Electric trailer in trial use: Nagel-Group tests pre-series model from Mitsubishi

The Nagel-Group is currently testing a refrigerated trailer with a purely electric refrigeration unit from Mitsubishi. The Japanese manufacturer is developing a trailer that does not require a recuperation or generator axle. The electric trailer achieves the required cooling capacity while emitting less noise than refrigerated trailers powered by diesel units and is CO2 emission-free.

The refrigeration unit itself is powered by a 42kw battery pack, which is located at the rear of the trailer. In terms of weight, this results in only a 40kg payload disadvantage compared to a standard refrigerated trailer with diesel genset and diesel tank.

The trailer is a pre-series model and will be tested by the Nagel-Group over a total of three weeks on various routes in the fresh produce area (Bochum branch).

from left to right: Nico Luchtefeld (Fleet Management), Stefan Moerchel (Bochum branch), Thomas Blacha (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Transport Europe GmbH), Bastian Seidel (Fleet Management)

Construction project: Nagel-Group expands logistics location in Vejle, Denmark

Vejle. 17/12/2021. Nagel-Group is expanding its Vejle site in Denmark. A total of 20,000 new pallet spaces for chilled and frozen goods and an additional cross-docking area will be created on 13,000 square metres. Office space will also be expanded.

The construction project was launched in October 2021 and is scheduled to be completed and ready for occupancy by early 2023. The 86,000-square-metre site provides enough capacity for future expansion.

Expansion in northern Europe

“The Vejle site is ideally located for connecting to the Nordic countries,” says Hans-Joachim Brock-meyer, Co-Managing Director of Nordics. The access to the E45 motorway allows for a more flexible response to new customer requirements, especially in terms of cross-border trade headed for Norway, Finland, and Sweden. “Our expansion plans will further consolidate our position in the Danish market and reinforce Nagel-Group’s presence in the Nordic countries. As a result, we will be able to expand and strengthen our international network.”

Sustainable construction to increase energy efficiency

The newly built warehouse will offer customers additional pallet spaces and sustainable added value in the transport chain. “By using sustainable and energy-efficient building materials, we are able to meet the demand for more efficient logistics chains one step at a time,” says Ole Brødsgaard, Co-Managing Director Nordics. Large-scale PV system installations will cover a significant proportion of the energy demand. In addition, the building materials used ensure that the temperature ranges are optimally insulated.

Multi-Temperature Logistics Centre for Munich Metropolitan Region: Nagel-Group expands capacities at Schweitenkirchen site

Schweitenkirchen. 17/12/2021. Nagel-Group is undertaking a major project in the southern metropolitan region of Munich. It is expanding its logistics location in Schweitenkirchen to create new warehouses with 10,730 pallet spaces for frozen goods by the end of 2023. Nagel-Group purchased a 23,000-square-metre site to build these new logistics units. The company is investing around EUR 40 million to turn the logistics centre, located around 25 miles (40 kilometres) north of the state capital, into a multi-temperature facility.

“The logistics centre in Schweitenkirchen is extremely significant for Nagel-Group’s presence in the south of Germany and its connections to and from Austria. This expansion provides us with entirely new opportunities in the deep-frozen sector, among others. It also allows us and our customers to exploit growth opportunities – especially since such capacities are in high demand,” says Carsten Taucke, CEO of Nagel-Group. The investment is part of a large-scale project to modernise the company’s site infrastructure. “This year, we have already launched a major project in Hamburg and several other real estate projects. 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.

Nagel-Group already has a site in the Schweitenkirchen business park, covering chilled and dry goods on 20,000 square metres of logistics and handling space. Nagel-Group’s Real Estate team will manage the large-scale project to expand frozen capacities. The first construction activity is set to start in early summer 2022 with completion scheduled for the end of 2023. Nagel-Group will launch nine construction projects in 2021 and 2022, each representing investments of more than 10 million euros. Expansion projects in Hamburg, Buxheim in the Allgäu region, and Bochum in the Ruhr area are already underway.

“By modernising our logistics centres, we are ensuring the future sustainability of our company,” says Carsten Taucke. “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.

Nagel-Group expands refrigerated logistics centre in Bochum

Bochum, 29/10/2021. Nagel-Group is expanding its Bochum site. The expansion will create 20,000 new pallet spaces at the refrigerated logistics centre by mid-2022. The new building will increase the food logistics company’s capacity in Bochum to over 50,000 pallet spaces. Kappel Gruppe, the owner, will carry out the expansion as it is making further investments in the Bochum site.

“The refrigerated logistics centre in Bochum is at the heart of our network. The state-of-the-art cold storage will enable us to take on new customer projects, as we have once again reached our capacity limits,” says Christian Berlin, Executive Director Logistics and Managing Director Germany at Nagel-Group. The food logistics company Nagel-Group has had a branch in Bochum since 1976, which has already been expanded in 2011 and 2018. Then in 2020, it opened the largest rooftop PV system in the Ruhr area, followed by a new truck repair workshop in 2021.

The Bochum branch handles all kinds of foodstuffs. Moreover, Nagel-Group offers on-site services such as order picking, packaging, labelling, product repacking, and display design. “The Bochum site is performing very well. All of our services continue to be in high demand across all temperature zones,” says Björn Heinermann, Nagel-Group’s Branch Manager in Bochum. In the coming months, up to 60 new jobs will be created in Bochum’s warehouse area.

However, before construction can begin, space has to be created. The expansion of one of the most modern refrigerated logistics centres has kicked off with the demolition of the old warehouses and one office complex at Harpener Hellweg 41. The logistics unit for different temperature zones will be built on the approximately 44,000-square-metre site by mid-2022. Nagel-Group will lease the facility long-term.

