Intelligent logistics for the automotive industry Logistics ... - SDV Geis

THE CUSTOMER AND STAFF MAGAZINE OF THE GEIS GROUP OCTOBER 2010 WWW.GEIS-GROUP.COM
Intelligent logistics
for the automotive industry
Logistics for online shop:
World champion
chooses Geis
It’s all down
to the packaging

2 | EDITORIAL
Dear readers,
Recent studies have shown that logistics remains one
of the growth sectors in Germany and Europe – despite
the short-term collapse in demand resulting
from the economic downturn. The Shell HGV Survey
thus forecasts “continued high dynamic growth”
in road haulage. In Germany alone, the volume of
traffi c in the next 20 years will rise from 670 billion
• In 2010 we also expect work to be completed on
the expansion of our logistics centre in Ejpovice/
Plzeň in the Czech Republic. Once complete, the
centre will have an additional 7,800 square metres
of logistics area in addition to the existing 15,500
square metres.
• Also in the Czech Republic, we have acquired a
10,000 square metres property that we are currently
converting for combined use as a forwarding and logistics
terminal. This building is situated in Prostějov
in the east of the country and will probably replace
our existing site in Olomouc at the end of the year.
• Work on our latest new-build project has just
started in Kürnach near Würzburg – a logistics centre
with almost 8,000 square metres of space and a
clear ceiling height of 10.5 metres, to be built alongside
our existing forwarding terminal. Our aim is to
have it ready for use at the start of next year.
• And last year we started our work at the comprehensive
6,500 square metres expansion of our site in
Salz near Bad Neustadt.
As you can see therefore, there’s a lot happening at
the Geis Group! Such forward-thinking investments
will enable us to have the capacity we need for the
continued development of our company. We are ex-
INVESTMENTS INTO THE FUTURE
tonne-kilometres to more than 1,000 billion tonnekilometres.
Experts expect to see similar growth
levels in contract logistics, a sector that has already
grown disproportionately in recent years, with the
trend set to continue in the future. After all, many
industry sectors are only now discovering the advantages
of professional logistics outsourcing.
For this reason, we as a logistics provider are continuing
to drive forward the development of the Geis
Group and equip our company for future growth.
Thus we are investing massively in the expansion of
our technologies, such as a centralized server architecture
and new hand scanners for the road division
by the end of this year, as well as in additional resources,
such as our fl eet and multifunctional realestate.
Here are fi ve examples:
• This year at the Frauenaurach Industrial Park
in Erlangen we have taken into operation a 30,000
square metres logistics and technology centre as a
multi-user site (see page 11). We will use it for contract
logistics, assembly work and packing services
for a number of diff erent customers. The 15 hectare
site also has space for another two further logistics
terminals should the need arise.
tremely selective in our choice of projects, and carefully
take into consideration market requirements.
We thereby ensure that our services and facilities
precisely match the requirements of our customers.
More news about our company can be found on the
following pages. We hope you enjoy reading it!
Yours sincerely,
Hans-Georg Geis and Wolfgang Geis,
Managing Partners of the Geis Group

04
08
10
12
Photo: Daimler AG
TOP STORY
04 It’s all down to the packaging
06 The packing experts
ROAD SERVICES
08 Intelligent procurement logistics
for the automotive industry
LOGISTICS SERVICES
CONTENTS | 3
10 Logistics for online shop:
World champion chooses Geis
11 Contract with Rewe extended:
From Hof to all four corners of the world
11 New logistics centre: Coming along in leaps and bounds
AIR + SEA SERVICES
12 ‘Birth assistance’ for the Airbus A 400 M
12 Geis at the Aircraft Interiors Expo 2010
12 New: Logistics for ISOTRONIC
13 Helicopter from India transported safely
13 Assignment in Somalia
GENERAL NEWS
14 New apprentices
14 New: Head of Key Account Management
15 More safety at the wheel
15 Successfully reaudited
15 Geis meets the OHRIS standard
15 Anniversaries
Published by
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Rudolf-Diesel-Ring 24, 97616 Bad Neustadt/Saale
Phone: +49 9771 603-0, Fax: +49 9771 603-109
www.geis-group.com
Responsible for the contents
Management of the Geis Group
Editorial
STROOMER PR | Concept GmbH
Christian Stephan, Sonja Objartel.
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Rellinger Straße 64a, 20257 Hamburg
Phone: +49 40 853133 0, Fax +49 40 853133 22
E-Mail: mail@stroomer-pr.de

