraltet darf in der heutigen Zeit, speziell im Business, nichts, aber auch gar nichts sein. Wie steht es diesbezüglich mit der Tankceu? Wir haben in den letzten Monaten viel Zeit damit zugebracht, zu überlegen ob wir neue, und wenn ja, welche Art von Firmen in die Tankceu aufnehmen sollten. Wir haben bei vielen Gesprächen auch mitbekommen, dass viele Unternehmen, vom kleinen bis zum grössten mit ihren Geschäftsergebnissen, sprich dem Unternehmensgewinn alles andere als glücklich sind. Man sprach davon, dass Food seit längerer Zeit kein Geld mehr bringen würde und Gott sei Dank wenigstens die Chemieabteilung noch gute Preise aufweise. Inzwischen sind offensichtlich auch in der Chemiesparte die guten Zeiten vorbei. Warum ist dies eigentlich so? Einmal redet man sehr oft von den «bösen» Ostländern als dem Auslöser, andererseits hat die moderne Unsitte der Tenders, mit der damit verloren gegangen Rest der Berufsethik sicher die neue, kargere Landschaft mitgeprägt. Wie steht es denn heute mit der Zufriedenheit in unseren Betrieben? Haben wir uns kürzlich ernsthaft Gedanken über die Strategie und die Möglichkeiten zur Verbesserung unserer Ertragssituation gemacht? Oder fehlt dazu die Zeit im hektischen Alltag? Einmal sind Möglichkeiten zur Zusammenarbeit meines Erachtens mit oder ohne interne Frachtbörse noch lange nicht ausgeschöpft, die Ansätze dazu waren jedoch gut. Wo könnte es sonst noch liegen? Vielleicht in der Bereitschaft, einmal für einen nicht kostendeckenden Transportauftrag nein sagen zu können? Dies umso eher, als von einer ausgeschöpf- ten Transportkapazität besonders im Foodbereich Europa gesprochen wird, und wir mit unserer kleinen Transfood Dutzende von Aufträgen ablehnen müssen, weil wir weder in der Tankceu, noch ausserhalb die notwendigen Transportkapazitäten finden können. Bei einem Gespräch mit Herrn Konrad Strauss, Inhaber der TABY wurde ich von ihm gefragt, warum die Tankceu mit ihrer guten Position in der europäischen Transportszene nicht fertig bringe, eine Stabilisierung oder allenfalls eine Verbesserung der Transportpreise in Europa zu erreichen. Den gleichen Grundton hörte ich von Herrn Dr. Hansjörg Bertschi. Ich sass bei einer Einladung mit ihm zusammen am gleichen Tisch und hatte die Gelegenheit seine Meinung über den Europäischen Chemietransportmarkt zu hören. Obwohl unbestritten auf einem qualitativen Toplevel mit entsprechenden Kunden operierend, ist auch er mit den Europäischen Transport- zurück zum Inhalt i n t e r n e s 6 tankceunews preisen, und damit auch mit der Ertragssituation nicht zufrieden. Selbst er fragt sich – aus guter Position – wie es hier wohl weitergehen soll. Also, wie soll es nach meiner unerheblichen Meinung nun weitergehen, was können wir tun? Ich meine, wir sollten ausser dem nicht enden wollenden Thema Frachtbörse dem Problemkreis Verbesserung der Ertragslage viel mehr Beachtung schenken. Eine Möglichkeit wäre z.B. eindeutig unterpreisliche Angebote abzulehnen, sprich mehr Gewicht auf die Ertragslage als auf den Umsatz zu legen, was übrigens immer mehr grosse und grösste Unternehmen im Zeichen des Aufschwunges ebenfalls tun. Vielleicht müssen wir wie die Fluggesellschaften vermehrt zu flexibleren Tagesoder Saisonpreisen übergehen, oder wenn uns eine Billigfracht angeboten wird, ablehnen und einen Preis nennen, zu dem wir es transportieren würden. Jemand müsste ganz demonstrativ damit anfangen, am besten alle gleichzeitig, im Sinne des TankceuGedankens! Eine der Grundvoraussetzungen dazu ist allerdings, die genaue Kenntnis der eigenen Kosten, bzw. der Tarifkalkulation. Jeder muss von seinem Betrieb genau wissen, welchen Kilometerertrag er braucht, um kostendeckend oder gewinnbringend arbeiten zu können. Die Grundlagen wären vorhanden, die Planners, die alle zwingend diese Kalkulation und die Kosten kennen müssen, haben ein Muster dazu anlässlich des Meetings in Frauenfeld erhalten. Dies könnte eine Grundlage dazu sein, der gesamte Kader eines Unternehmens zu sensibilisieren anstatt das Umsatzwachstum und die gestiegene Anzahl der eingesetzten Fahrzeuge zu bejubeln. Wer das Heil nur im Einsatz von Osteuropäischen Fahrern oder Filialen sucht, macht sich die ganze Problemlösung gar zu einfach. Mit einem