This year, 4Mex Logistics is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. Over the past decade, the freight forwarding office based in Krimpen a/d IJssel has become highly specialized in the French market. Operating without its own fleet, which according to Dennis van de Kieboom, is primarily an advantage. "This distinguishes us from traditional carriers who need to keep their fleet on the road. We are much more flexible and find a solution for every shipment."
Dennis and his colleague Karel Lukassen were previously active at the then Mooy Logistics before joining Peter Stuurman's team at 4Mex Logistics in 2018 and 2016, respectively. "During our years at Mooy, we developed considerable knowledge of the French market. All three of us speak French, which is a huge advantage in this chauvinistic market. Our focus is on imports from France. We have known the French market for years. This allows us to gain ground with return loads more easily."
Peter and Bas Stuurman, Karel Lukassen, Dennis van den Kieboom, and Geoffey Ooms.
4Mex works with a fixed group of charterers as well as an extensive network of carriers both domestically and internationally, but is selective in its partnerships. "We don't want to send just any carrier with our freight; that's asking for trouble," Dennis explains. As much as 95% of the freight consists of temperature-controlled transport, and depending on the season, 40 to 50% of that is fruits and vegetables. "In winter, we're busy arranging transport for cauliflower from Brittany and lettuce from the Loire Valley, while in summer we handle a lot of transport for stone fruit from Southern France. We know the seasonal influences like the back of our hand, allowing us to often anticipate demand in advance."
When asked about the biggest challenges, Dennis first mentions the shortage of drivers. "Although it's not a direct problem for us, indirectly we are certainly affected. Furthermore, we're dealing with huge cost increases, just consider the Maut in Germany, which has increased by 16 cents per kilometer. Also, at loading and unloading sites, more and more is being expected of drivers. As a freight forwarding office, we're in between the customer and the carrier, but ultimately, we want to keep both satisfied and aim for long-term relationships with our clients and carriers."
"Also, transport rates are still under pressure. You see especially with large companies that they grab every euro they can save on transport. Our focus, therefore, is more on the relatively smaller companies where the human factor is considered more than just the numbers. Price-wise, we often can't compete with the predominantly Eastern European carriers, but whether they can deliver the same service, I doubt. I think cheap can turn out to be expensive. After all, you might save on freight rates, but if you then spend hours guiding someone during transport, where is the profit then?"
At 4Mex Logistics, there's no ambiguity about rates. "We apply, to both customers and carriers, one rate for the entire year, whether it's busy or quiet. Ultimately, this pays off, because if you keep paying the same rates in quiet periods, carriers are more inclined to take your trade during busy weeks. Our competitive edge lies in our extensive international network of carriers, ensuring flexibility and swift action at competitive rates. Our experience enables us to go further where others stop."
In recent years, 4Mex has also increasingly ventured into the transport of general goods. Organizing transport to and from other European countries is also a possibility. "That's still mostly on request from our regular customers, but we also load in countries like Italy and Germany. But for now, we're not short of work. Extra work is always welcome, as long as we can make something from it," Dennis concludes.
For more information:
Dennis van den Kieboom
4Mex Logistics
+31 85 48 77 960
[email protected]
www.4mexlogistics.nl