Bachmann Airfreight Solves Tricky Transport Problems ... - Panopa

News1/2002 

Staff and Customer Magazine 

Bachmann Airfreight solves 

tricky transport problems 

Haniel Reederei has a 

strong base in Belgium 

neska subsidiary uct with 

focal points in Dormagen 

and Neuss 

New Panopa logistics warehouse 

in Eisenhüttenstadt 

Focus on quality 

Riester pension: 

Imperial does more

2 � IMPERIAL NEWS 

Editorial 

Dear Employees, Dear Customers, 

Severe economic turbulence in Argentina, which has had a 

strong impact on the neighbouring countries, a recession in 

Japan and in the European Union countries, of which Germany 

has been hit the hardest, and the impacts of the terrorist 

attack on 11 September 2001 as well as the terrorist threat 

and the unstable political situation in the Middle East, particularly 

in Israel – these are the daily headlines that pursue us 

in this business year. Especially in Germany the economy is 

suffering from a significant setback in the steel industry, substantial 

declines in automobile production and the very restrained 

mood in the chemical industry besides the disastrous 

situation in the construction sector. 

All of this, Ladies and Gentlemen, sounds neither motivating 

nor positive, and the impression of the consumer that the 

change in currency has been accompanied by a considerable 

rise in prices will undoubtedly not result in a brightening of 

the economic picture. 

In the face of all these negative events, it is a reassuring sign 

that most of the targets set by our corporate group will be 

achieved in this business year. This includes in particular 

Brouwer Shipping & Chartering, Haniel Reederei and neska, 

which have maintained a stable course. Panopa is moving into 

future growth fields with excellent performance, though the 

situation in the automobile industry has put a damper on the 

economy. J.H. Bachmann has developed positively in all areas 

after various restructuring measures, with the exception of the 

USA (11 September 2001), Brazil (because of Argentina) and 

South Africa (merger with Megafreight). 

The predominant achievement of the set targets in the current 

business year characterises the stability of the group. After the 

consolidation with Haniel Reederei the Imperial Logistics International 

Group rests on a solid foundation for the planned 

further developments. 

A pathbreaking example is the automatic tyre assembly unit 

Changes will take place 

in the near future in the 

management of the 

largest West European inland 

shipping company, the 

Haniel Reederei Group 

based in Duisburg. 

The spokesman of the 

Board of Management of 

Haniel Reederei Holding 

GmH and at the same time 

member of the Board 

of Management of Imperial 

Logistics International 

GmbH & Co. KG, Duisburg, 

Friedhelm Askerlund 

(63), will retire for health 

reasons on 30th June 2002 

after over 46 years of successful 

work. Friedhelm 

Askerlund played a decisive 

role in shaping the group 

and achieving its present 

success. He will remain at 

the disposal of the Haniel 

just put into operation for 

Opel Rüsselsheim with pioneering 

technology. 

Effective as of July 2002, 

Panopa Logistik in South 

Africa with its special orientation 

to the core sectors will be able to offer its know-how 

in supply chain management, line feeding and spare parts logistics 

particularly to the automobile, steel and chemical industry 

there. 

All planning and current talks on the relevant markets are 

geared to consistently expanding our strategic objectives of 

internationalisation and holistic logistics services and thus attaining 

worldwide sales of 2.5 thousand million Euro within a 

few years. 

The performance of the Imperial Holdings Group is excellent 

again after publication of the six-month results. Particular 

emphasis must be placed on the sectors of tourism, aviation 

and especially the transport and logistics division, with whom 

we will form a united front for joint strength in South Africa in 

future. 

I Yours, 

Gerhard Riemann 

Executive Director of Imperial Holdings Ltd., 

Edenvale and Chief Executive Officer of 

Imperial Logistics International 

Change in Shipping Company leadership 

Friedhelm Askerlund Helmut Botermann 

Reederei Group on a consulting 

basis on the Advisory 

Board. 

His successor and 

spokesman of the Board of 

Management will be Helmut 

Botermann (49), who 

has already successfully influenced 

the course of the 

group for eight years. At 

the same time he will be 

appointed to the Board of 

Management of Imperial 

Logistics International effective 

as of 1st July 2002. 

Karl-Heinz Bellmer (57) 

will strengthen the management 

of Haniel Reederei 

Holding also effective on 

1st July 2002. Mr. Bellmer 

will remain Managing 

Director of the NiedersächsischenVerfrachtungsgesellschaft 

mbH in Hannover. 

●

Cover photograph: 

There is little time to 

load and unload aircraft, 

so the cargo is stowed 

beforehand on special 

aircraft pallets or in 

containers. 

4 Specialist in thin air 

5 Logistics in Australia 

6 With De Grave Antverpia Haniel Reederei has a strong base in Belgium 

8 Logistics specialities for large customers 

10 EKO Stahl buys professionality at Panopa 

11 Volkswagen can rely on Panopa in Posnań, too 

12 On the road in South Africa with nearly five thousand vehicles 

14 Focus on quality 

15 Riester pension: Imperial does more 

Edited by: Imperial Logistics International GmbH & Co. KG, Duisburg 

Kasteelstraße 2 • D-47119 Duisburg 

Telephone: +49 (0) 203-8 00 52 30 • Telefax +49(0) 203-80 05-2 84 

e-mail: imperial@imperial-international.com 

Table of Contents 

J. H. Bachmann 

Haniel Reederei 

IMPERIAL NEWS � 3 

neska 

Panopa 

Imperial

Bachmann Airfreight solves tricky transport problems 

Specialist in thin air 

“What is particularly exciting about our work is the fact that the 

whole world lands on our desk. In the morning we process inquiries 

from Asia, at midday from Europe and in the evening from the USA 

and South America.” In the estimation of Managing Director Bernd 

Oberfeld globalisation has long become part of daily life for the 

staff at J.H. Bachmann GmbH Airfreight Division with branches 

at Germany’s major transport airports. 

The Airfreight Division 

of J.H. Bachmann 

GmbH, a subsidiary of 

Imperial Logistics International 

GmbH & Co. KG 

with headquarters in Duisburg, 

earned around 40 million 

Euro in Germany alone 

with 85 air freight staff 

members in 2001. Goods 

having a total weight of 

18,000 tonnes and spread 

among 70,000 orders were 

transported during this period. 

As one can see, the transport 

volume is limited. The 

annual turnover of the entire 

Frankfurt Airport does not 

exceed 1.5 million tonnes. 

As a comparison, a Haniel 

Reederei multiple barge 

convoy alone handles 

around 10,000 tonnes, for 

the most part bulk cargo. 

However, aircraft do not 

transport bulk cargo, unless 

it is urgent. 

