6 BULKDISTRIBUTOR Tank Containers January / February 2022
Bertschi posts record sales in challenging year
Bertschi performed well in a challenging environment in
2021 and demonstrated the resilience of its business model , the company said announcing its annual results . With record sales of CHF1.02 billion , the company exceeded the one billion mark for the first time . Group-wide sales grew by 13 percent , with growth in worldwide business ( particularly in Asia ) significantly higher than in European business . The turnover share of global activities rose from 34 percent to 40 percent . “ This is an extraordinary achievement by everyone involved , especially considering that Bertschi only went global with activities in Asia , America and the Middle East 10 years ago ,” said Hans-Jörg Bertschi , executive chairman . “ In the current situation , marked by the pandemic and disrupted supply chains , this level of growth would not have been possible without the personal commitment of all employees ,” added Jan Arnet , CEO . The workforce grew by 60 new recruits to 3,160 people in 2021 . “ Due to the increasingly global nature of our business , our corporate culture has also evolved and become richer . This is evidenced by the fact that people from all continents work at the
The Bertschi workforce grew by 60 recruits to 3,160 people in 2021 headquarters in Dürrenäsch and nearly 40 different languages are spoken ,” Arnet said . Bertschi expanded its own logistics infrastructure in 2021 with investments of around CHF100 million . These included doubling the storage capacities for containerised chemical products in Rotterdam ( Netherlands ) and Middlesbrough ( UK ), and building a new chemical logistics hub in China . In addition , the fleet of tank and silo containers was increased by more than 2,000 units . Bertschi put the 40,000th container into operations at the start of 2022 . The group expects the economy to stabilise this year . “ The positive trend from 2021 will continue , even if growth is set to slow down in this phase of the recovery cycle ,” said Arnet . Nevertheless , Bertschi will continue investing at the current high pace in 2022 . A major tank container storage terminal for dangerous goods is being built in Antwerp . There are also plans to expand the existing logistics facilities in Duisburg , Schwarzheide , and in the Netherlands . The new logistics centre for dangerous liquid chemicals , located in Zhangjiagang at the heart of the Yangtze Delta area not far from Shanghai , will open in mid-2022 . It consists of a dangerous goods storage facility for up to 1,000 tank containers , as well as automatic filling systems and three warehouses for different classes of dangerous goods , with space for 25,000 pallets . The plant has an annual capacity of 300,000 – 400,000 tons of chemical products . “ This investment will consolidate our position in the Chinese market , where we already enjoy a strong position with our tank container shipments to and from China ,” Hans-Jörg Bertschi stated . Bertschi will continue to pursue its digitalisation strategy . Last year , full visibility was ensured in intermodal transport chains by means of automated status and ETA notifications to customers , with a coverage level of over 99 percent . Bertschi is also investing heavily in more efficient planning systems for European and global transport execution . Further implementations are planned for 2022 . The group began its journey towards climate-neutral logistics in 2021 . More than 90 percent of all European shipments are sent by
Bertschi ’ s 40,000th tank container joined the fleet
intermodal transport , meaning the company is starting out with a favourable carbon footprint . “ We will continue to invest in intermodal transport via the environmentally and climate-friendly method of rail , including investments in terminal infrastructure . In addition , we are planning to take steps to convert road transport to and from the terminals to climate-neutral propulsion energy , starting in 2024 ,” said Hans-Jörg Bertschi . Further measures to reduce carbon emissions and use of photovoltaics for sustainable power generation are planned at the company ’ s sites . Bertschi has already completed an initial project involving the installation of 44,000 sqm of solar panels on the roofs of the logistics centre in Singapore .
44,000 sqm photovoltaic system at Bertschi ’ s chemical logistics centre in Singapore
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