Page 19 - Port of Hamburg Magazine 02.24

halls for a prolonged period if customers have no space for replacement parts or if turbine gears for offshore wind farms need to be available for immedi- ate shipping, for example.
The space is not only expensive, but also limited – which Wülfing absolutely sees as a challenge. “We do not have enough space in general and take a crit- ical view when existing space is used for residential development instead of being made available for the port industry to grow,” he laments. In his view, it is incomprehensible why former terminal space is used for other purposes, especially when there are fears that loading could move to other ports.
Another challenge he mentions is the labour and skills shortage, particularly in the commercial sector, which not only impacts Deufol and the Hamburg location. To counter this challenge, the company is training indus- trial packers and forwarding specialists, for example, at its academy in Dortmund, who will later work at the port. Deufol has developed a corresponding staff pro- gramme to ensure they remain employees. “The hard- est thing is to find people. We have just experienced
this in Hamburg: if ten candidates apply for a job, with a little luck two will get an interview. Some don’t even show up for the work despite having signed an em- ployment agreement,” says Wülfing.
On the other hand, the project logistician believes his company is at an advantage since it offers a niche product and has its own terminal. This is not only im- portant for the company’s value creation, he says, but also a trump card in winning over customers. “We can offer the end-to-end service from a single source, with our own infrastructure and our own per- sonnel,” he underscores. Customers also have insuf- ficient staff and therefore value efficient communi- cation with just one contact partner, short process times and effective packaging, he adds.
For the customers’ large, heavy and bulky products, specially trained Deufol employees develop and pro- duce standardised as well as custom-made packaging – usually made from wood, chipboard and plywood. These are efficient, cost-effective and durable solu- tions that withstand the forces exerted at sea and the climatic stresses.
PORT OF HAMBURG MAGAZINE 2/24 ALL-PURPOSE PORT
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Klimaneutral bis 2040
Wegweiser in eine klimaneutrale Zukunft
Die Logistik von morgen muss nachhaltig funktionieren.
Die Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG stellt sich dieser Herausforderung. Denn wir nehmen unsere Verantwortung für Gesellschaft, Umwelt und Mitarbeitende ernst. Als ein führender europäischer Logistikkonzern gestalten wir eine nachhaltige Zukunft der Logistik mit. Dafür organisieren wir Transport- und Datenströme wie auch komplette Arbeits- prozesse neu und setzen auf innovative, energiesparende Technologien.
Eines unserer Ziele:
Spätestens 2040 arbeiten wir klimaneutral.
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