Bertschi shows the way

DRIVE THROUGH THE CRISIS

INTERMODAL • BERTSCHI HAS REVEALED THE EXTENT OF THE IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 CRISIS ON TRANSPORT VOLUMES AND BUSINESS PERFORMANCE IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE YEAR

THE BERTSCHI GROUP reports that it has “so far coped well with the effects of coronavirus”, helped in no small part by the prompt and successful way its China operation tackled the challenge at the outset. Similarly, it says, major investments in digital transformation over the past two years enabled it to shift 80 per cent of its office-based staff to home-working “within days and with no impact on quality”.

However, as it says, the group cannot escape the impacts of Covid-19. Business volumes in its core European transport business fell by nearly 20 per cent between the start of April and early July, largely due to a slump in demand from the automotive and consumer durables sectors and, as a consequence, the chemicals they use.

Nevertheless, Bertschi says its business performance over the first five months of 2020 was “satisfactory” in view of the major challenges it faces. “The road back to normality will take some time, however, and there is a continued risk of further setbacks,” the company says. Recovery in the automotive and consumer durables sectors is expected to be slow, lasting perhaps to the end of 2021.

“We do not expect global demand for chemicals to return to pre-crisis levels until the end of 2021,” says Hans-Jörg Bertschi, executive chairman of the group. “However, we do see short-term opportunities in the market and can implement the necessary investments very quickly thanks to our robust financial situation.”

MONEY TO SPEND The company notes that many of its customers have responded to the crisis by diversifying and strengthening their supply chains, and sustainability has become more important. Bertschi is looking to seize these opportunities by offering new services that will help compensate for the loss of traffic overall. Its existing focus on combined transport, in which block trains cross national borders, has enabled smooth transport operations during the crisis, during which borders were closed for a time, preventing the passage of trucks and drivers.

“Even during the crisis, Bertschi is proactively seizing new opportunities in the market and investing in innovative and sustainable customer solutions,” says Jan Arnet, group CEO. “This applies to both the European market and our global services, where we see considerable potential for further growth.” Bertschi has already announced that its efforts in broadening the use of digitised solutions are being accelerated even further.

To help that responsiveness and financial stability, Bertschi has secured long-term liquidity through additional bank loans, signed under what it says are “favourable borrowing conditions”. Hans-Jörg Bertschi explains: “In addition to long-term liquidity, we have achieved our objective of attaining sufficient room for manoeuvre to proactively take advantage of opportunities offered by the market even during the crisis.”

PLANNED SUCCESSION The Bertschi Group has also taken steps to bolster its Board of Directors, with two new appointments made at its AGM on 4 July. It has brought in Kurt Haerri, currently a senior vice-president at Schindler, where he has worked since 1987. Haerri has spent many years in China and for eight years to 2014 was president of the Swiss-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, where he is currently a member of the board. “His many years of experience in the Chinese market and in global supply chain management will bring new impetus to the Bertschi Group,” the company says.

Also joining the board is Jörg Berner, the first third-generation representative of the Bertschi family. He joined the company in 2016 as project manager in strategic projects and in 2018 helped establish the new company site in Houston. “Jörg Berner’s appointment to the Board of Directors is in line with the succession concept and the Bertschi family constitution of 2009, which aims to facilitate the transition from the second to the third generation with a transitional phase between the generations,” the company notes. www.bertschi.com

BERTSCHI SAYS BUSINESS PERFORMANCE HAS BEEN