Happy World Bee Day!

20 May is World Bee Day. The day aims to raise awareness and inform people about the importance of the bee to our ecosystem, as bee populations around the world have declined sharply in recent decades.

Last year, Nagel-Group established five bee colonies at the sites in Versmold, Borgholzhausen, Bochum, Langenfeld and Eschweiler. In this way, Nagel-Group wants to make a contribution to strengthening the insects and ensuring the pollination of our food plants around the Nagel-Group sites. The busy Nagel-Group bees have survived the winter well and are already filling the trays with honey. This year there will be a few jars of Nagel-Group honey again in autumn. Depending on what the busy little bees bring in during spring and summer, this will result in around 15kg of all-year honey per bee colony.

Just a few weeks ago, the apprentices at our Borgholzhausen branch expanded the flowering food supply on site. The wall at the branch, which was previously covered with grass, was quickly transformed into a bee-friendly flower meadow. Soon, the first flowers will bloom there and provide honey bees, as well as wild bees and other insects, with a large and varied nectar and pollen supply.

Get active yourself: on the windowsill and balcony or garden.

Flowering kitchen herbs for the windowsill and balcony such as savory, borage, mint, sage, chives, rosemary, thyme, hyssop and lemon balm in the balcony box delight bees and enrich our food. For the perennial flower bed, the following are suitable: stonecrop, globe thistle, snapdragon, phlox, knapweed, mallow, ribbon flower and forget-me-not. Even a bee-flower mixture from the garden market, sown in a flower pot and regularly watered, already offers a large number of insects – and certainly also the bees of Nagel-Group – a rich food selection from spring to autumn! In winter, the colonies then manage with what they have collected until around October and what they still have left in the hive after the harvest.

Nagel Polska organises and funds a mammography screening programme for female employees

Mammography screening is part of a new health programme at Nagel-Group’s Polish locations. It covers three areas: health, sport and ecology.  

Last year, all female employees aged over 35 working in the Polish branches were invited to participate in a mammography screening free of charge.

The programme was organised in a slightly different way in each of the six Polish branches. For example, the mammography bus arrived on 8 June at Nagel-Group’s Polish headquarters in Komorniki near Poznań, while individual medical examinations were organised for female employees at other locations. At the Lublin site, we teamed up with other medical services to expand the offer on site. Women were also able to receive free cytological and gynaecological examinations along with their mammography screening. All female employees received a pink brooch to thank them for taking part.

“All women who qualified for the examination by their age accepted our invitation. I think a big obstacle for women is the fact that a doctor’s referral is usually needed for a mammography. We organised the mammography screening programme so that first of all the women had a consultation with a doctor on site in the mammobus.  This was followed by a referral and they had their examination immediately.  The women received the results of their mammography by post,” explains Agnieszka Misiewicz-Biała, project coordinator and health manager at Nagel Polska.

An information campaign on regular breast examinations was targeted at women under 35 years of age. Posters were put up in the branches explaining how, when and how often to have a check-up. “The reactions were extremely positive – people were very enthusiastic, surprised and grateful for the campaign,” says Agnieszka Misiewicz-Biała.

Health programme – how Nagel Polska looks after the health of its employees

“At Nagel Polska, we recognise that the employer has a duty to create a safe and healthy working environment. The health programme primarily helps us to educate and improve our employees’ awareness and knowledge about their health and well-being,” explains Robert Katafiasz, Managing Director Nagel Polska.

Mammography screening is part of a health programme launched in 2020 for Nagel Polska employees. The programme is based on the three areas of sport, health and ecology. The “green offices” project was one of the initiatives launched as part of the programme. For example, the office kitchen was supplied with fresh herbs for preparing meals, and potted plants were placed in the offices to make them greener.  There is also an eco-market at the Polish headquarters in Komorniki that takes place from spring to autumn. Every Monday, employees sell their handmade products at stalls in front of the company: preserves, bread, home-grown fruit and vegetables, as well as self-woven baskets or jewellery.

