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GERMANY\\\


Rhenus Group’s Hilden secret


The German logistics giant opened a new gateway for seafreight groupage freight


in July, having enjoyed


considerable growth during the past few years. The hub at Hilden near Düsseldorf consolidates shipments and is also developing new routes.


Hamburg, Rotterdam, Antwerp - and, now, Hilden. The Rhenus Group has been operating an important hub for its sea freight business in a small town near Düsseldorf since the summer. But why here of all places? Chief operating officer for ocean


freight LCL Europe at Rhenus Air & Ocean, Andreas Saltuari, explains: “Hilden has a very central location from a European point of view. We’ve had a sea freight branch right next to one of our most important road freight business sites for a long time and we cooperate with it very closely. This means we have a direct link to our domestic and international overland traffic, which is a huge advantage.” He continues: “Firstly, our


gateway is situated in Germany’s most populous state, North Rhine- Westphalia, and, secondly, it’s close to the Western European ports. It’s only about 220-240 kilometres from here to Antwerp and Rotterdam.” Its catchment


area however


includes not only Germany but a large number of neighbouring countries within Europe too, such as the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Austria, the Czech Republic and Poland. Saltuari adds: “The advantage


for customers is that our groupage freight or LCL services operate regularly according to set timetables.” There are scheduled weekly departures to Shanghai, Hong Kong or Bangkok, for example. “Our organisation knows exactly when a customer’s shipment needs to arrive at the gateway so that it can be transported in the next container.” The


ocean freight business


unit uses the extensive Rhenus road freight overland network to guarantee that break bulk cargo arrives at Hilden in good time, moving freight to Hilden as general cargo where it is then briefly stored and then transferred to containers. “We connect the pick-up and


receiving points with each other through our gateway and can therefore ensure that the shipment remains within our own network. This gives customers additional reliability,” says Saltuari. Rhenus looks aſter the complete


organisation of any shipment - booking shipping capacity or transporting an empty container from the depot to the warehouse too.


All types of general cargo,


industrial and investment goods are shipped through the gateway. Textiles and electronic items are imported from Asia, for example, while automotive components are exported overseas. “Niche markets like transporting temperature- controlled goods are interesting for us in the medium term too,” points out Saltuari. Routes to and from Asia, the


Middle East and South America are particularly interesting, he believes. “This is also associated with the strong growth that Rhenus is enjoying in these parts of the world,” Saltuari explains. “During the initial stage, we’re focusing on markets where Rhenus is already operating and where customer demand is especially high. But we’d also like to tap into new markets like the US, Canada or South Africa,” Saltuari reveals. The Hilden gateway not only


acts as a hub for loading and unloading containers, handling cargo, providing intermediate storage and value-added services like


customs clearance, pick


and pack or repackaging items on behalf of customers. It is also developing new products. “We view ourselves as an innovation hub for our sea freight products too,” explains Saltuari. “We’re deliberately focusing on the requirements of the market and those of our customers. The basic question is always: ‘What does our customer need?’ It’s then our goal to develop new LCL services that will naturally benefit our customers.”


>> 18


with Irish through


ove rl a n d ne tw or k ,


shipments organised Dachser’s hubs in


Cologne, Germany and Zevenaar, the Netherlands. There are also daily direct connections between Ireland and the UK, mostly operated through Northampton and Rochdale. Naturally, Dachser prefers


to operate services between Germany and Ireland direct where possible, but there is a role for the UK to act as a hub for some


Issue 6 2017 - Freight Business Journal


Germany/Ireland business, says Lowe.


What nobody knows at the moment is the extent


to which


Brexit will throw spanners into the smooth movement of goods to and from the UK. “Clearly, there isn’t the customs capacity to stop everything at the border. And if there are customs barriers in Europe, how much will they complicate sourcing things from the UK?” asks Lowe. On the other hand, a systematic weakening of the Pound could


make the UK a more attractive sourcing point from a price point of view. Dachser itself has got customs in-house, which will


expertise


stand it in good stead if clearances are required for consignments moving between the UK and EU or if it decides to expand its overseas air and sea forwarding activities. Lowe also points out that


Dachser’s premises are also CFSP- certified, allowing it to carry out inland clearances. Greater use of CFSP or similar schemes in the


19


freight industry might be the best way of achieving the so-called ‘Frictionless border’ that the Government is fond of talking about, he considers. Perhaps Norway might be the


model for the post-Brexit UK to follow, he adds. “I talk a lot with our colleagues there. They are not in the EU, but they are in the European Economic Area, so they have a very simple clearance situation. VAT collection is also disconnected from customs clearance, for most companies.”


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