“Always on the ball”
CEO André Strebel has been on board for 30 of the 155 years that the freight forwarder Schneider can look back on today. He spoke to Christian Doepgen about 2020, strong business activities, potential acquisitions and corporate culture.
How long have you now been on board at Schneider, Mr Strebel?
I started with Schneider in Geneva in 1991, also on account of a French practicum. After that I moved into the overseas business field and onwards to sales before succeeding Hans Brunner – first as branch manager in Geneva and then as CEO on 1 May 2018.
What is Schneider’s ownership structure?
Since an MBO in 2009 we’ve achieved a good mix. On the one hand we’ve got 14 employees on board who own shares, and on the other the Swiss investment firm Invision has been a co-owner since 2015. For me it’s like a ‘marriage made in heaven’, as we can maintain 155-year-old sense of being a family firm with the concomitant forwarding spirit, and simultaneously get impulses from Invision towards digitalisation, marketing and acquisitions.
How did you cope and are you now coping with the outbreak of Covid-19?
In 2020 Schneider attained the best result in its history – even though we had to shift 70% of our staff into home-office operations in a very short time. Now our employees, who really appreciated our weekly CEO briefing, are returning to their offices, in close coordination with the branch managers. The personal element remains important to us in our business relationships. Our Covid-19 task force will remain in place, however.
What are the figures behind the result?
With a total of 700 employees we generated sales worth CHF 267 million in 2020 (CHF 223 million in 2019). The number of our consignments rose from 368,000 to about 407,000. Our ebitda also achieved a great leap forward.
What part did acquisitions play?
A big part, as we proceed very selectively. In the last three years alone we’ve taken over Nova Traffic; Apriori, based in Kemp- ten im Allgäu; and TFM – each one a specialised SME. If we acquire a firm, then the people there have to fit with us too. Our corporate culture is largely characterised by a familiar atmosphere.
Any more purchases in the pipeline?
We’re in negotiations, yes. We want to fortify our road and maritime networks in Europe. We’ve also got an eye on airfreight, for example in France. We’re always on the ball and observe the markets.
Where did business grow in 2020?
Almost everywhere. Despite the shutdowns that impaired traffic to and from France and Italy, our prime daily runs, for example between Paris, Geneva and Zurich, thrived. We made gains with new customers on our traditional lines as well as in niches, for example with young plants exported from the Benelux countries. We recorded almost extreme growth in the Netherlands, with up to 90 FTLs and LTLs a week. In Paris we benefited from the many customs clearance issues arising from Brexit.
What’s your strategy outside Europe?
We want to improve our overseas and airfreight units; their share has grown from 20% in 2010 to about 40% today.
How are you forging the future?
By making sure we have motivated employees, with most on board for a while. We’re also investing in digitalisation and marketing, and in 2021 we published our first sustainability report. Our quality management is also becoming ever more differentiated.
