First and foremost, I would like to thank our employees who are guiding our customers so safely through this hectic year. They are coping on a daily basis with the economic impact of the Corona pandemic, the global supply chain disruptions that are prevalent across many industries, and the ever-present vessel delays.
In our business, the design of trimodal logistics chains, there is currently no longer any “business as usual”. Every standard order becomes a project and requires full attention in terms of delivery times, processes and fall-back. Fortunately, our expertise and capacities in the areas of inland shipping, short sea, rail and truck mean that we have many paths and options that lead to the goal.
With early and good communication, suppliers and shippers can help us find alternatives together as soon as irregularities become apparent. For example, we have recently started monitoring the departure and arrival times of ocean-going vessels digitally and can thus react to changes as quickly as possible.
The real-time tool for ship departures/arrivals is just one example of what is currently driving us. We are convinced that digital transformation is one of the main pillars for future success in logistics. One exciting project in this context is the “Train Optimizer”. Within this framework, we are using artificial intelligence to schedule our intermodal transports. An algorithm calculates the optimal composition for the train from many influencing factors that are subject to permanent change. We expect this to result in better capacity utilisation, avoidance of diversions and greater planning reliability – in short, better performance.
For us, the future lies in ideas like these. In order to network further in this segment, we recently joined startport GmbH, an innovation platform of the Port of Duisburg. We are certain that new forward-looking concepts and logistics solutions will emerge from the connection between our young professionals from the HSL Group and logistics start-ups. With us on board, you are sure to stay on course for innovation.
The first Advent is just around the corner, so I would like to wish you and your families a reflective Advent season already now. The Haeger & Schmidt Logistics Group is looking forward to the new challenges in the coming year, which we will master together with you.
Your Heiko Brückner
CEO Haeger & Schmidt Logistics