New Managing Director at a. hartrodt in Vietnam

Thorne Laudy has been Managing Director of a. hartrodt logistics (Vietnam) in Ho Chi Minh City since January 1, 2021. The 34-year-old succeeds Michael Krutil, who after seven years in the Southeast Asian country is moving back to his home country, to a. hartrodt in Nuremberg, to take over as Head of Site. Laudy has restructured the Vietnamese national company: "We now have cross-location export and import managers responsible for both offices in Ho Chi Minh City and Vung Tau." This gives customers even better options and more expertise from a single source. There are no changes to the operational structure.

Established team on-site

At the end of May, Laudy can finally fly to Vietnam with his wife and baby. Due to the Corona-related entry ban, he will have to operate from Hamburg until then. He is pleased that his more than 20 employees " have managed everything well" on-site in the first few months without him. Laudy works closely with his colleagues at a. hartrodt logistics (Vietnam): "Their honest, very open feedback is enormously important."

Growth through "China plus one" strategy

Laudy knows how the Asian market works: The Management Assistant for Freight Forwarding worked for a. hartrodt recently for 3.5 years in Shanghai (China), and before that just as long in Seoul (Korea). "Vietnam is currently undergoing one of the greatest developments in Asia," he observes. This is because more and more companies, such as the Korean electronics groups Samsung and LG, are setting up production sites there as part of the "China plus one" strategy. In view of the economic growth of between 6.5 and 8.1 percent expected in Vietnam in 2021, Laudy is pursuing organic growth targets for a. hartrodt: "This concerns modes of transport in all directions".

By the beginning of 2022 at the latest, Laudy wants to open a third office near a production center in Hanoi/Haiphong. "North Vietnam has a hub function for China, also for rail transport," he explains. With three operational locations, he wants to expand and develop a. hartrodt's Vietnamese company.