
3 minute read
One year with the pandemic Orkla chose Scandic Trans
from Delivered 1/2021 ENG
by Kustmedia
The transport industry and the pandemic
Text: Anna Sand • Picture: Anna Sand
When I meet with Fredrik Lång, transport manager at Scandic Trans since 2007, and Pontus Strandberg, traffic controller for the past three years, it is exactly one year to the day since Finland declared a national emergency. How has the pandemic affected the company, their daily work and the customer contact?
Fredrik and Pontus are part of the team responsible for all import from and all export to Sweden. They have a close collaboration within the group, which consists of three people in total, and it is also linked to the teams responsible for the traffic to and from the other Nordic countries.
After one year with the pandemic they have all, besides learned to telework if needed, learned to live with the uncertainty and the quick variations within the industry. – When Finland was locked down in March 2020 everything was very uncertain, and in the beginning the amount of goods went down – something we feared would continue. Instead quite the opposite happened – it quickly started increasing before landing on a higher level than usual, Fredrik continues. – The traffic balance has been askew, because the import volumes have increased, but also the export has increased in volume during the pandemic. In April-June of 2020 we noticed a decrease, which was then followed by a massive increase towards the end of 2020, Pontus clarifies. – It has become evident that the irregularities in transport are noticeably bigger now. Before we always knew when during the week and the month the peaks and respectively valleys would occur – now they may differ from hour to hour. Also during weeks that normally are quieter, like the spring break, it was full speed ahead. It makes the job more interesting, but also more challenging, Fredrik further states. However, their own way of dealing with customers has not changed that much due to the pandemic. – We mainly keep in contact by phone and e-mail – just like before. Every year we used to book client weeks with a number of client visits. That we have not been able to do now, which is sad. It is always very rewarding to meet the clients face to face, but on the other hand, fewer and fewer client visits has been the trend now for ten years.
But within the transport management on the other hand one has been forced to find new ways to communicate and cooperate – mainly via Teams and group chats. – It is an advantage to know each other and that you have worked together for a long time.
Some new elements have also become part of their work, as a result of the demands implemented by clients, when it comes to how unloading and loading should happen in order to reduce the risk of infection. – The drivers have definitely been affected more than us, Pontus states. Many clients demand a clean bill of health, some check for fever and in some places the drivers are only allowed to back the car up and wait while the client takes care of the unloading.
This requires more planning – something that the transport management helps the drivers with, as well as with filling in all kinds of necessary forms and certifications.
There are national differences in how the industry handles the pandemic and the transports have also been affected by the fact that all ferry traffic from Helsinki to Stockholm is put on hold. – Four boats are out of the picture and that clearly affects the planning and the time tables, Fredrik concludes.