Imperial Logistics International - Gillhuber Logistik GmbH

News1/2000 

Staff and Customer Magazine 

Six companies under one 

roof 

Bachmann: The whole 

world is our field 

neska: Classical carrier with 

logistic highlights 

Panopa: A story 

of success 

Haniel Reederei: The 

logistics network also 

includes barges 

Schulte & Bruns: Optimal 

service for steel 

Brouwer Shipping: On 

a safe course across the 

seven seas

Dear Staff, 

Editorial 

I take great pleasure in conveying to you this 

cordial welcome in the first issue of your staff 

and customer magazine, Imperial News. For Imperial 

Holdings the takeover of the former Nestrans 

Logistik Group is an important 

strategic step on the way to becoming a global 

corporation. Through the integration of 

Haniel Reederei into the Group we have 

now been able to expand our 

range of services significantly. I see Imperial 

Logistics International as the 

starting point for the internationalisation 

of our Group. 

I welcome you to the Imperial family. 

We in South Africa are proud that your 

corporate group, which is called 

Imperial Logistics International, 

represents our first major commitment 

abroad. You can be certain that in us you have 

found an operative investor on a long-term 

basis. 

During my visits to Germany I was 

particularly impressed by the many multilingual 

people in your organisation who not only can 

communicate with us without any 

problem in excellent English, but are also 

familiar with nearly all major language regions 

in the world. 

For me this is also an important prerequisite 

for consolidating and expanding our global success. 

On this note I wish all of us even greater 

success in the future. 

Yours, 

2 IMPERIAL NEWS 

Bill Lynch 

Executive Chairman 

Imperial Holdings 

Dear Staff, 

Dear Customers, 

A decisive step 

into the future began 

for us nearly a year 

ago. After the successful 

work in the 

ThyssenKrupp Group we face new and interesting 

challenges in the Imperial organisation. 

Our new parent company, Imperial Holdings Ltd. 

in South Africa, has set itself the goal of expanding 

its current national and international business with 

us. At the same time we will also venture into areas 

extending beyond the present range of services. 

We at Imperial Logistics International and at Imperial 

Holdings benefit from the fact that 

identical strategic goals are pursued. They include 

full service, holistic logistics systems and worldwide 

chains of logistics as well as international presence. 

As Chief Executive Officer of the 

German organisation and member of the Imperial 

Board in South Africa, I am certain that we will rapidly 

achieve our ambitious goal of being one of 

the top ten providers of logistics services within a 

few years. 

One of the first steps was our majority shareholding 

of market leader Haniel Reederei. At this 

juncture I would like to send a cordial welcome to 

the Haniel Reederei staff who have joined us. Recently 

in particular, we have been expanding our 

influence on container transport and handling. I 

will be able to go into more detail on this in the 

next issue. 

I agree with Bill Lynch that we have good prospects 

of maintaining strong growth with our competent 

and committed staff. The basis for this, including 

the required financial resources, has been 

created. 

Join me in this promising undertaking. 

Yours, 

Gerhard Riemann 

Chief Executive Officer 

Imperial Logistics International 

GmbH & Co. KG, Duisburg

19 

4 A logistics network takes shape 

5 Bachmann history – facts and figures 

5 The whole world is our field 

Table of Contents 


10 neska is well positioned in the centre of Europe and in the Imperial network 

14 Panopa Logistik expands its lead 

18 Imperial acquired the largest European fleet through Haniel Reederei take-over 

20 Wijgula Reederei – A new vessel with stainless steel tanks 

21 Schulte & Bruns offers optimal service for steel 

22 At Brouwer Shipping & Chartering the customers are always in the picture 

Cover photograph: Head office of Imperial Logistics International GmbH & Co. KG 

at Kasteelstrasse 2 in Duisburg-Ruhrort 

J. H. Bachmann 

neska 

Panopa 

Haniel Reederei 

Schulte & Bruns 

Brouwer Shipping 

IMPERIAL NEWS 3

Haniel Reederei 

Holding GmbH 

Askerlund (CEO), 

Botermann 

Germany 

Shipping 

Duisburg 

Hanover 

Specific Shipping 

Duisburg 

Chartering 

Berlin 

Duisburg 

Ottmarsheim 

Gernsheim 

Industrial Logistics 

Duisburg 

International 

Shipping 

Rotterdam, Netherlands 

Remich, Luxembourg 

Specific Shipping 

Druten, Netherlands 

Gent, Belgium 

Liege, Belgium 

Chartering 

Florange, France 

Antwerp, Belgium 

Rotterdam, Netherlands 

Six companies under one roof 

Imperial wants to grow 

national and international-wide 

in the logistics 

and transport market. 

That is why the South African 

Imperial Holdings 

group has made an extraordinarily 

strong commitment 

to Germany. 

As a hundred percent 

subsidiary, Imperial Logistics 


GmbH & Co. KG is responsible 

for coordination 

and management of 

the Imperial Holdings 

group’s entire interna- 


tional logistic activities. 

With headquarters in 

Duisburg the company 

has over 2000 employees. 

Affiliated are six leading 

logistics enterprises 

along with their subsidiaries 

and associated 

companies. 

Thanks to this international 

logistics network, 


is the only logistics 

provider capable to 

offer to industrial customers 

– mainly on the 

steel and automotive sec- 

tor – tailored solutions in 

order to obtain diverse 

synergy effects. On the 

basis of ocean-, air- and 

overland transport as well 

as professional warehousing 

and distribution concepts, 

Imperial Logistics 

International offers a 

complete and varied 

range of services for 

global logistics business. 

The customer always has 

one single business partner 

to deal with. 

In only five years Imperial 

wants to be among 

IMPERIAL 

Imperial Logistics International GmbH & Co. KG, Duisburg 

Management board: Riemann (Chairman), Askerlund, Bartels, Herbrand, Kulenkampff, Ranf, Sprenger, Vollmer 

J.H. Bachmann 

GmbH 

Kulenkampff (CEO), 

Maasberg, Oberfeld 

Germany 

Bremen 

Bremerhaven 

Dortmund 

Düsseldorf 

Frankfurt 

Hamburg 

München 

Münster 

Nürnberg 

Stuttgart 


Argentina: Buenos Aires 

Australia: Sydney 

Melbourne 

Adelaide 

Brasil: Vitoria 

Sao Paulo 

Curitiba 

Santos 

Campinas 

Canada: Toronto 

China: Hong Kong 

Xiamen 

Peking 

Shanghai 

Indonesia: Jakarta 

Netherlands: Rotterdam 

SA: Cape Town 

Durban 

East London 

Johannesburg 

Pretoria 

Port Elizabeth 

Tchechien:Praha 

Thailand: Bangkok 

USA: Chicago 

New York 

Panopa Logistik 

GmbH & Co. KG 

Sprenger (CEO), 

Dresselhaus 

Germany 

Berlin 

Bochum 

Dinkelsbühl 

Dortmund 

Duisburg 

Eisenhüttenstadt 

Hagen 

Kiel 

Krefeld 

Rostock 

Rüsselsheim 

Siegen 

Stuttgart 

Unterwellenborn 

Werdohl 

Wetter 

Wilhelmshaven 


Hambach, France 

Katowice, Polska 

Gliwice, Polska 

Poznan, Polska 

Vilnius, Lithuania 

Kleipeda, Lithuania 

Zaragoza, Espanol 

neska Schiffahrts- und 

Speditionskontor 


Bartels (CEO), Klee 

neska, Düsseldorf 

neska, Cologne 

neska, Mannheim 

dbt 

Duisburg 

luva 

Duisburg 

uct 

Neuss / Dormagen 

neska N.V. 

Antwerp 

CTS 

Cologne 

DCH 

Düsseldorf 

Brouwer Shipping 

& Chartering GmbH 

& Co. KG 

Ranf (CEO), Hoffmann 

H.M.R. Hansa 

Maritim Reederei 

Hamburg 

A logistics network takes shape 



Woermann 

the top ten logistics companies 

in the world. This 

staff magazine will be issued 

twice a year to keep 

you up-to-date on the 

main activities and new 

developments of our services. 