4 | TOP STORY
It’s all down
to the packaging
“It‘s what‘s inside that counts” – a person packing a parcel at home might be able to get
away with saying this, but what goes for them would be unthinkable for the logistics sector.
Packing today is a highly specialized service.
Even if Germany wasn‘t world champion in
South Africa this year, it still remains the
world champion when it comes to packing.
The Federal Republic is one of the world‘s
largest manufacturers of packaging, pallets and
wooden packaging materials, making up a sector of
the economy that is worth billions. The turnover of
the German corrugated cardboard industry alone in
2009 was 3.8 billion euros. Corrugated cardboard
is the clear market leader when it comes to packaging
materials, followed by wood, with 70 million
wooden pallets manufactured in Germany in 2009.
Sheeting comes third.
Toys, cars, machinery parts, televisions and even entire
production lines have to be moved around the
world and all have to be securely packed beforehand.
This is in order to retain the value of the products
and also avoid costly time delays. In recent decades,
selecting the right packaging has become a core task
in distribution logistics and has developed into a
highly specialized discipline.

OFTEN NEGLECTED. Alongside product packaging,
transport packaging also plays an important role, and
both infl uence on each other. Containers currently
still reign supreme throughout the world, leading
to pallets and wooden boxes often being neglected
– wrongly, and ultimately at the cost of a smooth supply
chain. Innovative logistics service providers recognised
this problem years ago and today in addition
to taking care of transportation and logistics for their
customers, also advise on packing matters. Logistics
experts have long since become indispensable to industry
and commerce. After all, individual packing
requirements only become visible and comprehensible
as a part of the entire logistics chain. Thanks
to the valuable experience gathered by these experts,
customers can avoid having to repack goods and
thereby ultimately save time and money.
Talking of time, clever packing professionals don‘t
just think about how goods are packed but also about
how they will subsequently be unpacked. For example,
if just-in-time delivery is being used for a production
line, the absence of packaging or the use of
partial-packaging combined with modular loading
can result in signifi cant time-savings.
JUST AS IMPORTANT is the cost factor – especially
since the economic crisis. No wonder: packaging
usually accounts for between two and fi fty per cent
of the product price. Skilled specialist packing fi rms
can therefore uncover interesting savings opportunities
for their clients. The economic crisis has
therefore clearly also left its mark on the packing
industry.
Besides wanting cost-reducing solutions, customers
are also keen on making savings with respect to
packaging, energy effi ciency and environmentallyfriendly
production. Sustainability is nowadays part
of every packing concept. Experts reckon that by
2014 around one third of all packaging will be environmentally
friendly. Reusable or disposable? Wood
or plastic? While logistics professionals usually use
reusable packaging for small items, special packaging
is often used for air and sea freight due to the
individual challenges involved.
The majority of materials are recycled, with snap
locks and tight straps being used for the most part
rather than nails. Saving on materials also means
saving on weight – something that is not only environmentally
but also commercially sound, especially
for air freight. Recycling makes obvious sense for
trade fair items, for example, with one trade fair following
the next, and everything having to be packed
anew each time. —
Wood – the renewable packaging material
Wood is CO 2 -neutral. Compared to a plastic pallet, its energy balance
is signifi cantly more positive. With a plastic pallet, there is more
than double the amount of industrial waste. While German packers
mostly use corrugated cardboard for transporting goods, wood is the
preferred packing material for transporting large machinery parts.
This is not as simple as it sounds, however.
According to the Bundesverband Holzpackmittel, Paletten und
Exportverpackung (HPE) e. V. (Federal Association of Wooden Packing
Material, Pallets and Export Packaging), over 50 countries,
ranging from Egypt to Vietnam,
currently impose import restrictions
on packaging and pallets made of
wood, with packing companies required
to provide proof of different types
of treatment.
The international ISPM 15 standard,
for example, states that wood must be
free of bark, soil and pest infestation,
which in turn calls for drying
and fumigation.
TOP STORY |
5