Honey fundraiser: Nagel-Group employees support local institutions at four locations

Versmold, Borgholzhausen, Bochum, Eschweiler, 26 December 2021. The Nagel-Group has established five bee colonies at its own locations this year. To set an example for nature conservation and biodiversity. The first Nagel-Group honey was harvested a few weeks ago and offered to the employees of the logistics company during a fundraising campaign. The 300 honey jars were sold out in no time at the locations, and the company doubled the proceeds – EUR 4,320 were raised through the campaign. Local institutions, which the branches could choose themselves, are supported. An overview:

Headquarters in Versmold supports local sports club

Spvg. Hesselteich-Siedinghausen 1958 e.V. is delighted to receive EUR 630 and new handballs for their teams. “On behalf of Spvg. Hesselteich-Siedinghausen 1958 e.V., I would like to thank Nagel-Group for this generous donation. We will use the donation for various projects of our youth teams,” says Andreas Wehmöller, Board Member of Spvg. Hesselteich-Siedinghausen 1958 e. V.

The Diakonie’s workshop for adults with disabilities receives a donation of EUR 2,000 from the Bochum branch

Diakonie’s workshop for adults with disabilities in Bochum was delighted to receive a large charity cheque from the Bochum branch. “The great donation will be used for great projects in the context of digitalisation. For example, we are creating digital learning islands so that employees can learn their work steps on tablets.” says Michael Dhom, Diakonie Bochum.

Borgholzhausen donates EUR 1,000 to PAB-Gesamtschule’s association

The association of PAB-Gesamtschule in Borgholzhausen received a total donation of EUR 1,000 from the Borgholzhausen branch. “The PAB-Gesamtschule’s association has been our cooperation partner for many years, so we were keen to support the booster club with a donation this year!” says Christian Nollmann, kaufmännische Leitung Nagel-Group Borgholzhausen.

Eschweiler donates to Aktion Lichtblicke e. V.

Eschweiler branch supports Aktion Lichtblicke e. V. with a donation of EUR 600. “We decided to support Aktion Lichtblicke e. V. because, as a branch, we understand the importance of solidarity and mutual support. Aktion Lichtblicke e. V. supports children and young people in need based on the understanding that they are our future,” says Dieter Handwerker, Niederlassungsleiter Nagel-Group Eschweiler.

About Nagel-Group

Nagel-Group, which specialises in food logistics, operates throughout Europe and has its headquarters in Versmold. It employs over 12,000 people in more than 130 locations. Recently the company reported a turnover of 1.9 billion euros. The company group moves food consignments of all sizes and in all temperature ranges on a daily basis. Whether frozen products, meat, dairy products, coffee or sweets, whether on instructions by manufacturers or retailers, Nagel-Group daily provides consumers all over Europe at the point of sale with the right goods in the right quality at the right time. Nagel-Group, therefore, plays a significant part in its customers’ success.

Marcel Vogler: “Christmas trading period will be more challenging than ever”

Hamburg/Versmold. 07/10/2021. Almost two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, logistics market challenges continue to increase throughout Europe in the second half of 2021. The end of the lockdown in almost all European countries, coupled with activity ramping up across all sectors, has led to overall capacity demands far exceeding pre-COVID-19 levels for more than five months. Marcel Vogler, Executive Director Transport at Nagel-Group, explains Nagel-Group’s assessment of the current situation in the market, the challenges for the Christmas trading period, and the measures Germany’s largest food logistics company is taking.

Marcel Vogler, Executive Director Transport der Nagel-Group

Mr Vogler, the shortage of drivers is a pervasive problem. It is also becoming increasingly challenging to find skilled workers in logistics. How do you explain the situation?

The COVID-19 pandemic served as an accelerator for known developments in many areas. Last year, thousands of drivers and logistics workers, affected by the decline in volumes in specific sectors in the form of permanent or temporary lay-offs and short-time working, were forced out of the market prematurely and permanently. They have found other jobs that are now more attractive. For drivers, the desire to reconcile work and family means they are less willing to move and travel. The result is a further reduction in available foreign employees for the European market. The shortage of skilled workers and drivers in logistics has never been more noticeable. There is intense Europe-wide competition for these highly valuable employees.

