What have been the latest developments at Rhenus and key investments?

In 2021 the Rhenus Group generated an annual turnover of EUR 7.0 billion with 37,500 employees at 970 locations. Other milestones include being awarded Ecovadis silver ranking and implemented an air gateway in Shanghai as well as opening more branches in Greater China and warehouses in India.

Country-dedicated websites for APAC and other countries globally are currently work-in-progress, and we target to complete them this year including translation / localisation / optimization. The Singapore website has been launched on Q1 2022.

Upcoming developments include acquisition of warehouses planned in India and Oceania, opening braches in Norway, Denmark and Columbia branch opening. Rhenus is also focussing on the opening of new Air and Less than Container Load (LCL) Gateways globally.

How is e-commerce impacting your business growth?

Our customised processes, advanced IT solutions and experience in online sales logistics allow us to implement and support e-commerce logistics effectively.

The pandemic drove e-commerce, and we have seen a 2-5% growth in the demand for related logistics solutions. Learning points include understanding the demands and expectations, being able to meet the speed of delivery at the lowest possible cost, and the need to increase warehouse capacity. Taking these into consideration, we are working out strategies to ride the e-commerce boom, which we expect to continue. Recent developments include implementing warehousing automation in Hong Kong to cater to the growth of e-commerce in the region.

What are the main trends in chemical logistics?

Some of the trends that we observe include larger warehousing footprints, which will lead to high levels of standardization, mechanization, automation and increased possibility to implement technology-driven solutions to derive economies of scale.

We also notice ncreased demand for transparency through enhanced communication: For example, in Rhenus, we are looking into enhanced integration of our systems and data with our customers’ system

The logistics industry will have to evolve to meet International HSSEQ (Health, Safety, Security, Environment & Quality) standards, increase investments in ‘sustainability’ related initiatives, and to find innovative ways to reduce their ecological footprints.

We are also experiencing the rise of automation in logistics, by reducing human interface to increase accuracy and productivity, and meet manpower/talent shortage challenges.

How has your RHEGREEN initiative taken up, and how is Rhenus advancing sustainable logistics?

Rhenus started RHEGREEN in 2019: An airfreight service developed by Rhenus Air & Ocean, which is also the world's first CO2 reduction program for airfreight. RHEGREEN offers Rhenus’ customers the opportunity to choose the most efficient aircraft from a sustainability point of view.

We are seeing more interest from customers on this program, partly due to an increasing demand for accurate emission reporting, which is one of RHEGREEN’s selling point.

For our ocean products, we have set a strong target to have our LCL product 100% carbon neutral by 2030. The carbon neutral mechanism will start from offsetting the transportation emissions with carbon credits being generated by emission avoidance projects, certified by internationally-accepted standards such as Gold Standards and VCS.

What are the key priorities and objectives for 2023?

Rhenus continues on its growth strategy globally by expanding through M&As and extending our presence in key markets. Sustainability through initiatives for greener supply chains, digitalisation, and giving back to the communities through CSR are cornerstones of our growth strategy as well.

We will continue to look into ways to innovative and improve on processes to achieve operational excellence. As a leading industry player, we are looking to enhance and showcase Rhenus as an employer of choice as well, and focus on recruiting talent and retaining staff through holistic staff development efforts, such as helping them develop on a personal level.

Rhenus is confident and poised for a new phase of growth globally in the post-pandemic era. We remain on track and focused on our customers by serving and growing with them, through innovative solutions, digitally-driven initiatives and working together to set new standards in green supply chains. Our Rhenus family-business values (including integrity, trust, and respect) set us distinctly apart as we forge deeper, trusted relationships with our partners and customers. As an employer of choice, we will continue to lead and empower our staff to achieve personal and organizational excellence, and attract the best talent to join the Rhenus family.