Girteka Logistics Meeting Logistical Demand

MEETING LOGISTICAL DEMAND

Efficient logistical solutions are the key to moving time-sensitive produce across Europe and beyond. Jens Romer Sode, COO Scandinavia of Girteka Logistics, discusses the company’s latest investments in the space

Writer: Marcus Kääpä | Project Manager: Eddie Clinton

Each year, our drivers collectively travel the equivalent of 75 times the length of the world’s equator, delivering our goods to people in Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region and beyond.”

This tremendous undertaking is made by none other than Girteka Logistics UAB (Girteka), the logistics companies group that blends traditional trucking with modern technology, to safely transport products ranging from ice-cream and fresh fish to valuable electronics and lifesaving medicine on time and across a swathe of countries in the three regions.

“We are the largest European asset-based transportation company, transporting more than 820,000 full truck loads every year,” continues Jens Romer Sode, COO Scandinavia at Girteka. “Overall, we have around 18,000 drivers across the whole of the company and own and operate about 9,600 trucks and trailers.”

Across the company’s Scandinavian brands, Girteka operates around 1,500 trucks and trailers, manned by 3,000 drivers and supported by an additional 1,200 people in its offices. With its eyes set on continually improving this environmentally friendly fleet, the company is the first choice in efficient and sustainable time-sensitive digital logistics.

“Girteka is a growing logistics company,” Sode tells us. “In Scandinavia, we want to grow somewhere between 20 and 30 percent top line, and of course we have our four- and five-year plans, but in a year we want to become a half billion-euro company.”

And Girteka is set to do just that. Combining its reliable hardware (trucks, trailers and warehouses), skilled employees, high quality processes and IT capabilities, the company is moving forward in the all-important logistics space, underpinned by a focus on greener operations.

IMPROVING THE INDUSTRY

According to Sode, the current logistics environment in Europe is unique.

“There is a limited, and even diminishing, number of available

EME OUTLOOK:

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR PAST EXPERIENCE IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN INDUSTRY?

Jens Romer Sode, COO: “I have been in the logistics and supply chain sector for about 30 years. It was around the early 1990s when I became interested in this space, and it was a time when global sourcing and the international supply chain became a centre of focus for many people.

“I joined Maersk Line back then, and they were (and have been since) one of the leaders in the shipping logistics space, and I found the international processes very interesting. The technology was very rudimentary at the time but even then, there was an understanding to combine a global network through technology and new trade routes, and this especially gained momentum with China joining world trade organisations.

“From the 1990s up until the 2008 financial crisis the sector saw significant growth, and since then the complexity of supply chains have only increased, so it remains a continually engaging space.”

Super Cargo has been in charge of lorry transportation in the Adriatic for more than two decades, due to its dynamism and ground-breaking practices.

Today, it provides integrated solutions for the transport and movement of vehicles and freight in the wider Mediterranean area as well as the sea routes to Western and Northern Europe.

At the same time, using our online booking platform, you save on time and cost, while maintaining constant contact with your vehicles and loads.

Super Cargo undertakes all the preparation and issuance of the required documentation for the transportation of any oversized vehicle throughout Greece, as well as the wider Balkan region.

On request, we can provide you with escort vehicles in order to ensure that your oversized cargo and vehicle conforms to the highway code and safety regulations throughout it’s journey.

Super Cargo maintains constant contact with the Greek tourism industry, a major part of which is yachting. In this context, we carry out the formalities, arrange transportation and undertake the escort of all types of recreational vessels to their destination, in the most important marinas of our country.

Whether you choose to send your cargo through sea, road, or rail, Super Cargo can fully accommodate your needs in the most professional way. Through its extensive network of partnerships, Super Cargo can provide you with train services ensuring the cheapest and quickest means of transporting your cargo throughout Europe’s most favorable routes.

Moreover, Super Cargo can provide you with bookings for the most known tunnels amongst cargo carriers, Mont Blanc and Frejus. However, Super Cargo does not stop here. Since 2018 we are the preferred distributor of EUROTUNNEL services in Greece, hence being in position to provide our clients with multiple choices in crossing the English Channel whether these are over or under the sea.

