Poland-based logistics operator, Raben Group, now has more than 11,000 people across 15 countries.
This, according to CEO Ewald Raben, is satisfying growth due to increasing reach and improving services.
“It was possible thanks to our customers, business partners, suppliers and our team of People with Drive – they all contributed to this success.
“At the same time, just across our border, we are witnessing a situation that should not be happening in free Europe, and yet it has become a reality.
“Ukraine is part of our business, and we are trying to support our employees by getting involved in various aid initiatives.
“In these difficult times, as a company we care not only about the people, but also about the environment. That is why last year we implemented various sustainability projects with future generations in mind, often engaging our customers. We believe that together we can do more.”
In February 2022, the acquisition of 100 per cent of the shares of Austrian company Bexity from its previous owner, Mutares Holding, was finalised. As a result, Raben has depots already in 15 markets and has added more than 500 employees and 16 locations to its European family. Raben and Bexity have been partners for more than 10 years, and the two companies also share a ‘green’ approach to logistics – many of the Austrian company’s terminals offer direct rail connections.
A new depot has already appeared in the new market: in Inzersdorf in south Vienna, the operator has 17,000 square metres of warehouse capacity and 900 square metres of office space, more than 90 loading ramps, four rail ramps and a 200-metre railway siding. As a result, it is able to meet the requirements of a wide range of industries while ensuring sustainable transport.
Less than 150km further to the east, but already on the other side of the border, another facility was erected. In Győr, Hungary, in March 2022, a warehouse was opened with 3,000 square metres of capacity (expandable) and several types of ramps adapted to a variety of vehicles. A month later, construction of the cross-dock warehouse in Dunaharaszti on the outskirts of Budapest began. Nearly 40 ramps, including multi-functional ones, and an expansion of capacity by approximately 75 per cent compared to the existing space allows for greater flexibility and better service for growing order volumes.
In terms of the number of investments, the real record-holder is the country where Raben’s history began. In the Netherlands, a warehouse in Etten-Leur (25,000 square metres, 38,574 pallet places) and a new depot in Hazerswoude-Dorp (1,250 square metres of cross-dock area) were commissioned last year, and in addition, construction of a new warehouse facility was started (capacity of 13,000 square metres). This is a huge source of pride for the entire Group – the first zero-emission warehouse on 15 markets, which will be completed in March 2023.
The Estonian company, on the other hand, has held the IFS Logistics 2.3 service provider certification for the transport of temperature-controlled food products since the middle of last year. Thanks to this, Raben Eesti OÜ has gained the opportunity to expand not only its existing services, but also its customers‘ portfolio.
It is also worth mentioning the solutions introduced in the company to at least partially offset the difficulties associated with the shortage of workers in the TFL industry. Raben Group has been consistently investing in Robotic Process Automation (RPA) – by 2022 robots carried out over 140 processes in the company. This solution relieves employees of monotonous, repetitive tasks and allows them to use their potential for more developmental projects.
In parallel with the development of infrastructure, Raben Group continued its extensive project to expand and reorganise its connections on the Old Continent. This endeavour was launched in 2018 in Germany and entered a key phase in 2021 with the inclusion of nine countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Baltic coast.
Reacting to the economic situation and the needs of customers, but also taking into account its acquisitions and investments, the operator integrates the distribution networks of the acquired companies into its own system and additionally launches new lines. By the end of 2022, Raben already had more than 600 international connections within Europe, including nearly 180 so-called groupage linehauls running between Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Czechia, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
In the last 12 months alone, the Group launched more than 40 new routes in this extremely important European region for the Group. This result was made possible also by opening the smallest branches in each country to direct international volume exchange.