For over 110 years, Battermann + Tillery has specialised in the neutral assessment of transport and cargo damage. However, the Bremen-based company is not only consulted as a global expert when damage occurs, but also increasingly when it comes to damage prevention.
Credits: Battermann & Tillery
Until the 1980s, Battermann + Tillery was a rather small company with only a handful of port commissioners and surveyors responsible for all kinds of raw materials, primarily cotton, tobacco and cellulose. But when containerisation fundamentally changed workflows in ports – and with it the flow of goods – the instincts of Percy Tillery, father of the current managing director, kicked in and he opted for a strategic realignment of the business. Since then, the company has been operating as an authority in transport, goods and logistics, covering all cargo and transport types.
This approach allows Battermann + Tillery to constantly fulfil market requirements. Accordingly, the service provider was able to expand rapidly in the 1990s and 2000s, both geographically and in terms of personnel. The group now has 170 employees in Germany, Switzerland and Turkey. Moreover, it has access to a network of certified partners at over 1,200 locations around the globe.
“What sets us apart is our availability,” Tillery explains. “Regardless of whether the damage occurs in Germany or China, we can be on site anywhere in the world and in no time at all.” In addition, he highlights the large number of different specialists united under the Battermann + Tillery umbrella. “Our experts and surveyors are mainly engineers from the fields of transportation, mechanical engineering or nautical science,” he adds. “But our team also includes lawyers, freight forwarders and business economists.” Indeed, the manager likes to refer to his company as a one-stop shop regarding this diversity.
“Our tasks have increasingly changed to complete management.”
Patrick Tillery and Nico Nöldner, managing directors of Battermann + Tillery
Trend towards major damages
In the constantly growing damage prevention division, the risk consultants from Battermann + Tillery mainly carry out risk analyses and checks. Their tasks include supervising heavy-lift and project shipments, checking method statements and calculating and approving load securing measures for cargo. In recent years, Nico Nöldner has identified significant changes in market requirements. “Our tasks have increasingly changed from pure cargo checks to complete management,” he explains. “For example, customers increasingly ask us to support them throughout the entire transport process and act as their central point of contact for all parties involved – from packaging the goods to correct stowage and optimal load securing measures.” Indeed, the company has gained much experience over the years. “Most of the damage identified could have been prevented by early and detailed collaboration and planning across departments and companies,” he adds. Furthermore, he observes a growing trend towards both major and technical damage.
He still clearly remembers the accident involving the “MSC Flaminia”, on which a major fire broke out during a 2012 Atlantic crossing as well as the incident a few years ago when a luxury yacht crashed into a pier during unloading in Panama. He also still remembers the former Bremen-based Beluga Shipping’s “Beluga Nomination” and how it was hijacked by Somali pirates. “All of this damage was in the millions, and very different aspects of our expertise were required,” says Nöldner. “There were several yachts on board the ‘Beluga Nomination’, for example, that had been severely damaged by the pirates after the hijacking and were riddled with bullet holes. All of this had to be taken into account in the course of our analyses,” the manager explains.
At present, the loss of skilled personnel is particularly concerning. “In Germany, damage prevention expertise is being increasingly lost,” Nöldner explains. “More and more experts are retiring without their knowledge and experience being passed on adequately within the company.” This increases the risk of handling and congestion errors, for example. In view of this, Battermann + Tillery is endeavouring to further expand its own range of services in the damage prevention field. “This is our contribution to reducing the risks of our customers – from shippers to carriers – in the areas of transport, transshipment and warehousing,” says Tillery. (bre)
Facts
Battermann +Tillery Group
Established: 1913
Head Office: Bremen
Employees: 170 in Germany, Switzerland and Turkey. In addition, the group has a global network of over 1,200 locations.
Main areas of business: Transport and cargo claims, marine, damage prevention, technical surveys, salvage sales
Turnover in 2023: approx. 20 million euros
