FREJA adjusts in top management

In May 2019, FREJA adjusted in top management and added new competencies.

FREJA founder, Jørgen J. Hansen, stepped back as Group CEO and has since May 1 used his expertise as working Chairman of the Board in FREJA Holding. Jørgen has been managing the daily operations of FREJA, since he started the company back in 1985 with a partner.

Until May 1, Ulrik Rasmussen was Managing Director Denmark, but has now taken on the new role as Group CEO for FREJA. Ulrik, who has been with FREJA since 2010, has been Managing Director in both FREJA Norway and FREJA Denmark.

FREJA’s previous Regional Director Denmark West, Jan Sunde, has been appointed the new Managing Director for FREJA Denmark. Jan has since 2017 been a part of the Danish country management team. About the new position, Jan says: “I look forward to the collaboration with all the highly skilled colleagues in FREJA, where everyone has an important role and team effort is crucial for our success. I would like to say thank you to FREJA’s top management for trusting in me to take over from Ulrik”. The recruitment of a new Regional Director Denmark West will be effectuated during 2019. Until then, Jan will also continue in this role.

In connection to the above, FREJA has strengthened the future management team by recruiting Nicolai Præstholm as Group Business Development Director. Nicolai started May 1, 2019 and has already started to work with development projects on Group level. Before, Nicolai worked as a consultant at Implement Consulting Group and he was also a member of the Board in FREJA Holding.

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FREJA sends out the CSR Report for 2018

At FREJA, we have chosen to take responsibility. We value Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and it is an integrated part of the way, we run our business. We are proud to send out the newest CSR report for 2018 that documents our initiatives. The CSR report has been developed with the purpose of creating greater transparency through all levels of the supply chain. This will make it easier for you to understand where you can optimize your supply chain in order to run a more sustainable business.

FREJA develops effective transport and logistics solutions for a world in motion and we strive to reduce our imprint on the environment throughout our value chain. “FREJA is a responsible company with things in order – this is applies to everything from our Code of Conduct for the haulers, to our innovation concepts and employee development – trainees as well as managers. Our focus is on people and we believe that well-being and motivation drives a sustainable business” says FREJA’s Managing Director in Denmark, Jan Sunde.

For this reason, CSR is one of the strategic areas that our business is built upon. Within CSR we have 7 priority-areas, which the report for 2018 follows: 1) climate & environment, 2) human rights, 3) working conditions, 4) financial and business affairs, 5) local community, 6) good management, and 7) good business practice.

The CSR report maps our business activities for Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Norway according to UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The goals we focus on in the report are primarily 3) Good health and well-being, 8) Decent jobs and economic growth, and 9) Industry, innovation, and infrastructure, together with 4) Quality education, 5) Gender equality, 12) Responsible consumption and production, and 17) Partnerships for the goals.

In 2019 we expect to be able to present the business activities for our newly opened department in China, as well as for our department in Poland, which we last year acquired with the purchase of Transcargo. The purpose of this is to develop a CSR report that covers the whole FREJA Group.

You can read the CSR report for 2018 here [click]

For further information please contact QES Manager Eric Clausen at ecl@freja.com

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FREJA expands in Poland

In FREJA we experience a growing interest in the management of our customers' complete transport and logistics needs from pure road transport in all of Europe as well as Air & Sea solutions, to the handling of containers, storage and pick & pack services. Therefore, we are creating new opportunities in Poland.

On a 76,000m2 large site located 20 km from Szczecin center we are constructing a new domicile where we expect to move in during May 2020.

The first part of the project was tearing down the old buildings. This part is proceeding as planned and the next step will be the construction of the new buildings, which will include 1,400m2 office facilities, 5,400m2 high bay storage (10 m high) and 4,600m2 cross docking + pick & pack area. The warehouse facilities will be heated or prepared for heating in order to have the necessary flexibility and ability to solve our customers’ current and future needs.

The outdoor area will be equipped with flagstones giving us parking facilities for 150 trailers. We will construct areas for frigo-trailers (power plugin), adblue refueling prepared for the future, and a 500m2 large garage for repair of trailers.