Looking ahead, what do you expect for the upcoming Christmas trading period?

At the moment, global supply chains are severely disrupted. Thus, we are experiencing supply bottlenecks in almost all sectors. These lead to longer delivery times, make it challenging to plan, and result in price hikes. Food logistics and the upcoming high volume peak Christmas period are particularly affected by this. We have already exceeded the volumes usually seen during the Christmas period in the summer. The available capacities were insufficient to serve the demand side as reliably as usual. Volumes continue to rise, and the actual demand in the fourth quarter of 2021 can only be estimated. However, one thing is certain: it will be historically high. Not only that, but the short-term measures will be unable to meet demand fully. The 2021 Christmas trading period will be more challenging than ever.

How are you responding to the situation? Is there any improvement in sight?

Unfortunately, the outlook is sobering. Especially in relation to the driver shortage: in its latest study, the International Road Transport Union (IRU) forecasts a shortfall of around 185,000 drivers in Germany by 2027. According to the study, there is currently a shortfall of at least 60,000 drivers. The current situation in the UK is a stark reminder of where this can all lead. I think we need to do more to promote logistics and career opportunities at Nagel-Group. We also need to convey to people that it is an exciting profession in a systemically important industry. As a driver, you can make a good living and provide a critical service to society. At some point, this must also be recognised by society as a whole. However, at present, it is even a frequent challenge to convey logistics costs to the end customer. We need a different understanding if we want a stable supply chain and, in the future, climate-neutral logistics. This is a challenge that we as an industry must tackle together with our customers.

What is Nagel-Group’s outlook for the coming weeks?

Our mission is to ensure reliable supply chains for one of the most important industries – the food market – this drives us today as it has for decades. At Nagel-Group, we have refocused our priorities. We are now leveraging all central and decentralised resources available for the second half of the year to accomplish this goal in this historic Christmas season. It will not be easy, but we will do everything we can to prevent empty supermarket shelves.

Pilot project to reduce CO₂: Nagel-Group puts aerodynamically optimised semi-trailers on the road  

Versmold. 05/10/2021. Nagel-Group has fitted two of its semi-trailer trucks with innovative aerodynamic elements as part of a pilot project to improve its vehicle fleet. The components, which are intended to reduce air resistance resulting in lower CO₂ emissions, were developed by the Aachen-based company Betterflow. 

A truck’s CO₂ emissions are greatly influenced by its aerodynamics. Nagel-Group has fitted one of the test vehicles with three components to improve this: underbody panelling between the supports and the underride trailer guard, a flow-optimising element between the tractor unit and the trailer, as well as retractable rear wings, which automatically fold out from a speed of 60 km/h.

“These Betterflow elements are used at the exact points in a semi-trailer truck where the airflow is disrupted or there is turbulence,” explains Dirk Sieprath, Managing Director of Betterflow GmbH. “The fewer corners and tear-off edges a vehicle has, the less energy it takes to overcome air resistance.”

This pilot project takes Nagel-Group one step further towards more sustainable food logistics. This is an important topic for this ZNU-certified company. The Betterflow project is one of many projects, including tests with e-trailers and LNG trucks, that Nagel-Group is driving forward to reduce its CO₂ emissions.

“As a logistics provider, we feel we have a special responsibility to continuously work on improving our CO₂ footprint. We can develop sustainable solutions at an early stage by testing innovative systems such as Betterflow’s and ensure a future-proof fleet,” explains Dirk Lückingsmeier, Head of Fleet Management at Nagel-Group. “Our cooperation with Betterflow was very positive and took a partnership approach. We are delighted with what we have observed so far and are eagerly anticipating the results we will be able to report after our testing phase.”

