PORT OF HAMBURG magazine - Hafen Hamburg

TFG TransfrachtDas Jubiläumsjahr 2008 steht ganz imZeichen des AlbatrosExpress./The 2008anniversary year is dedicated to the coreproduct AlbatrosExpress.Das im Dezember 2007 eingeführte neueTFG-Logo unterstreicht im Erscheinungsbilddie dynamische Entwicklung desUnternehmens./The appearance of thenew TFG logo, introduced in December2007, reflects the company’s dynamicperformance.Grund zum feiern: Gerhard Oswald, TFG-Geschäftsführer/Reason to celebrate: Gerhard Oswald, TFG General ManagerFoto: TFGMore than 38 years ago, TFG transported its first container. Since the company was established in 1969, TFG has carriedout more than 19 million container transports. Placed end-to-end, this number of containers would stretch for 113,000 km,or two-and-a-half times around the globe along the equator.To be able to transport suchvolumes, TFG had to consistentlyupgrade and expand the range ofservices on offer. In 1971, for example,overseas container traffic was movedfrom Deutsche Bundesbahn toTransfracht. In 1984, the rail logisticscompany started setting up datanetwork systems together with portcompanies operating in the in portsof Bremen and Hamburg.On 1 June, 1998, the Albatros Expresswas launched, TFG’s logistics servicecatering to the German seaports.To this very day, the AlbatrosExpressproduction concept is based onproviding night-time runs, as wellas on offering the entire range ofactivities relevant to transportationfrom a single source. In parallel tothe AlbatrosExpress, TFG developeda unique pricing and calculationsystem for maritime traffic. UsingTOPICS (Transfracht OverseaPrice Information and CalculationSystem), TFG customers can entertheir freight enquiries quickly andeasily and calculate their freightcosts online around the clock.Since 2003, the company has providedaccess via the Internet, as well as theEDI electronic interface. Today almostevery 3rd container is booked viathe Internet. This high proportion ofbookings made using the Internet isthe result of the ongoing developmentof the service and booking portalwww.transfracht.de.With revenues of EUR 230 million in 2006and a workforce of more than 160highly committed employees, TFGtoday is the market leader in theseaport hinterland traffic from andto the German seaports. A neutraland independent partner for shippingcompanies and forwarders, the companyoffers its services with a capacity of4,000 TEU daily, and 300 weeklyconnections in the AlbatrosExpressnetwork, the rail network with thegreatest density in the European seaporthinterland traffic. The AlbatrosExpress links 15,000 locations in themost important business centres inGermany, Austria and Switzerlandwith Germany’s seaports, in somecases offering several departures perday. TFG’s feeder services from andto the AlbatrosExpress carry outaround 2,000 truck deliveries each day.For TFG, the 2008 anniversary year willbe dedicated to the core productAlbatrosExpress. As well as marketingthis service in Germany, Austria andSwitzerland under the uniform productname AlbatrosExpress from January2008, the company is planning to stagenumerous anniversary promotionalevents. As early as January, TFGlaunched the new AlbatrosExpresslink between the German seaportsand Saarbrücken. The new connectionto is also extending TFG’s range ofservices from and to France andLuxembourg. The economic regionof eastern France is thus well connectedto the seaports of Hamburg andBremerhaven via the three AlbatrosExpress terminals in Basle, Karlsruheand Saarbrücken. “The Saarbrückenterminal is of interest both in connectionwith the container transportsfrom and to the Saarland region aswell as those from Luxembourgand the adjacent region in France,”explained Gerhard Oswald, TFGGeneral Manager. >>>PORT OF HAMBURG MAGAZINE 1/0841