The indoor facilities will include common rooms, sleeping rooms, showers, and kitchen facilities for drivers.

The fenced facilities will be manned 24/7 at the entrance, where we will be able to inspect all trailers by use of scales built into the road, and the address will be a turning point for FREJA’s road transports in and out of Scandinavia.

In addition to the new buildings we have kept two existing warehouses with a total of 4,400m2, which are already full..

The office environment will be built in two floors considering the working environment. The location is only two kilometers from the central highway S6 direction Swinoujscie/Gdansk and S3 direction Pozna - very central for the transport flow to and from Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, and the EU.

If you wish to know more about the possibilities in Poland, please feel free to contact Torben Mortensen at tor@freja.com

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Once again Himmerland hosted a fantastic golf event

From May 22 to 26 the Danish region of Himmerland and FREJA welcomed hosted happy people and showed amazing entertainment in connection with the golf event Made in Denmark. 2019 was the first year with FREJA as presenting sponsor. FREJA set its mark on hole No. 10, which was dressed in FREJA’s red and white colors, and the VIP lounge hummed with FREJA identity. At hole No. 10, 400 customers, suppliers, and FREJA employees enjoyed the magnificent surroundings and enjoyed fantastic golf.

“It was wonderful and impressive surroundings at Made in Denmark. You were very accommodating when we arrived, and we enjoyed good food and entertainment – and your tent was perfectly placed with a great view of the three best holes,” says Camilla Kristiansen Customer Service & Logistics Coordinator at Best Friend Denmark A/S.

The days in Himmerland are very unique and very special. Customers and FREJA employees meet each other and establish new relations. You see and meet FREJA in a very different way, as one of our customers said afterward: “Thank you very much to FREJA and all FREJA employees for a splendid event! We had a fantastic experience in Himmerland and enjoyed meeting FREJA” – John Nybo, CFO at Skjern Papirfabrik A/S.

Unfortunately, Made in Denmark was not won by a Dane this year, but by the Austrian player Bernd Wiesberger. However, Danish Martin Leth Simonsen created a success on Thursday by making a hole-in-one at hole No. 16. This gave him two wonderful Caria carts (one for himself and one for his caddie).

The hours in our tent with customers and suppliers were spiced up with visits from well-known Danes such as Anders Dahl Nielsen, Mads Conrad, Victor Svendsen, Lucas Bjerregaard, and Thomas Bjørn, who shared their stories from their careers as professional athletes.

One of the major events in the FREJA tent was the visit of Thomas Bjørn, who brought his Ryder Cup trophy with him and very entertainingly shared his experiences from the Ryder Cup team and the tournament in 2018 with 150 FREJA employees and business associates.

It is obvious that both FREJA employees and customers enjoy the days in Himmerland. One of our commercial employees said to me afterward: “After a full week in Himmerland with lots of customers and good experiences, I am extremely proud of working in FREJA”.

In FREJA we already look forward to May 2020 and to welcome you once again to Made in Denmark presented by FREJA in Himmerland.

FREJA has the pleasure of sending out a newsletter today telling about social responsibility as part of FREJA's DNA, daily groupage departures to all Europe, Steelcon's choise of FREJA, and world-class golf in Himmerland.

Enjoy reading and have a wonderful summer!

Dear reader

Winter is near and this means it is time to prepare the transport equipment and material for a colder and more humid climate.

FREJA has the pleasure of sending out a newsletter in which we - among other things - focus on the latest digital offer for you as customer. We call the offer MyFREJA, and in FREJA we are proud to deliver yet another product, which enhances the transparency in the customer’s activities. MyFREJA goes hand in hand with our DNA, where credibility and innovation separates us from our competitors.

During the past years, FREJA has worked determined to develop our brand and services, so that we are able to call ourselves a full-service provider and a partner with a one-stop-shop solution. In this newsletter, you will find an article telling about how FREJA has handled over-sized cargo for Valmont A/S, and John Meldgaard Nielsen has given an interview about how we have handled a transport of 650 cm wide elements - correctly, on time and with the right solution.