Bernd Oberfeld: “Air 

freight is always in a hurry. 


If not, then it is extremely 

urgent. After all, if an assembly 

line in an automobile 

plant stops because supplied 

parts are missing, for 

example, this may cost up to 

100,000 dollars an hour. 

And that is where we air 

freight forwarders come in.” 

Bachmann, established in 

1775, has been operating in 

the air freight business for 

over 50 years. In 1948 

Bachmann was among the 

first companies to sign the 

IATA agency agreement, 

which guarantees uniform 

standards worldwide. Bernd 

Oberfeld: “As a rule, J.H. 

Bachmann handles virtually 

all types of goods, from textiles 

and automobile and 

machine parts to chemicals 

and food.” 

Air freight shipments are 

sent on nearly all scheduled 

flights and, of course, on 

purely cargo aircraft. 

Whereas only the lower 

deck is available for freight 

J.H. Bachmann’s Airfreight Division works together with 

selected airlines.To be able to meet all requirements of its 

customers, fixed freight space allotments are booked in 

advance. 

on passenger aircraft, the 

main deck is also loaded on 

cargo aircraft. 

There is little time to load 

and unload aircraft. Therefore, 

the freight is first 

stowed on special aircraft 

pallets or containers. Socalled 

“rolling beds” in the 

aircraft and on the ground 

permit speedy and laboursaving 

handling of the pallets. 

J.H. Bachmann GmbH 

“consolidates”, i.e. bundles, 

the air freight shipments for 

selected destinations daily at 

the warehouse in Kelsterbach 

near Frankfurt am 

Main. Specially trained employees 

prepare the aircraft 

pallets, which are subsequently 

delivered to the airline 

commissioned in each 

case. 

The central handling department 

responsible for 

this, “Consolidation”, not 

only has to comply with 

deadlines and flight schedules, 

but must also pay particular 

attention to the type 

of goods transported. Not 

everything can go on the 

same pallet. Varying customs 

regulations and the 

commitment undertaken 

within the framework of 

ISO certification, such as 

not transporting laboratory 

animals or weapons, round 

off the list of criteria. 

Bachmann does not have 

any aircraft of its own, but 

cooperates as an agent with 

selected airlines, depending 

on the flight route, at which 

IMP 3 

The opening front section of the Jum 

load large pieces of freight and has th 

tial for Bachmann’s worldwide air freig 

Consolidation has fixed 

freight space allotments on a 

monthly basis. 

In markets characterised, 

in part, by cutthroat competition 

Bachmann’s logistics 

experts profit from their 

specific know-how concerning 

special shipments. At 

the beginning of the year, 

for example, they transported 

a turbine shaft for a 

power station weighing 75 

tonnes from Hattingen to 

Madras in India. The specialists 

at J.H. Bachmann’s 

Airfreight Division not only 

chartered a whole aircraft 

for this shipment, but also 

built a loading frame to stabilise 

the shaft in the aircraft. 

Günther Weichwald, 

Branch Manager, and Hans- 

Peter am Weg, Project Man-

o makes it possible to load and unus 

opened up further market potenht 

operations. 

ager of J.H. Bachmann 

GmbH in Kelsterbach near 

Frankfurt, are particularly 

proud of a very different 

type of “cargo”. Vaccines, 

day-old chicks and brooding 

eggs number among the 

most perishable and sensitive 

transport goods in general. 

For such shipments 

Bachmann guarantees maximum 

punctuality and the 

necessary temperature and 

air conditioning control. 

This ensures that the customer, 

such as the World 

Health Organisation, not 

only receives the urgently 

required serum punctually, 

but also in usable condition. 

Hans-Peter am Weg: “It 

would be very difficult for 

anyone to match us in that 

department.” ● 

Logistics in Australia 

BACHMANN 

Bachmann means reliability 

Australia is a major focus of J.H. Bachmann. Particularly the 

distances to other continents and the special features of the 

Australian import and export regulations require competent logistic 

support for those Bachmann customers in Europe, Asia and North 

America who export goods towards Australia or import goods from 

the continent down under. 

Bachmann is represented 

with branches in Australia’s 

major centres, 

Melbourne and Sydney. At 

these locations international 

airports as well as the key 

container and cargo handling 

port terminals. Both 

office locations are thus in a 

favourable position to meet 

the requirements of international 

clients both quickly 

and reliably. 

J.H. Bachmann’s clientele 

in Australia includes the 

names of numerous wellknown 

industrial and commercial 

enterprises. They 

have all convinced themselves 

of the service quality 

of the Bachmann organisation 

in the course of the last 

20 years. This is underlined 

by the many long-standing 

business relations. 

The freight forwarding 

and logistics business started 

in a close partnership with 

an Australian company, CGF 

Container and General Forwarding. 

That was in 1982. 

The management there has 

remained unchanged since 

then. Gerhard Rathmanner 

and Don Creighton manage 

Bachmann’s activities in 

Australia. 

As at many other locations 

all over the globe, 

Bachmann is an all-round 

logistics provider in Australia. 

The spectrum ranges 

from clearance and supply 

chain management for air 

and sea freight shipments of 

all kinds to carrying out extensive 

equipment and project 

shipments from the con- 

signor’s plant to the final 

construction site. 

The core activities include 

automobile logistics, 

i.e. supplying the assembly 

plants with car production 

parts according to the pre- 

cise specifications of the 

suppliers and consignees. 

The fine coordination involved 

here is based on an 

exclusively developed IT 

system, called Bachmann 

Global Connect (BGC). It is 

accessible via the Internet 

and can be used for communication 

and control by all 

those involved in the 

process work flows. The 

door-to-door services can be 

carried out very precisely, 

very rapidly and very reliably 

on this basis. 

Bachmann organises in 

this sector as well as for 

other incoming and outgoing 

cargo flow the entire 

transport chain. This is what 

the customers actually want. 

They find the right contact 

persons for this requirement 

among the competent members 

of Bachmann’s staff. 

Right from the beginning 

Bachmann is represented at two locations in Australia. 

Here the Sydney team presents itself on the occasion of 

the visit of Gerhard Riemann and Carl Salfeld. 

Bachmann Australia has 

been equipped with everything 

it needs for the smooth 

operation of a customs 

agency, either to bring the 

goods, which are usually 

stowed in containers, into 

the country after customs 

clearance or prepare them 

for export. “The staff at both 

locations handles the diverse 

tasks competently,” report 

Gerhard Riemann and Bachmann 

Managing Director 

Carl Salfeld after their last 

visit to Australia a few 

weeks ago. ● 

IMPERIAL NEWS � 5

With De Grave-Antverpia Haniel Reederei has a strong base in Belgium 

Solid growth is contin 

Nailing its colours to the mast in Belgium is 

a matter of course for a leading inland shipping 

enterprise in Western Europe, such as 

Haniel Reederei Holding, which belongs to 

the Imperial Group. This commitment was 

underlined through the takeover of De Grave 

in Belgium in 1992. 