6 | TOP STORY
THE PACKING EXPERTS
The Geis Group has more than 40 years‘ experience of packing goods, and for the last 20 years has
off ered special packing services. Georg Lechner GmbH, which has belonged to the Geis Group since
last year, is totally specialized in packing. In total around 120 Geis employees in Germany and
the Czech Republic focus on packing, including trained woodworkers, carpenters and packing engineers.
Not all
packaging can
be planned
in advance
ADVANTAGES FOR THE CUSTOMER. As an
international logistics services provider,
the Geis Group off ers its customers comprehensive
one-source packing services. “There
are so many things to consider, from the selection
of sustainable materials and the development of an
optimal packing concept to customs processing and
safety precautions at international airports,” says
Erik Lassen, Managing Director of Geis Industry
Service GmbH and Georg Lechner GmbH. Several
years ago Geis SDV therefore set up its own packing
operation at Munich Airport especially for air and
sea freight.
In the future, Geis will integrate Geis SDV‘s Munich
packing services department into the organization
of Lechner. “By pooling our services, we can
fulfi l the needs of our customers more effi ciently
and fl exibly,” says Dr. Johannes Söllner, Managing
Director of Geis Holding for the business area Logistics
Services. “Not all packaging can be planned
in advance; often our employees can only create the
fi nal packaging when the manufacturer has fi nished
producing the goods. If production is delayed, we
need to be fl exible.”

A COMPUTER INSTEAD OF A DRAWING BOARD. “We
use the very latest technology in our work, whether
it be standardized recording apparatus for packaging
and material testing, or hygrometers,” explains
Erik Lassen. “Computer-aided CAD applications
have replaced the drawing board, and are today
an everyday component of packing engineering.”
Geis Group packers regularly attend specialist
packer courses as part of ongoing training –
at the renowned Wood Working Technical School at
Bad Wildungen in Hesse, for example. Top-quality
packaging calls for the manufacture of customized
means of transport, use of container goods storage,
and the resolution of any issues that arise relating to
static, corrosion protection and load-securing.
FLOATING PACKAGING. There are almost no limits
on the weight or size of goods that can be packed
by Geis and Lechner, with the range extending from
medical engineering products to industrial goods.
Larger or heavier items weighing over ten tonnes are
packed by mobile teams at the customers‘ premises
because the equipment required to move the items is
usually already there. Often the team from Lechner
has to pack an entire production plant.
It is precisely such projects, consisting of several hundred
individual components, such as switch cabinets,
steel parts, platforms and machinery, etc., that call
for the experts‘ experience and total concentration.
“In addition, we always have to ensure compliance
with, for example, HPE guidelines, DIN standards
and, of course, customer specifi cations. Even the
shape of wood chips in chipboard can be crucial
in determining bending strength and therefore its
suitability as packing material,” says Robert Saxer,
Site Manager in Oberhaching. “And if goods are extremely
sensitive to impact, we use so-called fl oating
packaging.”
Lechner‘s specialist packers mostly pack classic industrial
products manufactured, for example, by
the engineering sector and generally exported by sea
freight. In addition, they develop and produce special
packaging for goods weighing up to 15 tonnes,
as well as for highly sensitive, climate-sensitive
goods such as art objects and high-tech products.
The company‘s customers include Siemens and
Giesecke & Devrient.
THE FUTURE BEGAN YESTERDAY. The Geis Group‘s
new, almost 30,000 square metres large logistics
and technology centre, currently being built in the
Frauenaurach Industrial Park in Erlangen, will also
have plenty of space for packing services. The centre,
which will cover 5,000 square metres, will include
ground-level access and two crane systems with a
20-tonne hoisting capacity, enabling Geis in future
to also pack extremely heavy goods such as machinery
parts. —
Geis at
FachPack
Geis Industrie Service
this year showcased
its various packing
solutions for the fi rst
time at the “FachPack”
trade fair from 28 to 30
September in Nuremberg.
TOP STORY | 7
INTERVIEW WITH AN EXPERT
“Tailor-made suits”
that provide optimal
protection
Geis subsidiary Georg Lechner GmbH
specializes in customized packaging
for unusual items. Site Manager Robert Saxer
is interviewed below:
What do you consider the most important
aspect of packing?
Robert Saxer: The most important aspect is that any
high-value goods handed over to us by a customer
arrive securely and above all undamaged at their destination.
We have more than 40 years experience in
packing goods for the exporting and high-tech industries,
and use this experience to create ‘tailor-made
suits’ that fi t each item perfectly and provide them
with optimal protection.
Lechner packs 14,000 different items
each year. Has any of them been a particular
challenge recently?
Robert Saxer: Every item we pack presents a certain
challenge – especially goods weighing more than
15-20 tonnes. And we did indeed have one particular
challenging item recently – a simulator for a special
vehicle, about the size of a 20-foot container and
jam-packed with high-tech equipment. Two of my
colleagues spent two days packing it.
You and your team also develop and
produce special packaging.
Robert Saxer: That’s right - often used to transport
goods worth millions. For example, we recently produced
cases for the ‘Der Blaue Reiter’ art collection.
82 cases for 82 paintings, each one air-conditioned
and insulated to provide optimal protection.
Thank you very much for
talking to us!
Robert Saxer, Site Manager for Georg Lechner GmbH,
Unterhaching

