Transport between the Netherlands and Southern Germany has almost invariably been carried out by road, but companies are increasingly turning to alternative solutions via the Port of Rotterdam.
Since May, a collaboration between Outdoor Life Group (OLG) and Bos Dynamics has seen trailers moved by rail via Rotterdam to Munich, before continuing onward to destinations in Germany and Austria.
For OLG, a supplier of wood products, garage doors and other long goods, and logistics provider Bos Dynamics, the challenge was organising transport to and from Southern Germany more efficiently without compromising reliability.
Jelle Poldervaart, Site Manager at OLG, said: “We are constantly looking at ways to make our supply chain smarter and more sustainable. By working with Bos Dynamics, HPEI and RSC, we can organise our freight flows more efficiently while significantly reducing our carbon footprint.”
The partners found their solution in the Bayern Express, an existing rail connection between Rotterdam and Munich. Trailers are delivered by truck to Rail Service Center Rotterdam (RSC Rotterdam), transported by rail to Southern Germany, then distributed onward by road to their final destinations, with the return journey following the same corridor.
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The service is operated by Hutchison Port Europe intermodal (HPEI), shifting a significant part of the route from road to rail and reducing both mileage and CO₂ emissions.
Notably, the solution required no new infrastructure. The main challenge lay in coordinating processes between the shipper, carrier, terminal and rail operator.
Gilbert Bal, Business Manager at the Port of Rotterdam Authority, said: “That is where Rotterdam’s strength lies. The port has an extensive network of rail connections to economic centres across Europe. This enables companies to connect relatively easily to existing hinterland corridors and integrate intermodal solutions into their supply chains.”
The service is currently running with a pool of ten trailers, with four leaving Rotterdam for Munich each week and four returning to the Netherlands. Should results remain positive, the parties involved intend to scale up the operation.
Peter Schilte, Sales/Customer Service at RSC Rotterdam, stated: “For shippers and transport companies operating in the European market that currently transport trailers by road, this practical case illustrates that there are other viable options to transporting trailers by road.
“At present, only crane-liftable trailers are transported to Munich by shuttle. However, if shippers or transport companies wish to transport non-crane-liftable trailers by shuttle in the future, we would certainly be open to discussing that.”
The project was delivered through close collaboration between OLG, Bos Dynamics, HPEI and RSC Rotterdam, with support from Joint Corridors Off-Road in South Holland and the Province of South Holland.
For more information:
Port of Rotterdam – https://www.portofrotterdam.com/en
