Every day, Mogens Christensen solves a puzzle that represents both his greatest challenge and greatest satisfaction. Christensen is transport planner at J. Chr. Koldkur Transport A/S, a medium sized transport company in Karup, Denmark, specializing in the transport of liquid bulk. Since having started using the smart logistics platform Bulkio, he has managed to significantly reduce the number of empty miles driven by his fleet of trucks.
Christensen laughs when we ask him if the location given for Koldkur Transport (about 70 kilometres northwest of Arhus) is correct. ‘’it’s right, although most people here just say, ‘in the middle of nowhere’. Karup is a hamlet; you can almost count the number of houses on the fingers of two hands. I myself grew up in a village nearby, and I’ve known the company all my life.’’
Fifty trucks Koldkur has a fleet of about 50 trucks, half of which drive around Denmark, while the other half are mainly to be found on German motorways (or occasionally in Spain, the Czech Republic or the Netherlands). In his younger days, Christensen was an international truck driver, but now he’s 64, the role of planner suits him better. ‘’ I used to love driving all over Europe. Now I make sure that the younger generation leave with a full load and return with one too.’’
Extra loads Christensen makes use of Bulkio. He comments: ‘’We used to have quite a few empty kilometres, which naturally had a negative effect on our profitability. Finding return loads wasn’t always easy. But since we’ve been using Bulkio, our drivers get about ten extra loads back to Denmark every week.’’
Impact of empty miles Those extra loads are hugely important, Christensen says. ‘’ Without them, we would definitely have to say goodbye to certain customers, purely because the transport costs would be too high. Of course, if our drivers drive back via Amsterdam or Leipzig, they travel more miles. But the extra load makes it worth it. They also understand the importance of avoiding empty miles.’’
Future prospects Christensen looks forward to Bulkio being developed further. ‘’I definitely appreciate such initiatives from a business point of view, but they also mean a lot to me personally. I don’t have to search endlessly for return loads every day, so I can go home on time much more often. Yes, I would say that Bulkio makes my life easier. Do I think it represents the future? Without a doubt. In any case, we will definitely continue to use it.’’
Source: Game Changer magazine November 2021