THE FINAL WORD

To round off each issue, we ask our contributing business leaders for their views on the same question

What qualities are needed to succeed as a businessperson in your field?

Jens Romer Sode

COO, Girteka Logistics

“The logistics space is an international sector, so speaking multiple languages can be really helpful. At the end of the day, you are signing contracts with people, so being able to meet them and speak in their own language can prove worthwhile.

“It is also very difficult to do something alone, so teamwork is very important. Lastly, on the financial side you must be able to understand the cost of your drivers at every transactional stage; we drive around the world 75 times a day - if we lost one cent per kilometre, we would be bankrupt within a few weeks!

“It is critical to understand the international nature the supply chain and logistics sector, the importance of teamwork, and how to make your operations efficient.”

Stefano Scainelli

CEO, Scame Parre S.p.A

“You must have curiosity to always do something new and the desire to compete and compare with the market. To do so, I take inspiration from our founders and above all the figure of my father, who established these qualities in our corporate imprinting from the beginning.”

Axel Pieters

CEO, Geocycle

“With the global organisation that we have, you need cultural adaptation. My corporate team in Switzerland includes nine different nationalities, and we work with people in countries such as India, Bangladesh and Nigeria, so I think that adaptation towards local cultures is absolutely necessary.”

Freddie Roe

Director of Aerospace and Defence, Astute Group

“From a personal point of view, having been in the business for 20 years, if you do this without passion and no focus on what you’re trying to achieve, then you’ll just exist and quite honestly, you’ll fail. You need to align passion and focus with an element of patience and diligence in the defence sector since nothing happens very fast. The ability to build solid relationships is crucial because these relationships will ultimately underpin your level of success.

“Secondly, as a business you must have a willingness to change, evolve, and do things differently. If you stand still, opportunities will pass you by and your customers will soon follow them.”

Are you a CEO or a Director with a company story to tell? Contact EME Outlook now!

The efficient transport of fresh produce across Europe...

GIRTEKA LOGISTICS

SUPPLY CHAIN

See page 22 00

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 our 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.

2 | EME Outlook issue 45

GIRTEKA 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 A BIT ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE OF THE SUPPLY CHAIN INDUSTRY IN THE PAST?

Jens Romer Sode, COO: “I have been in the logistics and supply chain sector for about 30 years or so. 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.”

EME Outlook issue 45 | 3

6 | EME Outlook issue 45 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 & ffficiency 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...

A trusted partner at your side, whatever your requirements may be.

booking@supercargo.gr | www.supercargo.gr

EME Outlook issue 44 | 13

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DESIGN: Stephen Giles +44 (0) 1603 363 634 steve.giles@outlookpublishing.com Devon Collins +44 (0) 1603 363 656 devon.collins@outlookpublishing.com EDITORIAL: Phoebe Harper +44 (0) 1603 363 655 phoebe.harper@outlookpublishing.com Marcus Kääpä +44 (0) 1603 363 653 marcus.kaapa@outlookpublishing.com