Anyone thinking of a company with 110 years of history probably doesn't immediately think of innovation. But logistics service provider Rotra, in particular, is fully committed to trends such as Business Intelligence and sustainability. "We are perhaps one of the most innovative logistics companies of the Netherlands."
Rotra, a family company with around 900 employees in the Netherlands and Belgium, keeps a close eye on market innovations, says managing director Machiel Roelofsen. "We have been in business for over a century, but at the same time we are a very innovative company. What matters most in this market is who can move along best. Although we don't have to lead in everything. We keep an eye on developments and choose our own path in them."
Transport by inland waterway
According to Roelofsen, there are three trends that dominate the current market - and therefore Rotra's business. "First of all, there is innovation across the board. Many new business models are emerging. As a result, we have increasingly developed as a one-stop shop in recent years. For example, we have added inland waterway freight transport to our portfolio and have started to focus on green logistics."
Business Intelligence
Then there are the technological developments. These are causing a shift at Rotra. "As a logistics service provider, we are increasingly developing into an IT company. Business Intelligence (BI) plays a big role in our services. We have implemented good ERP systems for all modalities in recent years. We have linked these together. Over this, we have laid BI applications. An example: we fly from both Brussels and Amsterdam to Hong Kong. Via BI, we can see exactly which departure is cheapest at which time. For instance, we can see whether it is more advantageous to drive the cargo from Brussels to Amsterdam first and fly to Hong Kong from there. There are numerous applications we have implemented in this way."
Emission-free
A third trend identified by Rotra is the increasing demands for sustainability, both social and ecological. Roelofsen: "On the social front, we obviously have to ensure that we remain an interesting employer in this tight labour market. On the ecological front, we are busy implementing and producing sustainable and innovative solutions. For instance, we were the first service provider in the EU with a truck running on ethanol. In addition, we have our own inland shipping terminal, which allows us to transport many more containers at the same time and have significantly lower emissions than by truck. At the terminal, we have built a multimodal filling station for the 'clean' fuel LNG. Rotra's fleet now provides 22 trucks running on LNG as a sustainable alternative to diesel. Ultimately, we want to be completely emission-free. In what timeframe, we don't know. That depends on the technology available."
Logistics Day
Machiel Roelofsen is one of the speakers at the Logistics Day on 7 February in Tiel. This annual summit brings together 200 logistics directors, SC managers and specialists to discuss the future of our sector. Last chance to register with a discount for this unique networking event; as a relation of LogistiekProfs, you will now receive a 50 euro discount ovvv LGPROFS50 via www.logistiekdag.nl.