kompetenten, betriebswirtschaftlichen Element in Verbindung mit dem damit verbundenen Erfahrungsaustausch unter den Mitgliedern, würde sich ausserdem die Mitgliedschaft in der Tankceu noch besser auszahlen und in einem neuen, attraktiveren Licht präsentieren. zurück zum Inhalt 7 tankceunews c h e m i c a l d i v i s i o n rubber-lined tank container rubber-lined tank container from above S i lo - Ta n k b y Fr i e d r i c h E i s e n ke c k As already reported to the Tankceu members, since 01.07.2006 Silo-Tank Transporte GmbH has been part of Van den Bosch Transporten BV (www.vandenbosch.com). As before, the company will be managed by Friedrich Eisenkeck and continue to go by the name of Silo-Tank. Excellent co-operation and the opportunity to fall back on resources that were not available to us before are two extremely positive features of the change in ownership. In our view this change will also help to strengthen Tankceu as a whole in the market place. Another change that the company is currently undergoing is the conversion from using mineral fuels to bio diesel. We have taken the decision to do this because it is possible to reduce fuel costs in Austria by 0,10•/litre. Furthermore the fleet has been increased by eight LAG jumbo tank trailers (15 000– 12 000–15 000 l). These trai- lers will be used especially to carry iso-cyanide for our customer Borsodchem. The additional purchase of 4 rubber-lined tank containers to be used for the transport of hypochloride and hydrochloric acids will further increase our range of services. On a personal level we are pleased to inform you that Mrs. Buchendorfer is expecting a baby in September; Katrin Helmberger will replace Mrs. Buchendorfer in the planning department ([email protected]) jumbo tank trailer b a c k to co n te n t s c h e m i c a l d i v i s i o n 8 tankceunews H i n te r b e rg e r b y H e r b e r t H i n te r b e rg e r j r. 1) SQAS-Assessment In May 2006 we successfully concluded our latest SQASAssessment; the audit included activities such as transport of liquids, dry bulk and packaged goods, tank cleaning and storage of packed goods. 2) Training for safe and economic driving In the near future we will instigate a continuous training system aimed at our drivers and which will include items such as safe and economic driving, loading, unloading, etc.. With this aim in mind Messrs Klaus Muhr and Thorsten Schultheiß, who are in charge of our technical divi- sion, took part in PROFI TRAINING at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth am Rhein in June of this year. Mr. Schultheiß also participated in a drivers’ training course with our Tankceu partner, Laabs, in Hildesheim, from whom we have received great support. Many thanks again to Dieter Kahns and Jürgen Lenz!! Through these training courses we will not only meet the requirements of our customers, but hope at the same time to avoid accidents, and save on fuel and repair costs. Because of large differences in price, we purchased 5 additional MAN trucks even though 80 % of our fleet is Mercedes. All of our trucks are equipped according to the highest safety standards; they are provided with front and side distance control or driver airbags. In addition we have purchased six 20" containerchassis from Burg/NL and 10 tank containers of 26 and 30 m3 from Welfit Oddy in South Africa. We selected the same series as Silo-Tank and therefore managed to acquire 3) Investment them at quite good prices. Our During the last year we have first intermodal traffic from invested principally in inter- Bavaria to the south of Spain is modal equipment. already running successfully. b a c k to co n te n t s c h e m i c a l d i v i s i o n 9 tankceunews I AT Po l s k a S p . z o . o . b y H a n s A . Pe te rs e n After having carried out comprehensive market analysis in Poland we decided to set up a branch office in Oswiecim, near Krakow. This location was chosen partly because of our own prior expectations and partly as a result of the research mentioned above. The following were all critical to our choice of location: > the need to be close to the existing Polish chemical industry > to be able to extend eastwards with relative ease in the long term > to