Raben Group: The year 2020 was filled with challenges

2020 will go down in history as a challenging period for many industries. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the global economy and the way of doing business. Despite this, Raben Group has finished the previous year with the revenues exceeding 1.26 billion Euro, and new investments, implemented services and numerous awards are the best proof that the company has successfully handled the challenges of 2020.

Last year’s reality required the entire logistics industry to be flexible and adapt quickly to new, rapidly changing conditions. From the start Raben Group focused utmost attention on safety and protecting health of its employees and contractors on the one hand, and on the other, on ensuring continuity of operations and providing services at the highest possible level.

The company considers last year a success, with revenues at the level of 1.26 billion Euro. The main industries served by the company in 2020 were food (30%), consumer technologies (21%), automotive (17%), retail (12%) chemicals (11%), non-food FMCG (9%). In the European logistics network, road transport accounted for the largest part of services provided by Raben Group (66%), followed by contract logistics (13%), FTL (8%), Fresh Logistics (8%), Lead Logistics Provider (4%) and finally Sea&Air (1%).

“The year 2020 was filled with challenges. What happened in the transport market during this period will have a significant impact not only on 2021, but also on the following years. The pandemic has changed the business reality of every company in the market. Our task has been to maintain business continuity not only of our company but most importantly of our customers. The unfavourable economic situation doesn’t mean we have been inactive. On the contrary, we have taken a number of actions to make the consequences of the current state of affairs as painless as possible for all of us. That’s why our entire team has made every effort to ensure that logistics doesn’t stop and to support our customers and help deliver the required products. Thanks to our policy of conscious shaping the portfolio of our customers, we have achieved good financial results despite the difficult situation on the market. It is also the best proof that Raben are “People with Drive”. Thanks to their commitment and passion for logistics, our employees have been able to adapt quickly to the new working environment and successfully face the challenges of 2020.” – summarises Ewald Raben, CEO Raben Group.

The pandemic has also shown that increasingly popular remote work and relying more on new technologies is not only necessary, but also effective.

“The past year surprised us with unprecedented constraints related to organization of our work. It was a test for managers who had to maintain communication with employees working remotely and ensure the highest safety standards for those who remained in their workplaces – drivers and warehouse workers.” – comments Anita Koralewska-Ratajczak, Head of HR, Raben Group. – “The results of the engagement survey conducted during the pandemic showed that employees greatly appreciated the fact that their safety was taken care of. They were also satisfied with the regular communication with their supervisors and the team (despite the distance) and the company’s smooth adjustment to the new situation. The limitations proved to be an inspiration to look for new solutions. For instance, during the pandemic we carried out our biggest development project for 1,000 managers from 13 countries using a gamification and we improved many processes with the help of advanced technologies. It was a good year for People with DRIVE.”

Raben in Romania

For Raben Logistics Romania, last year was the time for large investments in warehouse infrastructure. Increasing customer demand and constant motivation to improve the process, especially transit times, have contributed to the creation of additional logistics points on the map of Romania. In the first half of the year, two new cross-dock warehouses were opened in Baia Mare and Roman. In August 2020, the company opened a new warehouse in Craiova. From a financial point of view, Raben Logistics Romania has exceeded its objectives, in the crisis conditions proposed in 2020.

“It was a difficult year, but in the end, it was a good year! We worked harder than usual – the new health situation, forced us to quickly find solutions, both for the continuity of the supply chain, but primarily to protect the lives and health of our employees and partners. The results were seen quickly, and we managed not only to solve the difficult situations, but even to do it better and to demonstrate to our customers that we are a reliable partner “- says Valentin Storoj, General Manager of Raben Logistics Romania. Currently, the national distribution network consists of 7 locations with a total capacity of 10,500 m.p.

The company continues its expansion in the Romanian market, for 2021 being planned the opening of new warehouses, in strategic locations, which will increase the quality of deliveries and will optimize transport costs. In addition to expanding the network and increasing warehouse space, new IT solutions will be implemented in 2021, solutions that will increase the response to the needs of Raben customers.

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