Page 33 - Port Of Hamburg Magazine 01.2018

Paper logistics with the box
Hamburg is one of the largest transhipment centres worldwide for paper products. This demanding cargo only found its way in large volumes into containers in the 2000s. This development was considerably influenced by Hamburg-based forwarder Fr. Meyer’s Sohn, the world’s top paper logistics company.
50 YEARS OF CONTAINERS IN HAMBURG ■
“Paper is not patient, but extremely sensitive,” is the word from international logistics company Fr. Meyer’s Sohn, or FMS for short. “Transporting paper in con- tainers truly makes sense,” says Marcus Pyroth, CEO Central Europe for FMS. “A small tear or cut, of the kind that can occur so quickly with conventional han- dling, ensures that a paper roll weighing tons is no longer usable at the printer’s.”
Yet boxes first came into play relatively late: On into the 2000s, the two highly specialized Cellpap termi- nals in the Port of Hamburg were still handling large volumes of paper, mainly in the form of rolls from Scandinavia. “At the time we were the largest cus- tomer for these terminals,” recalls Pyroth, who has worked for FMS ever since his trainee days. “Back then, transport and handling of individual rolls was quite simply cheaper than using a container. Yet with the closure of these handling facilities, we had to re-organize our logistics chains.”
Thanks to the Port of Hamburg’s excellent equipment for handling even conventional cargo, a move to other terminals was perfectly feasible. “Since then, we have relied almost entirely on the container,” reports Markus Panhauser, COO for FMS. “And this brings advantages for all those involved, because now we can offer our customers complete, tailormade logis- tics services that go far beyond the traditional break- bulk shipments, which we naturally still offer. These range from LCL shipments, or part-loaded containers, to fully loaded container shipments, or FCLs, for which prefer to use intermodal services involving rail and/or inland waterway craft.”
In addition, FMS organizes pre- and post-carriage runs, conducts cargo checks, and provides stowage advice, customs clearance, on request also ware- house stock management, in the ‘Cruise control’ customer platform developed by FMS. Panhauser mentions one impressive example: “Previously we used to drop off breakbulk shipments of up to 5,000 tons in their yards for our consignees – printing works, for example. Naturally, they then had to ex- pend a lot of effort and money on storing these. We can now supply such companies with precisely coor-
dinated container shipments to meet their needs and just in time.”
Yet breakbulk business has not entirely died out for FMS, since most transport chains extend from Scan- dinavia via ports in the North Range to destinations in the European hinterland or overseas. Many paper products, for instance, are land-
ed non-containerized on short- sea services in Kiel or Lübeck, re-stowed there in containers and sent on by land, mainly to Hamburg.
Having a port base on the Elbe, agree Panhauser and Pyroth, is a tremendous advantage for FMS’s paper business: “For us, the large number of container liner services, as well as the great intermodal opportunities, make Hamburg an ideal hub for onward transport,” stress both of them, adding: “A dash of lo- cal patriotism certainly contrib- utes too.”
Transport of forestry products today accounts for around 75 percent of FMS’s business, and the bulk of that share means paper. Cellulose, forest- ry products such as sawn tim- ber, logs or waste paper also feature. “With around 15 mil- lion tons of forestry products per year, we are the largest player worldwide in this busi- ness,” emphasizes Marcus Py- roth, producing some more da- ta and facts. The company has 725 staff at over 50 sites in more than 20 countries, gener- ating annual turnover of around 750 million euros. In Europe as a whole, that makes FMS one
Marcus Pyroth
CEO Central Europe for Fr. Meyer’s Sohn
Markus Panhauser
COO for paper specialist Fr. Meyer’s Sohn in Hamburg
Port of Hamburg Magazine | March 2018 | 33
© FMS © FMS