8
Photo: Daimler AG

ROAD SERVICES | 9
INTELLIGENT LOGISTICS FOR
THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY
For decades the Geis Group has been providing logistics services to the automotive industry
and its suppliers. Now one of its large area freight forwarder contracts has been extended and expanded.
Did you know? A car nowadays consists of
no less than 12,000 individual parts. And
because car manufacturers have for years
focused on core manufacturing, the remaining production
processes are increasingly handed over to
suppliers. As a result, around 80 per cent of all car
parts, from airbags to spark plugs, are today produced
by external suppliers. As an area contract
freight forwarder the Geis Group ensures that these
are transported securely and on time to the respective
manufacturer‘s production facility.
“We have been active as an area contract freight forwarder
in the automotive sector and taking care of
procurement logistics for renowned car manufacturers
for almost 20 years,” says Klaus Stäblein, Managing
Director of Hans Geis GmbH + Co. “Screws,
engine components, driver’s cabs – we supply plants
and external warehouses throughout Germany with
products such as these, on time and from a clearly
defi ned area.” On time in this case means that the
Geis Group supplies the goods on the day after the
order is placed.
GROUPAGE, MILK RUNS AND DIRECT SERVICES. Geis‘
service begins with the punctual collection of the
goods from the supplier – usually between 10am and
8pm. The way in which delivery is subsequently carried
out depends on the cargo volume: “First of all
we consolidate classic groupage consignments up to
around 2,500 kg – as well as based on volume – at
our hubs in Bad Neustadt and Nuremberg, before
forwarding them to the plants,” explains Klaus Stäblein.
“Exceptions include directly-driven partial
consignments, so-called milk runs, and container
loads, which our drivers take directly from the suppliers
to the respective car plants.”
Delivery takes place on the day following pickup,
and in the case of just-in-time delivery within the
timeframe agreed with the plant. Klaus Stäblein:
“Generally the timeframe for receipt of goods is between
5am and 8pm. The individual timeframes for
our shipments are usually between 30 and 60 minutes
– there‘s no room for hitches of any kind.”
Geis utilises all types of commercial vehicles to
transport goods – from short-haul trucks to megatrailers.
“The choice of truck is determined entirely
by requirements,” says Klaus Stäblein. “What collec-
tion facilities does a supplier have? Which sites are
to be supplied? Are we transporting bulky or heavy
goods?” Successful area contract freight forwarding
therefore calls for intelligent planning.
CONTRACT EXTENDED. One example of a well-run
area freight forwarder contract is the Geis Group‘s
long-standing collaboration with Daimler AG. On
1 July this year this contract was extended and expanded,
so that the Geis Group now covers an even
larger area for Daimler.
Additional suppliers in Thuringia, Hesse and Lower
Saxony are now serviced from Bad Neustadt, with
Nuremberg servicing additional suppliers in Upper
and Lower Franconia. A total of around 560 suppliers
now belong to the Geis area. Klaus Stäblein: “We are
very pleased that the areas have been extended and
volumes increased. 14 employees now work on this
contract at Bad Neustadt, and twelve at Nuremberg.”
A THOUSAND TONNES EACH DAY. Geis now supplies
vehicle, truck and bus parts to 14 Daimler sites from
Bad Neustadt and Nuremberg, as well as to various
warehouses and affi liated companies. Freight volumes
currently stand at 1,000 tons a day, requiring
the use of around 65 vehicles on a daily basis.
A project of this scale has certain challenges. Klaus
Stäblein: “The widening of the area means that distances
to suppliers inevitably increase. Of course
what we have to do is to comprehensively process
customer orders as economically and as environmentally-friendly
as possible, whilst also taking into
account time and quality parameters. Daimler have
for years put their trust in us, and we aim to live up
to it each and every day – it’s no good resting on our
laurels.” —