have access to welleducated, qualified Polish manpower The company began operations on September 1st, 2005 in rented premises and with an administrative staff consisting of a managing direc- tor, a salesperson and two traffic managers. In addition there we had a number of trucks and road tankers. After a quiet start, the company now comprises the same administration, the same rented premises and a fleet of vehicles of 15 trucks (in part our own, the rest being subcontracted on a long-termbasis), as well as a corresponding number of road tankers and refrigerated trailers. Our main business is international traffic between Poland and Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy, Austria, Hungary and Denmark. We have already experienced good cooperation with other Tankceu members as far as transports to and from Poland are concerned, and we would like this coopera- tion to develop further. However, we have decided not to offer trucking to other transport companies, as we want to establish and maintain direct contact to and contracts with customers. After an initially quiet startup phase, one year later we are pleased to report increasing business turnover, satisfactory results and a lot of interest in the company. Our biggest problem is communication. Communication between Denmark and Poland regarding planning, transport and development takes place in English and sometimes in German without any problems. However, we have not succeeded in fulfilling our wish that our group of drivers would learn to speak and understand English or German. In order to partly overcome this problem, to which we can see no immediate solution or improvement, we have chosen to employ a trainee in Kolding, who speaks fluent Polish and Russian. In our opinion, the Polish market is very interesting and is developing rapidly. There are still problems with the infrastructure, but here too we have noticed continuous improvement. All things considered, present we feel that the effort and cost involved in setting up a Polish branch have been worthwhile. contact: Telephone: +48 33 847 42 20 Fax: +48 33 847 42 26 Managing Director: Piotr Tyrlik E-Mail: [email protected] b a c k to co n te n t s 10 tankceunews F l u v i a a n d D e k ke r j o i n fo rce s > M a a sta n k I n te r n a t i o n a l B V to co n t i n u e a s j o i n t ve n t u re > N a m e s h o r te n e d to : M a a sta n k > P l a n s fo r d o u b l i n g o f t h e ta n k sto ra g e ca p a c i t y f o o d d i v i s i o n 25 August 2006 – Fluvia Holding BV (Rotterdam) and Dekker Groep BV (Ouderkerk aan de IJssel) have agreed to jointly run Maastank International BV, operator of a tank terminal for vegoils and oleochemicals in Rotterdam’s Botlek harbour. This modern tank storage company, which as of today will be known as simply Maastank, is now owned by Fluvia and Dekker for 55 % and 45 % respectively. This is a unique collaboration between two companies that both have many years of specific experience in the transport and storage of vegetable-based oils and fats as well as oleochemicals. Fluvia’s knowledge and experience are based on bulk transport of these products in raw, half-refined and refined form in specialised tanker ships on the waterways of north-western Europe. Since 2005 Fluvia has been 40 % owner of MaasSilo (active in vegoil tank storage among other things), and since the beginning of 2006 it has been the sole owner of Maastank International BV. Dekker’s specialty originates in the transport of particularly high-quality special vegoils and oleochemicals shipped in refined form and as end product via tanker trucks throughout all of Europe. Dekker operates its own specialised tank storage company in Ouderkerk aan de IJssel. In the coming years the shareholders plan to double the capacity of Maastank (from 37 tanks holding 31 000 cbm to 90 tanks holding 65 000 cbm). The infrastructure will also be adapted for storage and transshipment and for handling high-quality special vegoils and oleochemicals. The current pier capacity and depth will soon be expanded to enable loading and unloading of not only coastal tankers but also the sea tankers commonly employed for vegoils and oleochemicals. Through the combination