BETTERFLOW GmbH

BETTERFLOW’s innovative products improve aerodynamics on the tractor unit, thus significantly reducing fuel consumption and costs. . More than ten employees at the company headquarters in Aachen have been perfecting this patented rear wing system since 2012. BETTERFLOW’s supplementary add-on parts improve aerodynamic drag even further, exploiting the full aerodynamic potential of the trucks and providing customers with a significant benefit in efficiency. www.betterflow.com

Major project in Hamburg: Nagel-Group buys land and expands site

Hamburg/Versmold. 06/10/2021. Nagel-Group is starting an extensive expansion and modernisation project at its Hamburg site. Germany’s largest food logistics company is completely restructuring its site at the Allermöhe industrial estate. As well as constructing a new cross-docking warehouse, we are also modernising and expanding storage capacities. Nagel-Group has purchased a plot of land directly adjacent to their existing site for this. Nagel-Group is investing more than 50 million euros in this major project.

“Nagel-Group is undergoing a modernisation process, and we are investing in the future of our company more heavily than ever before. On top of the many IT projects and measures we have initiated to digitalise our processes, we are also focusing on expanding a modern network structure,” says Carsten Taucke, CEO of Nagel-Group. “We have launched a number of real estate projects. The project in Hamburg enables us to create new capacities and streamline our processes in this critical city region. At the same time, this gateway to the world has always been enormously important for the flow of goods into Germany.”

Nagel-Group currently operates on a 33,000-square-metre site on Hans-Duncker-Straße in Hamburg’s Bergedorf district. The size of the property is now being expanded to over 70,000 square metres. Logistics capacities will also double, with 19,000 pallet spaces available in future. Nagel-Group’s Real Estate Team will be managing the large-scale project, with the first stage of construction scheduled to start in early summer 2022. The various construction phases will be commissioned in stages, with full completion planned for mid-2025.

As well as redesigning the Hamburg location, Nagel-Group is currently pushing ahead with other real estate projects. “Nine construction projects will be initiated and started this year and next, each representing investments in excess of 10 million euros,” says Carsten Taucke. Expansion projects in Buxheim in the Allgäu region and in Bochum in the Ruhr area are already underway. “We are expanding our capacities and improving our operational processes, enabling our customers to achieve their targeted growth objectives,” says Carsten Taucke.

There is already demand from customers, which will continue to increase. “Sustainability is always at the heart of our considerations in all investment projects. We have always thought sustainably as a logistics provider in any case; after all, our core business is to create synergies, for example, through transport bundling. We remain conscious of our responsibility to do even more, though and aim to do so in a structured and focused way – especially in our construction projects,” says the Nagel-Group CEO.

About Nagel-Group

The Nagel-Group, headquartered in Versmold/East Westphalia, is a family-owned company operating throughout Europe and specialising in food logistics. The group employs more than 12,000 people at over 130 European locations. Every day, it transports around 100,000 food consignments of all sizes and temperature classes throughout Europe. This makes the unique network the leader in Germany and the leading provider of temperature-controlled logistics services in Europe.

Whether it’s frozen products, meat, dairy products, coffee or confectionery – day after day, the Nagel-Group helps ensure that consumers throughout Europe find the right goods at the right time and in the right quality at the point of sale on behalf of industry and trade. In this way, the Nagel-Group makes a significant contribution to the success of its customers. The range of services extends from procurement logistics, transport and distribution to warehousing, order picking and packaging, as well as value-added services such as display construction, labelling and customs clearance. Foodstuffs are moved in all temperature classes (from ambient to frozen). The entire range of shipment sizes also finds its way through the Nagel-Group’s European network: from parcels to general cargo, part loads and full loads to tanker loads. A secure and high-performance IT landscape rounds off the service.

Dialogue on climate protection: Nagel-Group exchanges ideas with companies as part of the “Pathways to Paris” project

Versmold. 04/10/2021. The Paris Agreement, an international treaty on climate change, aims to limit global warming to well below 2, and preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius. This target will pose enormous challenges for society and the economy in the coming years, to the extent that entire industries will need to be transformed. Reductions in emissions, changes in industrial processes, and leaner, lower-carbon supply chains will keep food logistics companies on their toes.