Belgium and in particular 

the Flemish government 

have recognised 

the economic benefits and 

ecological advantages of inland 

shipping and acted accordingly. 

“This also has a 

positive influence on our 

business,” reports De Grave- 

Antverpia Managing Director 

Louis Van Ballaer. 

As a seaport company, 

De Grave-Antverpia is 

primarily the “big base” for 

the Haniel Reederei Group 

in the port of Antwerp as 

well as in the entire Belgian 

inland shipping market. Besides 

the headquarters in 

Antwerp, the chartering 

business is also carried out 

at the branches in Gent and 

Liège. In plain language 

chartering means: bringing 

together the demand for inland 

shipping transport services 

on the part of industrial 

and commercial enterprises 

and the supply of freight 

space offered by barge owners 

and other shipowners according 

to the needs of the 

customers on a commercial 

basis. “In-depth market 

know-how and first-class 

contacts to both sides are required 

to achieve satisfactory 

transport transactions for 

all those involved,” emphasises 

Louis Van Ballaer. The 

company and its staff – some 

of whom can look back on a 

long professional career in 

this branch of industry – 

have gained this specific 

sectoral know-how in the 

course of six decades. 


Haniel Reederei already 

expanded its activities in 

the seaport of Antwerp 

through the establishment 

of the independent company 

Haniel Shipping, 

Antwerp in spring 1990. It 

took a large step forward by 

acquiring De Grave, a family 

enterprise with a long 

tradition, in 1992. De 

Grave’s inland shipping activities 

began very modest 

at the end of the 1930s with 

the urge of company 

founder Guillaume De 

Grave to become self-employed. 

During the initial 

phase, which was difficult 

due to the war, the company 

founder managed to organise 

regular shipments of 

white sand for the glass industry 

and coal shipments 

from German mines to Belgium 

surprisingly quickly 

and competently from 

today’s perspective 

Extensive vertical range 

of services 

The following decades 

were characterised by vigorous 

growth, both with respect 

to volume and sales 

and in terms of the range of 

services. The De Grave 

team not only purchased 

the desired shipping transport 

space, but also organised 

the cargo handling, 

took care of preliminary 

and subsequent transport 

whenever the receiving 

sites were not located on 

the water, booked capacity 

De Grave-Antverpia has its corporate headquarters at the Euro Cent 

for maritime shipments on 

behalf of its customers, 

provided for customs clearance 

and handled the extensive 

documentation for all 

the necessary services. 

“The broad range of services 

connected with inland 

shipping transport is still 

the focus of our business 

today,” remarks Louis Van 

Ballaer. 

Since 1997 the company 

name has had the addition 

“Antverpia”. “In that year 

De Grave merged with 

Stinnes-Antverpia, also a 

chartering enterprise, but 

with a different customer 

structure in Belgium, so 

there was hardly any overlapping,” 

notes Managing 

Director Rudy Ceusters. 

“Since then we have not 

only had the double name, 

but also two flags.” 

Van Ballaer also points 

out the takeover of Sanara, 

a Belgian company, nine 

years ago. All of this is an 

expression of a business 

strategy aimed at further 

expanding the already significant 

market position in 

Belgium, he adds. This also 

applies to the present. Only 

recently a chartering enterprise 

operating in the inland 

shipping sector was acquired, 

providing for an additional 

annual volume of 

around one million tonnes. 

Chartering has a long 

tradition in Belgium. There 

has never been a situation 

in Belgium in which the 

market was dominated by 

large shipping companies. 

The market has been characterised 

by barge owners 

who owned only one ship 

or perhaps two in some 

cases. 

These owner-operated 

shippers were dependent on 

the services and cargo acquisition 

of charterers. 

“This applies today to an

ued 

er, in the middle of Antwerp’s port area. 

even greater extent after 

many shipping companies 

in western Europe have reduced 

their fleets by selling 

or renting out barges,” reports 

van Ballaer. 

In Belgium inland shipping 

is supported by a 

transport policy that enhances 

its future opportunities. 

Van Ballaer points out 

the good structural condition 

of the major inland waterways. 

Brussels and Gent 

can even be reached by 

seagoing ships and between 

Antwerp and Liège it is additionally 

possible to deploy 

fully loaded multiple 

barge convoys on the 3.40 

metre deep Albert Canal. 

Furthermore, the cost pressure 

has been relieved. 

The most important 

measure in this connection 

was the reduction of the 

canal charges by a full 90 

percent to the present level 

of 0.025 cents per 100 kilo- 

metre-tonne. Those who are 

familiar with the level of 

canal charges in various 

parts of Europe can appreciate 

the full impact of this 

step on the part of the Belgian 

government. 

State strengthens shipping 

In addition, one should 

not underestimate state support 

of investments in the 

infrastructure and suprastructure 

of the inland shipping 

sector, reports van 

Ballaer. When a company 

in Belgium builds a waterfront 

facility to enable 

cargo transhipment to or 

from barges, 80 percent of 

these investments are subsidised 

through public 

funds. To van Ballaer’s 

knowledge, this has induced 

a number of companies 

to incorporate inland 

shipping into their transport 

planning in connection with 

shipping and receiving 

goods to a greater degree 

than previously. Despite a 

weakened economy, there 

have been no cutbacks in 

volume in Belgium inland 

shipping until today. Van 

Ballaer attributes the continuing 

good level of activity 

in the Belgian inland 

shipping sector to this supporting 

transport policy, 

among other things. 

According to van Ballaer, 

a decisive factor for the success 

of De Grave-Antverpia 

is, of course, its own performance, 

which has to be 

demonstrated under competitive 

conditions day in and 

day out. The committed and 

well trained employees ensure 

a smooth interaction of 

all business partners coming 

together in this market. This 

begins right from the communicative 

level. Most of 

the members of the De 

Grave-Antverpia staff speak 

very free and easy in four 

languages: Flemish, French, 

English and German. This 

breaks down barriers in this 

international field of business. 

Electronic networking 

between all people involved 

in the business work flows 

has been completed and is 

accepted and mastered as a 

matter of course. “If we 

continued to work conventionally 

in the offices as before, 

we would have to employ 

25 percent more staff 

members to handle the current 

volume. Thus, we have 

grown without having to increase 

the number of employees,” 

notes Ceusters. 

