Press center - VCHD

New-posts, Press center

We are betting on the swap bodies

3Dec2021

VCHD Cargo has added swap bodies to its fleet. By acquiring these special freight containers for road transport, the company will be able to offer to their customers more flexibility of shipment planning and a more efficient use of the loading space. A tandem vehicle with swap bodies provides 13% more in loading capacity compared with a regular trailer. The company will use the swap bodies primarily to serve parcel shipment customers.

VCHD Cargo owns its own fleet of 200 towing vehicles and 180 trailers. The company has recently added a new type of trailer – the swap body – to its portfolio. “Swap bodies are a great solution for certain types of line services as they can also be used as flexible and temporary storage units. They also allow us to maximise vehicle utilisation and minimise loading and unloading times,” says Ing. Petr, Kozel, CEO and President of VCHD Cargo a.s., emphasising that “this is a huge benefit given the current constant pressures on the speed of delivery.”

Swap body manipulation – detaching from the vehicle

A swap body is similar to a regular shipping container. It has standard parameters and dimensions and up-folding legs designed for easy detachment from the vehicle. VCHD Cargo monitors statistics on the utilisation and efficiency of its vehicles and, compared with standard trailers, swap bodies prove to be a more efficient solution. “From practice we know that a tandem vehicle with one trailer and two swap bodies can be more economical in certain situations both in terms of time and in terms of money – one driver can serve the same number of customers in a shorter amount of time. As many as three drivers can alternate on the same vehicle so that it is in use practically 24 hours a day. What’s more, swap bodies are very easy and safe to manipulate with,” Petr Kozel lists the advantages and ads that “the entire process of swapping one swap body for another takes an experience driver approximately 15 to 20 minutes, which saves a huge amount of time if we consider that the vehicle does not have to wait for goods to be loaded. This allows a very high degree of accuracy on delivery.” Furthermore, VCHD Cargo appreciates the longer distances that swap body vehicles can achieve.

VCHD Cargo acquired C782 swap bodies with dimensions of 7820 x 2550 x 2750 mm (l x w x h) and maximum total weight of 18 tonnes. Thanks to the internal dimensions, a tandem vehicle with two swap bodies can carry 38 EUR-pallets, which is 5 pallets more than what a regular trailer can fit in. Another advantage is the rear roller shutter and the possibility to stack up to three empty swap bodies on top of each other.

“Considering how long delivery times are at the moment, we are very happy that we have decided to order the swap bodies this spring before the acute steel shortages that have since hit the global markets and that have affected the production of swap bodies as well as other towing vehicles and trailers,” Petr Kozel reflects on the current market situation, concluding “we will use swap bodies primarily to serve parcel customers.”

New-posts, Press center

VCHD Cargo acquired the German forwarder Völker Logistik

6Aug2021

VCHD Cargo has announced its acquisition of the German freight forwarder Völker Logistik. The deal is the Czech company’s biggest investment to this day, and aims at strengthening its position in the largest logistics market in Europe. This milestone transaction will increase the company’s competitive edge within the international line market and, at the same time, boost its capabilities in shorter distances within Germany, including last-line services. The merger of the two family-owned businesses will also provide human resource synergies, especially in terms of professional drivers.

VCHD Cargo is a Czech transport company with more than a 20-year history. It entered the German market in 2019 when it set up its VCHD Cargo GmbH affiliate with headquarters in Radeburg. The acquisition of an established forwarding agent like Völker Logistik gives a boost to the company’s growth, contributing excellent knowledge of the local German transport market and especially Völker Logistik’s experience with short-distance hauls.

“We have been looking for an established company in the German market based in an attractive location for logistics activities that would share our core values. In Völker Logistik, we found both a great specialist in the German market, strategically placed in central Germany with excellent connectivity to the Benelux countries, Switzerland and France, and a family-run business dedicated to the same human and entrepreneurial values as VCHD Cargo,” Petr Kozel, CEO and Chairman of the VCHD Cargo Board, explains, adding: “By joining forces, we will be able to offer better services to our current customers and reach a larger part of the Czech and German markets with an expanded service portfolio.”

Völker Logistik was founded in 2005 as a family business specialising in transport services, goods handling, storage and consulting. The company focuses on local short-distance haulage and specialised long-distance haulage to all parts of Germany. It offers a wide variety of distribution logistics solutions for electronics wholesalers and healthcare product manufacturers as well as night transport and second-day delivery services that reach many German federal states. “The portfolios of our two companies wonderfully complement each other and the deal will allow us to offer to our customers sustainable and creative tailor-made one-stop solutions,” says Niko Völker, executive and agent of Völker Logistik, adding: “the current situation in the German haulage market is strongly affected by growing demand on one hand and lack of professional drivers of the other. We will definitely derive HR synergies as well.”