In the newsletter, you may also read about an administrative development in FREJA, where we recently have chosen to merge Consulting Services and 4PL. We call this 4PL Services and it is a natural step in the development with our customers.

Finally, you may read about FREJA’s strategical plan for expansion in the East. With the purchase of Transcargo, the FREJA organization is stronger than ever before, and our new HQ in Poland sets new standards for FREJA’s reach in Eastern Europe, Southern Europe and Central Europe.

On behalf of FREJA, I thank you for your interest in our newsletter and wish you enjoy reading.

Ulrik Rasmussen
Managing Director
Telefon: +45 9670 5330
Mobil: +45 5234 5330

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FREJA finds the solutions

As a supplier of heavy steel structures, it is not always easy to transport the cargo and Valmont SM needed a customized solution for their shipments of rotor houses. The challenges arose due to a factory relocation from Siemens, which changed the delivery destination from Denmark to Germany and FREJA came up with a solution.

This shipment was special to Valmont SM as Siemens had closed their plant at Lindø, Denmark and relocated to a new factory in Cuxhaven, Germany and since the road-restrictions for moving cargo in Germany differs from those of Denmark, it was not possible to move the cargo by road.

With a diameter of 650 cm and a combined weight of frame and cargo of 31.5 tons, the dimensions exceeded what is normally allowed on the road in Germany. In Denmark, this type of road transportation is usually less problematic and only limited to nighttime transportation with two escort vehicles. In Germany on the other hand, this kind of transport is subject to police escorts, which was rejected by the local authorities. Alternative routings were also explored, but it was not possible to obtain general transport permits in Germany.

Instead, FREJA solved this problem by coming up with a RO/RO solution via Esbjerg with a mere 6 hour sailing to Cuxhaven. To ease handling, the rotor houses were loaded on MAFI trailers, which secures a smooth loading operation on board, as well as in the ports.

The close cooperation between Valmont SM and FREJA is important because the future will bring new and bigger versions of the components. The new types will go way beyond 650 cm in diameter and be heavier on weight. Therefore, with the new types there will be less cargo per transport unit. “This will create new challenges that we look forward to solve with FREJA” Project Manager for Valmont SM, John Meldgaard Nielsen says.

Contact Hongyi Niu, Global Project Director and ask how FREJA can assist you with project forwarding.

Hongyi Niu
Global Project Director
Telefon: +45 9670 5252
Mobil: +45 5234 5252

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FREJA introduces 4PL Services

FREJA is optimizing the organization’s products by combining Consulting and 4PL products under the name 4PL Services. With this arrangement, the customers get a product that meets the needs through a neutral service. Engagement with this new division can be widely used – from smaller projects with counseling concerning supply chain topics to a complete logistics unit that includes purchasing and coordination tasks.

"After two years with FREJA Consulting, we have developed the product by listening to our customers. The customers want more counseling and opportunities for optimization in regards to 4PL engagement. This is why the natural next step for us is to follow our customers’ behavior and tailor our organization to use these competences in a closer cooperation than we have done previously,” Kenneth Sandgaard, Head of Digital & Innovation, says.

[caption id="attachment_4456" align="alignnone" width="619"] 4PL Services has a wide range from simple consolidation potential to outsourcing of operational task planning[/caption]

As a leader of innovation concepts, Kenneth Sandgaard argues that changes in the product portfolio will bring the customer closer to FREJA: “As a FREJA customer, you get access to a range of shelf products that was previously sold as counseling. In the future, the customers will pick the service as if it were a product on the shelf in the grocery store. Our analysis motor supports multiple needs – from consolidation potential to the outsourcing of operational task planning with 3PL companies.”

Contact Kenneth Sandgaard for further information - or read more at our Danish website.

Kenneth Sandgaard
Head of Digital & Innovation
Telefon: +45 96 70 53 60
Mobil: +45 52 34 53 60

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FREJA expands on former Transcargo markets

With the take-over of Transcargo in the beginning of 2018, FREJA increased our presence from the four Nordic countries and China to include Poland, Ukraine and Slovakia. The sites, which have been added, have strengthened FREJAs European reach and secured ownership of even more activities. “It is beneficial to our customers when we take ownership of strategically important activities in areas, in which the customers centralize their volumes”, says Ulrik Rasmussen Managing Director Denmark.