10 | LOGISTICS SERVICES
WORLD CHAMPION
CHOOSES GEIS
Amplid, a company belonging to the many-times snowboarding world champion Peter Bauer,
is a successful manufacturer of snowboards and skis. Geis now manages the logistics of the
Amplid online shop.
Photo: Amplid
Peter Bauer and skier Anian Thrainer
founded Amplid six years ago, and bucking
the trend in the skiing and snowboarding
market are enjoying great success. Sales of
Amplid‘s snowboards and freestyle skis for discerning
customers are doubling each year. Sales via the
Amplid online shop are also on the increase, and no
wonder in view of Amplid‘s young and young-atheart
customer base.
Until last year, Amplid organized the warehousing
and shipping of its online orders itself – from an outbuilding
at its headquarters in Fischbachau, Upper
Bavaria. Now the young company has chosen the
Geis Group to carry out the work. “The chemistry
was there right from the start,” says Peter Bauer.
“And as we had thoroughly prepared everything –
EAN codes for all the products, for example, and
special boxes for the skis – everything went smoothly
right from day one.”
Geis integrated the online shop logistics into the
warehouse at Seubtendorf. “We pick, pack and send
orders at the click of a mouse throughout the whole
of Europe,” explains Hans-Peter Schneider, responsible
for transregional sales activities in the Geis
Group. “Furthermore we off er Amplid an important
additional service: our employees mount fi ttings individually
onto skis according to customer specifi cations,
enabling them to head straight for the slopes.”
Geis delivers orders on time even at peak times in
the winter: “Thanks to our fl exible team, we can
easily absorb seasonal peaks and provide immediate
delivery even in winter,” says Schneider. Peter Bauer
also appreciates the Geis Group‘s fl exibility: “Even
though we‘re just a small online shop, Geis gives us
a totally professional service. To date not one single
product has been delivered incorrectly. What more
could we ask for?!” —
Amplid co-founder Peter Bauer

From Hof to all four corners of the world
In Upper Franconia, Geis operates a 34,000 square metres European central warehouse for the trading and logistics
concern REWE Group. Here speed, precision and fl exibility are of the essence.
Coming along in leaps and bounds
Following preparatory ground and foundation works,
construction work began in earnest at the beginning
of July. First, precast concrete components were delivered
for the building structure, with assembly work
beginning immediately afterwards. “Work is visibly
progressing almost on an hourly basis,” says Martin
Vonderau, the Geis Group‘s construction project
manager. “Two large mobile cranes are assembling
the parts in quick succession. Everything is on schedule
and the rail link is already coming in useful, even
during the construction phase.”
ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY STEP BY STEP. Thanks
to the rail link, the entire shell structure can be delivered
directly to the site by rail from Bremer AG in
Paderborn, where the general contractor has its own
large prefabrication factory. The around 880 fi nished
components manufactured at the factory for Geis‘ logistics
centre will be delivered to the site on around
150 rail cars. This corresponds to a building mass of almost
4,000 cubic metres and a weight of around 10,000
tonnes. At the end of July, roof and facade works began
where rough assembly had been completed. Geis‘
largest logistics centre will be taken into operation in
October. Of the approximately 30,000 square metres
of space, a third will be used by Siemens Enterprise
Communications GmbH & Co. KG. 5,000 square
metres will be occupied by Geis’ own packaging plant
for large machinery and industrial components, which
will include ground level access entrance and two crane
systems with a 20 tonne hoisting capacity. “In the future
therefore, we will be capable of lifting real heavyweights,”
says Martin Vonderau delightedly. —
Autumn: days grow shorter, the weather worsens, and
shoes get dirtier. Cue the start of Rewe’s Europe-wide
‘doormat’ campaign. So what is the best method of getting
50,000 doormats to Rewe’s 4,500 foreign
stores in 15 European countries as quickly as
possible? “The packaging must be perfect and
the pallets need to be labelled with country,
goods and customer information,” says Erik
Lassen, Managing Director of Geis Logistics
+ Trade GmbH. “Moreover we‘re very
fl exible, thanks to our strong pool of temporary staff ,
which is available to us at short notice.” Speed and
pooled manpower are also required for the processing
LOGISTICS SERVICES | 11
of returns. Geis returns goods that have not been sold
or are defective to Hof, where they are immediately
sorted and categorized into goods that can be sold or
need to be returned to the supplier.
TOTALLY SATISFIED. “We coordinate all schedules for
Rewe, and together with our sister company, Spedition
Bischoff , take care of all transportation,” says
Erik Lassen. Thanks to the centralized warehouse
concept, only full truckloads go out on the road – this
is both effi cient and environmentally friendly. Erik
Lassen: “Rewe have just extended the contract, something
we‘re naturally very pleased about.” —
Since the ground-breaking ceremony on 14 June for Geis’ multi-user logistics and technology centre in Frauenaurach,
construction has been proceeding at full speed.
Breaking ground together (from the left): Hans-Georg Geis (Managing Partner), Dr. Siegfried Balleis
(Lord Mayor of Erlangen), Wolfgang Geis (Managing Partner), Josef Ellebracht (Bremer Bau Director),
Dr. Johannes Söllner (Managing Director of Geis Holding) and Martin Vonderau
(Geis Group Head of Construction+Facility Management)