of their strengths and market positions Fluvia and Dekker intend to make Maastank the number one specialised tanker terminal for high-quality specialised vegoils and oleochemicals in the Rotterdam harbour. The magnitude and professionalism of the Maastank organisation and the capacity of the installation ensure the quality and flexibility that clients desire both today and for the future. contact Maastank: Peter van Oeveren tel.: +31 10 490 44 19 mob.: +31 6 270 71 741 websites: www.fluvia.eu www.dekkergroep.com e-mails: [email protected] Aerial view Maastank source: Fotografie Van Leeuwen, Zuidland [email protected] b a c k to co n te n t s 11 tankceunews 1 N ew s f ro m Albert Keijzer f o o d d i v i s i o n 2 3 4 Albert Keijzer is a multifunctional haulier with over 80 years of experience in transport, active in tanker and bulk transportation of food products. The fleet consists of more than 120 tractor units and over 200 trailer units. The company’s tanker transport operation is predominantly focussed on cocoa related products, such as cocoa butter, cocoa mass and chocolate. Through the increasing demand and orders of big customers this year the fleet has been extended by 14 tank trailers. Two tank trailers have been fitted out as jumbo tank trucks and twelve trailers have been equipped with pumps. unload using a customer’s electri-cal power, or independently using the PTO. 3 A number of the new pump vehicles have been equipped with Greensight reversing lights from Groeneveld. The system detects objects behind the trailer and warns the driver if the vehicle is moving close to objects or people when reversing. Euro 5 From mid-September Albert Keijzer will put its first Euro 5 trucks into use; the DAF XF105 with AdBlue dosage was chosen for this purpose. It is expected that these trucks will be more fuel-efficient and thus make a posi1 Jumbo tank trailer, 3 com- tive contribution to protecting partments, total capacity: the environment. 54 500 m3. All three unloading pipes have been fitted to the Topiq on-board computer 4 Communication with the rear of the tank. driver is via Groeneveld’s 2 The pump vehicles of latest on-board computer. Albert Keijzer are provided The driver has a touch screen with a Gardner Denver sani- in the cab on which he retary RVS product pump, ceives and sends his trip dewhich can be electrically or tails. In addition, this system hydraulically driven. With this allows him to make handsequipment it is possible to free calls. b a c k to co n te n t s tankceunews Laabs b y D i e te r K a h n s In 2005 and 2006 Tankceu partner Laabs purchased a total of 20 vehicles equipped with pumps for carrying liquid sugar and chocolate. We have also been able to win a number of new customers. The two pictures show the two most recent deliveries out of a total order of 6 semitrailers that have been built for Laabs by Feldbinder. In total Laabs owns over 100 vehicles that are operational throughout Europe. f o o d d i v i s i o n 12 b a c k to co n te n t s 13 tankceunews p l a n n e r s ’ p a g e Tra n s fo o d g e t s c lo s e r to i t s c u sto m e rs Transfood has recently undergone a reorganisation of personnel, one of the aims of which was to improve its responsiveness to customers. The new organisational structure has been designed to help us to do greater justice to the continuously increasing demands and needs of our clientele. For this reason, Martin Fehr, who for 5 years has been responsible for planning international tank movements, will in future oversee the whole of the planning department. In this role he will be responsible for ensuring that customer needs are met, for business development, and for ensuring continuity of customer care during the absence of other staff. As a trained logistician and certified road transport planner, Mr. Fehr possesses the essential know-how and skills required for this role. From September, Michi Kessler will take over the planning of international vehicles. In order to gain a tho- From left to right: Michi Kessler and Martin Fehr. rough grounding in the fundamentals of this role, he will accompany our truck drivers throughout the whole of Europe during a hands-on training period. Having