This first issue 

gives you an overview of 

what makes the group 

stand out today, what its 

specific strengths are and 

what road it will take to 

future success.

History – facts and 

figures 

1775 27-year-old Johann 

Christoph Bachmann founds the 

company 

1806 imports of English goods 

are stopped due to the continental 

blockade, beginning of wine trade 

at Bachmann 

1814 His son, Johann Hinrich 

Bachmann, takes over the 

company after the father’s death 

and gives his name to the 

company, which it still has today, 

J.H. Bachmann 

1832 After the early death of 

J.H. Bachmann, ownership is 

transferred to his cousin, Johann 

Christoph Dubbers. 

1842 Company moves to the 

Schlachte, where the sailing ships 

have their berth place in Bremen 

1862 First outside branch in 

Bremerhaven 

1887 Branch in Hamburg, a few 

years later also in Antwerp and 

Rotterdam, Lübeck, Stettin, 

Danzig and Königsberg, but also 

in the interior, e.g. Berlin and 

Hannover 

1896 The company now has its 

own dock facilities, including 

sheds and warehouses at 

Holzhafen and Fabrikhafen in 

Bremen 

1913 Construction of the 

present head office building at the 

Schlachte in Bremen 

1925 JHB owns in Bremen and 

Hamburg 70 warehouses and 

sheds, 16 electrically operated 

cranes, its own tugboats, barges, 

railway cars and electric trucks 

1948 Reconstruction of 

headquarters at Schlachte in its 

old form and start-up of most 

facilities at all seaport locations 

1950 Establishment of J.H. 

Bachmann Luftfracht GmbH 

from 

1960 Setting up of international 

agents, e.g. in Argentina, Brazil 

and South Africa 

1970 Establishment of first own 

foreign company in Brazil, later 

others follow, including Argentina, 

Colombia, USA and Canada 

1980 Expansion to Asia 

from 1996 JHB belongs to Krupp 

and is sold to the South African 

Imperial Group within the 

framework of the Thyssen-Krupp 

merger in October 1999 

BACHMANN 

J.H. Bachmann with 700 employees at 41 locations 

The whole world 

is our field 

The international forwarding company, J.H. 

Bachmann, now turning 225 years of age, 

has experienced and survived high point and 

low points. Now within the Imperial Group, it 

is further expanding its worldwide presence. 

What began at the 

local level in Bremen 

225 years ago 

has long been recognised 

as a large internationally 

oriented forwarding company 

and is now the international 

logistics arm of 


GmbH & Co. 

KG with worldwide operations: 

J.H. Bachmann 

GmbH with headquarters 

in Bremen. Bachmann 

employs 700 experienced 

staff members at 41 locations 

within Germany and 

abroad. The centre and 

head office of the company 

is still the threegable 

Kontorhaus in the 

middle of Bremen on the 

bank of the Weser. 

Both alone and together 

with renowned partners, 

Bachmann is able to 

organise and carry out 

worldwide ocean- and air 

shipments as a unified 

operation. This is what 

clients want today: complete 

service from A to Z 

under one roof. This professional 

linking of individual 

services via several 

stages to the destination 

can be described, 

without any reservation, 

as perfect logistics across 

borders and continents. 

The names of the many 

thousands of customers 

read like a Who’s Who of 

the business world. And 

the company is still growing. 

The holding company, 

Imperial Logistics International, 

targets sales 

growth of 25% year in 

and year out. “We want to 

be in line,” explains Wolfgang 

Kulenkampff, chairman 

of the board of 

Bachmann. 

Together with Frank 

Maasberg and Bernd 

Oberfeld as the top managers 

of JHB want to 

strengthen the company 

further where it is already 

strong: in ocean- and airfreight: 

consolidated 

shipments, logistics ( especially 

automotive logistics) 

and project transport. 

Tracking and Tracing, 

now also per part, 

for example – following 

the delivery schedule 

through a computer-controlled 

handling and notification 

system – is applied 

by Automotive Logistics 

to all other divisions. 

“On the Internet our 

customers can not only 

track the shipments, but 

even determine where 

certain specific parts are 

located in the delivery 

process,” states Kulenkampff. 

Bachmann has a strong 

team for project solutions 

both in Germany and 

abroad. For customers, 

such as the Krefeld enterprise, 

Siempelkamp, 

which produces plants for 

Automotive logistics 

provided by 

J.H. Bachmann in 

Australia 

IMPERIAL NEWS 5

the production of shipboards, 

the Bremen company 

ships entire factories 

from Germany to all 

over the globe. If necessary, 

a ship is chartered. 

“This is a delicate business, 

you have to understand 

it 100%,” Kulenkampff 

points out. The 

strengths of ocean- and 

airfreight include the 

broad network of the 

company’s foreign enterprises 

and partners. 

Kulenkampff built up 

the international organisation 

himself in the 

1970s – now after his return 

to the company as 

chairman of the board, he 

wants to continue this expansion, 

firstly through 

an aggressive trade lane 

management. In the area 

of transport between 

Bachmann-owned companies 

in North and 

South America, Africa, 

Asia and Europe: air and 

ocean traffic between the 

individual JHB companies 

will be expanded in a 

targeted manner. 

The partners are expected 

to decide exclusively 

in favour of Bachmann 

when they have 

freight to be sent to countries 

with Bachmann offices. 

Currently Bachmann 

is setting up a network 

of partners in Europe 

“And if we do not 

find any exclusive partners 

in a country, we will 

become active there ourselves,” 

adds Kulenkampff. 

Growth for Bachmann 

thus also means establishing 

further foreign 

branches in the near future 

to optimise international 

business. The focus 

here is on the Northamerican 

activities as well as 

expanding Central and 

South American and increasing 

the activity in 

East Asia. 


Interview with Bachmann CEO Wolfgang Kulenkampff 

When Goethe started his Fau 

A company anniversary that has become 

rare in German economic history is currently 

being celebrated by J.H. Bachmann, a 

forwarding company that now belongs to 

Imperial Logistics International and has its 

headquarters in Bremen. August 20, 2000 

marks the 225-year existence of this company. 

Up to 1996 Bachmann was a familyowned 

company. The editors talked to Wolfgang 

Kulenkampff – a trainee at Bachmann 

over 40 years ago and now, after his return, 

Chief Executive Officer of this member of 

our group – about the development of this 

forwarding company. 

225 years – really a rare 

anniversary – even in 

such a hanseatic city and 

port with such a rich tradition 

as Bremen. Is there 

a special Bachmann secret 

that stands for longterm 

successful development 

? 

Not really. Probably the 

hanseatic virtues: diligence, 

solidarity and certainly 

a bit of daring. Incidentally, 

Bachmann 

was in the previous and in 

this century extremely 

successful. In the 1950s 

and 1960s even bigger 

than Kühne & Nagel. In 

the 1980s then and also 

Wolfgang Kulenkampff: 

“We now have a partner who 

gives us a new perspective.” 

even now the company is 

going through a period 

that is not easy. 

Before we talk about the 

past, a couple of comments 

on the present. 

Bachmann is, in fact, a 

well-known name in 

freight forwarding language. 

Where does the 

company stand today? 

Today Bachmann is on 

the threshold of a new beginning. 

The service 

products and routes that 

we offer worldwide have 

been strategically redefined. 

The concept is now 

in the implementation 

phase. Furthermore, 

the necessary decisions 

have been 

made with respect 

to the extent to 

which and where we 

want to invest 

abroad and grow in 

the future. 

How did it start ? Is 

that still known 

today ? 

On 20 August 1775 

the company was 

established by Johann 

Christoph 

Bachmann as a 

commercial enter- 

prise for the import of 

silk fabric and other manufactured 

products from 

England. Johann Hinrich 

Bachmann, a direct descendant, 

gave the company 

its present name: 

J.H. Bachmann or JHB 

for short. In the second 

generation the widow of 

Johann Hinrich Bachmann 

married his cousin, 

Johann Christoph Dubbers. 