Reductions in emissions, changes in industrial processes, and leaner, lower-carbon supply chains will keep food logistics companies on their toes. Nagel-Group is taking part in the technical dialogue of the “Pathways to Paris” project. The company sees this as a real opportunity to make a significant and vital contribution to a low greenhouse gas emission economy by transforming the road freight sector (logistics). The project’s main objective is to strengthen the shared understanding and common language of transformation between real and financial economies in line with the Paris Agreement goals. WWF Germany and PricewaterhouseCoopers GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft are jointly driving the “Pathways to Paris” project, which is funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.

This issue has taken on a new prominence at Nagel-Group. “Sustainable thinking is becoming a determining factor in all corporate decisions at Nagel-Group,” says Carsten Taucke, CEO of Nagel-Group. “As a food logistics company, it has always been our policy to think sustainably anyway; after all, creating synergies, by bundling transports, for example, is our core business. Nevertheless, we are acutely aware of our responsibility to do even more, and we want to do so in a structured and focused way.” Nagel-Group will pursue its sustainability goals at all levels of the company. A newly established Sustainability Committee will initiate specific measures and ensure regular dialogue on progress.

In doing so, Nagel-Group aligns itself with the global goals for sustainable development of the 2030 Agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals. These goals of the United Nations serve to ensure sustainable development worldwide at economic, social, and environmental levels.

The “Pathways to Paris” project will run until the end of 2022 and is currently in phase 1. “Workshops on transformation pathways and measures are currently taking place,” says Peter Jockenhövel. He is involved in the project as Nagel-Group’s Sustainability Manager. “The discussions on the opportunities to implement various measures are stimulating. In this context, alternative propulsion systems, their general availability and cost-effective adoption are the foundation for reducing CO2 emissions in transport logistics.” The goal remains to initiate tangible steps that will make Nagel-Group’s business models even more climate-friendly.

200,000 bees find a new home: bee colonies introduced at five Nagel-Group sites

Versmold, Borgholzhausen, Bochum, Langenfeld, Eschweiler, 7 July 2021. Biodiversity is under threat. The problem of bee mortality is very real, and one which could have significant ecological and economic consequences. After all, bees are responsible for the propagation of hundreds of thousands of plants. Two thirds of the hundred most important commercial crops are fully or partially dependent on pollination by insects such as bees. That is why Nagel-Group has now introduced five bee colonies on its premises to demonstrate its commitment to nature conservation. Working together with its partner beefuture, the company invests nearly EUR 8,000 every year in the project.

The beehives have been set up at Nagel-Group sites in Borgholzhausen, Bochum, Langenfeld, Eschweiler, and Versmold. “Around one third of food crops is fully dependent on bee pollination. This makes it particularly important for us to actively contribute to preventing the decline in the bee population,” says Dr Holger Werthschulte, Chief Financial Officer of Nagel-Group. “Sustainability has always been a central pillar of our corporate philosophy. This beautiful project allows us to raise awareness among our employees and our guests about biodiversity and the importance of insects for us and our environment.” For that reason, the bee colonies were set up in a prominent position on the company premises to ensure the buzzing can be clearly heard.

A bee colony typically consists of 40,000 bees. “Now, during summer, the number of bees is very high. Towards winter, the population size reduces somewhat,” explains Frederik Idem, a trained beekeeper from beefuture. He will be responsible for the bees’ welfare and the honey harvest in the future. “The bees will now settle into their new environment and start foraging,” says Idem. The bees will search for food within a 5-kilometre radius and then start producing honey.

“Biodiversity is a very important issue facing all of us. By introducing these bee colonies, we are making a small contribution. The fact that we will have our own Nagel-Group honey in the future is a very sweet bonus,” says Peter Jockenhövel, Sustainability Manager of Nagel-Group. He was the one who initiated the project at Nagel-Group. A few jars of Nagel-Group honey will now be available every year as gifts for employees or customers. “This honey will be 100% locally made,” says Jockenhövel. The key thing here, though is protecting wild bees and honey bees.

The actual concept was conceived by beefuture (www.beefuture.online), a company from Bavaria. “We have made it our mission to get companies on board with sustainable nature conservation,” says Frank Weiß, founder and managing director of beefuture.