Moreover, there are no 

longer any alternatives to 

Internet and email if one 

wishes to maintain contact 

to customers, port operating 

companies and authorities. 

The fact that the company 

conducts business from 

three locations in Belgium 

does not mean that activities 

are only carried out in 

HANIEL 

the domestic freight market. 

Two thirds of the transport 

operations organised 

by De Grave-Antverpia are 

international shipments 

with the Netherlands, Germany 

and France. Of particular 

importance here is 

the smooth interaction 

within the European network 

of the Haniel Reederei 

Group. The clientele is 

predominantly from the 

sectors of iron and steel, 

chemicals, energy, building 

materials and paper. 

The continuity of business 

also gives De Grave- 

Antverpia the opportunity 

to maintain a commitment 

with 150 ships through permanent 

employment. This 

available capacity is broadly 

diversified: from Flemish 

canal ships carrying 

only 300 tonnes to Rhine 

ships with a capacity of 

over 3000 tonnes as well as 

around 40 push barges and 

eight pusher-tugs with 

strong engines. “This 

makes us a genuine shipping 

company that takes 

care of everything so the 

fleet remains in constant 

use and can continue to 

grow.” Additional potential 

is created through good 

quality. Furthermore, the 

inland shipping sector benefits 

from the fact that, 

given the present state of 

the road and rail networks, 

these two means of transport 

are reaching their capacity 

limits and the consequence 

is longer transport 

times and more delays than 

before. 

“De Grave-Antverpia is 

competent enough to cover 

all services connected with 

inland shipping transport. 

This means further growth 

can be generated,” van Ballaer 

is confident. He and 

his team optimistically look 

forward to the coming 

years. ● 

IMPERIAL NEWS � 7

neska subsidiary uct with focal points in Dormagen and Neuss 

Logistics specialities for larg 

“Every year has meant considerable headway for us,” report uct Managing 

Director Peter Linden and uct Branch Manager Rolf Koenekamp 

in Dormagen. At uct, a subsidiary of neska, the “mix” is right: 

motivated staff, modern operating equipment, two outstanding locations 

on the Rhine and a clientele that appreciates the services provided 

by this port freight forwarding company. 

The port business of uct 

(the three letters are the 

abbreviation for Umschlag 

Container Terminal 

GmbH) is concentrated at 

the locations in Dormagen 

directly on the Rhine between 

Cologne and Düsseldorf 

as well as in Neusser 

Hafen opposite Düsseldorf. 

The focus of these two 

neska enterprises is primarily 

placed on supplying the 

aluminium industry with 

raw materials. In addition, 

the services offered include 

dispatch of finished aluminium 

products as well as 

temporary storage and shipment 

of stainless steel products 

from three plants in the 

region. Part of this cargo is 

also stowed in seaworthy 

condition in containers on 

the respective company 


grounds. Furthermore, other 

products such as paper are 

handled and logistic chains 

are organised for goods of 

all kinds. 

In particular the company’s 

own cargo handling facility 

near Dormagen at 

Rhine kilometre 726 is 

situated at a remarkably 

favourable location for shipping. 

Three vessels can be 

loaded and unloaded at the 

same time here at a dolphin 

pier with vertical sheet piling 

having a total length of 

approx. 500 metres and 

three cranes for grabbable 

and general cargo as well as 

containers. “Good utilisation 

is made of this capacity,” 

reports uct Managing 

Director Peter Linden and 

Branch Manager Rolf 

Koenekamp adds: “The ma- 

jority of the ships calling 

here are inland vessels from 

the seaports of Rotterdam 

and Antwerp that bring primary 

aluminium products 

for further processing as 

well as coastal motor vessels 

from Norway and England 

with a similar cargo 

structure. These aluminium 

products are nearly exclusively 

destined for Alu- 

Norf, which is located within 

sight and is a joint venture 

of Alcan and VAW 

(Vereinigte Aluminiumwerke), 

which operate the 

largest aluminium rolling 

mill in the world only 1.5 

kilometres away.” 

The aluminium blocks 

unloaded in Dormagen 

weigh up to 32 tonnes and 

are called bars. They are 

transferred directly from the 

Clean and dry transhipment of goods between ship, railway, truck and warehouse location 

is possible in all kinds of weather here on the uct grounds in Neusser Hafen.The 

gantry crane integrated into the building roof has a lifting capacity of 35 tonnes. 

ships to flat cars of the industrial 

railway and delivered 

to the plant in coordination 

with Alu-Norf justin-time. 

This private railway 

has a direct connection to 

the network of the Deutsche 

Bahn (German Railway) so 

uct also has access to the 

European rail network. 

In addition to transhipment 

of the voluminous and 

heavy aluminium bars, uct 

receives further raw aluminium 

in Dormagen via 

ship in the form of pig, Tbars 

and sows. These are 

technical designations for 

significantly lighter units 

that are smelted at the aluminium 

plant and further 

processed there. For these 

latter goods trucks are the 

transport link between the 

port on the river the nearby 

aluminium plant. It is not 

much different in Neuss. 

There trains of the Neuss 

municipal port railway or 

trucks run back and forth 

between uct and Alu-Norf. 

The demand for products 

made of aluminium is growing 

constantly, observe 

Peter Linden and Rolf 

Koenekamp. One only has 

to think of the advance of 

aluminium into automobile 

production. “Our job as a 

logistics company with our 

own equipment is to ensure 

that the rising supply needs 

are met and to deliver the 

goods to the recipients 

within the desired time windows,” 

explains Rolf 

Koenekamp. The port facilities 

in Dormagen and Neuss 

are optimally suited for this 

purpose because not only 

inland vessels, but also 

coasters can be received 

here and the further transport 

via rail and road is very 

short. “All of this is provid-

e customers 

At Rhine kilometre 726 near Dormagen the uct facilities directly on the river offer everything 

necessary to meet the highest demands of industrial customers 

ed at favourable costs and 

involves low time requirements,” 

note Linden and 

Koenekamp. 

It is also becoming more 

and more common to make 

use of recycled material in 

the aluminium industry, observes 

Koenekamp. In the 

sheds on the outdoor 

Stainless steel coils are 

packed and stowed in containers 

fit for sea transport 

here at uct. 

grounds in Dormgen increasingly 

large volumes of 

shredded aluminium are 

stored temporarily before 

being taken to England and 

Norway on coasters. Only 

in these two countries are 

there special furnaces that 

smelt, among other things, 

coated recycled material 

(cans, for example) into 

pure aluminium. “In this 

way we manage to achieve 

full capacity utilisation, particularly 

of the coasters, in 

both directions more and 

more frequently,” reports 

Koenekamp. 

uct’s core business in 

Dormagen also includes the 

receipt and temporary storage 

of petroleum coke (a 

residue from oil refining), 

out of which anodes are 

produced, as well as bauxite 

and coal and broken glass. 