undergone professional training in the food-grade sector, Mr. Kessler is fully equipped with all the necessary knowledge for dealing with sensitive and demanding products. With Nina Stähli, who in future will be responsible for the planning of domestic traffic, we have three motivated con- tacts at your disposal. We are delighted with this new team and wish them every success, and hope that they will enjoy the challenges ahead. contacts: [email protected] +41 52 725 01 02 [email protected] +41 52 725 01 03 [email protected] +41 52 725 01 05 b a c k to co n te n t s 14 tankceunews L e h n ke r i n g – C h a n g e s in the planning department b y M a r i n u s va n d e n H e u ve l p l a n n e r s ’ p a g e On 29th August 2006, the com- Mr. Frank van de Laar pany name of Van Ruiten’s tel.: +31 180 64 52 42 Transporten BV was legally [email protected] changed to LEHNKERING Chemical Land Transport & Administrative support planning bulk liquid chemical transport Services BV. This year there have been Mr. Robin de Geest some changes to the staff in tel.: +31 180 64 52 46 our planning department and [email protected] so we are pleased to present All of our planners speak English and German and Marco our new team of planners: Meiling also speaks French. Commercial planning bulk liquid We are looking forward to chemical transport further developing our partMr. Kees Kindermans nership with TANKCEU’s tel.: +31 180 64 52 44 members with this new team. mobile: +316 46 34 67 87 I would also like to inform [email protected] you that, since September 2006, LEHNKERING has a new Mr. Marco Meiling website www.lehnkering.com tel.: +31 180 64 52 40 with new content and a new [email protected] corporate design. You can find comprehensive information Operational planning bulk liquid about the company there, as chemical transport well as an overview of its proMr. Han van Berghem duct portfolio. tel.: +31 180 64 52 41 mobile: +31 6 15 06 40 23 [email protected] Kees Kindermans Marco Meiling Han van Berghem Frank van de Laar Robin de Geest b a c k to co n te n t s 15 tankceunews Ta n kce u i n M a d r i d fo r a n n u a l m e e t i n g by Henk Hofman 1 Tankceu members at work. 2 Good vibrations between food and chemical. 3 Our guide in Madrid. m e e t i n g s 1 2 This year our annual general meeting took place in Madrid on 12th May. Madrid had been recommended as a very beautiful city and the participants of the meeting could not help but agree! The Madrid meeting was an important one in many ways, with lots of interesting issues and developments. The Board presented a new electronic in-house magazine – TankceuNews – which has been introduced with the aim of improving internal communication. It will be sent to the members 4 times a year, starting with publication of the first edition in September 2006. To stimulate and increase exchange of transports the planners are to be given a new tool, which will take the form of an e-mail system. In order to strengthen the food division, the Board is currently negotiating with two candidate members, namely Roth in Germany and Rodella in Italy. Marinus v.d. Heuvel presented the Lehnkering enterprise (ex Van Ruiten), and Alphonse Laffont gave a presentation on the Samat Group and its activities. Mr. Wauters was asked by Mr.Cornelli, who was not able to attend the meeting, to give a presentation on BM Italia (ex Ciat Rossi). In addition, each member provided interesting details about developments in their own companies. It would seem that nowadays our customers’ demands are generally very high and that there is a lack of capacity. Nevertheless it remains difficult to achieve sound profit levels, among other reasons because of in- creased fuel and labour costs and the influence of the East European countries. Many members expressed concerns about this trend. The members were asked to inform the Tankceu secretary about each tender invitation that they receive, so that the possibility of producing a joint response can be assessed. Members committed themselves to doing this. Finally the company Indox/Ros Roca gave an interesting presentation and overview of the history of the company and its range of products. The day ended with a joint dinner, generously provided by Indox/Ros Roca, in the well-known Cava Baja. The next day the official programme was brought to a close with the members taking part in a guided tour of the main monuments of Madrid. 