The FREJA Group now counts more than 1,000 trucks in East Europe in addition to the four Nordic countries. Transcargo Poland acts as the natural East European transport hub with HQ in Szczecin. Just now FREJA is planning a large development in Szczecin where a new Polish HQ will be built on a 70,000 m2 large site. We will construct a top modern transport & logistics center with a high-stacking warehouse of 7,000 m2 and 3,000 m2 for cross-docking and suitable pick & pack assignments. The facilities will be ready in the beginning of 2020.

In addition to Szczecin we support our Polish activities from sites in Gielda, Lodz, Blonie, Kiev (Ukraine) and Martin (Slovakia). The level of activity supports a still strong competitiveness with “flexibility” and “customer service” as keywords in our daily work. Furthermore, we have added temperature-controlled activities to our product portfolio, and in 2018 FREJA has become market-leading to Poland and Greece on transport of enzymes, meat, dairy products and more.

Torben Mortensen, Managing Director Poland, says: “FREJAs customers will experience an increased level of activities because of this expansion, and we will stand stronger than ever on the East European markets. It is important to follow the customers’ development, and with these investments, we secure flexibility in the future as well as a punctual service”.

Contact Torben Mortensen, Managing Director Poland, to learn more about how FREJA will be able to meet your demands.

Torben Mortensen
Managing Director Poland & Regional Director Denmark South
Telefon: +45 3697 0109
Mobil: +45 6039 8679

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Business Intelligence

MyFREJA is our latest online platform that makes it possible to analyze transport properly. Microsoft Power BI machine has an intuitive user interface that makes it possible to get an overview and a presentation of the flow of the goods, activities, etc. via dashboards and visualizations of the collected data.

The data is reflected in our ERP system, thus it creates an ultimate transparency in the supply chain activities registered by FREJA. The data is delivered back to the right owner – the buyer of the transport – in the dimension’s ‘Shipment’s View’, ‘Turnover View’, and ‘Unit’s View’. This increases the understanding of activity related fluctuations over time between countries, zip codes, suppliers and clients. Besides the opportunities for analysis, MyFREJA gives shortcuts to other e-services and file sharing functions.

Call your FREJA contact person today at +45 96 70 50 00 or freja@freja.com and ask for a preview of MyFREJA and the options for your setup.

Kenneth Sandgaard
Head of Digital & Innovation
Telefon: +45 96 70 53 60
Mobil: +45 52 34 53 60

Information security is no longer optional – it is a necessity. The new NIS2 directive imposes stricter requirements on companies providing critical and essential services. At FREJA, we are not just ready – we are already taking action.

We have a dedicated team that works every day with information security, risk management, and preparedness. We closely monitor developments to ensure that we always meet both national and EU-regulated requirements, including, of course, the NIS2 directive. We continuously collaborate with relevant authorities and actively participate in professional networks to stay ahead with new knowledge and best practices.

But for us, security is not just about legal compliance. It is about responsibility. We know that our solutions are critical to your business, and we take that very seriously. That is why information security is an integral part of everything we do – from technology and processes to culture and behavior.

With FREJA as your partner, you can rest assured that security is top priority. We take great care of your data, your business, and your trust.

Read in Danish

Dear reader

We are approaching the end of the year and look back on 2020 as a very special year influenced by COVID-19 and the massive worldwide consequences.

In FREJA, we have also had difficulties because of COVID-19, as the accessibility to the international markets has been challenged and has been constantly changing. We have had focus on readjusting and adapting to the situation in order for us to be able to maintain the security of supply and to service our customers in the best possible way, during the course of the pandemic.

With this newsletter, we would like to share the latest news from our world of transport and logistics. We give you insights into how you can optimize your business by doing digital integrations with FREJA, and you can learn more about our 4PL Team, which offers to analyze your supply chain.