With all these loose, dry 

goods the cargo volume 

handled by uct is increasing. 

Besides the increasing 

receiving business, dispatch 

does not come off badly either. 

Part of the sheet produced 

at Alu-Norf in vary- 

ing thicknesses goes to export 

in the form of coils and 

ship transport from Dormagen 

is again optimally suited 

for this for reasons of 

cost and reliability. 

Container handling at uct 

in Dormagen is also visible 

from afar. Vessels of the 

Lower Rhine shipping pool 

operated by Haniel Container 

Line, Haeger & Schmidt 

and Rhinecontainer call at 

the company several times a 

week as part of scheduled 

service. A special container 

gantry crane with a lifting 

capacity of 42 tonnes rapidly 

performs loading and unloading 

work. Heavy industrial 

transport vehicles, such 

as straddle carriers and 

reach stackers, bring the 

containers to the desired 

storage position. Trained 

uct employees also load and 

unload containers at the request 

of customers. Seaworthy 

packing and stowing of 

the products in the containers 

are the most important 

prerequisites for damagefree 

transport on water. 

Furthermore, the Canadian 

Pacific Group – to which 

neska 

sea-going vessel shipping 

companies, such as Conship, 

Lykes, Cast and others, 

belong – maintains a 

container depot on the uct 

grounds. These customers 

place empty containers here 

and request them as required. 

At harbour basin “52” in 

Neuss the focus is on the 

handling of stainless steel 

products from the Thyssen 

Krupp plants in Krefeld, 

Benrath and Dillenburg. 

Great care must be taken 

with these products. In 

Neuss uct has a shed with a 

roof that projects over the 

water and under which the 

ships can be loaded and unloaded 

(see photo). In this 

way moisture is kept away 

from the high-mirror-finished 

sheet. A large portion 

of these stainless steel products 

is also stowed in containers 

here at uct and then 

exported worldwide. However, 

large volumes of highquality 

chromium ores for 

alloys, pure aluminium bars 

from England and Norway 

as well as containerised 

general cargo loads are also 

received and transhipped. 

The two large sheds on 

the uct grounds in Neuss are 

equipped with integrated 

gantry cranes, which can lift 

up to 35 tonnes in one shed 

and up to ten tonnes in the 

other. With a direct railway 

connection up to the sheds 

and a direct road link uct 

has all options at its disposal 

on its grounds in Neuss 

for incoming and outgoing 

traffic. “This also includes 

combined freight transport,” 

reports Peter Linden. Thus, 

within sight of uct in Neuss 

there is also a terminal for 

this interplay between railway 

and road freight traffic. 

As a result, customers can 

be offered any form of 

freight transport. uct does 

everything the logistics 

market requires and is consequently 

faced with a rising 

demand. ● 

IMPERIAL NEWS � 9

New Panopa logistics warehouse in Eisenhüttenstadt 

EKO Stahl buys 

professionality 

“EKO produces top quality, Panopa offers top logistics service.” This 

was a point made by Gerhard Riemann, CEO of Imperial Logistics 

International GmbH & Co. KG , in his speech at the opening of the 

new Panopa steel logistics warehouse at the EKO location in Eisenhüttenstadt.And 

EKO Managing Director Eckhardt Hoppe assessed 

the cooperation that has existed for nearly ten years as follows: “It was 

the right decision at that time. EKO Stahl concentrates on production, 

technology and sales. Panopa assumes warehousing, freight forwarding 

and dispatch.” 

The event took place at 

the end of last year: 

Panopa supported the 

growth of EKO Stahl GmbH 

in Eisenhüttenstadt on the 

Oder, which belongs to the 

ARCELOR Group, by 

building a steel logistics 


ing Director Günter Dresselhaus 

presented the commitment 

and achievements of 

Panopa at the opening of the 

new steel logistics warehouse. 

In his speech he 

placed particular emphasis 

on the modern technical 

these cranes accelerates 

cargo handling and protects 

the material. Another remarkable 

feature is the installed 

gas bright radiator 

heating system, whose longwave 

radiation only heats 

the freight. If the material is 

This is the heavy cargo transporter developed and built on behalf of Panopa for in-company 

transport. 

warehouse after it became 

too cramped in the existing 

warehouses. After all, within 

six years the dispatch volume 

of cold-rolled, hot-dip 

galvanised and organically 

coated thin sheet rose to 1.5 

million tonnes in Eisenhüttenstadt 

– an increase of 50 

percent! 

In the presence of many 

prominent personalities 

from politics and industry in 

the region Panopa Manag- 

equipment in the approximately 

9000 square metre 

warehouse, in which, among 

other things, trucks as well 

as 22 four-axle railway cars 

can be loaded at the same 

time. Further highlights are 

the two 40-tonne gantry 

cranes, which can also be 

operated via remote control, 

as well as magnets that lift 

coils and other steel products 

having a maximum 

weight of 32 tonnes. Use of 

warmer than the ambient air, 

there is no condensation 

water and thus no formation 

of rust. 

Günter Dresselhaus is 

particularly proud of the 

heavy cargo transporter used 

here for the first time, which 

has a load capacity of 120 

tonnes and considerably reduces 

the forklift traffic on 

the grounds (photo). The list 

of such technical highlights 

that facilitate and enhance 

the efficiency of the work 

flows of the approx. 120 

Panopa staff members under 

the management of 

Siegfried Skorubski, head of 

the Eisenhüttenstadt location, 

could be continued 

even further. 

Eckhardt Hoppe expressed 

his appreciation of 

the holistically organised logistic 

work procedures. He 

said his company had 

bought professionality from 

this provider, had progressed 

faster than expected 

and was thus able to offer 

better service to steel customers. 

Today EKO Stahl 

together with Panopa sets 

standards in the competitive 

market. Particularly in peak 

periods, he added, the company 

stood out positively 

from the competition thanks 

to speedy grouping of the 

consignments, rapid preparation 

of the outgoing vehicles, 

correct papers, data 

and information for the customers. 

Use is also made of 

IT and bar codes, of course. 

Panopa processes the 

steel calls, places the transport 

orders and checks 

whether the coils are delivered 

to the customers on 

schedule, Hoppe describes 

Panopa’s activities. The logistics 

concept was also refined 

and improved at the 

same time as the commencement 

of operation of 

the new warehouse. Services 

for the international 

steel trade, such as handling 

customs requirements, 

round off Panopa’s service. 