12 | AIR + SEA SERVICES
‘BIRTH ASSISTANCE‘ FOR
THE AIRBUS A 400 M
In January, Airbus transported the initial components of the A 400 M military
transport aircraft to Dresden for load testing. Geis SDV helped load the cockpit
and fuselage of the Airbus newcomer.
At Dresden Airport in frosty temperatures,
everything was ready for the unloading of
the cockpit. The only thing left to be done
was to de-ice the special mounting platform that Geis
SDV had brought in advance from Toulouse to Dresden
and assembled in just four days. Once the de-icing
had been completed, the unloading of the eight-tonne
cockpit from the belly of the Airbus Beluga could begin.
Geis at the Aircraft Interiors Expo 2010
From 18 to 20 May 2010, Geis SDV attended the
world‘s leading trade fair for aircraft interiors, the
‘Aircraft Interiors Design & Cabin Systems Engineering
Expo’ in Hamburg. Around 7,300 trade
fair visitors visited the Geis SDV stand, where Geis
SDV and SDV experts informed them about the
various spare parts services off ered by the Aerospace
Division. This was the third time for Geis
SDV to attend the fair, and it was the only logistics
services provider present. “As always, we made
a large number of interesting contacts,” says Jan
Kleine-Lasthues, Head of Sales Aerospace Division
at Geis SDV. “We will certainly be there again
next year.” —
“It was defi nitely ‘precision work’!” says project leader
Tim Oliver Kramp. “But in the end, everything went
to plan.” The next day, at the exact same place, Geis
SDV unloaded the 31-tonne fuselage of the A 400 M,
which once again called for perfect visual judgement.
According to Xavier Masson, Project Leader at Airbus
Transport Industrie, everything again went well,
thanks to the Geis SDV team. —
The trade fair team (from the left): Hortense Eble, Konstanze
Ahner, Jan Kleine-Lasthues and Thomas Pupp (all from Geis SDV),
and Ling Jin and Lee Purdy from SDV
New: Logistics for
ISOTRONIC
Since 1 March of this year,
Geis SDV has been
processing sea and air
freight imports from the
Far East for ISOTRONIC.
The team at the Hamburg
logistics centre also takes
care of warehousing and
distribution of fi nished
goods to traders.
The products sold by
ISOTRONIC Mezger KG,
which is based in Horb
am Neckar, range from
energy-effi cient lighting
and electronic insectprotection
to clever
technical gadgets for the
car, house and garden.
All of them are innovative
and environmentally
friendly. ISOTRONIC‘s
largest customers include
the national and international
DIY chains, and
supermarkets, which
sell the goods in their
non-food sections.
„Particularly challenging
in the case of ISOTRONIC
are the just-in-time deliveries
to DIY stores and
supermarkets,“ says Reiner
Riksen, Logistic Manager
Germany at Geis SDV.
At the end of March this
year, Geis SDV distributed
a total of 10,500 boxes
of ISOTRONIC promotional
items across Europe.
“Spread across a total
of 267 Euro pallets, the
boxes went to 64 different
supermarkets in Italy,
Spain, England and many
other countries,“ explains
Reiner Riksen. “Despite
several shipments from
the Far East being
delayed, we managed
to deliver everything
‘just-in-time’.“ —

