Moving Europe

Petr Kozel,
managing director Dachser
Czech Republic a.s.
collapse of Communism, he explains, the
main industrial output was raw materials
and semi-finished goods. But in the meantime,
many international companies have
dis covered the Czech Republic as an ideal
location for manufacturing high-tech products
in the automotive and electronic sectors.
Leading the way are Volkswagen’s Škoda
subsidiary, and the Taiwanese electronics and
computer components manufacturer, Foxconn.
“Thanks to the expansion of the EU,
the Czech Republic is no longer in eastern
Europe, but right in the middle of the
continent,” Kozel emphasizes. “Dachser’s extensive
European logistics network with its
precision-timed services is thus increasingly
gaining in importance.” With its branch
offices and their daily connections to the
central platform in Hof, as well as to the new
Eurohub in Bratislava, Slovakia, Dachser has
strengthened the Czech Republic’s position
at the heart of the European marketplace.
“We are constantly improving utilization of
the well-developed east-west routes and are
also looking to strengthen the north-south
axis. With this, we are specifically targeting
the markets in Italy and the Balkan states
for our customers’ European distribution
We are aiming at
hh healthy growth
Petr Kozel
centres,” Kozel explains. The new Eurohub
in Bratislava plays a key role here, he adds.
Food competence
Another focus of Dachser’s activities in the
Czech Republic is the provision of a wide
range of logistics services for the food industry.
In order to push growth in this business
field, Dachser Czech Republic is planning to
massively extend the transshipment area for
chilled goods at its Kladno location next year.
Expansion of the Brno branch office near
the border with Slovakia to create a second
food logistics location is already under way.
Additional staff have already been hired and
are currently undergoing the specialized
training essential in this segment. “Dachser
has made a name for itself in the Czech
Republic as a specialist in the fast food
sector,” says Jan Polter, Sales & Marketing
director at Dachser Czech Republic. International
suppliers such as Kentucky Fried
Chicken (KFC), Starbucks or Burger King
rely on Dachser’s food competence to secure
their supply chain – and the variety of required
services is growing. “In the food sector,”
Polter says, “contract logistics is fully
in line with the trend.”
The astronomical clock on
the old town hall in Prague
NETWORK: CZECH REPUBLIC
SHORTHAND
Czech Republic
Area: 78,866 km 2
Population: 10.51 million
Capital: Prague
Economy: Mechanical and plant
engineering, automotive industry,
metallurgy, chemical, food and
timber industry
Exports: Machinery, cars and
transport equipment, beer
IT competence is in particularly high demand
in this context. “The widespread implementation
of Dachser software standards,
such as Domino and Mikado, permits intelligent
network management and ensures
optimum customer benefit thanks to their
transparency and traceability,” Petr Kozel
explains. “We are aiming at healthy growth,”
the country manager summarizes. This also
includes building up and further developing
industry solutions such as Dachser Chem-
Logistics or DIY-Logistics in future.
Only with the best
“The best services and the best IT are useless
unless you also have highly-qualified staff,”
says Jan Polter. Dachser leverages the Czech
Republic’s traditionally high standards of
education, especially at its universities,
through targeted cooperation agreements
with the country’s best faculties specializing
in business administration, management and
logistics. “We directly approach graduates
and offer them the opportunity to complete
a trainee programme,” Polter explains. “This
enables us to find out the direct way who is
suited to Dachser and who isn’t. Because
we are looking to recruit only the best.” Just
as you would expect of a foresighted company
“with a special status”. M. Schick
DACHSER magazine 11