Essers grows tank container fleet

TANK TAKEOVER

ACQUISITION • H ESSERS’ TAKEOVER OF TANK MANAGEMENT TAKES IT INTO NEW TERRITORIES AND ADDS TEMPERATURECONTROLLED TANKS FOR CHEMICALS AND FOODS

BELGIUM-BASED INTERMODAL operator and bulk logistics provider H Essers has acquired the Oslo-based tank container operator Tank Management A/S, adding to its tank operations following the purchase of Huktra in 2018.

The development of its liquid bulk chemical transport operation is part of H Essers’ long-term strategic plan and also fits in with its focus on synchromodality –

H ESSERS NOW HAS 2,000 TANK CONTAINERS UNDER

ITS CONTROL AFTER RECENT ACQUISITIONS the intelligent combination of various modes of transport. It operates warehouses, trucks and road tankers, as well as tank containers. H Essers says 41 per cent of its operations are multimodal in nature.

The transaction also greatly expands H Essers’ geographical footprint for liquid chemical logistics, adding operations in France, the Netherlands and Scandinavia. It can now offer tank container operations right across Europe, from Gibraltar to the Urals.

In addition, the takeover further strengthens H Essers’ ability to provide temperaturecontrolled liquids transport for pharmaceuticals and foodstuffs as well as for chemicals. WHAT THEY SAY Tank Management, a family-owned business, was founded in 2006 and has evolved into a European specialist in temperature-controlled tank container transport for chemicals and foodgrade products. Aside from its Oslo base, it has offices in Le Havre, Milan and Rotterdam and owns 800 modern tank containers. All its tanks are fitted with real-time tracking as well as sensors to monitor the temperature of the contents.

“After the substantial growth Tank Management has recorded in recent years, it is now time for the next step,” say the Nordbo and Philippe families, the owners of the Norwegian-French company. “Thanks to the acquisition by a strong industrial player such as H Essers, Tank Management will continue to excel in service, to grow and to expand its expertise in the coming years.”

“The acquisition of Tank Management fits into our strategy of sustainable development of synchromodality within the chemical segment. It enables us to offer our customers a new way of managing transport flows, which are not only more efficient but, thanks to this approach, also more sustainable. It’s a win-win situation for all parties: customers, logistics service providers and our community,” adds Gert Bervoets, CEO of H Essers.

“Tank Management is a family business that shares our values,” Bervoets continues. “As is the case in our company, safety and quality are paramount. As an example, material and equipment are renewed with a high frequency, to ensure that the operations meet the most stringent standards and strictest requirements. We are very much looking forward to welcoming our new colleagues into the warm-hearted H Essers family and to shaping our future together.”

As was the case with the Huktra acquisition, the leadership team at Tank Management will stay with H Essers. Both firms will now concentrate on integrating and consolidating operations.

Following the acquisition, H Essers now

has some 2,000 tank containers under its control and a total annual turnover of some €100m. It currently employs around 6,000 staff at 77 locations in 19 countries.

BUILDING IN ROMANIA While H Essers is expanding its tank container operation, it is also adding to its logistics and distribution capabilities in Romania where, it says, demand from the chemical and pharmaceutical industries is very high. In May this year it completed a 10,000-m² expansion of its warehouse for high-Seveso goods in Bucharest.

“When H Essers erected the first building in Bucharest in 2013, we were only one of the few players in the area with a warehouse complex for chemical and pharmaceutical products,” says Jeroen Fabry, business unit manager for Romania. “In fact, we were also one of the few logistics service providers in Romania to offer Seveso-certified facilities. In Romania, many chemical products are still stored in standard warehouses even today. In view of our broad expertise, we can completely live up to our specialist role in this area.”

The gap in the market offered plenty of opportunities, and the demand for H Essers’ services was high from the start. “Fortunately, we have plenty of capacity,” says Fabry. “Up until now, we’ve had to expand roughly every two years to meet demand. It’s not a matter of building more and then taking on new clients later; the client chooses us and we expand based on their needs.” The Bucharest site now has 60,000 m² of warehouse space following the latest expansion, while H Essers also undertook an 8,000-m² warehouse expansion and installed a new office complex at its Oradea site in 2017/18.

“Expansion allows us to support more pharmaceutical and chemical clients and offer them a safe environment to store their products,” adds Fabry. “Like all of our other buildings, this new building meets the strictest requirements. Thanks to the state-of-the-art fire extinguishing system, this building is fully equipped to store hazardous goods.”

H Essers deliberately chose to adhere to more than just the local legislation governing the warehousing of highly flammable goods. “The bare minimum isn’t good enough for us,” says Fabry. “We are committed to achieving the highest level of safety for our clients and our employees. We won’t settle for anything less.” www.essers.com