Helicopter from India
transported safely
At the beginning of May, Geis SDV,
together with Indian colleagues
from SDV, transported a Eurocopter
EC 155 from Uttar Pradesh near
Delhi to Kassel.
Before being transported to Germany, the
helicopter, weighing almost fi ve tonnes,
had fi rst to be dismantled and packed
ready for transportation. Once all the
parts of the Eurocopter had been securely
loaded onto aircraft pallets, everything
was loaded onto three trucks and driven
to the airport at Delhi. The 60km journey
to the airport took six hours to complete.
Why? Because of the diffi cult road conditions
and the sensitive nature of the load.
Having arrived safely at the airport, the
shipment was transferred onto a freighter
aircraft and fl own directly to Frankfurt am
Main in just eight hours. Two trucks then
delivered the helicopter parts to Kassel
on time as the fi nal stage in the delivery
process. —
ASSIGNMENT IN
SOMALIA
AIR + SEA SERVICES | 13
Geis SDV recently transported 22 machinery parts with a total
weight of 52 tonnes from South Germany to Somalia.
Somalia, lying at the easternmost tip of the African continent, is one of the socalled
‘failed states’, and UN workers have been providing humanitarian aid in
the war-torn region for years. A South German company that supports the UN
with its mandates worldwide recently commissioned Geis SDV to deliver an urgently
needed aid shipment on time to the UN troops in Mogadishu.
STOPOVER IN UGANDA. From the south of Germany, Geis SDV transported the machinery
parts in four low-loaders fi rst of all to Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, and
then in a Boeing 747F to Entebbe in Uganda. There colleagues from SDV reloaded
the freight, which weighed several tonnes, onto four Hercules-type charter aircrafts.
Their destination: Mogadishu in Somalia. A technician oversaw the unloading and
reloading of the consignment in Entebbe on the customer‘s behalf.
ASSIGNMENT IN MOGADISHU. Now came the tricky part: The long-running civil
war and the very diffi cult security situation in Somalia meant that the fl ight arrival
time in Mogadishu needed to be precisely coordinated. “The fl ights from Entebbe
to Mogadishu could only start once the ‘green light’ had been given by Mogadishu
that the planes would be able to land and be unloaded without major problems,” says
Stefan Reitzner, Manager Airfreight Pricing Germany. “In addition, our customer‘s
technician needed to be present in Mogadishu to receive the consignment and assemble
the machines.” In the end, everything went according to plan. The consignment
arrived on time at the airport in Mogadishu and was unloaded without incident. —

14 | GENERAL NEWS
New apprentices
In August and September, 60 new apprentices began their training
at Geis sites.
Starting their logistics career at the Geis Group: the new apprentices at Bad Neustadt ...
“We‘re delighted,” says Bernhard Hofmann,
Freight Forwarding Careers Training Offi cer for
the Bad Neustadt head offi ce, Salz and Eichenzell.
“Last year we had to cut down on the number of
places off ered because of the economic crisis, but
now we‘re back to normal again. Even if demographic
trends and limited numbers of young people
make it increasingly diffi cult to fi nd suitable
apprentices, we‘ve always managed to fi ll all our
training vacancies due to the renowned quality of
our training.”
The largest apprenticeship categories at Geis remain
as before forwarding and logistics service specialists,
warehouse logistics specialists and warehouse
specialists. Other categories, depending on
location, include professional drivers, offi ce communications
specialists, offi ce administrators, IT
administrators and IT specialists.
Besides site-specifi c training, centralized training
events, primarily for forwarding and logistics
service specialists, are also increasingly being held.
On 11 June in Kürnach near Würzburg, for example,
38 second-year forwarding and logistics
service specialist apprentices were taught about
warehouse and transport liability regulations. Also
included was information on the central insurance
department, a practical presentation by the current
forwarding insurer, and progress checks by
means of group work. Finally, the apprentices
were given a tour of the Kürnach site. —
... and at Kürnach
New: Head of Key
Account Management
Road Services
Since early 2010 Peter
Gayer has been the Geis
Group‘s Head of Key
Account Management
Road Services. This newlycreated
position will help
the company bundle its
tenders together, the
number of which has
increased considerably,
and also manage them
centrally. “From Bad
Neustadt I coordinate
the regional and national
tenders, as well as enquiries
involving sales
volumes of more than
500,000 euros a year,”
explains Peter Gayer.
“Another part of my new
position is looking after
existing large customers.”
Peter Gayer has been
employed by Geis since
1989. After a short spell
in the sales department,
he became manager
of the export department.
In 1995 he went to Plzeň
in the Czech Republic for
two years to work as
Geis Transport‘s authorized
representative.
Until the end of 2009,
Peter Gayer was National
Forwarding Manager at
Bad Neustadt. —

