November/December 2019
KN on the
acquisition
trail
Containers
B ULK D ISTRIBUTOR
5
Nijhof-Wassink’s Kutno site includes 42 silos, 15,000 sqm of outside storage and five warehouses
A
ntwerp-based Katoen Natie has made two major
acquisitions over the past couple of months.
First, the company reached a deal with Nijhof-Wassink to acquire
the latter’s warehousing and value added logistics business in Kutno,
Poland.
Situated on 25.5ha, the business includes 42 silos, 15,000 sqm of
outside storage and five warehouses with a total of 40,000sqm
covered space. A repacking hall, office building and technical
building are also present. All machinery and other equipment,
directly linked to, and used for, operating the facilities are part of the
acquisition.
Katoen Natie has decided immediately to expand the acquired
facilities with additional warehouses with a total surface of 16,000
sqm and 42 extra silos in the near future.
Staff, processes and facilities of the warehouse of Nijhof-Wassink in
Poland are well-known in the market. In particular, warehouse
activities have grown very rapidly, which is why the former owner
looked at how it could expand its storage and transhipment facilities.
They planned some major investments and it was during this
process that Katoen Natie came in the picture as the Antwerp
chemical logistics specialist was making known its ambitions in
Poland. Katoen Natie management considered Poland to be a blind
spot in the network.
So both parties discussed the possibility of a takeover. Since Nijhof-
Wassink and Katoen Natie are companies with a similar culture and
view on business operations an agreement was easily reached
guaranteeing continuity, stability and growth for all stakeholders.
The acquisition only applies to the logistics centre in Kutno. All
transport activities of Nijhof-Wassink, as well as the five Volvo and
Renault Trucks dealerships, will continue to operate under the
Nijhof-Wassink Group. With more than 400 employees on the
payroll locally, Nijhof-Wassink remains an important business partner
and employer in Poland.
Activities at the logistics site include warehousing, handling,
transport and semi-industrial services for the petrochemical and
chemical industries, loading, unloading and treatment of (petro-)
chemical products (powders, granulates), and packaging and re-
packaging of solids.
The business is a perfect fit for the existing Katoen Natie structure,
both in terms of geographical location and its core activity. The
integration of the new terminal in the existing Katoen Natie
network will lead to increased efficiency and economies of scale,
which will improve the services delivered to customers, the company
said.
The takeover also typifies the strategy of Katoen Natie to increase
its services for the chemical industry, both by investing in new
installations and by acquisitions.
The Kutno facility is located next to the PCC intermodal terminal
(250,000 TEU capacity) and near the junction of two main roads in
Poland which connect north-south and east-west.
The facilities are in direct rail contact with leading ports like
Rotterdam, Hamburg, Gdansk/Gdynia and Antwerp.
Joosen acquisition
On 30 September, Katoen Natie bought Flemish transport company
Joosen.
Transport Joosen is a family-owned haulier specialised in
transporting sea containers with a strong focus on dock transports.
The firm includes a team of planners, administrative staff and more
than 180 drivers. With a young and modern fleet of tractors and
Transport Joosen is a family-owned haulier specialised in transporting sea containers with a
strong focus on dock transports
trailers, supplemented by a permanent team of subcontractors and
combined with a strong focus on software and new applications,
Transport Joosen is one of the leading transport companies in Port
of Antwerp, said Katoen Natie.
Through its existing independent transport companies
Valkeniersnatie NV and Katoen Natie Trucking NV, Katoen Natie
already has a strong ‘transport’ presence in Port of Antwerp. The
acquisition of Joosen will enable the group to reinforce its transport
capability in Port of Antwerp and so continue to ensure the supply
and transport of containers to its Antwerp warehouses in the future.
Thanks to this acquisition, the group says it will be able to respond
even faster and more flexibly to the demands of customers.
Kurt Joosen will remain active as the leading force behind
Transport Joosen.