Völker Logistik and VCHD Cargo are family-owned businesses that share the same traditional values and business attitudes. “We will continue supporting Völker Logistik specialists through a sustainable and fair HR policy, focus on customers and a drive to satisfy their specific needs,” says Petr Kozel. Niko Völker, the son of the company’s founder, will remain at the helm of Völker Logistik. Ing. Petr Kozel will become the second executive, and the company’s team of agents will newly include Ing. Pavel Sirotek and Lars Holste, who will be responsible for the company’s financial management. “With the wonderful team that we have been able to bring together, we are looking forward to new tasks and challenges, growing our customer portfolio and further increasing the quality of our services,” Niko Völker concludes.

VCHD Cargo a.s. was founded in 1997 and specialises in export and domestic cargo transport. The company has branches in Kladno, Brno, Havlíčkův Brod and České Budějovice and offers regular cargo lines to 72 European destinations. It offers full-vehicle as well as LTL export and import transport as well as domestic terminal-terminal and supplier-client services with regular schedules. VCHD Cargo has its own fleet with more than 160 vehicles, including vehicles for ADR shipments and temperature-regulation vehicles. The company is also a carrier certified by the Czech Civil Aviation Authority for the transport of post consignments subject to security checks.

VCHD Cargo also has its own petrol station, professional service and wash line for passenger cars and trucks. The company has more than 335 employees in the Czech Republic and its 2019 gross turnover reached CZK 730 million. For more information, visit http://www.vchd.cz/cs

More about Völker Logistik GmbH: Founded in 2005, the forwarding company Völker Logistik GmbH specialises in haulage services, goods handling, warehousing and consulting. It focuses on local short-distance haulage and specialised long-distance haulage to all parts of Germany. It offers a wide variety of distribution logistics solutions including services for electronics wholesalers and healthcare product manufacturers as well as night transport and second-day delivery services that reach many German federal states. Located in Alsfeld, central Germany, the Völker Logistik headquarters is well connected to the German highway network and offers 1,300 m² of warehouse space for short-term and medium-term storage and transhipment. The company has its own fleet of vehicles fully compatible with the EURO VI standard. Völker Logistik lays special emphasis on the use of cutting-edge technologies, economic efficiency and sustainable development. As a family-run business, Völker Logistik has built an excellent reputation over the past 15 years, mainly thanks to its high level of professionalism, first-rate consulting, successful educational programmes and maximum effort to meet all deadlines. For more information, go to www.voelker-logistik.de

New-posts, Press center

VCHD Cargo introduces direct cargo lines to Ireland

11May2021

The Czech transport company VCHD Cargo has launched a pilot project of direct LTL (less than truck load) services to Ireland. VCHD Cargo transports OEM products for LEEL COILS EUROPE to the island including a direct ferry passage from France. The solution allows clients to bypass customs procedures necessary for a transit through the UK, saves time and brings economic benefits.

LEEL COILS EUROPE s.r.o. is a leading European manufacturer and supplier of heat exchangers for OEM (original equipment manufacturer) clients. One of its key markets is Ireland which has been traditionally supplied through the Britain. Since the UK’s exit from the European Union and the imposition of customs procedures even on transiting goods, the flow of cargo from EU countries to the Irish market has been jeopardised. VCHD Cargo has, therefore, proposed a new solution and won LEEL COILS EUROPE’s tender for transport to this destination. “Our company enters each tender with maximum dedication and effort to put our professional experience and know-how to the best possible use, including the development of new strategies,” says Martin Hustoles, the sales director of VCHD Cargo a. s., explaining that “we proposed to LEEL COILS EUROPE an approach that uses ferries from the French port of Cherbourg to Dublin, Ireland, and guarantees stable delivery times as well as a balanced quality / price ratio.”

The cargo transport line from the Czech Republic to Ireland with a delivery time of 120 hours is being offered as a pilot project. It is currently available once a week and the capacity can increase to meet clients’ changing needs. The service is administered by VCHD Cargo’s branch in České Budějovice.

“It makes me really happy to see that our solutions and value added help manufacturing companies like LEEL COILS EUROPE reliably deliver their products to the target markets,” says Ing. Petr Kozel, CEO a Chairman of VCHD Cargo a.s., adding: “this case once again highlights the importance and impact of transport and logistics processes on sales strategies and the future of manufacturing and trade companies. It is a great feeling to know that the VCHD Cargo team not only provides high-quality and reliable services but also assists our customers in designing their entire supply chains.”