Eckhardt Hoppe described 

the opening of the 

new Panopa warehouse in 

Eisenhüttenstadt as a successful 

step on the road “we, 

EKO Stahl and Panopa, 

have taken together”. And 

Gerhard Riemann assured 

the guests of the firm intention 

of the Imperial Logistics 

International Group to 

offer better service on a 

long-term basis than the 

competition. ●

production come from Germany 

to Poznań by rail and 

are brought to the gates 

of the Panopa warehouse, 

around 40 railway cars per 

production day. The parts 

for the Fabia are supplied by 

truck from the Czech Republic. 

The parts are recorded 

and documented via the IT 

day goes into the thousands. 

Material that arrives in socalled 

small load carriers 

(these are small stackable 

plastic containers) is delivered 

directly to the VW plant 

in Poznań and taken over 

there by Panopa staff, stored 

and supplied to the specified 

sites on the production line 

according to need. 

All other parts on pallets, 

in wire mesh containers or 

larger load carriers are temporarily 

stored at the logistics 

centre and called for 

production from there. Ten 

trucks run permanently in 

shuttle service to transport 

these full load carriers to the 

PANOPA 

Volkswagen can rely on Panopa in Poznań,too 

Logistics and production 

mesh together 

Low-cost vehicle assembly requires perfect 

logistics. The demand of industry is: providing 

the right component to the assembly line at 

the right time. Panopa has developed solutions 

to meet this demand and already put them 

into practice with several automobile manufacturers. 

The logistic interplay between 

Volkswagen and 

Panopa has attained significant 

proportions. As a 

reminder: the parent plant in 

Wolfsburg is supplied with 

steel coils and metal sheet 

for the body presses just in 

time from the nearby 

Panopa logistics centre. Imperial 

News reported on this 

in detail in issue number 2 

last year. 

The job for Panopa is 

even more complex in 

Poznań, where the affiliated 

company Volkswagen Nutzfahrzeuge 

(VW Commercial 

Vehicles), VWN, operates a 

plant in which variants of 

“Transporter T4” are produced. 

In addition, there is 

an assembly line in this 

plant for the S˘koda Fabia. In 

2001 the annual production 

of this location came to 

23,063 T4 transporters and 

29,954 S˘koda Fabias. 

For these two lines of vehicles 

Panopa Logistik Polska 

sp. z o.o, a one hundred 

percent subsidiary of 

Panopa Logistik GmbH & 

Co. KG, supplies the assembly 

lines at VWN with raw 

components as well as with 

individual parts and modules 

according to specified 

timetables from the 15,000 

square metre logistics centre 

located four kilometres 

away. 

The work flows look like 

this: the parts for transporter 

tion requirements, is VW’s 

in-house IT system, which 

constantly informs the 

Panopa staff of when what 

material has to be provided 

to the assembly lines. The 

precision and reliability 

achieved in this manner 

guarantee continuous and 

smooth production work 

flows on the line. This contributes 

to low-cost manufacture 

of automobiles. 

For further simplification 

of the logistics procedures 

prior to vehicle assembly in 

Poznań VWN plans to build 

a so-called supplier park. 

Suppliers are intended to locate 

there and produce and 

preassemble their parts in 

immediate proximity to the 

VW plant. The goal: to sup- 

Here a Panopa employee takes out the front sections of the S˘koda Fabia which have 

been requested via data transmission and are earmarked for current production at the 

VW plant in Poznań. 

system during the unloading 

and warehousing operations. 

All data flow immediately to 

the VW data capture system 

linked to Panopa. When 

Panopa receives the parts, 

therefore, VWN as the ordering 

customer knows immediately 

the current stock 

situation and thus what is 

available for production. 

The number of parts received 

and recorded every 

VW plant and return the 

empty load carriers. 

Furthermore, the supply 

of parts for VWN in Poznań 

is organised such that reserve 

material for five to ten production 

days is available so 

assembly line downtime can 

be extensively avoided in the 

case of supply bottlenecks. 

The core of this logistics 

service, which is coordinated 

precisely to the produc- 

ply parts for final assembly 

“just in sequence” so precisely 

according to schedule 

that maintaining stock in the 

plant is basically unnecessary. 

This is certainly the 

highest demand a production 

plant can place on a logistics 

provider. The invitation 

to tender for this project 

has begun – and Panopa is 

naturally involved. ● 

IMPERIAL NEWS � 11

From humble beginnings to the biggest transport and logistics company in Sou 

On the road in South Africa wit 

When Imperial entered the South African 

transport and logistics market in 1989, it was 

with a small fleet of lighter commercial 

vehicles, which were principally rented to 

customers and utilised to distribute food and 

fresh produce to local restaurants. Today, the 

division is involved in logistics and transport 

activities in almost every industry in Sub- 

Saharan Africa. It furthermore, employs 

more than 11,000 people. 

Imperial News spoke to 

Imperial Logistics and 

Transport chairman, Mr 

Ralph Boëttger, and to chief 

executive officer, Mr Terry 

Bantock to find out more 

about the operation. 

"Since its establishment, 


Transport, has grown organically 

and through strategic 

acquisition to become the 

biggest company of its kind 

in South Africa,” says Mr 

Ralph Boëttger, chairman 

of the Aviation, as well as 

Logistics and Transport divisions 

in South Africa. 

Over the years, its early 

endeavours in distribution 

and truck hire grew into Im- 

Ralph Boëttger, Chairman of 

Imperial Logistics and Transport 

South Africa. 


perial Distribution and Imperial 

Truck Hire, both 

major companies in the division 

at present. In the 

early 1990’s, Imperial embarked 

on a strategy to purchase 

a number of large, 

leading local transport companies, 

including Tanker 

Services. The Longrail 

Group, Highway Carriers 

and Norman’s Transport. 

Many of the general 

haulage companies have 

subsequently consolidated 

into one company, and currently 

operate under the 

banner of Imperial Cargo. 

Mr Boëttger explains 

that Logistics and Transport’s 

activities are housed 

in three main divisions, 

namely Imperial Logistics 

and two of which operate 

under the Imperial Specialised 

Freight brand. The 

one focusing on distribution, 

logistics and refrigeration, 

and the other on bulk 

and forestry. 

In total there are in excess 

of 60 operating entities. 

Operating more than 

4,900 large vehicles and 

with warehousing facilities 

throughout South Africa, 

Logistics and Transport has 

an extensive distribution 

network, covering the main 

and less frequented routes 

in the country. The main 

routes are Johannesburg, 

Cape Town, Durban, Port 

Imperial’s logistics enterprises manage modern and safe warehouses 

Elizabeth and East London. 

