Mediterranée Expeditie, a Dutch freight forward, has specialized in road transport of goods to and from Italy, Spain, and France since 1999. That is when Kees van der Kwaak and José Arufo Carballo started bringing in grapes from Bari and Sicily. They have, needless to say, seen some changes in the sector. Yet, much has remained the same. "Back then, a full load of grapes from Bari to the Netherlands cost 4,300 guilders. Convert that into euros, and the rates aren't really that much higher now," begins Kees.
Kees van der Kwaak
That those tariffs have hardly risen is quite remarkable, and clearly shows the competitive environment and profit margins transporters and freight forwarders work in and with these days. Along with an aggressive battle in the transportation market, Kees says several things have changed in the last quarter century. For example, not only has the amount of goods being transported increased significantly, but so has the range.
"Groupage has, thus, become more important over the years. You can't fill a truck with every product. From our offices in Lisse in the Netherlands and Valencia in Spain, we specialize in partial loads. Also refrigerated products which must sometimes be transported at different temperatures. We can do that. We use refrigerated trucks with dividers. It's one of the services with which we distinguish ourselves," he says.
Turin-Cuneo corner
Just before the turn of the century, Kees started with full loads of only grapes from Bari and Sicily for clients in the Netherlands, who then took that fruit to Russia. "Now Sicilian fruit and vegetables are often driven first to Verona, which acts as a hub and connection point with the rest of Europe. Sicilian exporters thus drive a load destined for several European countries in one truck to northern Italy, where the goods are divided among several other trucks, each of which continues on to various final destinations. We take the route across Germany to the Netherlands."
"In the fall and winter, when Italian fresh product exports decline somewhat, we load in Verona on Fridays and often also Tuesdays. We work with a fairly regular group of suppliers and buyers, all aware of our travel schedule. Everyone can, therefore, plan their weekly export or import volumes nicely. We don't just do Verona; the Turin-Cuneo corner has been our specialty and main region in Italy for 25 years," says Van der Kwaak.
Never says no
Mediterranée Expeditie does not have any trucks, but all the more, it has relationships and market knowledge regarding both transport and the fresh produce sector. "In that sense, we adopt a bit of an importer's role. We unburden customers completely regarding logistics. We never say no to a request. Our option may not always be the cheapest, but we always find a solution, and our response time is short. We communicate via email or WhatsApp, although I, admittedly, prefer calling. You often see me with the phone in my hand; it's far more personal."
Since the transport sector is fiercely competitive, Kees also sees orders pass him by. "When prices are under pressure, some carriers try to pull stunts. I stay away from that. In Italy, rates are sharp because of that country's transport supply and that of Polish or Baltic transport companies. The ratio between imports and exports is the same, price-wise. You can't say the same about Spain, where that differs significantly, depending on the season," he says.
Twenty-five years later, and Kees still loves his job. "I won't deny it's stressful. You must try to leave those problems at work and find a good work/life balance. But that's true of many jobs. Finding suitable people for this job isn't always easy. So, I dare not say whether we'll grow much as a company in the coming years. It stands or falls with employees, and I believe to expand, you must first and foremost ensure quality. You must never compromise on that. Whether we grow or not, the personal contact with our clients and the fact that we can serve them energizes me enough to continue looking for the best solutions for their transport questions," he concludes.
Voor meer informatie:
Kees van der Kwaak
Mediterranee Expeditie
T: +31 252 629191
[email protected]
www.medi-expeditie.nl