4 BULKDISTRIBUTOR Tank Containers September / October 2016
4 BULKDISTRIBUTOR Tank Containers September / October 2016
Managerial appointments at Köppen
From 1 September , Robert Schaefer has taken over the lead of the transport department at Köppen GmbH , the Duisburg , Germany-based tank container transportation and management , container cleaning and storage company . Schaefer , 37 , succeeds Marco Thalhaeuser and is now responsible for the operations of more than 20,000 tank container shipments per year , primarily with hazardous cargo within the Rhine-Ruhr region , and the operation of Köppen ’ s own 50 trucking units . He was previously logistics manager at HANSA-CHEMIE in Duisburg and joined Köppen in 2003 . He has since participated significantly in the development of the department and from 2008 on has been the deputy leader and responsible for the planning of the trucking resources . After eight years in operations Thalhaeuser , 41 , has now joined the executive department as Manager Business Development . His role includes the centralised marketing for all company services , logistic projects and IT development . He has held positions at CENTRANS SPEZIALLOGISTIK and HOYER GmbH , and in 2008 took over the management of the transport department at Köppen . The turnover has nearly doubled since then . Köppen GmbH is the leading tank container service provider in North Rhine-Westphalia . Based in the location of Duisburg , regarded as the most significant intermodal hub along the Rhine , the company offers the specific infrastructure for tank container operations . The firm ’ s highly regarded logistical services are also connecting the production sites of the chemical industry at Rhine and Ruhr with the container terminals elsewhere in the region and at the coast .
Marco Thalhaeuser
Robert Schaefer
Tare weight database is live
The new database of container tare weight data announced earlier this year by the Bureau International des Containers ( BIC ) is live , with well over half a million containers uploaded and new files being added daily . Container owners and operators are being encouraged to sign up to upload their fleet files to the database , and shippers are invited to start using the data . The pilot database , which was launched by the BIC in response to the new SOLAS mandatory container weight verification requirements , which came into effect on 1 July , provides an easy-to-access source of container tare weight data to help support carriers , shippers , forwarders and other intermediaries . “ Following months of working closely with container owners , operators and shippers , the TCD was developed to provide a simple , effective tool that helps shippers , owners and operators to reduce their workload and improve efficiency ,” explained Bertrand Geoffray , BIC secretary general . “ For simplicity , the sole focus of the TCD is to capture the technical characteristics of a container , including tare weight , alongside the container ’ s operational number .” Once fully populated , the database will enable all users to access a vast source of container tare weight and other technical characteristics simply by querying the container number . The secure API will also provide the option to automatically integrate data into shipper and forwarder systems . Either method offers a simpler alternative to visiting multiple websites or obtaining this information from the container door .