Global warehousing: Right location secures supply chains
In this segment, a. hartrodt focuses on strategically selected company-owned facilities.
With a clear focus on logistics hubs with global relevance, a. hartrodt is continuing to develop its growth segment of warehousing. “Widespread geographical coverage is not a sign of quality. What matters is having a presence in the right place,” says Jan Buelck, Head of Sales at a. hartrodt. Therefore, the family-owned company is strategically positioning itself with its own warehouses in strategically selected locations such as Raunheim (Germany), Genoa (Italy), Hong Kong (China), and Melbourne (Australia). “A large number of locations does not automatically mean better performance. For us, quality comes first, not quantity,” he explains.
Direct access to sea and air freight hubs
“In our warehouses, we can intelligently bundle and redirect goods flows or switch flexibly between sea and air freight,” says Jan Buelck. All locations are characterized by direct access to international seaports and/or air freight hubs and also serve as gateways for neighboring economic regions: “A stable infrastructure with reliable customs processes is strategically important for our customers.”
Industry expertise and modern warehouse technology
From numerous discussions, the Head of Sales knows that trade and industry must react quickly to market changes, require stable supply chains, and want to keep their costs under control: “Only when all these points are met, does a warehouse actually offer added value for our customers.” At carefully selected locations, teams with industry-specific expertise work with modern warehouse technology under consistent safety and compliance standards. “We can store sea freight volumes cost-effectively and complement time-critical shipments by air freight,” says Jan Buelck. This reduces production downtime.
The value-added services include order picking, quality control, repackaging and labeling, customs and hazardous goods handling, consignment stock, and cross-docking. According to Jan Buelck, a. hartrodt's network “will only be expanded where our customers really benefit”.