For over 200 years 

the company was then 

owned by the Dubbers

BACHMANN 

st, Bachmann established his company 

family. Five years ago 

Consul Rita Dubbers-Albrecht, 

a descendant of 

the founder in the 6th 

generation, sold the company 

to Krupp. 

Does it mean freight forwarding 

and transport 

were not part of the business 

at the beginning ? 

No, this field of activity 

developed out of the shipments 

of silk and other 

manufactured goods that 

the company transported 

on their own. At that time 

products were already 

transported for other 

traders as well. When 

Napoleon enforced the 

Continental blockade in 

1806, imports from England 

were no longer possible, 

Bachmann had to 

reorient itself anyway. 

As in many successful 

companies at that time, 

Bachmann was also managed 

by personalities who 

led the enterprise with 

determination and farsightedness. 

Yes, that was actually the 

case. All owners who 

headed J.H. Bachmann as 

managing partners were 

great personalities who 

not only managed JHB 

successfully, but also 

contributed to Bremen’s 

public welfare in an honorary 

capacity – each in 

their own way. 

After the two World Wars 

Bachmann quickly got 

Bachmann’s three-gable head office 

at Schlachte in Bremen was built 

before 1914 and is still today the 

headquarters of the company. 

back on its feet again. 

Was it this mixture of decisiveness 

and broadly diversified 

activities once 

again that rapidly made 

the company one of the 

major enterprises in its 

sector in Germany ? 

I myself recall when I was 

told at the beginning of 

my career at JHB that the 

company had to start all 

over again from humble 

beginnings to build up 

business after the two 

World Wars. However, 

IMPERIAL NEWS 7

the good contacts over 

many years both in Germany 

and abroad made 

this possible within a 

short time. 

You personally, Mr. Kulenkampff, 

got to know the 

company as a trainee 

around 40 years ago. 

How did you, as a young 

man experienced this traditional 

and well established 

Bremen seaport 

forwarding company ? 

When I joined the company, 

J.H. Bachmann was a 

thriving enterprise. It was 

an honour to work there. 

You joined as a trainee 

and went into retirement 

in honour. Bachmann was 

managed in a very patriarchal 

style at that time, 


i.e. there was no limit to 

working hours. Often the 

individual department 

managers had to wait a 

long time before they 

were able to discuss business 

questions with the 

respective director. I still 

recall with pleasure the 

managing director then, 

Emil Meiners, who managed 

the company very 

successfully for many 

years and did not leave 

until 1979, after working 

for the company for 60 

years. 

Soon you also assumed 

responsibility in this company. 

What was the attraction 

of the business 

for you and your colleagues? 

Thanks to Bachmann, I received 

very intensive 

training abroad. When 

I then suggested to the copartner 

at that time, Eduard 

Nebelthau, whom 

highly respected, to establish 

overseas branches, he 

stated that he can only 

drive one car at a time. 

After his much too early 

decease however, it turned 

out that expanding overseas 

was a absolute necessity, 

a step that was greatly 

favoured by Consul 

Rita Dubbers-Albrecht. 

Since this took place first 

in South America, Bachmann 

became a dominant 

force in this region. 

Containerisation and the 

trend towards concentration 

in the maritime ship- 

A transformer weighing 

212 tonnes is shipped 

by J.H. Bachmann 

ping and freight forwarding 

industry left their 

mark on Bachmann. How 

has the company adapted 

to the new challenges? 

When the first containers 

arrived in Bremerhaven 

in 1964, people forecasted 

that the traditional seaport 

forwarding will die. 

However, Bachmann 

rapidly succeeded in developing 

new concepts. 

In cooperation with its 

foreign companies, successful 

door-to-door shipments 

of ocean and air 

freight were offered – including 

proper packaging 

of the goods. Bachmann 

developed logistics concepts 

for its large customers 

at an early date 

with the result that we became 

one of the leading

providers for automotive 

logistics. 

The change in ownership 

in 1996 was certainly a 

break in the company’s 

development, going from 

a family-managed enterprise 

to a subsidiary of 

the Krupp Group. What 

changes were involved 

with this? 

Somehow it was difficult 

for the JHB staff to understand 

that they no 

longer had their owners in 

Bremen, but were part of 

a large corporation. It 

certainly was not helpful 

that only a few years later 

another change in ownership 

took place – the 

take-over by Imperial. 

Thanks to the chairman 

of the German Imperial 

Group, Gerhard Riemann, 

who recently introduced 

the new shareholder’s 

at a company meeting 

in Bremen, every member 

of the staff now realises 

that we have new owners 

who stand behind us and 

give us a new outlook 

even in difficult times. 

The holding company, 



KG, is the link joining a 

trio, Bachmann, Neska 

and Panopa, which has 

now become a quartet 

through the integration of 

Haniel Reederei. Each 

enterprise operates independently 

on the market, 

but nevertheless they pass 

the ball to each other, 

particularly in their global 

activities, to the benefit 

of the customers. 

Although we operate separately 

in the market, we 

naturally support each 

other. In this manner JHB 

will further internationalise 

the very successful 

automotive logistics services 

performed by 

Panopa in Germany and 

Europe. On the basis of 

my many years of work 

for Thyssen-Haniel, I now 

also see positive synergy 

effects with Haniel Reederei. 

How are you at Bachmann 

celebrating this 

unique company anniversary? 

We have decided to do 

without external celebrations. 

In a letter we have 

asked our customers to 

make a donation to a 

Brazilian children’s village 

instead of any gifts. 

The employees, on the 

other hand, have been invited 

to a large celebration 

in Bremen on September 

9. Many of the 

participants, according to 

our wishes, appeared in 

costumes from 1775, the 

year of the founding of 

Bachmann. 

Will we be able to celebrate 

Bachmann’s 250th 

anniversary in 25 years ? 

We will not, but our successors 

certainly will. 

Bachmann has not gone 

through easy times in recent 

years, but we are optimistic 

that this company 

is heading towards a good 

future within the Imperial 

Group and with the right 

strategy. 

BACHMANN 

The worldwide Bachmann network with branches on all continents 

These and the other 

88 boys and girls at the 

Brazilian children’s home 

“Carolina and her brothers 

and sisters” do not 

have any parents to take 

care of them any more. 

They need support, 

which means especially 

financial assistance. 

The head of Bachmann, 

Wolfgang Kulenkampff, 

has convinced himself on 

site that this project is 

worth supporting.This is 

why he decided against a 

reception on the occasion 

of the company’s 

225 th anniversary and instead 

is asking for generous 

donations to this 

children’s village. 

Wolfgang Kulenkampff 

also cordially requests 

you to make a donation 

for these children.You 

will, of course, receive a 

receipt for tax deduction 

purposes and you can be 

sure that the money will 

reach Carolina and her 

brothers and sisters. 

Donation account: 

J.H. Bachmann GmbH 

Bankhaus Carl R. Plump 

& Co., Bremen 

Bank code: 290 304 00 

Account no.: 30716 

Purpose:“Carolina and 

her brothers and sisters” 

IMPERIAL NEWS 9

neska is well positioned in the centre of Europe and in the Imperial Group 

Classical Carrier with 

Logistic Highlights 

Along the Rhine, where the pulse of European 

economic life beats strongest, neska 

has built up an outstanding position. 

Renowned enterprises entrust neska with 

raw material procurement for their plants 

as well as distribution of their products. 

neska is a classical carrier 

offering extensive logistic 

services. It focuses 

on cargo handling, storage 

and transport through 

combined transport via 

truck, rail and ship as 

well as national and international 

carrier activities, 

such as the conception of 

individual logistics solutions. 

On January 1st of this 

year 65% of the neska 

shares have belonged to 


GmbH + Co. 

KG. The remaining 

shares are still held by 

Harpen Transport AG. 

The managing directors, 

Heinz Bartels and Karlheinz 

Klee, are responsible 

for the corporate management 

of neska. 

neska has three 

branches of its own along 

the Rhine: in Düsseldorf, 

Cologne and Mannheim. 

Furthermore, it has a majority 

shareholding in 

five other major logistics 

companies with locations 

Aggregate for steel production is crushed to the desired 

grain size and packed in drums. 


in Duisburg, Düsseldorf, 

Neuss, Dormagen and 

Cologne. With around 

320 employees neska operates 

crane facilities, 

warehouses and cargo 

handling terminals at 

these various locations. 

