Your tank container experts

TWS has more than 25 years of experience in renting out standard and special tank containers for liquid products to the chemical and food industries. TWS also provides various sizes of spill troughs. Customers rely on the outstanding quality of its fleet and value its flexibility in terms of volume and technical features. For more information: E-mail: tws@tws-gmbh.de and web: www.tws-gmbh.de

Best Year For Den Hartogh

Den Hartogh achieved record results in 2022, despite “depressing global economic events” and the war in Ukraine, as well as the climate emergency and supply chain disruptions, the company reports. Revenues rose by 29.5 per cent compared to 2021 to reach €741m and EBITDA was up by 46.2 per cent at €98m.

During 2022, Den Hartogh increased its investment to €61m, focusing on expanding its owned tank container fleet and expanding its reach with new gas tanks, chassis, LNG trucks, ultra-light trailer equipment and other activities to improve efficiency and safety. The acquisition of the Muto Group at the end of 2021 proved successful, Den Hartogh reports, and its acquisition of Hedenskogs in Sweden enabled it to create its own hub in the Gothenburg area, including storage, heating, cleaning, and a home base for trucking activities.

Commenting on the results, managing director Pieter den Hartogh says: “We started the year still impacted by Covid, but volumes increased rapidly. We were forced to adapt to circumstances we never thought would happen. Looking back, I can say that we did adapt, as one team working together. We finished the year with a historically low percentage of customer complaints. This showed that our service level and communication were under control, a tremendous effort given the turbulent and volatile times. We are increasingly able to connect with our customers at a tactical and strategic level to resolve their supply chain challenges together.

“Overall, 2022 was a year we can all be extremely proud of,” he adds. “Together, we provided a solid backbone to further accelerate sustainable growth in the years to come and achieve our ambitious goals. We continue to make a difference for our customers every day, something I very much look forward to doing.” www.denhartogh.com

Stolt Sees Normalisation

Stolt Tank Containers has reported revenues of $193.9m for the first quarter of its financial year, to end-February, down from $228.5m in the previous period. Although there was a slight increase in shipments, transport rates dropped in line with container liner rates; in addition, an easing of logistics bottlenecks has

$44.9m in the fourth quarter 2022 to $39.3m. Lower revenues were offset to some degree by the continued decrease in ocean freight costs as well as inland trucking costs. Utilisation dropped from 67.0 per cent to 64.7 per cent as volumes out of Europe weakened. Nevertheless, Niels G Stolt-Nielsen, CEO of parent company Stolt-Nielsen Ltd, says: “The tank container market has been holding up remarkably well. However, our expectation in the coming months is that we will move towards normalised market conditions.” www.stolt-nielsen.com

Combined Cleaning

Boasso Global’s merger with Quala was completed last month, creating a specialist in the tank container and tank trailer cleaning, repair and maintenance sector, with more than 150 locations in North America and Europe and upwards of 2,400 employees.

“We are embarking on an exciting journey together,” the two companies state. “This strategic combination will further enhance our connectivity to customers, expand our global footprint and bring new opportunities for our team members as part of a larger combined organisation.” www.boassoglobal.com

For now at least, the two companies will continue under their existing brands.

Odyssey Quits Trucking

Odyssey Logistics & Technology Corp has sold its bulk tank truck subsidiary, Linden Bulk Transportation, to Boasso Global for an undisclosed sum. Odyssey says it is focusing on meeting the complex logistics needs of chemical suppliers and that the sale of Linden is “aligned with Odyssey’s forward-focused strategy of providing neutral-to-transport solutions, allowing the company to utilize the full universe of carriers for the benefit of its customers”.

Glenn Riggs, chief strategy officer at Odyssey, explains more: “Boasso Global is an excellent home for Linden’s employees and customers. Moving forward, Odyssey will continue to focus on growing our adaptive multimodal logistics offerings on a global scale through customer-centric relationships, an expansive multimodal freight network and specialized modern technology.”

In other news, Odyssey has named Hans Stig Moller as its new CEO. Moller has more than 20 years of experience in global logistics, having started with Maersk, where he led the spin-off of Bridge Terminal Transport and acted as CEO until Bridge was acquired by XPO. Moller stayed as president of XPO Drayage.

“Odyssey has a reputation of excellence within the industry and is well positioned to take share in the rapidly changing supply chain landscape,” Moller says. “Going forward, I will be focused on Odyssey’s business expansion, employee development, service integrations and continued dedication to serving our customers’ needs.” www.odysseylogistics.com

Nexxiot Adds Rail Sensors

Nexxiot has released a new multipurpose Vector sensor for the rail industry, offering the ability to monitor the condition of brakes, hatches and doors on rail cars. The sensor complements a growing portfolio of Nexxiot Asset Intelligence technology, which is used by transport companies to remove uncertainty and risks associated with safety and cargo quality.

The design of Vector sensor creates optionality for clients to address multiple use cases with one versatile architecture and connects wirelessly to the Nexxiot Globehopper gateway, providing easy access to data to enhance decision-making capabilities.

“Both rail operators and cargo owners benefit from this innovation,” says Paul Wielsch, CTO of Nexxiot. “With increased attention on safety, compliance, and resource security, Vector sensor offers multiple stakeholders the opportunity to monitor processes and demonstrate to their clients that they take maximum care when it comes to safety and cargo quality.” nexxiot.com

Rhenus Wins In Pharma

Rhenus has won a contract from SkyCell, a Switzerland-based manufacturer of temperaturecontrolled containers, to handle reverse logistics around the globe. The deal is an extension of the two companies’ existing cooperation, under which Rhenus operates service centres for SkyCell in the UK and Germany.

Rhenus is also expanding its range of services for its customers through the cooperation arrangement. The latest technology for hybrid packaging solutions, for example, enables secure transportation for critical medicines, including vaccines, and other temperature-controlled goods.

In addition, Rhenus has completed a new 20,600-m2 temperature-controlled warehouse in Strasbourg, which is already serving customers in the healthcare products sector. The facility includes three cells with differing temperature ranges and was built in keeping with new technical and environmental standards.

“In Alsace, Rhenus has invested heavily in logistics for the region’s local and international industrial companies, in order to support their growth. Our expertise in healthcare logistics is based on our employees’ broad range of skills, as evidenced by specific certifications in the healthcare field,” says Laurent Schuster, CEO of Rhenus Logistics France. “We’ll be continuing our investment strategy to support our customers’ economic development over the coming years, with future real estate projects in the pipeline, both in Alsace and in the rest of France.” www.rhenusgroup.com

Pick Up The Fort Vale Remote

Fort Vale has announced a new remote closure system for this year. Building on Fort Vale’s reputation for the highest safety standards, the system removes the need for tank operators to be on top of the tank while opening valves, radically reducing the changes of a mishap should they slip.

Among other benefits are the system’s compact design and stainless steel construction; its 180° operation and low-friction cable that make it easier to operation; lockable for added security; ambidextrous design to give increased flexibility during fitting; and operating housing suitable for a range of valve sizes, rather than separate housings for different valve sizes; a bearing-guided operating cable rod for stable operation, protected by a housing to minimise damage; and clear ‘open/closed’ indication.

www.fortvale.com