With the new building, Kappel Gruppe wants to create a state-of-the-art refrigerated logistics facility. This involves employing the latest technology and measures to optimise the facility’s insulation efficiency to meet food logistics’ very high requirements. “Our goal here is to create a logistics facility that will be successful in the long term. To achieve this, we are investing around 25 million euros in project development,” explains Uwe Kappel, Managing Director.

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.

About Kappel

Kappel Gruppe is an owner-run company specialising in the purchase, construction, and leasing of extensive real estate projects all over Germany, which are held in the portfolio permanently. For example, we are currently developing a residential building project with 260 residential units and a service centre in Bochum. Furthermore, we are currently working on a large, 15,000-square-metre logistics project with an administration building in the Rhineland.

Nagel-Group acquires B+S Gruppe and sells Langdon Group Ltd, its UK operation

Hamburg/London/Borgholzhausen. 21/10/2021. Nagel-Group has finalised two transactions that will strengthen the company’s core markets and promote the development of new business opportunities. Germany’s largest food logistics company has acquired B+S Group, a logistics service provider specialising in contract logistics and e-commerce logistics. Nagel-Group has also sold Langdon Group Ltd, the company through which it operates in the UK. The transactions are part of a large-scale investment strategy in the company’s core markets in Europe: Nagel-Group is modernising and expanding its site network and IT infrastructure. The acquisition of B+S Group thus serves as a first step towards diversifying its business model.

“We are investing in line with our strategy to ensure the company’s future viability in our core markets in Europe. By acquiring B+S GmbH Logistik und Dienstleistungen, Nagel-Group has successfully gained a complementary and valuable logistics provider. We will benefit from B+S employees’ two decades of experience in contract logistics and e-commerce logistics. This expertise will be an asset in developing our own solutions in the food sector. After all, our food customers have a strong demand for services such as quick commerce and omnichannel solutions for their end customers,” says Carsten Taucke, CEO of Nagel-Group.

Borgholzhausen-based B+S GmbH Logistik und Dienstleistungen had a turnover of EUR 92 million last year. B+S GmbH Logistik und Dienstleistungen employs more than 1,050 people at 12 locations throughout Germany, encompassing around 400,000 square metres of logistics space. B+S GmbH Logistik und Dienstleistungen is particularly well-positioned in e-commerce and contract logistics and is also actively engaged in pharmaceutical logistics.

“This investment strengthens our company in East Westphalia and beyond. Another important aspect for us is that together with B+S GmbH Logistik und Dienstleistungen, we will tap into new business opportunities outside the food industry. I am also delighted that we will soon be welcoming more than 1,000 logistics experts to the Nagel-Group family,” says Marion Nagel, Chair of the Administrative Board of Nagel-Group.

The transaction is expected to be finalised by 1 January 2022, as is the sale of Langdon Group Ltd. to STEF Group – subject to approval by the supervisory authorities.

Although Langdon Group Ltd. has been sold, Nagel-Group will continue to offer its customers transports to the UK and distribution within the UK market as corresponding distribution agreements have been reached with STEF Group.

Carsten Taucke explains: “The Nagel Langdons team has turned into a first-rate provider of high-quality services since Nagel-Group took over the company in 2004. We are delighted and take pride in the fact that our customers will continue to have excellent access to this distribution channel through the Nagel-Group network and our close cooperation with STEF Group, which already facilitates shipments between some Western and Southern European countries.” In return, Nagel-Group will also enable Langdons Group to offer its customers the usual distribution services for Germany and Central/Northern Europe.

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.

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.

Bringing digitalisation into focus: Nagel-Group joins Digital Hub Initiative

30/09/2021, Hamburg, Versmold. Nagel-Group is joining the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy’s Digital Hub Initiative to support the exchange of technological and economic expertise. Nagel-Group will be a partner of the Digital Hub Logistics Hamburg, whose partners include Volkswagen Konzernlogistik GmbH & Co OHG, Lufthansa Industry Solutions, and Fraunhofer CML. By cooperating with the Digital Hub Initiative, Nagel-Group will leverage a well-established digital network to create and develop new ideas.

The Coworking space: Light-flooded rooms offer enough space for working.

Exchange with start-ups and technical experts

“Hamburg is the city with the highest density of logistics start-ups. We want to network and collaborate more closely with young entrepreneurs and technical experts in digitalisation,” says Michael Lütjann, Chief Information Officer (CIO) of Nagel-Group. Companies, start-ups, and scientists will use the Digital Hubs to discuss current challenges. “We would like to create a space for cross-sectoral exchange that allows us to observe and incorporate digital innovations directly. After all, technological progress is making the world move ever faster,” says Michael Lütjann.

Coworking spaces throughout Germany

Digital Hubs’ established network offers project teams well-connected coworking spaces and workshop rooms in Berlin, Dortmund, Frankfurt am Main, Darmstadt, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Cologne, Leipzig, Dresden, Ludwigshafen, Mannheim, Munich, Nuremberg, Erlangen, Potsdam, and Stuttgart. The hubs in Hamburg and Dortmund place a particular focus on logistics.

The digital hub network allows Nagel-Group to offer more work-from-home positions in the future. “This sharing economy approach offers a new world of opportunity for our employees. We can get together with like-minded people, work, network, and draw on experiences from other functions to generate new ideas in a creative working atmosphere,” says Michael Lütjann.

About Digital Hub Initiative

Digital Hub Logistics Hamburg connects market leaders, SMEs, and start-ups with science, research, and training at Northern Europe’s leading logistics location. Digital Hub Logistics Hamburg consolidates Hamburg as the leader in the worldwide competitive market of digital logistics centres and leading economic centres. It also supports digital products and networked businesses, new ways of thinking, and young talent with its clear factual base and open communication. www.de-hub.de