One should not forget 

neska Expeditiebedrijf in 

Antwerp; it is a 100% 

subsidiary and through its 

direct link to the Antwerp 

seaport it has a key position 

in maritime shipping. 

ities as well as shipping 

by sea/chartering and 

customs clearance. 

As Managing Director 

Heinz Bartels reveals, 

neska’s philosophy includes: 

“specialisation in 

certain market segments 

with the aim of taking 

over leadership in the 

Interior view of part of the Duisburg Bulk Terminal at the outer harb 

compact loaders ensure that the ferro-alloys here are moved in and 

neska’s range of services 

encompasses complete 

logistics concepts, 

national and international 

overland transport, special 

shipments for out-ofgauge 

and heavy cargo, 

freight forwarding services 

for warehousing 

and cargo handling, inland 

shipping, container 

handling and depot activ- 

market. It is important 

here to link the specific 

services offered in such a 

way that customers can 

be offered a comprehensive 

and complete chain 

of transport.” 

This strategic orientation 

and objective appear 

to be the foundation for a 

success story because as 

Bartels notes: “The posi-

tive development in recent 

years was able to be 

further enhanced in the 

last business year. All 

cargo handling and storage 

facilities had a good 

capacity utilisation ratio.” 

“However,” according to 

his management colleague, 

Karlheinz Klee, 

“in the long run we can 

ensure continuing success 

only if we manage to 

maintain a competitive 

edge through innovation 

and above-average commitment.” 

Now the individual 

companies in the neska 

Group: dbt Duisburg 

Bulk Terminal GmbH, lo- 

our: six wheel loaders and three 

ut quickly. 

cated in Duisburg’s 

Aussenhafen (Outer Harbour), 

is number one in 

Europe in the logistics 

field of ferro-alloys for 

stainless steel manufacturers. 

At this Duisburg 

facility 700,000 to 

800,000 tonnes of ferroalloys 

for the stainless 

steel industry are handled 

annually on around 

50,000 square metres of 

covered and non-covered 

space and delivered to the 

plants just in time. 

An important aspect 

here is constant quality in 

the material as well as in 

the organisational procedures 

that has to be guaranteed 

to the customers. 

The quality management 

system, which was introduced 

in 1993, is reviewed 

annually and ensures 

quality in the operational 

organisation, plays 

a decisive role in this context. 

Number One in 

ferro-alloys 

The facility in Duisburg’s 

Aussenhafen has a 

quay measuring 1.1 kilometres 

in length where 

four coastal motor vessels 

can dock at the same time 

for loading and discharging. 

The three crane units 

move up to 5000 tonnes 

of material coming in and 

The materials handled 

by dbt are transported 

further from Duisburg’s 

Aussenhafen by truck, 

rail and barge. As a rule, 

this cargo consists of bulk 

material. 

Oriented to special 

demands 

However, it is no problem 

for dbt to pack the 

goods or deliver them 

with a specific grain size. 

The respective customer 

requirements can be met 

with the help of packaging 

and screening machines. 

luva Lagerungs- und 

Verpackungs-GmbH, 

whose headquarters are 

also in Duisburg, very 

close to dbt, is even better 

technically equipped for 

special demands. Here, 

too, ferro-alloys and minerals 

are loaded, unloaded 

and stored in close cooperation 

with dbt. Around 

Several ships can be loaded and discharged at the same 

time at the Duisburg Bulk Terminal quay 

going out every day. A 

large portion of this is 

earmarked for the KTN 

(Krupp-Thyssen Nirosta) 

plants in Krefeld, 

Bochum and Siegen, for 

which we carry out logistic 

supply. 

40,000 square metres of 

space are additionally 

available there to complement 

dbt’s facility. However, 

luva’s speciality is 

material treatment. 

Materials that are very 

difficult to process, such 

neska 

Heinz Bartels:“In certain market 

segments we are expanding our 

leading position.” 

as fine ferrochrome, can 

be comminuted to diameters 

of 0.1 millimetres, 

screened, dried and 

packed using the extensive 

technical equipment. 

Through work flows 

that in some cases are 

fully automated and computer-controlled 

via conveyor 

belts the material is 

crushed, screened and 

packaged in big bags 

holding up to 1.5 t or in 

paper sacks for 10 to 15 

kilograms of material. 

Open customs warehouses 

round off the range of 

services offered to customers 

both here and at 

dbt. 

Less dusty and much 

different work is performed 

at neska’s branch 

in the Düsseldorf harbour. 

The core business 

activities here are cargo 

handling and storage of 

paper and steel, European 

overland transport as well 

as shipping via the sea 

and inland waterways. 

Paper supply for 

publishing houses 

neska Düsseldorf not 

only has one of the largest 

terminals on the Rhine 

for all types of carriers, 

but is also the market 

leader in Düsseldorf in 

terms of cargo handling 

IMPERIAL NEWS 11

volume. Every year 

100,000 tonnes of paper 

products for further 

processors in Europe and 

200,000 tonnes of steel 

are handled there. The 

customers include the 

large newspaper publishers, 

for whom we ensure 

paper supply to the printing 

shops, as well as the 

manufacturers of packag- 


our Quality Management 

System. We will report on 

further activities and in 

particular on the introduction 

of a computercontrolled 

bar code system 

in the next issue of 

Imperial News. 

Further upstream are 

the locations of uct Umschlag 

Container Terminal 

GmbH: Neuss and 

nearby autobahn connections 

ensure optimal connections 

to the national 

and international transport 

network. 

Aluminium is handled 

for the aluminium plants 

located in the immediate 

proximity on over 60,000 

square metres of area. 

Other major products and 

raw materials include re- 

This container cargo handling equipment can stack five containers one on top of the 

other. In this way it provides for order and fast operating procedures at our terminal 

in Dormagen. 

ing for liquids, such as 

milk cartons. The department 

for national and international 

overland 

transport in Düsseldorf 

focuses on Europe: in addition 

to England, Spain 

and southern European 

countries, there is a department 

for France that 

carries out shipments for 

our customers, particularly 

from the steel industry. 

The over fifty transport 

operators at its disposal 

are regularly reviewed by 

us with respect to our 

qualitative requirements 

within the framework of 

Dormagen. On the left 

bank of the Rhine uct 

Dormagen operates its 

own harbour for containers 

as well as general and 

bulk cargo. 

Cargo handling quay directly 

on the river 

Inland waterway vessels 

can dock at the cargo 

handling facility here directly 

on the river without 

any roundabout routes via 

port facilities or canal 

systems. Two track facilities 

with a direct link to 

the Deutsche Bahn AG 

rail network as well as 

inforcing steel as well as 

bulk goods, such as coke, 

glass and minerals. 

Strong position with 

containers 

The second focal point 

is the container terminal 

with its entire range of 

services: cargo handling, 

depot, container stuffing, 

stripping and repair. Because 

of the outstanding 

geographical location of 

the terminal, there is 

close cooperation in this 

field with the affiliated 

companies DCH (Düsseldorfer 

Container Hafen 

GmbH) in Düsseldorf and 

CTS (Container Terminal 

GmbH) in Cologne. 

neska as a group thus 

has three excellent bases 

in an expansive market in 

this important region for 

container business, i.e. 

Düsseldorf, Dormagen 

and Cologne. 

Cologne has a lot 

to offer 

The second large “aluminium 

specialist” is the 

uct branch in Neuss. Besides 

aluminium transhipment, 

around 40,000 

tonnes of paper products 

as well as 80,000 tonnes 

of stainless steel in the 

form coils and packs are 

stored and handled here. 

neska operates a dry cargo handling w 

harbour. Not a drop of rain falls on th 

transhipped here. 

For this purpose there is a 

dry cargo handling shed, 

which is covered and thus 

weather-protected, available 

in addition to open 

storage space. The appertaining 

siding track 

makes it possible to trans-

fer cargo directly from 

the ship to the freight 

waggon or to the warehouse. 

