Dachser Food Brings Together Three Food Producers in Neuss

Through a new fresh platform with direct network connection, DACHSER Food Logistics in Neuss brings three food manufacturers closer and faster to their customers in Germany and Europe. The improved offering benefits dairy product manufacturers Arla and Ornua (“Kerrygold

(Kempten/Neuss) When everyday life gets hectic, many people turn to endurance sports as a way to clear their heads and soak up fresh air for new ideas and an extra boost of energy. Stefan Behrendt enjoys riding his racing bike during his limited free time. At the same time, the General Manager of the DACHSER Logistics Center Niederrhein has led his team over the past two years to achieve “sporting” excellence by building a universal logistics offering for fresh product manufacturers amidst the Corona pandemic.

Efficient and Reliable Logistics Chains

DACHSER has invested around 2.5 million euros in Neuss near Düsseldorf to renovate a warehouse with refrigerated storage areas for nearly 26,000 pallets. 80 employees were hired and trained under the challenging conditions of the pandemic. Alfred Miller, Managing Director DACHSER Food Logistics, explains: “We have optimal conditions here to consolidate large volumes from the warehouse with the quantities of distribution customers in the region and to supply the majority of the central warehouses of German retail chains directly from the source. This elevates the efficiency of food logistics to a new, higher level.” The combination of various factors makes the crucial difference. “We ensure very efficient and reliable logistics chains that can handle large quantities and industry-specific fluctuations. And we relieve shippers of much effort in order processing and service. Additionally, there is a highly digitized, shipment-accompanying information logistics – all from a single source,” Miller adds.

From Practice for Practice

In 2019, the time was ripe, and a long-held idea could be implemented, reports General Manager Stefan Behrendt. The DACHSER Logistics Center Niederrhein, located in the midst of a metropolitan area with over ten million inhabitants, received inquiries almost simultaneously from three major food producers for temperature-controlled storage services: from dairy product manufacturers Arla, Ornua (known for the brand “Kerrygold”), and the fresh juice producer Valensina. “Ornua and Valensina were already long-standing DACHSER customers in the distribution sector and were looking for a comprehensive logistics solution. The Danish dairy giant Arla, which sources products from its dairies across Europe, joined as a new warehouse customer,” says Behrendt. “We consolidated these inquiries into a major project and created a concept that unites the three companies under one roof.” The scale of the new business enables the branch to combine the volumes from the multi-user warehouse with the existing quantities of distribution customers from the region for direct transports to retail. “About 70 percent of all central warehouses of retail chains in Germany as well as in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Austria can be supplied directly without further transshipment via this new fresh platform on a daily basis,” explains Behrendt. By storing their inventories “close to the network,” customers have the opportunity to respond very quickly to short-term orders – this is ideal for shippers of fresh products with short shelf lives and corresponding lead time requirements.

Convincing Overall Package

Andy Johnson, Director Logistics at Arla Foods Germany, and Ann-Katrin Gieß from the purchasing department of Arla Foods see their company perfectly positioned with DACHSER as a system service provider in the food sector. “The overall package offered by DACHSER, consisting of storage services at the Neuss location and the strong transport network with high-frequency deliveries to our retail customers, has convinced us from the very beginning.” Just like the IT-driven working method of the logistics service provider, which ensures transparency in the supply chain. “The digitization of the supply chain has progressed in recent years and will continue to do so. There are potentials that need to be tapped,” believes Jürgen Retzlaff, Head of Logistics at Ornua Deutschland GmbH. For him, the advantages of working with DACHSER lie not only in the IT-supported flexibility in dealing with tight schedules and high market volatility but also in the environmental compatibility that arises from the bundling effects in the supply chain. Felix Müller from the management of the Valensina Group also relies on this: “The refrigerated logistics platform has been built to a modern standard, allowing for effective operations both for us as customers and for DACHSER in the multi-user warehouse. This has enabled Valensina to improve its CO2 food print. This is an important aspect for our company.”

Expansion in Several Phases

The expansion into a regional bundling platform for fresh products took place in several phases. A large part of the existing warehouse for products requiring refrigeration from 0 to 2 degrees and 2 to 7 degrees was upgraded and modernized. The installations during ongoing operations and moving or accommodating all three customers under pandemic conditions was an enormous challenge. “But I knew at every moment: We can do this! And it worked; we were even ahead of the project plan,” Behrendt is pleased with the team performance. “After implementation comes optimization,” states the branch manager. “The next expansion phase envisions an additional 8,000 refrigerated storage spaces in 2021.” Discussions are already underway with further interested parties from the dairy products, sausage products, and convenience food sectors. Stefan Behrendt and his team are looking forward to it: “The greater the challenge, the greater the fun,” says the sports enthusiast with a wink, adding, “It’s quite possible that I will spend some extra kilometers on the bike again this year.”
Photo: © Dachser