Integrated logistics provider

Koopman Logistics Group is one of the largest transport and logistics operators in the Netherlands. In addition to its car transport and warehousing activities, the company is increasingly focusing on the remarketing of ex-lease vehicles for leading leasing companies. Victoria Hattersley spoke to CEO Jon Kuiper to find out more.

The Koopman Logistics Group was established as a one-man company in 1930. Since then it has developed into one of the foremost automotive logistics providers in the Benelux and Germany. With a transport fleet of around 350 carriers, the company is able to provide value added services to all major OEM and leasing companies, moving more than one million cars per year.

Strategic acquisitions

The story of Koopman’s growth over the past decade or so has partly been one of strategic acquisitions in order to expand its market outreach and range of services. In 2008, for example, it purchased the company Drenth Logistics from Hoogezand in the northern Netherlands. Renamed ‘Koopman Warehousing’ in 2010, this company specialises in warehousing, order picking and European transport services and has become a part of the group’s General Cargo division (along with the companies Koopman Depotrans and Koopman TransMission).

Last year (2014) saw one of the most important acquisitions to date when Koopman took over the German company Möhlmann Automobil-Logistik, based in Neuenburg, with an annual turnover of some €130 million. This takeover will allow the group to further consolidate its position in the German market.

Mr Kuiper said of this move: “We offer a broad range of services to our customers in the car industry in north-west Europe in particular. This expansion of both our capacity and working area will enable us to offer our customers an even better service.”

Core activities

The group consists of several different divisions. Koopman Autotransport, headquartered in Noordhorn, specialises in direct car distribution throughout north-west Europe. Its customers include manufacturers, importers and dealers of 24 car brands including such globally renowned names as BMW and Volkswagen.

The group’s Born-based Automotive Solutions arm, meanwhile, is an operating base for vehicle distribution from Germany and eastern Europe to dealers in the Benelux and vehicles coming from the Belgian and Dutch ports for the German market. Its services include modifications and repairs alongside the standard logistics. Furthermore, the car terminal has deep sea, short sea, rail and road connections, meaning that Koopman, through its partners, has global connections.

The company prides itself on its ability to provide its customers with an entirely integrated logistics solution, including its stateof-the-art IT system, to ensure it offers the

most reliable service possible, adds value and reduces transport costs.

Mr Kuiper explains: “Our decades of experience in car transport mean we have the biggest offering in the Benelux region when it comes to integral supply chain solutions for OEMs. We have mastered all aspects of the logistics process from unloading, repairs and modifications to delivery to dealerships. OEMS are demanding increasingly short lead times and we can provide this by shipping directly from our sites in Germany and the Netherlands and eliminating the need for third parties. We can even deliver cars directly to the end customer if required.”

He goes on to say that an additional benefit of cutting lead times and speeding up deliveries is the reduction of the Koopman Group’s overall CO2 footprint. This is important given the increasingly stringent European sustainability criteria. The company is also in the process of bringing its entire operations up to the Euro 6 standard and expects this to be completed in the coming year.

Alongside its automotive branches, the Koopman Warehousing arm of the group, based in Noordhorn, is available to store its clients’ vehicles prior to delivery. But in addition to storage it can also offer services such as the unloading of container shipments, palletising, labeling, order-picking and / or repacking.

Lastly, Koopman Cargo – headquartered in Nijkerk – offers the transport of goods within the Benelux, ranging from garden products, paper & board to packaging. The company has around 300 curtain side trailers at its disposal, allowing it to offer a fast, efficient service 24 hours a day, six days a week.

Focus on re-marketing

Whilst automotive logistics continue to be a vital part of Koopman’s operations, Mr Kuiper explains that the fall in sales in the European automotive market has obliged the company to re-think its strategy a little. In the future, therefore, its major focus will be on automotive ‘re-marketing’ contracts for car leasing firms.

“We have recently extended a re-marketing contract with a big leasing company and this was important for us in terms of our future growth strategy. With re-marketing, we service the company’s entire fleet before delivery. We collect the cars, repair them to the correct standard and then deliver them to their destination in the shortest time possible. In short, we take care of the entire process every step of the way.”

Looking ahead, the Koopman Logistics Group expects its re-marketing business to grow across northern Europe. Mr Kuiper concludes: “We are looking to increase our client base in this area. The fact that we have recently won this major contract extension is encouraging for us. By demonstrating the efficiency of our integral supply chain services we hope to win even bigger clients in the near future to continue our growth in this segment.” n