Customers can expect 

something special from 

neska in Cologne: the location 

in the Cologne- 

Niehl harbour with a 

quay length of 800 metres 

offers optimal transport 

links to water, road and 

rail and thus provides the 

ideal prerequisites for 

flexible logistic transport 

and warehousing solutions. 

Furthermore, 

Cologne is a convincing 

location thanks to its 

range of logistic services 

– starting with freight 

forwarding, cargo handling, 

storage of general 

arehousing in the Düsseldorf 

sensitive goods that are 

and bulk cargo, import 

and export through shortsea 

and overseas transport 

as well as inland 

shipping all the way to 

customs clearance. European 

part and complete 

load shipments, also to 

eastern Europe and the 

Far East, offer the customers 

of the Cologne 

branch economic advantages. 

Specialisation in 

For the customers in 

Mannheim goods are 

stored, commissioned, 

packed, prepared and sent 

to the consumer goods in- 

Mannheim on the Upper Rhine is one of neska’s most 

efficient branches. 

out-of-gauge shipments 

and heavy cargo rounds 

off the range of services. 

We have 41,000 square 

metres of open storage 

space and a total of 6500 

square metres of warehouse 

space at our disposal 

in Cologne. A dry 

cargo handling building 

for weather-protected 

cargo handling as well as 

a refrigerated storage facility 

meet further-reaching 

requirements in the 

case of sensitive goods. 

Mannheim focuses 

on versatility 

The range of services 

offered by the entire 

neska Group is also provided 

with a high degree 

of versatility by the 

Mannheim branch. For 

example, neska Mannheim 

operates and manages 

two high-bay warehouses 

with a capacity of over 

17,000 spaces for storing 

detergents and industrial 

cleaning agents, some of 

which are classified as 

hazardous substances. 

dustry and supermarket 

chains. A standardised IT 

procedure, which supports 

all work flows from 

receipt of incoming orders 

and commissioning 

to dispatch and settlement 

of accounts with customers 

and transport op- 

neska 

erators, meets all requirements. 

An additional reference 

for the well-functioning 

logistic services is 

the supply of food and 

other goods to army 

bases, which is primarily 

organised using thermotrucks 

from neska in 

Mannheim. 

neska Mannheim is 

also responsible for ensuring 

the supply of raw 

materials from western 

and eastern Europe that 

are used to manufacture 

the products of a 

renowned confectionery 

company. 

The demand for newspaper paper is high. From the 

Düsseldorf harbour neska supplies publishing houses on 

Rhine and Ruhr. 

IMPERIAL NEWS 13

Our roots lie in the 

steel industry. Our 

customers are primarily 

automobile manufacturers 

and their suppliers, 

but also plant and 

machine builders, explains 

Heinz-Gerd Sprenger, 

Managing Director 

of Panopa Logistik 

GmbH, the foundation 

for the success story. 

Prior to the move into the 

corporate group of Imperial 

enterprises, the company 

with a long tradition 

was part of the Krupp 

Group – for more than 75 

years. The concentration 

on a special logistics sector 

formed the basis, on 

which Panopa was able to 

develop into the leading 

industrial freight forwarding 

company for steel 

and all related products. 

The recipients of products 

made of steel are still 

the focus of Panopa’s lo- 

gistic services. However, 

conventional truck transport 

and the organisation 

of railway freight shipments 

– services that the 

steel industry will presumably 

always require – 

constitute only one of the 

central pillars. In the 

meantime so-called outsourcing 

business has developed 

into the strongest 

growth segment. 

Logistics is moving 

into production 

In this field Panopa as 

an experienced partner 

performs production-related 

services that clients 

used to carry out themselves 

at a cost- and personnel-intensive 

effort – 

for many companies an 

extremely economical 

option for efficient resource 

planning. Panopa 

Logistik has, for example, 

completely reposi- 

tioned itself in recent 

years through numerous 

services that have little in 

common with conventional 

business. Heinz- 

Gerd Sprenger can point 

in particular to the intensive 

consulting and planning 

activities in the area 

of in-plant material flows 

in this connection. However, 

the company does 

not restrict itself solely to 

materials management in 

the storage field and justin-time 

control of the material 

flow. Packaging and 

complementary work, 

such as assembly of individual 

parts into entire 

components, is also carried 

out. After all, precisely 

this field has 

demonstrated in recent 

years that integrated solutions 

planned and designed 

for specific customers 

can be implemented 

economically by 

Panopa even within the 

framework of specially 

created profit centres. 

And an outsourcing 

process in the logistics 

sector, as experience with 

many projects shows, 

rapidly leads to measurable 

success – for both 

The logical 

Procurement logistics Produktion-logi 

Supplier decision: 

Plant 1 

In-plant transp 


Panopa Logistik expands its lead 

A story of succe 

Panopa concentrates on specialities – 

something the company is tops in. 

On the basis of many years of 

experience in the field of steel 

logistics, the enterprise with 

a long tradition has 

developed into a successful 

system provider 

in all areas of 

modern logistics in 

the international 

Imperial Group. 

Heinz-Gerd Sprenger:“We are 

specialised in outsourcing 

processes in the logistics sector.”

tics 

rt 

ss 

partners – particularly in 

highly mechanised fields, 

such as the automotive industry. 

Material control for the 

automotive industry 

All Panopa activities 

follow one guiding principle: 

the customer concentrates 

on his core business 

and Panopa as the 

provider handles the entire 

logistics involved in 

project business. A division 

of labour that is prevailing 

more and more, as 

the Panopa managing director 

has observed for 

years. 

However, Heinz-Gerd 

Sprenger does not want to 

conceal the fact that this 

comprehensive range of 

services offered by the 

company extends far beyond 

the core qualifications 

of forwarding clerks 

and warehouse staff. This 

is why Panopa employs a 

number of qualified engineers 

and business management 

specialists for 

material flow as well as 

other specialists for incompany 

logistics today. 

The complex interrelationships 

can be illustrated 

well on the basis of automobile 

production: it is 

a common view that exclusively 

completely 

identical cars roll off the 

Plant 2 Warehouse 

production lines of the 

automobile plants – accordingly 

the same parts 

must always be provided 

at the same places in an 

efficiently organised production 

process. This is 

not reality, however, since 

uniformity exists among 

the products of the modern 

automotive industry 

only at first glance: in 

fact, there is equipment 

that deviates from the 

standard type in nearly 

every single vehicle. This 

means that for each car to 

be produced the neces- 

Distribution-logistics 

Disposal-logistics 

sary material, which 

varies greatly from case 

to case, must be available 

at the right place and at 

the right time. This requires 

a highly complicated 

production planning 

and control process 

as well as a refined parts 

logistics system – tasks 

that necessitate engineer 

qualifications. 

Precise material control 

does not always begin 

immediately in front of 

the production line in the 

production plant, but already 

starts with the parts 

Customer 

Disposal + 

recycling 

PANOPA 

suppliers, as Managing 

Director Sprenger explains: 

the entire material 

flow that precedes a production 

process must be 

coordinated with the final 

production stage. “And 

this is a very complex 

system, in the framework 

of which we have already 

received plaudits from 

several renowned manu- 

Panopa can competently handle 

steel products of all kinds. Our 

industrial clients place their trust in 

this performance and “have done 

well” with this arrangement up to 

now. 

facturers,” he states. The 

basis for this success is 

still the core competence 

in the steel sector: “Particularly 

in the case of our 

expanded range of services, 

we profit from the 

fact that we have the 

competent staff as well as 

the appropriate operating 

resources and facilities at 

our disposal at different 

locations.” 

A special challenge is 

posed by the high re- 

Logistics 

by Panopa 

IMPERIAL NEWS 15

quirements of automobile 

manufacturers in connection 

with CKD (Completely 

Knocked Down) 

shipments abroad – this is 

a procedure applied when 

imports of complete automobiles 

are subject to 

high duties in certain, 

usually overseas countries 

and are thus unprofitable. 