Goods are also transported 

to other counties in Southern 

Africa, such as Mozambique, 

Botswana, Zimbabwe 

and Tanzania. 

"Given the region’s vast 

geographical expanse, 

transporting cargo can at 

times take a number of 

days. Thanks to technological 

advances, such as cellu-

lar telephones and tracking 

systems, contact with drivers 

is maintained and most 

vehicle positions are known 

at all times, "says chief executive 

Mr Terry Bantock." 


Transport has a strong customer 

focus. "Our business 

is not simply about transport, 

warehousing or distribution, 

but rather an appetite 

for supply chain management. 

We constantly 

strive to add value, to reduce 

costs, to understand 

our customers’ businesses 

and to meet their individual 

requirements. Specialising 

in certain industries, such as 

automotive, food and beverage, 

engineering and construction, 

chemical, petrochemical 

and packaging, 

helps us to attain that goal,” 

says Mr Boëttger. 

"In terms of developing 

our business, growth in 

these value-added services 

is key,” he continues. 


Transport also benefits 

from the expertise offered 

by other companies in the 

group, particularly in the 

banking and insurance sectors. 

"Working together for 

the benefit of the group is 

pivotal. Imperial Bank provides 

us with effective financing 

and advise, while 

Regent takes care of all our 

insurance needs,” says Mr 

Boëttger. 

Regarding regulation in 

the industry he stated that 

the division operates in a 

free and equal market. 

"There are obviously regulations 

and those related to 

environmental issues are 

becoming increasingly important”. 

When asked about the 

business’ outlook in 2002, 

Mr Bantock commented 

that the outlook for this year 

remains positive. "The 

slowdown in the global 

economy is still affecting 

South Africa, but despite 

the economy’s fairly sluggish 

performance, we expect 

a steady growth for this 

year. Companies continue 

to outsource and this is 

where we believe our 

growth will come from in 

the next couple of years.” 

And is Logistics and 

Transport in a more comfortable 

position than their 

counterparts in Europe? 

"As in Europe, the transport 

and logistics market is 

presently very competitive. 

In South Africa the market 

is perhaps less fragmented 

than in Europe and margins 

are higher. The market is, 

however much more volatile 

in South Africa,” he concludes. 

Finally, future prospects 

look positive for the transport 

and logistics industry. 

Imperial has committed to 

further worldwide growth 

with its acquisition of the 

former Nestrans group. 

"In South Africa, we are 

committed to growing and 

developing our business. 

We regard it as important to 

work closely with our inter- 

IMPERIAL 

th Africa 

nearly five thousand vehicles 

spread all over South Africa. 

national colleagues, as we 

believe that this would put 

Terry Bantock, CEO of 


Transport,South Africa. 

both parties in a position to 

compete more effectively in 

the global market,” Mr 

Boëttger concludes. ● 

Meticulous logistics for newsprint and other paper materials 

at Imperial subsidiary Goldfields in Germinston near 

Johannesburg. 


Satisfied customers strengthen Imperial enterprises 

Focus on quality 

Being better than the others is the goal. Every company in the logistics 

service sector is faced with this challenge if it wishes to survive 

and grow in a competitive environment on a long-term basis. Imperial 

enterprises also strive to achieve this goal at all levels: producing 

continuous first-class quality during all phases of order processing 

as a standard. 

Akey approach to enhancing 

service quality 

is Total Quality 

Management, which as 

TQM has become a byword 

for maximum quality. Total 

Quality Management is “a 

method of corporate management 

based on the participation 

of all employees, 

placing the focus of all action 

on quality”. This is the 

definition of TQM. 

The management and all 

employees of the companies 

belonging to the ILI 

Group (Imperial Logistics 

International) derive their 

specific tasks from this 

basis: we meet the requirements 

of our customers to 

the highest degree. The 

way there goes in two directions: 

the first targeted 

direction is to satisfy the 

customer. After all, only 

satisfied customers ensure 

long-term business success 

that has a positive impact 

for the benefit of all employees. 

This seems to be obvious 

and, nevertheless, one 

must work continuously to 

achieve the specified goals, 

comply with them on a sustained 

basis, reconsider and 

adapt them, i.e. the second 

targeted direction is continuous 

improvement of all 

services and activities in 

the company. 

The quality standard 

must apply to all company 

departments at all levels 

and to all employees if it is 

to be successful. Here 


again: a chain of logistics 

services can only be as 

strong as its weakest link. 

Service products consist 

of organisational procedures 

and work flows that 

are subject to constant 

changes due to altering 

customer requirements. 

This is why it is a permanent 

challenge to achieve a 

constantly high level of 

quality. This is also the 

goal for logistics services. 

There are methods and approaches 

for meeting these 

high demands. 

The approach is absolutely 

comparable to 

classical production 

processes, at the end of 

which is a “tangible”, flawless 

product. The starting 

point for performing the 

service is, among other 

things, product design and 

the related work processes 

as well as methods of staff 

and corporate management. 

The key elements of quality 

control are consistent 

identification of defects, 

solution-oriented cause 

analysis and elimination of 

defects. 

TQM involves all employees. 

They all realise 

very quickly that quality 

which satisfies the customer 

contributes to the 

long-term profitability of 

their company and thus secures 

jobs as well. In addition, 

with a high level of 

quality the individual employees 

profit from further 

positive impacts: they can 

be proud of their personal 

performance and they receive 

positive feedback 

from satisfied business 

partners. 

Targeted directions of TQM 

Enhancement of 

customer satisfaction 

Continuous 

improvement of 

all services and 

activities in 

the company 

Total Quality Management

Thus the employees 

make a contribution to securing 

a firm market position 

for the company. No 

one, neither customers nor 

employees, likes to deal 

with errors and their correction. 

Another effect is savings. 

Process optimisation 

through Total Quality Management 

alters procedures 

and in the case of 

favourable costs leads to 

the result desired by the 

customer. An error or defect 

that has not occurred 

in the first place cannot 

cause costs for remedial 

measures. 

Major elements for the 

success of TQM include 

teamwork and communication. 

The basic principles 

and approaches and thinking 

in terms of processes 

and process chains are intensified 

in employee training 

courses. 

Some may go to these 

training courses with a certain 

fear of something new. 

However, it vanishes quickly 

as soon as the employees 

sense that all hierarchies in 

their company are addressed 

here and TQM is 

not a tool for cutting back 

jobs. 

If within the framework 

of TQM questions are 

asked with the aim of making 

processes simpler and 

clearer, better and better results 

will be the consequence 

of all changes. 

To be able to achieve 

TQM goals, companies 

need self-assured and competent 

employees who are 

able to act in their specialised 

field on their own 

responsibility. Only on this 

basis can maximum quality 

develop in logistics service 

business. 

