The transport sector is doing well. Turnover may have fallen slightly in 2016 (-0.3 per cent), but transport volumes rose by 2.3 per cent. Companies in road and rail transport saw their turnover rise. Forecasts for 2017 and 2018 are also favourable for these companies, according to ABN Amro's Transport and Logistics sector forecast.
According to ABN Amro, a clear dichotomy can be seen between the different carriers. For instance, the turnover of operators in inland shipping and short sea shipping still lagged behind. These companies' volumes are likely to increase in the coming years, but price pressure persists. Road hauliers continue to benefit from the recovering construction and retail sectors. Rail carriers benefit from the pick-up in economic growth, the increase in the construction sector and chemical industry. However, they do suffer from restrictions on the Betuwe Route.
Logistics service providers saw their turnover fall by 1.6 per cent in 2016. As such, they fared somewhat less well than the transport sector as a whole. Goods storage companies remained at the same level. They will continue to benefit from the continued growth of e-commerce in the coming years.
The number of bankruptcies over the past year shows that the sector is on the right track.In 2016, there were
239 companies went bankrupt. That is a 2 per cent decrease compared to 2015.The decrease was in the first
three quarters of 2016 was strong. In the fourth
quarter of 2016, the number of
bankruptcies increased again. The bankruptcy rate
is still quite a bit higher in the transport sector
than in the Netherlands as a whole. In 2016, the
bankruptcy rate of the transport sector was
0.62 per cent, while in the Netherlands as a whole it was 0.32 per cent.
View the full report here.
Editorial LogistiekProfs