System procedures for 

shipment delivery 

An approach often 

taken in such cases is to 

supply the major parts 

and components to the 

country concerned as individual 

parts, purchase 

what is missing on site or 

in the region and assemble 

the automobiles in the 

receiving country. “We 

take care of dispatch of 

the parts for German 

manufacturers, pack them 

in transport containers 

that we have specially developed 

for this purpose 

and handle all customs 

formalities,” reports 

Sprenger on the diverse 

experience of Panopa Logistik. 

“Nothing is left to 

chance here. Our planning 

engineers have also 

developed system procedures 

for deliveries over 

long distances that can be 

monitored by us and our 

customers at all times. 

Trained staff at all levels 

supports them in the successful 

implementation 

of these strategies.” 

To manage such complex 

tasks, the know-how 

of the client and Panopa’s 

competence must be networked 

closely with each 

other. Therefore, Panopa 

takes on personnel with 

appropriate know-how 

from order-placing companies 

in specific cases 

within the framework of 

temporary employment 

contracts. However, the 

reverse method is also applied 

– Panopa provides 


highly qualified specialised 

personnel, suitable 

equipment and work 

areas for the implementation 

of special projects. 

At 28 locations 

all over Europe 

Today Panopa is represented 

at a total of 28 locations 

all over Europe 

with its own facilities (in 

the form of warehouses 

and storage space). Some 

of the most important logistics 

centres are located 

next door to the steel 

manufacturers and the automotive 

industry. The 

Renowned automobile manufacturers are supplied with 

body sheet metal from this Panopa warehouse in Bochum. 

The new building meets the highest requirements of our 

customers. 

Panopa logistics centre 

for spare parts in Dortmund, 

for example, is 

part of the array of stateof-the-art 

facilities. Two 

years ago the base in the 

eastern Ruhr area was 

equipped with a completely 

new, high-performance 

data processing 

and control system, by 

virtue of which over one 

million parts a year can 

be commissioned. 

On the basis of the experience 

gained in steel 

logistics since 1992, at 

the EKO steel plants in 

Eisenhüttenstatt, the 

largest branch with 

around 120 employees, 

Panopa Logistik is able to 

apply the know-how in 

this sector to other fields. 

A long-term extension of 

the service contract with 

expanded activities and 

investments was just concluded. 

Another example of 

the effectiveness of the 

future-oriented Panopa 

concept can be found in 

the university and innovation 

city of Bochum. With 

optimal transport links 

steel coils can be stored 

and dispatched here 

under extremely modern 

conditions on a building

area of around 22,000 

square metres. The warehouse 

layout is specially 

tailored to the demands of 

modern logistics while a 

season-dependent climate 

control system provides 

for ideal storage conditions 

and 4 magnetic 

cranes guarantee material-compatible 

product 

handling. Since March 

2000 a total of 1.1 million 

tonnes of steel are commissioned 

annually in 

three-shift operation in 

Bochum alone. 

However, Panopa’s logistic 

competence is not 

only in demand within 

Germany’s borders, but 

also at the international 

level. Whether it is the 

modern distribution centre 

in Posen for VW or for 

Opel in Zaragoza, Spain, 

where two production 

lines for 420,000 units a 

year – around 1950 cars a 

day – are provided comprehensive 

logistic support. 

Forward-looking 

projects at Panopa 

Satisfied customers in 

all of Europe place their 

trust in Panopa’s knowhow 

and experience. The 

fact that this trust pays off 

is also reflected in current 

projects: at the end of this 

year a new logistics centre 

with a similar capacity 

as the Bochum branch 

will launch operation at 

VW in Wolfsburg and directly 

supply the production 

lines of the largest 

European car maker 

there. 

Such forward-looking 

projects naturally require 

significant investments, 

which, however, were and 

are appropriated to an adequate 

amount by the previous 

as well as the new 

owners of the company – 

a competitive advantage 

that will be maintained in 

future as well. This creates 

the basis for Panopa 

to be integrated competently 

into the range of 

business activities of the 

parent corporation, Imperial. 

“It is a genuinely high 

degree of competence 

that we input into Imperial 

Logistics International,” 

summarises Panopa’s 

managing director with 

justification. “And wherever 

it makes entrepreneurial 

sense,” Heinz- 

Gerd Sprenger assures, 

“Panopa can make use of 

the broad spectrum of 

services offered by the 

Imperial Group.” 

In the view of the logistics 

specialist, a particular 

feature that has 

proven to be an advantage 

is the fact that although 

the services of the six 

German Imperial companies 

differ, they complement 

each other ideally in 

each individual case: 

Brouwer Shipping in 

Hamburg stands for 

freight shipment through 

maritime shipping, neska 

is present on the coast 

and along the Rhine with 

its own staff and operating 

facilities, such as 

warehouses and technical 

infrastructure. The international 

forwarding company, 

J.H. Bachmann, 

PANOPA 

Today electronic equipment helps 

Panopa in providing for rapid access 

to small parts 

started to specialise in intercontinental 

logistics 

business at an early date, 

Haniel Reederei is number 

one in inland shipping 

and finally the services 

offered by Schulte und 

Bruns are concentrated in 

the Dortmund region. 

“With this constellation,” 

Heinz-Gerd Sprenger is 

certain, “every conceivable 

chain of transport 

and logistics can be designed 

and successfully 

implemented under one 

roof.” 

Material for production: 

Panopa ensures reliable 

supply 

IMPERIAL NEWS 17

Imperial acquired the largest European fleet through Haniel Reederei takeover 

The logistics network also in 

Haniel Reederei along with its large fleet 

has made fast at Imperial Logistics International. 

Inland shipping is also responsible 

for the growth in industrial logistics along 

the Rhine. This was the decisive factor behind 

Imperial’s commitment in this transport 

sector. 

Now it has all been 

worked out. “Imperial 

aims at strong 

growth in the European 

logistics and transport 

market. This includes a 

strong base in inland 

shipping. We have achieved 

this by acquiring 

a majority share of Haniel 

Reederei,” comments 

Gerhard Riemann, Chief 

Executive Officer of Imperial 

Logistics International 

GmbH & Co. KG, 

this move. 

This makes the sixth 

company joining the Imperial 

Group in Germany, 

which previously 

consisted of five enterprises: 

neska, Panopa, 

Bachmann, Schulte & 

Bruns as well as Brouwer 

Shipping & Chartering. 

Friedhelm Askerlund:“More 

than a third of our employees 

work abroad.This already shows 

our internationality.” 


Friedhelm Askerlund, 

spokesman of Haniel 

Reederei Holding GmbH, 

agrees. He is also convinced 

that inland shipping 

will remain a very 

significant element in the 

transport and logistics 

sector and will further expand 

its share of this 

business. 

The head of Haniel 

Reederei recalls in this 

context how successful 

some inland shipping 

companies – including 

Haniel Reederei along 

with its shareholdings – 

have been in increasing 

the volume of barge containers 

in the Rhine region 

year in and year out. 

In the view of Friedhelm 

Askerlund, there are in this 

segment alone a number of 

interfaces between the 

business activities of his 

company and those of the 

carriers and logistics enterprises 

in the Imperial 

Group in Germany. 

It must be pointed out 

at this juncture that 

Haniel has made economic 

history and successful 

business in inland shipping. 

Around 200 years 

ago the founder, Franz 

Haniel, launched inland 

shipping on the Rhine 

and Ruhr as well as coal 

trade. This was the origin 

of the large commercial 

enterprise Franz Haniel 

& Cie. GmbH that now 

has sales of around 30 

thousand million DM. 

First the ships were 

towed (i.e. they were 

drawn by horses when 

moving upstream). At the 

beginning of the 19th 

century steamships appeared 

that had a major 

influence on the early industrial 

age. Haniel was 

one of the first companies 

to utilise this type of 

propulsion. It even established 

its own shipyards 

and built ships. During 

the further course of its 

history Haniel maintained 

its position at the 

leading edge of technical 

progress in inland shipping, 

but this is a story 

that will not be dwelled 

upon here. There is something 

that not everyone 

knows, however: today 

Haniel Reederei is the 

largest European inland 

shipping company. 

Together with Krupp 

Binnenschiffahrt, which 

it took over last year,

cludes barges 

Haniel operates around 

110 different vessels. 

