NGlobal Magazin 01-2010

Niedersachsen Global www.nglobal.de Logistics 13 Green Logistics The Osnabrück based company Hellmann Worldwide Logistics  is one of the world’s leading providers of logistics as well as a  pioneer for climate friendly logistics. Interview with Karl Engelhard, General Manager, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics by Inka Ziegenhagen Mr. Engelhard, Hellmann started to build an intercontinental network as early as in the 1980s. What is your strategy for internationali- sation for the next few years? Today we have 443 offices in 157 countries. This in- cludes 210 branches as well as a network of exclusive partners. We do attach great importance to cooper- ating with partners we have carefully chosen. Their expertise and knowledge of the markets as well as ties with customers are a mainstay of our worldwide air and sea freight network. We only open a branch of our own if we are unable to find suitable partners. If and when new markets open up we will access and develop them. At this point we are well-positioned and are not planning any expansion. Everybody is talking about sustainability. Will the issue gain in importance and will the logistics sector reinforce its commitment in this respect? I am sure the issue will become much more important. In 2009, due to the economic situation, reactions were still cautious. Over the next few years though a commitment in this area will become increasingly important. Customers enquire more and more fre- quently about the CO2 emissions their shipments are causing. We are convinced that “Green Logistics” will represent a significant competitive advantage in the future. We are the first providers of logistics in Germa- ny to have received certification according to DIN EN ISO 14001 in 1996. We offer services in line with the principles of ecological, economic and social respon- sibility, and we have to intensify our efforts and build on our role as pioneers in the field of sustainability. Are you also thinking about alternative concepts for transport? Of course we are constantly working on alterna- tive solutions. In 2007 we ran a very successful test with Eurokombi. Unfortunately, its introduction was stopped by the government at the time. Now there are new tests which give rise to hopes for this op- tion which makes sense both from an ecological and from an economic point of view. For the past few years we have also focussed on shipments by rail. At the Hellmann locations in Osnabrück, Hamburg, Han- nover and Bremen we use trains on the North-South axis to Frankfurt, Basle, Nuremberg, Regensburg and Landshut on a daily basis. Every day we transfer 150 lorry transports from the road onto rails, which cor- responds to a CO2 reduction of over six tons per day. What is it that sets the location of Niedersachsen apart? Niedersachsen is ideally suited for being a logistics location. Our locations of Osnabrück and Hannover/ Lehrte benefit from a good infrastructure. In Lehrte we are situated right next to the A2, close to the A7 junction. The A1/A30 motorway junction and the cross-shaped “tower” railway station of Osnabrück likewise offer excellent opportunities for transport. The deep-water port of Wilhelmshaven also offers new opportunities for us. Photo: Hellmann Worldwide Logistics Photo: Hellmann Worldwide Logistics “Green Logistics will represent a significant competitive advantage.” Karl Engelhard, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics Hellmann Worldwide Logistics Founded in 1871, Hell- mann Worldwide Logis- tics is a global leader for logistics with a network of 16,500 employees working in 157 coun- tries. The range of serv- ices offered includes traditional forwarding agents’ services, i.e. transport via lorry, rail, air and sea as well as a wide array of KEP serv- ices (courier, express, parcel), supply chain management and cus- tomized solutions for specific sectors includ- ing IT. In 2008 Hellmann achieved a turnover of 2.87bn euros with 8,900 employees.