For more safety
at the wheel
Between mid May and the end of June, 20
Geis drivers based at our Nuremberg site took
part in risk management training. During a
combination of both theoretical and practical
seminars, the drivers learned how to avoid accidents
and save fuel. Traffi c psychologists accompanied
the drivers on their journeys – including
over lengthier periods of time – and
assessed previous damage. “The fi rst round of
training was a complete success. We plan to
expand the project to include other locations,”
says Michael Deuter, Fleet Department Manager
for Geis Eurocargo in Nuremberg. —
Successfully reaudited
From 12 to 16 July, TÜV Rheinland visited the Naila, Bad Neustadt and
Salz sites, and successfully reaudited them for compliance with the DIN EN
ISO 9001:2008 quality standard.
Geis sites have been selected by rotation for auditing each year for the past 15
years. According to the TÜV audit report, in August Geis‘ quality management
complied in full, without any aberrations, with the strict targets. The quality certifi cate was
therefore extended for another three years. —
In July of this year, all Geis Industrie Service
GmbH sites in Bavaria were certifi ed as being
OHRIS-compliant, i.e. having health and safety
management systems that comply with the
OHRIS (Occupational Health and Risk Management
System) standard. This means that
the sites implement structured and uniform
health and safety procedures at work.
“In Germany, OHRIS has up until now only
been certifi able in Bavaria and Saxony despite
being internationally recognised,” explains
Christian Wild, Management Representative
for Geis Industrie Service. “In the future, we
will introduce the OHRIS standard at our
non-Bavarian sites as well for corporate identity
purposes.” The newly-acquired certifi cate
is valid until June 2013. —
Geis driver Daniela Zimmermann
took part in the training
Geis meets the OHRIS standard
Dr. Thomas Bauer (right) presents the OHRIS Certifi cate
to Ralf Lammering, GIS Managing Director (centre)
and Christian Wild (GIS Management Representative)
GENERAL NEWS | 15
Anniversaries
In recent months, four Geis
employees have celebrated
their 25 th and 40 th anniversaries
with the company.
Roland Dressel has
worked at our Forchheim
site for 40 years.
He started working
for Siemens on 24 July
1970, and following the
transfer of the operation to Geis, came
to be employed by the company. He has
been a valuable member of the packing
department at Geis Industrie Service
(GIS) GmbH since 1 September 1997.
Reinhold Brückling
too worked fi rst for
Siemens, followed by
GIS. He has worked
at Forchheim since
1 July 1985, where he
is responsible for daily scheduling in
the scheduling department.
Andreas Schmitt
ensures that accounts
are kept correctly in
Bad Neustadt – and has
done so for the past
25 years. On 1 July 2010
he celebrated his 25 th anniversary
with the company.
Walter Lamprecht‘s
work at Geis logistics
& trade GmbH‘s
warehouse in Hof
encompasses everything
from being
a warehouse employee to being
a fork-lift driver and an order picker.
On 21 August 2010 he celebrated
25 years with the company.
Hildegard
Kemmerth has
worked at Forchheim
since 23 September
1985. Previously with
Siemens, her work
today includes packing and weighing
individual parts and consignment goods.
The Geis Group says a big thank you
to all of them!

Geis Industrie-Service GmbH
Phone: +49 911 64178239
E-mail: verpackungsspezialisten@geis-group.de
Conception, production, packing
– we provide tailor-made
packing solutions!
THE PACKING SPECIALISTS
Georg Lechner GmbH
Phone: +49 89 6651850
E-mail: info@lechner-verpackungen.de