They include eight push 

boats with up to 6000 HP 

that can propel four 

pushed barges with a capacity 

of up to 2800 

tonnes in front of them. 

Multiple barge convoys 

and special tankers 

These multiple barge 

convoys primarily supply 

the European steel industry 

and power utilities 

with raw materials, such 

as ore or coal. 

Another important element 

of the Haniel fleet 

consists of the special 

vessels of one of its subsidiaries, 

Wijgula. These 

are vessels with extremely 

sophisticated technical 

equipment. 

The so-called container 

ships or double-hull 

vessels that carry liquid 

cargo for the chemical industry 

form the backbone 

of the fleet. Very high 

safety requirements have 

to be met by these ships 

and their crews. To make 

sure that everything is 

under control at all times, 

such vessels are placed in 

the complete care of the 

shipping company. This is 

also appreciated by 

clients from industry. 

A company like Haniel 

Reederei that cooperates 

so closely with large industrial 

shippers in Eu- 

HANIEL 

rope, i.e. its clients, is 

predestined to cover the 

entire spectrum of services 

in European inland 

shipping. This is why 

around 500 independent 

shipowners, in this case 

barge owners, work very 

closely with Haniel. 

In partnership with independent 

barge owners 

For this purpose 

Haniel Reederei has set 

up its own freight depart- 

Multiple barge convoys provide power stations and steel 

manufacturers with coal and ore. Each convoy consists 

of four barges, each with a capacity of 2800 tonnes. 

IMPERIAL NEWS 19

ments and established 

companies that maintain 

contact to customers in 

all sectors of industry and 

commerce. Their activities 

include consulting, 

acquisition and organisation. 

The independent 

barge owners carry out 

the actual transport from 

A to B according to the 

instructions of the Haniel 

staff. 

This activity along 

with operation of its own 

multiple barge convoys 

and special vessels is the 

third important revenue 

earner for the company, 

explains Helmut Botermann, 

Managing Director 

of Haniel Reederei Holding. 

“Both with our own 

ships and with the vessels 

of the barge owners that 

sail for us we are ready to 

meet all requirements related 

to market demand 

and we thus take more 

and more shipments away 

from rail and road.” 

Many staff members 

employed abroad 

Last but not least, mention 

must be made of 

Haniel’s fourth business 

unit, Industrial Logistics. 

This division is in charge 

of cargo handling and 


storage with its own facilities 

at various locations. 

The range of services encompasses 

dry bulk 

goods as well as tranship- 

Wijnhoff & Van 

Gulpen & Larsen, 

or Wijgula for 

short, a subsidiary of Haniel 

Reederei, recently 

put another interesting 

new vessel into service: 

the ship is called “TMS 

Synthese 2”. The abbreviation 

TMS in front of 

the vessel’s name stands 

for Tank – Motor (the 

German word for engine) 

– Ship. Why was the 

name “Synthese” (German 

for synthesis) chosen? 

The head of Haniel 

Reederei, Friedhelm Askerlund, 

replies: “Synthesis 

roughly means 

putting together various 

elements to obtain a 

higher-quality product in 

the end where the differences 

between the raw 

The “racecourse” for Haniel’s 

multiple barge convoys is the 

section between Rotterdam and 

Duisburg 

ment of entire plants, finished 

products and containers. 

Altogether Haniel 

Reederei has 625 em- 

ployees, around 260 of 

those in other European 

countries. “This alone 

shows that we have an international 

orientation,” 

emphasises Askerlund. 

In response to the 

question as to the reasons 

why the parent company 

is parting from the shipping 

enterprise, Askerlund 

gives an candid 

reply: “It is correct that 

our parent company, 

Franz Haniel & Cie., was 

not satisfied with the results 

of the shipping company 

based on the returns 

earned in other business 

divisions, particularly 

wholesale trade. However, 

our figures are in the 

black and we are among 

the most successful – also 

as far as the results are 

concerned – in the inland 

shipping sector.” 

Wijgula shipping company 

A new vessel with stainless 

steel tanks 

materials are eliminated. 

This accurately characterises 

the cooperation between 

all those involved 

in building a new ship.” 

Based in Druten (Netherlands), 

Wijgula operates 

a total of 30 vessels of 

this kind for transporting 

The most recent chemical 

tanker in the Haniel fleet is 

called “Synthese 2” 

liquid chemicals on all 

inland waterways of western 

Europe. The new 

vessel has five tanks inside 

completely made of 

stainless steel with a capacity 

of 380 cubic metres 

each.

Gerhard Riemann and 

Friedhelm Askerlund intend 

to consolidate this 

position in the new ownership 

constellation. They 

see good potential for additional 

orders and activities 

going beyond traditional 

business. “Bachmann, 

Panopa and neska 

conduct logistics and carrier 

business in which we 

can become involved,” 

notes Askerlund. 

A good match for the 

Imperial Group 

And Gerhard Riemann 

points out that Imperial 

along with its affiliated 

companies forms transboundary 

chains of transport 

in which inland shipping 

can be integrated 

even more intensively 

than before. As far as 

water routes are concerned, 

there could be no 

better addition to the 

group than Haniel, believes 

Gerhard Riemann. 

If one adds everything 

together, Haniel Reederei 

has over 600 vessels at its 

disposal, 110 of its own 

and around 500 contracted 

ships, and is thus by 

far the largest company in 

the sector in Europe. A 

capacity of 900,000 

tonnes on vessels of diverse 

design is available 

to and also made use of 

by industry and commerce. 

Friedhelm Askerlund 

describes the degree of 

deployment of the fleet as 

good. The company is expected 

to transport 

around 45 million tonnes 

of goods this year and 

achieve sales of about 

500 million DM. Last 

year it earned sales of 430 

million DM and recorded 

a profit before taxes of 

around 6 million DM. 

SCHULTE & BRUNS 


GmbH has geared its 

services entirely to the 

high demands of industry 

in the Dortmund region 

and in eastern Westphalia. 

The company, which 

is now a 100% subsidiary 

of Imperial Logistics International 


KG, has been operating at 

the same location in the 

Dortmund harbour since 

1905. 

Altogether the Schulte 

& Bruns grounds in 

Mathies and Marx Harbour 

measure 32,000 

square metres (see 

photo). The facilities for 

cargo handling and storage 

business are substantial: 

three rapid handling 

warehouses with a total 

area of around 10,000 

square metres, of which 

2500 square metres have 

climate control for dry 

storage of goods sensitive 

to moisture. The building 

roof towards the water 

projects about 20 metres 

over part of the harbour 

basin so ships can be 

loaded and discharged regardless 

of the weather. 

Four crane units with 

lifting capacities of up to 

36 tonnes operate on the 

open storage areas. Quick 

equipment changeover 

for gripper or magnetic 

operation makes the company 

very flexible. 

For a precise designation 

of Schulte & Bruns 

one would have to add 

“Schiffahrts-, SpeditionsundUmschlaggesellschaft 

mbH” (shipping, 

forwarding and 

cargo handling company). 

This is a clear indication 

of the other activities: 

for example, Schulte 

& Bruns charters onboard 

storage space and 

provides for inland shipping 

and truck shipments 

for its industrial clientele. 

View of Schulte & Bruns 

facility in Dortmund harbour 

Schulte & Bruns displays its strengths 

Optimal service for steel 

Furthermore, the entire 

logistics is handled from 

the customer’s plant to 

fob (free on board) in the 

seaport and vice versa. 

All of these services are 

certified in accordance 

with DIN EN ISO 9001, 

emphasises Managing 

Director Dieter Woermann. 

Schulte & Bruns’ customers 

primarily operate 

in the steel industry, such 

as Thyssen Krupp Steel 

with plants in Dortmund 

and Siegen, Hoesch Hohenlimburg 

with plants in 

Schwerte and Hohenlimburg 

as well as HSP 

(Hoesch Spundwand und 

Profil) in Dortmund. In 

addition, Schulte & 

Bruns works together 

with numerous steel importers 

and dealers. 

Twenty committed and 

competent staff members 

are responsible for the 

forwarding services. 

