Century of Innovation in Road Transport

LKW WALTER is celebrating its 100th anniversary and can look back on a century of success. With a strong focus on innovation and sustainability, the 100% family-owned company has established itself as a pioneering player in the European transport and logistics industry.

LKW WALTER, a subsidiary of the Austrian WALTER GROUP with locations in Wiener Neudorf and Kufstein, has more than 8,000 full truck loads (FTL) per day on the road and in combined transport. The focus is on the transport of goods from consumer, wood and paper, chemical, metal, automotive and electronics industries. The company connects Europe’s key economic centres and industrial hubs, thus ensuring intracontinental supply.

What began in 1924 as a small one-man haulage office in Vienna has since developed into a company of more than 1,650 employees from over 40 nations. This cultural diversity benefits not only the customer, but assures an open and dynamic corporate culture, recognised by ‘Great Place to Work’ , among other awards. This anniversary will be duly celebrated with all employees. The company initially established itself as a specialist in groupage transport. Almost 30 years later, the first international transport to Italy followed, which in turn heralded international growth. In
1984, the company entered the combined transport sector, which has been a central pillar of its success ever since. Since the turn of the millennium, LKW WALTER has placed particular emphasis on digital solutions. The business has undergone impressive developments, driven by the pioneering spirit that still characterises them today.

“Our success is based on continuous innovation and a clear commitment to sustainability,” says Herbert Traxler, CEO of LKW WALTER. “LKW WALTER was awarded the Austrian national coat of arms back in 1986 for its services to the Austrian economy. We are very proud to be able to play an important role for the economy and ultimately the population as a family business in Austria.”

Employees – the heart of the company

Employees play a decisive role in the transformation process and are crucial to the company’s success. Innovative paths are forged in close cooperation with partners and customers, shaping the future of a more creative, sustainable and efficient transport industry.

Combined transport: sustainable solutions for logistics

LKW WALTER has relied on combined transport for more than 40 years and is a pioneer in the development of environmentally friendly transport solutions. By using rail/road and short sea shipping, the company achieves an annual CO2 reduction of over 329,000 tonnes. The 2030 corporate strategy aims to further increase the number of FTLs in combined transport and reduce the proportion of empty kilometres. The development of new routes and a continuous stream of investment emphasise the company’s commitment to sustainability. LKW WALTER is convinced that combined transport can make a significant contribution to achieving European climate targets.

Departure into the next 100 years

The four board members: Herbert Traxler, Michael Krainthaler, Alois Höfler and Alexander Sobota are responsible for leading it forward. Innovation and digitalisation remain pivotal in the corporate strategy. The latest technological advances include the digital consignment note, or eCMR, revolutionising the most important accompanying document for international transport throughout Europe. This solution alone will digitalise and replace 1.5 million paper documents at LKW WALTER. The company is planning to add further digital services to its existing products in the future. One example of this is TruckerPoints, a loyalty programme for drivers that is available via the LKW WALTER driver app. In addition, continuous investment in artificial intelligence and big data will further increase efficiency.

Alexander Sobota, CEO of LKW WALTER, summarises: “Our vision is to revolutionise the transport industry through technological innovation and sustainable solutions. Thanks to our digital solutions, which are integrated into the CONNECT customer platform and the LOADS TODAY transport partner platform, transports can be organised and monitored regardless of time and location – enormous efficiency gains can be achieved. With our expertise in digital transformation, we hold the key to success for the next 100 years.”

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Carbon Reporting Technology for Greener Road Transport

Coyote Logistics is increasing its efforts to make road transport greener by incorporating innovative carbon reporting technology from Pledge, a carbon reporting platform for freight forwarders, into its operations. This move represents another important step towards building a more environmentally friendly future for logistics.

By integrating Pledge’s GLEC-accredited and ISO 14083-aligned carbon reporting technology, Coyote Logistics will offer its customers a clear picture of the emissions produced by their supply chains. This initiative underscores Coyote’s commitment to environmental responsibility as the Amsterdam-based 3PL company is not only dedicated to providing top-quality logistics solutions; but also focused on moving the road transport industry towards a more sustainable future.

To meet the sustainability demands in this sector, they are actively working to reduce road transport emissions across Europe. This approach is consistent with Coyote’s customer values of driving more sustainable road freight by optimizing routes, implementing fuel-saving driving techniques and using zero-emission vehicles.

Carbon Reporting Technology

Environmental considerations play a key role when choosing a logistics service provider. By choosing Pledge, Coyote offers its customers a reliable foundation on which to entrust their green logistics requirements and enables them to comprehensively report emissions across their logistics operations, helping them make choices consistent with their environmental goals.

Joep Kusters, SVP Head of Europe at Coyote Logistics, emphasizes the active role in shaping a greener future: “We do more than just dream of a more sustainable future; we are actively building it. Our work with Pledge demonstrates our shared commitment to caring for the environment. This is a significant step towards creating a healthier planet for future generations.”

David de Picciotto, CEO and Co-founder of Pledge, said: “Coyote Logistics is leading the way in sustainable road freight in Europe by implementing some of the most ambitious green initiatives in the industry. Integrating our GLEC-accredited and ISO 14083-aligned carbon reporting technology will further facilitate their ambitious climate goals, offering customers a clear picture of their supply chain emissions and the insights they need to reduce them. We’re excited to witness the positive impact working together will have for sustainable logistics.”

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FTL and Groupage Contract Win with Conglomerate

GEFCO UK has been awarded a three-year contract with a multinational conglomerate, specialising in science-based technologies, to provide FTL and groupage services to its consumer goods and healthcare business areas.

The contract award comes as part of GEFCO UK’s plans to explore new market sectors and push for further diversification across its client portfolio. The new client, a US-headquartered, science-based technology company, works across a number of business areas, including industry, worker safety, US health care, and consumer goods.

Already an overland FTL/LTL customer of GEFCO Group in several other international markets, the new client has partnered with GEFCO UK following a RFQ process which began in Q4 2019 and entered its final negotiation phase during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amid the challenging business landscape, much of the contract discussions took place remotely from March with mutual commitment to a flexible approach to negotiations.

GEFCO UK is providing domestic next day part and full trailer loads, with daily collections from the company’s distribution centre in Rugby equating to an average volume of 150 shipments per day. Further ad hoc collections will be made from a second site in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham.

Vicky Arnold, Sales Director at GEFCO UK Ltd. said: “Our new partnership comes as our business looks to expand and diversify its offering, the importance of which has been underlined by the current COVID-19 situation. As such, this is a significant opportunity for GEFCO UK to demonstrate our flexibility and commitment to outstanding customer service during these challenging times. We’re thrilled to be able to support our new client’s operations in the UK and hope to become a valuable and trusted partner for them.”

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