Rail Instead of Road, Koehler Invests 1 Million Euros
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As part of sustainable logistics concepts and to increase security of supply with the most important raw material, cellulose, Koehler is increasingly relying on the rails.
“We expanded the existing, too small rail connection, added manual underfloor switches and also bought a modern shunting robot. This enables the employees to do the shunting work in the plant independently and flexibly and to handle the four times the tonnage themselves, ”explains Andreas Riedlinger, team leader for logistics at Koehler. The total investment amounted to 1 million euros. Three to four block trains per week have replaced up to 15 deliveries by truck since the beginning of the year.
The trains are loaded in the Lower Saxony port of Brake, where ships from overseas arrive with their cellulose loads. The train is then brought south in the so-called night jump. With the so-called “Pulp Sprinter”, which is also known internally as “Koehler Sprinter”, optimal running times, low idle shares and cargo space stability are now guaranteed.
"The increasing low water periods in the Rhine over the past few years have made it necessary to adjust transport logistics to safeguard the supply chain, even if the waterway and goods handling in the port of Kehl are of course the top priority," says Klaus Krieg, Head of Supply Chain Management at Koehler Paper Group . “With the increased use of rail, we are increasing security of supply, reducing local truck traffic and at the same time improving our environmental balance. A perfect combination. "