3 b a c k to co n te n t s 16 tankceunews www.hotel-hafen-hamburg.de Ta n kce u p l a n n e rs’ m e e t i n g i n H a m b u rg m e e t i n g s b y Pe t ra J o n g e j a n «Hummel, Hummel, Mors, Mors» (a friendly greeting in the Hamburg dialect). Hamburg – here we come!!! On 21st October, the planners of Tankceu’s chemical division will once again meet up to discuss their daily cooperation. This time the meeting will take place in Hamburg, one of the world’s biggest ports, and one that is continually increasing its capacity. With the help of Herbert Hinterberger we have found a typical hotel, directly overlooking the harbour area. The main theme of the meeting will be: «The top 10 subcontractors that Tankceu planners work with, and why.» The meeting starts at 9 am and will finish at 5 pm. In the evening, there will be a trip around the port, with a commentary from a professional captain and harbour guide, followed by a meal together on a «fishy» theme, after which it will be left up to the planners to check out the lively night scene in Hamburg. The last item on the programme on Sunday morning is a joint breakfast in the «Fischauktionshalle» (Fish Auction Hall), which is located near to the hotel. As always we will be pleased to receive input from the member companies and the planners who will be taking part so that we can draw up a firm and practical agenda that will address your interests and expectations. I look forward to seeing a lot of «old» and «new» faces in Hamburg. b a c k to co n te n t s 17 tankceunews d i s p o t r e f f e n www.hotel-hafen-hamburg.de Ta n kce u D i s p o t re f fe n i n H a m b u rg vo n Pe t ra J o n g e j a n «Hummel, Hummel, Mors, Mors» ( plattdeutscher Gruß). Hamburg – wir kommen!!! Das Hauptthema der Sitzung ist: Die Top 10 Subunternehmer, mit denen die Tankceu Disponenten am meisten zusammenarbeiten und aus welchen Gründen? Der offizielle Teil der Sitzung fängt um 09.00 Uhr an und wird um 17.00 Uhr abgeschlossen sein. Abends ist eine Hafenrundfahrt mit Erklärungen durch einen sachkundigen Schiffsführer und ein gemeinsames Abendessen mit einem «fischigen» Thema geplant. Danach wollen wir es den Disponenten überlassen, sich in das «interessante» Nachtleben von Hamburg zu stürzen. Am Sonntagmorgen werden wir zum Abschluss gemeinsam in der Fischauktionshalle frühstücken, die in der Nähe des Hotels liegt. Wie immer hoffen wir auf das benötigte Input von unseren Mitgliedern und den teilnehmenden Disponenten zu erhalten, sodass wir eine konkrete und konstruktive Tagesordnung zusammenstellen können, die ihre Erwartungen entspricht. Ich freue mich darauf viele «alte» und «neue» Gesichter in Hamburg zu sehen. zurück zum Inhalt tankceunews s p o n s o r s a n d c o l o p h o n 18 b a c k to co n te n t s 19 tankceunews MARPOBEL NV is a cleaning station for tanker trucks, tank containers, rail tank cars and barges. s p o n s o r s a n d c o l o p h o n It is localized in the centre of the Port of Antwerp at Kay 261 – 271. Because of its strategic location surrounded by chemical industry and storage companies, MARPOBEL NV is the ideal cleaning facility. MARPOBEL NV guaranties minimal waiting time by product selection and efficiency. MARPOBEL NV is SQAS assessed, and provides therefore the ECD (European Cleaning Document). MARPOBEL NV is an ISPS terminal. (24/24 guarded) MARPOBEL NV is qualified to give a final control for Bayer and Ineos. Vacuum test, hot air drying, stacking of empty containers are possible. For prices and product range, please contact us : MARPOBEL NV Blauwe Weg 7 – Haven 261 B - 2030 Antwerpen Tel +32 / 3 543 59 32 Fax +32 / 3 543 59 00 [email protected] www.marpobel.com Opening hours Monday – Friday 06.00 h – 22.00 h Colophon Editorial team General Editor: Henk Hofman, Tel.: +31 10 218 48 79, [email protected] Editorial Secretary: Petra Jongejan, Tel.: +31 10 418 05 22, [email protected] With thanks to Burg Industries Marpobel NV Antwerp Design and production Stamm & Partner AG/Zürich (CH) b a c k to co n te n t s