Only motivated staff 

members who are well prepared 

for their tasks are 

able to bring quality into 

the market and meet or anticipate 

the expectations of 

the customers. Furthermore, 

such employees are 

capable of implementing 

improvements and innovations 

in the organisational 

procedures and work flows 

and to play a role in paving 

the way for Imperial enterprises 

to becoming among 

the Top Ten in their respective 

logistics sectors. 

All of this is viewed in 

this way and fostered by 

the management of the 

companies in the Imperial 

Group. They strengthen the 

personal responsibility of 

the staff members and delegate 

responsibilities. They 

ensure that all employees 

are incorporated into Total 

Quality Management and 

that communication as well 

as information are improved. 

This leads to enhancement 

of performance 

that reaches the customers. 

The customer, too, is 

fully integrated. The employees 

receive feedback 

through regularly conducted 

customer surveys. 

Quality is based not 

least of all on common objectives 

that go beyond specific 

department boundaries. 

It is important here to 

come to an agreement and 

place the existing knowhow 

of the staff at the disposal 

of the clientele. The 

companies of the Imperial 

Group are well on the way 

towards achieving this 

goal. ● 

IMPERIAL 

Riester pension and pay conversion 

The company 

does more 

As presumably all Imperial employees in 

Germany know, the declining benefits of the 

statutory pension scheme result in a situation 

in which every employee additionally has 

to make his or her own provisions for old age 

in order to maintain the current standard of 

living to some degree for individuals and families 

after withdrawing from working life. 

The average pension today, for example, is 

only around 50 percent of the last net salary 

– and this figure will continue to drop in the 

future. 

To counteract declining 

pension benefits, legislators 

have granted employees 

the right to taxfavoured 

or tax-free pay 

conversion within the 

framework of the company 

pension scheme since the 

beginning of this year. 

The Imperial Board of 

Management, for example, 

envisages a scheme enabling 

all its employees to 

make use of pay conversion 

in a form that even goes be- 

yond the statutory requirements. 

In the meantime a 

detailed memorandum on 

this topic has been sent to 

Imperial companies and 

business units as well as 

their employees. 

Since we at Imperial regard 

the company pension 

scheme as an important social 

security benefit, all 

employees – in divisions 

where there is no pension 

Continued on page 16 

The legal background 

Betrieblich 

Pay conversation 

up to 

2,160 Euro annualy 

(4 % BBG - Federal Civil Service Art) 

January 1, 2002 

Legal right to 

Privat 

“Riester Pension“ 

up to 

2002: 525Euro annualy 

2008: 2,100Euro annualy 

This diagram shows the future options of a contributionoriented 

pension scheme at Imperial within the framework 

of the legal specifications. 


Continuation from page 15 

scheme or no adequate pension 

scheme – receive a 

subsidy in connection with 

their voluntary conversion 

amount which additionally 

improves their own pension 

scheme. Furthermore, the 

subsidies of the Riester 

pension can be utilised 

through a group agreement 

of the company. 

Fundamentally the additional 

provisions referred to 

here are divided into two 

areas: 

1. Pay conversion with 

supplement 

To facilitate personal provisions 

for old age, Imperial 

offers the option of expanding 

the company pension 

scheme through a tax-effective 

pay conversion. If an 

Imperial employee takes 

advantage of this offer, Imperial 

will increase his or 

her personal pension 

amount by a supplement to 

the conversion amount. 

This subsidy is initially 

limited until 31 December 

2008. 

In this way one receives a 

company pension scheme 

in the form of a lifelong 

pension with benefits 

payable on death and optionally 

a capital option. 

The description of the benefits 

in our memorandum 

contains further detailed information. 

A specimen 

copy of a pension commitment 

is also enclosed. 

2. Individual pay taxation 

with Retirement Assets 

Act support 

For nearly all employees 

in the German Imperial enterprises 

the support effect 

with the pay conversion offered 

by our company is 

much more effective than 

the support according to the 

Retirement Assets Act 

(AVmG), which is known 


as the Riester model or Riester 

pension. There is also 

a section on this in the 

above mentioned memorandum. 

Of course, the Imperial 

management knows that 

many employees have already 

made private provisions 

through life insur- 

This is a decisive advantage 

over private provision for 

old age, which must be financed 

on the basis of the 

net pay. 

In detail pay conversion 

works like this: on the basis 

of an agreement, a conversion 

amount is defined. 

This becomes part of the 

amount is transferred to a 

pension fund. Imperial has 

decided in favour of the Allianz 

pension fund and the 

Allianz support fund. The 

background to this decision 

was, among other things, 

the financial strength of the 

Allianz Group and the quality 

of the rates offered. 

The principle of pay conversion/example 

Gross 

Tax 

Social security contributions 

Deductions 

Net 

Amount in pocket 

Provision for old age 

Gross pay converted pay 

Net expense 

This example shows that provisions for old age can be built up efficiently with pay conversion 

since 100 Euro pension pay (provision for old age) only requires a net expense of 

47 Euro. 

ance, savings accounts and 

stock funds. However, the 

amounts for this form of 

saving come from the net 

pay, i.e. after deduction of 

taxes and social security 

contributions. 

Imperial’s offer now 

makes it possible to expand 

further a third pillar, the 

company pension scheme, 

as a provision for old age. 

Pay conversion is, of 

course, voluntary. Experts 

in this field, however, recommend 

that this option be 

utilised since the company’s 

subsidy is otherwise lost. 

The amounts for this 

form of pension scheme are 

provided from the gross 

pay, i.e. before deduction of 

taxes and social security. 

employment contract. The 

previous pay is then divided 

into two parts, the so-called 

cash wage/salary and the 

pension wage/salary. The 

cash wage/salary is paid out 

as before after deduction of 

taxes and social security. 

The pension wage/salary 

serves as a pension and is 

tax-free and social-security-free 

for a limited period. 

The conversion amount 

need not be high. Even 50 

Euro a month is possible. 

One finds the corresponding 

amounts on the payslip. 

On the basis of the pension 

wage/salary the company 

commits itself to a 

company pension scheme 

with a guaranteed capital at 

the age of 65. The total 

IMPERIAL 

Everyone certainly has 

questions connected with 

an understanding and explanation 

of this entire 

complex of individual private 

and company pension 

schemes and these questions 

have to be dealt with 

in individual talks. On the 

basis of specific examples, 

the Imperial management 

has endeavoured in its 25page 

memorandum to provide 

clarity. However, further 

information can also 

be obtained from the responsible 

Personnel Department. 

●

Bachmann Airfreight Solves Tricky Transport Problems ... - Panopa

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