Speed, flexibility, consistency & efficiency since the founding of Super Cargo, these have been the four main pillars of our operation.

We have the specialised personnel and state-of-theart technology that enable us to offer personalised solutions, quickly, accurately and with guaranteed results. Our commitment to the basic principles and quality of our services has ensured our company a leading position in its field.

But above all else you will have...

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drivers at the moment, so the industry is extremely interesting,” he explains. “More than 200,000 drivers are missing from the logistics sector in Europe alone and so individual drivers are very much in demand presently.

“This means that those who can pay more for quality drivers are able to receive them and gain logistics capacity over others, so it has formed a more competitive industry.”

Yet it is not only the declining number of driving personnel that is changing the sector. Sustainability is also playing a large part in how customers and clients look for partners in the pan-European logistics space, and keeping up with the best and latest in the field places some players ahead of others.

“There are all sorts of things happening in the sustainability space. Gone are the days when you used an old, environmentally damaging diesel engine; the world is looking towards other forms of energy, such as biofuel, LNG, and electric battery trucks, although the latter is still some way away yet for long haul international transportation,” Sode tells us.

“But what is most critical when it comes to operating as sustainably as possible in the field is making sure that your trucks are moving with full loads. If a truck is moving a third or half of a load, it is still polluting more

ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY

For Girteka, being an environmentally responsible company means getting the balance of economic, social, and environmental factors right. With this in mind, keeping the world safe and clean for future generations is a priority for the company.

Girteka strives daily to maintain the highest environmental standards throughout the business. It works to conserve resources like energy and water, and to raise awareness among employees and in the community.

GREENER TRUCKS AND TRAILERS

Girteka has the newest and most environmentally friendly fleet available, a modern selection of more than 9,000 trucks with an average age of just two years, that all meet Euro Six emission standards. Compared with earlier models, they release much less CO2 and other pollutants into the environment, and the trailers use the latest fuel-efficient cooling technologies, with solar batteries used to charge the cooling units.

The main goals of Girteka’s environmental management system (EMS) are to:

– Reduce pollution, CO2 emissions, and waste.

– Increase the sorting and recycling of waste.

– Build awareness by involving employees and partners in efforts to protect the environment.

– Apply green criteria for purchasing.

– Comply with environmental legislation.

– Prevent potential environmental incidents and be ready to address any that might occur.

DKV Mobility

DKV Mobility is Europe’s market leader for premium services covering all aspects of on-the-road supply and mobility for truck and car fleets.

GIRTEKA LOGISTICS has already experienced the benefits of DKV BOX EUROPE, one of DKV Mobility’s products – single toll box for eleven European countries.

The DKV BOX EUROPE supports EETS, the European Electronic Toll Service, making it easier for road users to pay tolls while driving through Europe with a single device and a single contract partner. In addition, the plug-and-play installation, automatic billing and convenient operating functions ensure maximum time savings.

www.dkv-euroservice.com

INTERNATIONAL DIESEL SERVICE (IDS)

IDS is part of Q8, one of the world’s largest integrated oil companies. IDS is dedicated to serving the needs of long-haul and international road transport companies. It offers market-leading security and control solutions for fuel transactions.

With more than 800 competitively priced and strategically placed fuelling locations, IDS covers all major road routes in Europe. The highquality product line and additional service package make IDS one of Europe’s leading fuel card suppliers.

We would like to thank Girteka Logistics for their partnership and trust in our international fuel solutions and we look forward to continuing our cooperation.

ids.q8.com

or less the same amount as a truck with a full load. So, when it comes to the planning and execution of truck logistics, making sure that there is an efficient network of fully loaded trucks is paramount.”

Then there are intermodal solutions, such as utilising railway networks, that both increase the efficiency of goods transportation while being a greener solution over multiple individual trucks.

