May/June 2019
Chemical Express’ new tank
containers feature important
safety features
A
t the 2019 Aargau company award Bertschi received the
prize for the best large company in the Swiss Canton of
Aargau.
With this award, the jury honoured in particular the entrepreneurial
performance and innovative strength of the chemical logistics
company from Dürrenäsch.
The prizes, which are awarded in three categories according to the
size of the company, are intended to honour companies that shape
and advance the region with their achievements and ideas.
9
Always safety fi rst for
Chemical Express
I
Bertschi wins
Aargau award
B ULK D ISTRIBUTOR
Tank Containers
talian operator Chemical Express is always careful to spread
safety awareness across the company’s by favouring good
practice and banning risky or superfi cial behaviour.
Moreover, a continuous training programme allows workers to
analyse all potentially dangerous situations, including near misses, in
order to prevent accidents.
Proof of Chemical Express’ commitment is the recent achievement
of: ISO 45001 certifi cation (Occupational Health and Safety
Management System); ISO 39001 certifi cation (Road traffi c safety
management System); and ECOVADIS assessment (to share
corporate social responsibility performances with multiple trading
partners).
For Chemical Express, worker’s health and safety are topics always more important: for this reason 150 brand new tank containers
were recently purchased, bringing the company’s fl eet 1,500 units.
They were equipped with some specifi c safety devices such as:
• ‘Ground operator’: an air valve accessible from the ground, in
order to have the correct pressure within the tank, avoiding the
need for the driver to climb on top of the tank;
• Lifeline – if for any reason the driver is required to climb on the
top of the tank, the new containers are equipped with a
‘lifeline’; this device, in addition to the walkway and collapsible
handrail, allows him to perform operations at height with a fi xed
anchorage ensuring total safety.
Bertschi received the award in
the category of large companies
with over 100 employees. The
logistics service provider for the
chemical industry can count on
3,000 highly motivated
employees around the globe. The
family business has its roots in
Dürrenäsch, where it originated
from a small local transport
business founded in 1956 by
Hans and Rolf Bertschi and where
Hans-Jörg Bertschi with the Aargau award
its headquarters is still located.
Aargau plays a special role with a total of 700 employees - spread
across the Dürrenäsch, Birr and Brugg sites - as the global services are
managed from here and a large proportion of the approximately 80 apprentices and trainees are trained locally.
“We are honored to receive this award as an Aargau-based
company, and I would like to thank all employees who made this
possible,” said Hans-Jörg Bertschi, executive chairman.
The jury was particularly impressed by the consistent realignment of
the business to the global market, especially with worldwide tank
container transport from 2012 onwards, as up to this point the
company had been operating almost exclusively within Europe. This
step, which was accompanied by the establishment of branches in
Shanghai, Dubai, Singapore and Houston, required a great deal of
entrepreneurial foresight and courage.
“We have seen that our customers are building a large part of their
new production facilities outside Europe, especially in Asia. This led us
to follow them with our range of services. As an independent family
business, we were able to make this strategic decision in a very short
space of time and invest accordingly,” added Bertschi.
www.chemicalexpress.it