IMPERIAL NEWS 21

At Brouwer Shipping & Chartering the customers are always in the picture 

On a safe course through all por 

and across the seven seas 

Small but impressive, and active worldwide 

with telephone, telex, fax and email. This is 

how one could put everyday business activity 

at Brouwer Shipping & Chartering, part of 

the Imperial Group, in a nutshell. In reality, 

however, everything is very complex. If you 

want to provide transport with seagoing vessels, 

you need qualified and experienced experts 

– otherwise you will founder. Brouwer 

Shipping & Chartering performs commercial 

pilot functions in such a way that all those 

involved are satisfied after every voyage. 

Brouwer Shipping & 

Chartering has been 

in the worldwide maritime 

freight business for 

40 years and is always on 

the lookout for the right 

ship for a specific cargo. 

The focus of this Imperial 

company is on transport 

and cargo handling of 

steel products, scrap, 

coal, coke, project cargo 

as well as timber and 

feeding stuff in batch 

Holger Ranf:“As a special 

service, we offer complete 

handling of time charter 

vessels.” 


sizes ranging from 500 to 

120,000 tonnes. 

Furthermore, chartering 

of “handy-size” and 

“panmax” bulk carriers is 

carried out for various 

shipping companies and 

charterers, operating and 

handling functions for 

time charter tonnage are 

performed, cargo handling 

services, including 

the related inland transport, 

are arranged and 

agency representation 

and clearance are offered 

and provided. 

Thanks to connections 

to shipping companies, 

shippers and shipbrokers 

all over the globe that 

have developed and 

grown for decades, 

Brouwer Shipping & 

Chartering receives thousands 

of current ship positions 

and the largest 

portion of the cargo ready 

for shipment in the world 

market on a daily basis. 

The ship database contains 

over 6000 vessels 

with a loading capacity of 

500 to 250,000 tonnes 

with current positions. In 

this way Brouwer can 

offer a suitable ship for 

nearly any cargo inquiry 

within the shortest possible 

time. Sound market 

know-how enables the 

company to offer reliable 

and competitive freight 

rates in worldwide crosstrade. 

Brouwer focuses on 

the handling of steel and 

scrap as well as coke and 

coal shipments for the 

German steel industry. 

Furthermore, its activities 

encompass worldwide 

tramp shipping, 

where particular emphasis 

must be given to steel 

and coke transport for 

the ThyssenKrupp 

Group, whose shipments 

have been handled for 

decades. In addition, the 

company also offers 

transport options for 

goods of all kinds, including 

containers, especially 

to and from the Far 

East, USA/Canada, Australia 

and, of course, 

within Europe as well. 

Getting the right ship 

quickly 

In container transport 

Brouwer maintains very 

close contacts to 

renowned shipping companies 

and generally obtains 

very good rates on 

the basis of the many 

years of cooperation and 

slot agreements, states 

Managing Director, Holger 

Ranf. The advantages 

in the market can be attributed, 

not least of all,

ts 

to the fact that the subsidiary, 

HMR Hansa 

Maritime Reederei 

GmbH, has been represented 

in all specialised 

fields with its own time 

charter tonnage ranging 

from 2000 to 50,000 

tonnes lading capacity for 

The appropriate cargo 

handling equipment is not 

available in all ports.This is 

why ships with their own 

gear are still in demand at 

Brouwer Shipping. 

the past 32 years. Often 

transactions with our 

customers can only be 

concluded through 

freight rates below the 

respective freight market 

level, explains Holger 

Ranf. Part of this business 

can only be realised 

through a time charter 

with a suitable vessel and 

cargo shipment under the 

company’s own management. 

The risks that must 

be assumed by the charterers 

in this case, such 

as delay due to weather 

or strikes, are usually 

more than covered by the 

freight savings. 

As a special service, 

Brouwer offers its customers 

complete hand- 

BROUWER SHIPPING 

ling of time charter ships, 

i.e. from cost estimation 

to acceptance of the suitable 

vessel, cargo calls, 

instruction of the agents 

in the ports and the captains 

on board the vessels, 

cargo coordination, 

bunker ordering, hire accounting, 

drawing up 

bills of lading and manifests. 

In addition, handling 

Suez or Panama 

Canal transits, voyage 

monitoring, covering the 

protection and indemnity 

insurance all the way to 

return delivery of the vessel 

and subsequent final 

settlement of accounts as 

well as processing of any 

cargo damage, arbitration 

and unusual situations. 

The customer is always 

in the picture 

Thanks to Brouwer’s 

worldwide connections to 

agents and stevedore 

companies, it can offer 

favourable cargo handling 

rates and stowage 

costs in most major ports, 

which is helpful for offers 

that only include fob delivery. 

Furthermore, 

Brouwer can arrange for 

maritime transport, including 

on-carriage to 

f.o.t., for the recipient in 

many countries, especially 

in Iran. 

Holger Ranf proudly 

points out that Brouwer 

can, of course, not only 

offer favourable prices 

for cargo handling and 

storage in Hamburg that 

are unrivalled, but also in 

Antwerp, through contracts 

on a secure longterm 

basis. “Our many 

years of experience and 

knowledge of the shipping 

market are an invaluable 

advantage for 

our customers,” adds 

Holger Ranf. 

Another speciality entails 

partial charter options 

within selected 

routes, such as from 

northern Europe to the 

Red Sea / Arabian Gulf, 

including Iran, Pakistan 

and India or from South 

America and the USA to 

Spain and to the northern 

continent, from the Black 

Sea and from the 

Mediterranean to the Arabian 

Gulf, to Pakistan, 

India and the Far East, not 

to mention from the 

Baltic Sea and northern 

Europe/Black Sea to the 

Far East and vice versa. 

Last but not least, 

Brouwer offers extremely 

favourable rates for shipments 

from and to India. 

 

Nearly every sector has its special jargon, and this 

applies to maritime shipping, too, the sector in which 

Brouwer Shipping & Chartering operates. So that 

the article “On a safe course through all ports and 

across the seven seas” is understandable for everyone, 

“Imperial News” provides a few explanations of 

the main terms. 

Agent Someone who is entitled to act for or on behalf of 

another 

Arbitration Settlement of a dispute by a person or persons 

chosen to hear both sides and come to a decision 

Bill of lading A document that represents proof of the sea freight 

contract. The handing over of the bill of lading 

constitutes handing over the goods 

Bulk carrier Ship for transporting bulk cargo 

Bunker Fuel for ships 

cif Cost, insurance and freight 

Clearance Clearing and taking care of a ship in the port 

Container Standardised transport receptacle 

Cross-trade Transport of goods that are transported neither by a 

shipping company with the flag of the export country 

nor by a shipping company with the flag of the 

import country as well as shipments of local traders 

that do not touch German ports. 

fob Free on board 

f.o.t. Free on truck 

Handy-size Ships between 38,000 and 50,000 tonnes, generally 

with cargo handling gear 

Manifest List of the cargo loaded on a ship, issued by the 

shipping company or agent 

On-carriage Container transport from the seaport to the inland 

site 

Panmax Ship that can still pass through the Panama Canal 

Partial charter Contract that stipulates that a certain space of a ship 

is used for freight 

Shipper Someone who offers the shipping company goods 

for transport and concludes the sea freight contract 

with it 

Shipping Operator of a ship used for commercial purposes 

company 

Slot charter Freight contract for chartering container space on 

ships 

Stevedore Specialised company for packing and unpacking 

company containers and loading and discharging conventional 

ships 

Time charter Charter contract in which a shipowner provides a 

charterer a ship for a certain period of time 

Tramp shipping Shipping without a fixed schedule. The ship picks up 

cargo where it is offered. 

IMPERIAL NEWS 23


Publisher: 

Imperial Logistics International GmbH & Co. KG, Duisburg 

Kasteelstraße 2 • D-47119 Duisburg 

Telefon +49 (0) 203-8 00 5-2 30 • Fax +49(0) 203-80 05-2 84 

e-mail: imperial@imperial-international.com 

The Logical Choice

Imperial Logistics International - Gillhuber Logistik GmbH

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