Flexible regional networks and crisis response

More similarities than differences

Reflecting on TFG’s activities in the D-A-CH region, the manager said: “There are far more parallels than differences between the three countries.” The package of services that are drawn up for customers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland is almost identical. That said, the Hamburg resident is sure to emphasise that adapting approaches based on country has now become an essential success factor: “The language and mentality are similar in all three countries, but not the same. For this reason, for our on-site divisions like sales and operations, we rely on employees who know the regional markets, speak the regional language and are therefore more targeted in responding to the needs of customers.”

Surpassing the 1 million TEU mark once again

Despite the current challenging situation in Europe and the D-A-CH region, Best is cautiously optimistic about the future: “If everything stays on track, we are likely to surpass the one million TEU mark for container transport again in 2022,” predicted the manager. At the same time, he describes the current situation as a “time of extremes,” which, in his view, will probably not be long term in nature. “We are not preparing for a lasting crisis, in fact, we have prepared ourselves for demand to potentially pick up again in 2023. I am certain that the D-A-CH region is strong enough to survive this temporary turbulence relatively well.”

Reflecting on the past two and a half years, he acknowledges that COVID-19, the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis have had a major impact on global supply chains and the hinterland regions. “Even in such times of crisis, rail transport remains dependable, meaning we can still operate our network. This makes us a reliable partner for our customers in terms of guaranteeing their supply security. We also took the pandemic as an opportunity and used the time to intensively develop new areas, for example, to drive the digitalisation of our internal processes forward,” explained Best. Now, the focus is on the company’s internal sustainability strategy, “TFGreen”, amongst other things. “With new capacities for 100 per cent CO2-free rail transport and climate-neutral road transport, we are creating real climate solutions. Because every container with combined transport not only relieves the burden on the road infrastructure but also on the environment,” the manager said, outlining the approach. (bre)