“Having some loads taken by rail allows us to increase the loads, as trains can take far more weight, and the pollution levels also lower as a result,” Sode says. “This kind of efficiency comes in very useful when transporting time sensitive and temperature-controlled goods, because if a load is stopped at a location for one day, that is one more day that the fresh fish cannot be sold or kept at a supermarket or a restaurant. So, in our business, time really is money!”

QUALITY AND SAFETY

Girteka takes pride in the fact that the company, which owns over 9,000 trucks and trailers, is constantly improving the quality of services it provides to its customers. Girteka wants to make sure that every shipment, every delivery and every interaction with its customers is done with a purpose and with the utmost attention to quality.

With the goal to continuously improve, promote training to employees, and be mindful of the surrounding environment (including the goal to slash CO2 emissions), Girteka’s certificates serve as a reminder of the hard work that has led to the company in the present.

Girteka’s certificates also allow the company to expand the services that it is able to offer to its customers, including the Good Distribution Practise (GDP) and the IFS Logistics standard 2.2 certificates. In addition, Girteka’s certificates cover quality, physical cargo, including pharmaceuticals and medical products and food safety, occupational safety in the transportation of chemical products and environmental protection standards, showcasing the company’s ability to transport goods across Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, Kazakhstan, and other CIS countries, as well as Middle Asia.

GROWING TO MEET THE MARKET

Utilising the latest technology in the supply chain sector, Girteka’s digital and transparent collaboration platform mutually benefits both the company and its subcontractors. Girteka’s goal is to be open to all carriers on the market, with the expectation that 70 percent of the standard freight forwarding process can be digitised.

“The theme of what we are trying to achieve is our transformation from being a good trucking company to a great logistics solutions company,” Sode explains. “We will move towards increasing the provision of IT solutions and process capabilities, not only when it comes to our own trucks, trailers and warehouses, but also with strategic partners.

“We are very deeply integrated with systems, applications and products (SAP), and we use a company called project44 that specialises in improving operations, on-time delivery, inventory management, customer experience, and visibility over operations, to allow people to track and trace shipments.”

This is not the company’s only realm of investment, however. Due to the shelf life of many of its products, Girteka will also continue to expand the capabilities of its warehousing and strategic storage locations, each

Effective and flexible cargo operation Helsinki-Tallinn-Helsinki eckeroline.com/cargo

“WE ARE THE LARGEST EUROPEAN ASSET-BASED TRANSPORTATION COMPANY, TRANSPORTING MORE THAN 820,000 FULL TRUCK LOADS

EVERY YEAR” - JENS ROMER SODE, COO, GIRTEKA LOGISTICS

of which are important hubs for the company.

“Girteka has expanded to two new cold chain warehouses, one in Oslo, Norway, and the other in Padborg, Denmark, on top of the existing facility in Rotterdam, Holland,” Sode says. “What this allows us to do is move fresh produce in a closed network while also allowing the discharge of delivered goods in storage, for instance fresh fish or fruit, that can then be sold later at auction and taken to a different country, such as Poland, the UK, France or Spain, without spoiling the produce.

“It is like a postponement strategy, and the cold chain warehouses keep the produce fresh without being frozen, because fresh produce like fish or fruits hold more value than that of frozen produce. By having these options, we can offer more flexible solutions to our customers, so that is the reason behind such an investment.”

PLANNING AHEAD

Moving ahead with its growth plans, Girteka has its sights set on multiple areas of improvement to continue to meet the demands of the logistics space.

“We already have a leading position in the market for making solutions in the fresh produce logistics space, so we want to sustain this and extend it further to develop a dominant edge within the Scandinavian market,” Sode elaborates. “More specific areas of focus lay in areas such as our continued digital investment in the likes of SAP and visibility platform apps.

“On top of this, we will expand our warehouse capacity because we are already reaching full capability. In all three cold chain warehouse locations, we are going to be seeking new facilities with greater capacity to answer the demand of the future.”

Tel: +370 5 239 4090 info@girteka.eu www.girteka.eu