andres lkw

„Open“ trucks

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15Demand made it possible. What the railways and waterways cannot handle must be transported on Germany’s roads. And since there is often cargo that does not fit „under the tarp“ even if the volume is fully utilized, managing director Patrick Andres decided in favour of an open truck. HU-AL-803 (nickname „Striptease“) can be seen on Germany’s roads since the 4th quarter of 2015 – sometimes with container-houses, sometimes with large machine parts and sometimes even with a concrete pump of a manufacturer of special machines from Southern Germany.

glaeserne fahrer

Transparent driver?

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If you think that there might be a lack of data on the transport process in the industry, then you are not aware of the trend toward the transparent driver. Ever since the digital tachograph exists, you can only evaluate, document, countersign and file what has in fact happened. Incorrectly filled out supporting documents will lead to fines to be paid by the company as well as the individual driver. This warning took centre stage at andres logistics during a half-day tachograph training with the prospect of a foreseeable mobile immediate check.

sportsmanship

Sponsored sportsmanship

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Endurance, speed, throwing accuracy, team spirit – all this is what handball stands for and, of course, a certain assertiveness. There is hardly any other sport where pain and success are so closely together. andres-logistics now sponsors the HSG Preagberg www.preagberg.de. Youth in the home town of the Andres family. Managing director Patrick Andres uses sportsmanship every single day to tackle not only logistical tasks. In private life, he also faces up to athletic challenges in his private life – for example, at the 300 km cycling marathon in Belgium or on the long running track. „I can’t even imagine a life without sports!“, says Andres with a broad smile – well aware of the fact that this is his personal driving force for a successful professional life. And it might even encourage a young handball player to become interested in the world of logistics.

Glad we could help

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The release is yet to be established. But when the comedy „Der kleine Diktator“ set around the European Song Contest and starring Hannelore Elstner, Katharina Schüttler and Steffen Groth will be shown in movie theatres, we should pay attention to a certain scene. Yes – you will see a large trailer from andres logistics in the centre during a traffic jam scene. The shoot was already completed last fall and if you look very closely, you will recognize  Röntgenstraße 1 in 63526 Erlensee very close to the truck stop 24 Neuberg. Of course, the street was closed off for the shooting. You don’t actually want to be caught up in a traffic jam…

Strong emphasis on hazardous goods training

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Accidents with hazardous goods have decreased so much since 2000 that many believe that training is no longer necessary. But on the contrary. Whoever relies only on the more modern equipment misjudges the situation. andres logistics constantly conducts training and advanced training with a comprehensive knowledge about loading safety.
What does heavy cargo/hazardous goods actually mean? It does not always only involve nightly transports of rotor blades for wind generators installed everywhere. Hazardous goods, for example, also include saw dust as they can deflagrate and spray bottles as well as phosphoric acid, the raw material required for the production of Coca Cola.

Minimum wage – it shouldn’t really be a nuisance

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andres logistics has been paying its workers well for a long time so that the effects of the stipulated minimum wage are not really felt. If only there wouldn’t be the unpleasant problems with foreign dumping providers. Based on the existing ordinance, there are currently no effective minimum wage checks of non-resident trucks. It remains a mystery why they do not use an online portal for checking as this has been the case with the HGV toll for years. Speaking of tolls: Lower toll obligation limits as well as the expansion of the tolled road network make the truck transport of cargo systematically more expensive. The reason that this has not much of an effect on customer prices has often to do with the wage dumping by haulage contractors from EU candidate countries.

Direct line to the German Association of Road Haulage (Bundesverband Güterkraftverkehr –BGL e.V.)

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General meetings are always a good occasion to reconnect with old acquaintances.

When the Trade Association for Freight Haulage and Logistics [Fachverband Güterverkehr und Logistik] met at the end of June in Rotenburg an der Fulda, Patrick Andres was able to meet Karlheinz Schmidt who is managing presidential member of the German Association of Logistics and Recycling [Bundesverband Güterkraftverkehr Logistik und Entsorgung], who has previously been a lecturer at the Academy for World Trade [Akademie for Welthandel]. This elite training facility, which is supported by private enterprises, trains experts and executive managers in a goal-oriented and professional fashion with the handling of cross-border assignments. Once again it shows that not only the gained knowledge is useful but also the network of contacts which now lead directly to the German Association of Road Haulage.

Customs clearance does not have to be an obstacle

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You can save a lot of time if everything is provided from one source. But our customers must provide a whole set of documents – there is no way around that. We provide extensive information on every detail you need to know on our Customs Power of Attorney and price list.

There is a solution for everything

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Does the storage of granulated material really work? In principle yes – if you do it as andres logistic does in the warehouse. The customer’s big packs with the material clumped after some time were raised high and then abruptly dropped. A punch with the fist to the agitated material will then be sufficient to restore its pourability.

Interview

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Hello, Mr. Andres, thank you for taking the time for a short interview. How did the first few months as the director of andres logistics go?

PA: In a nutshell – very well! With each order we are one step closer to our goal to logistically achieve what others often can’t.

For example?

PA: We use a 12 ton truck with a lifting platform, which we call „Raumwunder“ (space spacing miracle). It is eight metres long and an internal height of 2.95m able to accommodate 20 pallets. This gives us an advantage for local transports. We work closely together with the Zoll- und Logistik GmbH in Darmstadt – for our customers this is international transport provided from one source. Wherever there are niches to optimise the process we make it our highest priority to provide the best customer service.

As a freight forwarding manager you were well known for fighting the unnecessary use of paper. What is your point of view on this?

PA: I want to reduce the letter mailing to almost zero and to reduce the mounting of files whenever possible. Where possible, invoices are sent by e-mail; of course, our contractors and suppliers received the minimum pay countersignature in a fully automated way; the extensive electronic filing is part of everyday life. For example: If a customer calls because he needs the address to which he had something delivered in 2010 he will get a reply at the push of a button.

Sounds like a tight organisation?

PA: Yes, that’s the way it is supposed to be. A prospective customer should be able to count on receiving our offer usually within 15 minutes – whether it is about parcels, a special dispatch or warehousing.

Speaking of warehouse – was it the right decision to offer this?

PA: If anything, it was dead rightJ. We store about 500 pallets for nine customers. This ranges from machine parts to switch cabinets to, for example, granulated material. We also provide safety containers. And with a handling of about 30 percent, all containers are always full. We might even expand.

Can you name some figures?

PA: In some months we have up to 30 new customers. And some of them have requirements of which the customer later says that we were the only ones to effectively handle them. Next week we will have another one of those special orders incl. ocean freight to Singapore.

Let’s get back to the company itself – are there any big changes?

PA: There are no changes to the core staff. My brother Dennis is now an authorised representative. Our trainees will enter their last year of apprenticeship. Our children will pitch in from time to time. We passed the ISO 9001 test with top marks. We are now waiting to get the permanent licence for extra-wide transports. There is demand on the market. That’s why we offer it.

Thank you and all the best for the future!