imperial - Panopa

News 1-08-2 englisch:News 2/05.2 30.04.2008 17:44 Uhr Seite 14
14 P A N O P A
Panopa’s Expertise in Steel Logistics
Gains Recognition
Panopa Logistik GmbH is organising onward transports of steel between Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and
Eastern Europe on behalf of an international steel producer. The recent invitation to tender was won by Panopa in
the face of stiff competition from serious rivals in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.
The order involves shipments
from Belgium, or to be precise
from Liege (region of Wallonia)
and from Geel (near Antwerp), and
also from Bremen. A decisive factor in
winning the invitation to tender was
the decades of experience that Panopa
has in steel logistics: “We know steel as
a product from our storage management
operations and as a transport
firm”, explains Thorsten Domke, head
of the Central Transport Organisation
department in Duisburg, “and Panopa
has a good reputation among Euro -
pean steel producers.” The transport
routes which start in Liege and Geel
run through the Ruhr, to Lower
Saxony and the new German states in
the East. Liege is furthermore the
start ing point for shipments to Eastern
Europe. Around 90 per cent of the
transports consists of steel coils for the
automotive industry and some 10 per
cent of sectional steel from Luxem -
bourg. Open trucks are used to transport
the sectional steel, with extend -
able, telescopic semi-trailers for lengths
up to 22 metres. The coils, in contrast,
are moved by vehicles with special
coil-holding hollows.
Panopa took over the transports to
Germany on 1st August 2007 and the
deliveries to Eastern Europe as from
1st January 2008. A fruitful collabor -
ation stretching back many years is
thus being set forth: Panopa's Central
Transport Organisation department
has been working together with the
steel producer ever since 1994. The
tonnage has been continually in -
creased over the course of the years.
The eastward extension of the EU, in
particular, has opened up new opportunities,
which Panopa is eagerly
exploiting. The broader cooperation
will raise the overall scope of shipments
by 35,000 tons per annum.
Focus on the “Panopa Strategy 2010”
at the Panopa Annual Meeting 2007
2010
The future strategic alignment of
Panopa Logistik GmbH was the
main topic at Panopa's 17th
annual meeting on 7th December 2007
in the Mercator Hall in Duisburg.
Dr. Andreas Hucht, head of the
Planning and Consultation department,
kicked off by presenting a paper
entitled the “Panopa Strategy 2010” on
behalf of an in-house work group composed
for the purpose. Among the ques-
tions discussed by the employees in
the interdisciplinary workshops that
followed was that of which fields
Imperial News 1/2008
Panopa should particularly concen -
trate on in future. The colleagues fur -
thermore talked about how further
synergies could be reaped within the
company and in which areas.
Over 80 per cent of staff subsequently
thought that it was a good idea to discuss
such topics in a workshop format.
This positive feedback was also re flect -
ed in the results from the afternoon.
“We were delighted with the ideas and
presentations that emerged from the
workshops”, declared Heinz-Gerd
Sprenger, chairman of the management
board. For this reason, the company
will continue with its policy of
refining future corporate strategy
together with the employees in work -
shops. A further meeting was held in
February to build upon the useful
work started in December.
A high level of commitment and support
from all members of staff will
lastly be a decisive factor in the successful
implementation of the “Panopa
Strategy 2010”.