Power and the passion

Netherlands-based OEM, Van Eck, strives to meet and exceed the expectations of its customers with every trailer it produces. Starting from the initial order right through to delivery, Van Eck relies on a strong team with access to an extensive aftersales network to ensure the best customer experiences.

Van Eck, established in 1912, provides innovative transport solutions for cold chain carriers. company’s main production facility, including production and R&D teams, is based in Beesd whereas the company’s dedicated aftersales and service site is situated next to it.

“While access and know-how transfer between the production and aftersales teams provides the best service to our customers, our R&D team also benefits from observing the whole product life cycle as input data for further product developments,” Van Eck said.

“In our main service, Van Eck experienced service team also provides maintenance and repair, planned maintenance service, damage repair and changeover projects.

“Taking into account our international customer base, in the last two years we focused on our aftersales network expansion and today Van Eck has 158 authorised aftersales points in 22 countries.

“From these service points, we assist our customers directly with service and maintenance issues they may face. Regular training and evaluations are being carried out as part of upkeep of our network as Van Eck constantly improves the competencies of its service points to offer the service quality parallel to the highest quality of the Van Eck trailers.”

The OEM also provides 24/7 roadside assistance which is available in 23 languages across 27 countries.

As trends in the transportation of temperature-sensitive goods, Van Eck has identified reliability as the most immediate challenge – especially in light of demand for pharmaceutical products and vaccine distribution.

According to IATA research, even though the global pharma industry has been booming, the air cargo share of global pharma product transport has declined due to a lack of compliance and standardisation, across the air transport supply chain.

IATA said in a statement that as consequence, “products are rendered worthless and harmful for patients due primarily to temperature deviations and annual product losses range between $2.5-12.5 billion USD, unacceptably high in a $300 billion USD a year market.”

As a solution, IATA established the Center of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) to assure standardisation in air cargo logistics, as well as to improve the level of competency and operational and technical preparedness.

CEIV advocates globally accepted standards and regulations, establishes validation checklists developed alongside the industry, develops training content, certifies operators and locations and manages database of certified instructors and validators.

“Today, many of Van Eck’s customers in the air cargo segment are CEIV Pharma certified carriers or supply chain operators,” Van Eck said. “With our state-of-the-art FRC and FNA certified air cargo vehicles, we are proud partner of our customers as we support them to fulfill the requirements of CEIV Pharma Standards.”

Another industry challenge, according to Van Eck, is the climate crisis.

“As it has been acknowledged by Paris agreement, climate crisis is a fact which requires global action to reduce the CO2 emissions to mitigate the adverse effects of global warming,” Van Eck said.

“Taking into account the CO2 reduction targets that Paris Agreement imposes, our twindeck concept stands out with its immediate impact on CO2 emission reduction.

“We offer twindeck vehicles with plywood and isolated upper structures. Whereas isolated twindeck vehicles enable you to carry 53 euro pallets in one trip, your CO2 emissions are decreased linearly as a result of the 60 per cent more loading capacity.

“To tackle the CO2 reduction challenge further, our R&D team also focuses on the smart loading and unloading systems, such as movable floor option in the twindeck vehicles or the NMLU, new modular loading unit, to streamline all general cargo packing loading, unloading and documentation processes in the supply chain.

“As part of a Horizon 2020 project Clusters 2.0, our R&D department focused on load factor optimisation which resulted in operational efficiency benefits up to 50 per cent and load capacity efficiencies of average 20 per cent, distributed along with the players of the logistics systems.”

As part of NMLU achievements, Van Eck Trailers won third place at the Trailer Innovation 2021 awards in the category ‘Environment’.

Van Eck’s trailers are designed and built with uncompromising quality in Beesd for the aim of getting an increased return for its customers. As a result, the Van Eck R&D team focuses on maximising the load factor while providing smart loading and unloading systems to eliminate operational lags and inefficiencies.

Today, Van Eck’s product range comprises five categories: Eckstreme, Eco Co2mbi, Eckcellent, Eckspress, and Eckspert Series. In each category refrigerated upper structures are available to meet the specific transport challenge of its customers.

One of the first developers of twindeck trailers, Van Eck presents Eckstreme Series, which is the benchmark for the industry. The isolated twindeck can carry 53 euro pallets, 39 industry pallets or 87 roll pallets. Also, the vehicle body is constructed with isolated panels suitable for cold chain supply.

The isolated twindeck can also be offered with an isolated movable floor for maximum efficiency, loading flexibility, ease of loading and shorter loading time.

Eckspress Series stands for the air cargo vehicles that are offered since 1983 with various upper structures. Especially in refrigerated segment, Van Eck’s extensive experience in air-freight transportation results in a unique box construction with wet-in-wet panels that provides high quality isolation performance.

Van Eck’s FNA and FRC air cargo vehicles are also certified according to EU Commission Guidelines on Good Distribution Practice (GDP) of medicinal products for human use which are based on Article 84 and Article 85b (3) of Directive 2001/83/EC which lay down the provisions for distribution of medicines in the EU with certificates approved by Pharma/GDP authorities.

In order to meet and overcome the demanding, heavy air cargo pallet loading and unloading operations, Van Eck vehicles are equipped with strong chassis and floor design. The superior heavy duty floor construction provides the solid base for the whole upper structure, which enables you to carry forklift operations within the vehicle, even in the kingpin section.

As a result of the accumulated experience in air cargo transportation, Van Eck R&D team introduced Van Eck Rollerbed System in 2007 and currently Van Eck is the only trailer manufacturer to design and produce its own roller beds.

Van Eck is also reported to be the only trailer manufacturer that can offer an automated driving system to maximise operational health and safety.

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