New-posts, Press center

VCHD Cargo Approved as Air Cargo Carrier

9Mar2021

The Czech transport company VCHD Cargo has become an approved air cargo carrier. The company provides shipping in the secured regime to airports in the Czech Republic as well as other European countries for customers with the regulated agent status. The company trained 30 employees in before introducing the new service.

An air cargo carrier is an entity that provides land cargo and mail services on behalf of regulated agents, known consignors or account consignors approved by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Czech Republic. Before approval, the carrier must go through a training and certification process required by the Authority and must ensure security throughout the entire transport process from or to airport terminals. “We have trained 20 drivers, dispatch staff and several office workers in order to provide this type of land transport that is subject to special rules and regulations,”Ing. Petr Kozel, Chairman of the VCHD Cargo a. s. Board of Directors, explains, adding: “this type of land transport comes with stringent security requirements on both the consignments as such and on operation and handling at airport terminals.” The new service is currently used primarily by automotive suppliers who urgently need to send their car parts to manufacturing plants. VCHD Cargo carries incoming air consignments from all parts of the world from the Václav Havel Airport Prague and provides carriage services to Czech exports to airports in Frankfurt, Nuremberg and several other destinations. VCHD Cargo has introduced the new service in order to offer fast transport options for customers without the complication of administrative formalities at EU airports.

New-posts, Press center

VCHD Cargo records a modest growth in 2020

12Feb2021

The transport company VCHD Cargo closed 2020 with positive results. Despite a huge drop in export volumes in the first and second quarter of last year, the company’s preliminary results indicate an overall 6.5% increase in turnover to CZK 777 mln. The growth was primarily driven by the German subsidiary VCHD Cargo GmbH. The company managed to maintain its investment strategy last year and even hired new employees. Employee health and IT were the key focus of the company’s efforts last year.

VCHD Cargo has announced its preliminary financial results for 2020, a year marked by unprecedented events on both the global and regional level. The VCHD Cargo group generated a turnover of CZK 777 mln, or 6.5% more than in the previous year. The Czech company VCHD Cargo a. s. achieved a steady financial result of CZK 729 mln (compared with CZK 725 mln in 2019) while the German-based branch VCHD Cargo GmbH increased its turnover from CZK 5 mln in 2019 to CZK 48 mln in 2020. VCHD Cargo Board Chairman Ing. Petr Kozel says: “The results reflect two facts – a drop due to a global pandemic, especially in the Czech market, in March and April 2020, followed by a massive revival in the autumn and at the end of the year. And secondly, we are now reaping the fruits of our efforts that initiated our business activity in Germany in 2019.” According to Petr Kozel, the loss of revenues in the Czech Republic during the first wave of the coronavirus epidemic was outweighed by an increase in transport volumes in the autumn and businesses’ efforts to get ready for brexit with many of them bringing in more stock in order to avoid complications expected to occur with a “hard brexit”. The company’s business in Germany focuses mainly on the domestic German market, which proved to be more stable last year and the company was, furthermore, able to attract new customers.”

VCHD Cargo continued to invest in its growth and development – specifically EUR 3,500,000. “Even during the difficult times of the Q1 marked by serious uncertainties about the future evolution of the new coronavirus pandemic we continued with our planned investments,” Petr Kozel explains and adds: “money was put into three major areas of our business – development and renovation of our branches, technology and renewal of our fleet and information technologies and, last but not least, protection of our people.” VCHD Cargo renovated its branch in Havlíčkův Brod and partly its branch in Kladno, purchased a total of 45 towing vehicles, trailers and cargo vehicles in a total value of CZK 77 mln and hired new people for middle management. Furthermore, the company was also one of the first to warn about the dangers of the pandemic as it was confronted with the reality of anti-coronavirus protection measures due to its regular cargo lines to Italy event before the fist cases of the disease appeared in the Czech Republic. “Since the start of the pandemic, we spent nearly CZK 400,000 on protective tools and items for our employees as well as disinfection and ionisation technologies for our vehicles.”

In 2021, VCHD Cargo plans ongoing additions to its team and want to attract new clients both in the Czech and German markets. The company wants to continue with major investments in new vehicles up to a total of CZK 100 mln and hopes to complete development projects in its branches in Havlíčkův Brod and Kladno. “Thanks to our wonderful team we were able to get through the difficult year 2020 with success and this year we want to focus on reinforcing our position of a reliable partner for our customers and a good employer for our staff,” Petr Kozel concludes.

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Category Archives: Press center

We are betting on the swap bodies

VCHD Cargo acquired the German forwarder Völker Logistik

VCHD Cargo introduces direct cargo lines to Ireland

VCHD Cargo Approved as Air Cargo Carrier

VCHD Cargo records a modest growth in 2020

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