In one of the articles, we outline how the new Danish cabotage regulations will affect the haulage in Denmark and impact the environment. We are very proud to present FREJA’s new brand film that puts focus on the FREJANs. You can watch the film in our newsletter.

Finally, we look forward to the merger between FREJA and SDK*, which will bring together about 1,300 employees and position us as an even stronger player in the international transport and logistics market in 2021.

With these words, I thank you for your cooperation in 2020, and I wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

 

*the agreement is conditioned upon the approval of the relevant competition authorities.

Major merger in the transport and logistics industry

Recently, FREJA Transport & Logistics Holding A/S and SDK A/S, owned by USTC, announced a merger that will consolidate two large family-owned companies in the transport and logistics industry. SDK and FREJA will bring together approximately 1,300 people and carry an annual turnover of more than DKK 5 billion.

The announced merger between FREJA and SDK, which is owned by the USTC Group, will create a new force in the transport and logistics industry, strengthening the combined market position and paving the way for future growth.

Pending approval from the relevant competition authorities, SDK A/S will become a 75% shareholder in the newly merged company. The remaining 25% ownership will be held by the current majority shareholder and founder of FREJA, Jørgen Hansen, along with the management team.

Long-term commitment

Handing over a large part of his life’s work has not been an easy decision. Therefore, it was crucial for Jørgen Hansen to find a business partner that stands by the same long-term values and commitments that FREJA was founded on.

“Since I founded the company in 1985, it has been our ambition to grow the business and expand our reach. I am very proud to find our company in a situation where we will become part of the USTC Group by merging with SDK. Our family values align with the values of the Østergaard-Nielsen family, and I have full confidence that the new ownership is a perfect fit,“ says Jørgen Hansen.

Reaching more customers

The SDK Group is owned by the Østergaard-Nielsen family and has a long history in transport and logistics. The company was founded in 1876 under the name Julius Mortensen Shipping. Many years later, it became the first company that USTC owner Torben Østergaard-Nielsen acquired.

USTC is a global conglomerate with more than 2,500 employees, covering more than 100 offices in 33 countries and headquartered out of Middelfart, Denmark. In the last fiscal year, USTC reported a turnover of DKK 76 billion.

“We have been looking for a strong company with equal values to join forces with to achieve our long-term goals. This merger will create a platform for further growth, both organically and by acquisitions. When the merger is finalized, we will be better positioned to compete in the market through scale and by combining existing competencies and knowledge from our experienced and valuable employees in both FREJA and SDK’s logistic companies”, says Søren Gran Hansen, CEO of SDK.

The CEO of FREJA, Ulrik Rasmussen, also welcomes the merger and is very aware that this move puts the joint company in a great position to approach customers with an even better service, quality, and a broader portfolio.

Experienced leadership

The merger will result in changes in the company structure. All of FREJA’s current business units will merge with SDK’s logistic activities into a new entity called FREJA Transport & Logistics. As a consequence, the majority of the current SDK logistic activities will be rebranded to FREJA, carrying on the well-known and respected brand within the industry. All other SDK activities within shipping, agency, chartering, stevedore, and cruise will continue unchanged under the SDK brand and will remain under the full ownership of the USTC Group.

The current CEO of SDK A/S, Søren Gran Hansen, will continue in this role as well as taking on the role of Chairman of the Board for the new entity FREJA Transport & Logistics. The founder of FREJA, Jørgen Hansen, will join the SDK A/S Board of Directors and bring with him invaluable experience and industry expertise. Ulrik Rasmussen, who is currently the CEO of FREJA, will continue as CEO of FREJA Transport & Logistics.

FREJA Transport & Logistics will have offices in seven different countries, namely Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Poland, Holland, and China.

The agreement is conditioned upon the approval of the relevant competition authorities.

The transaction price will not be disclosed.

New Danish cabotage regulations with large impact on the environment

Cabotage is a term used for domestic transports carried out by a means of transportation based in  another country. Cabotage may take place by all means of transportation, such as ship, plane – and in our case – truck. Cabotage has been used for many years but in 2021, new legislation is expected to be passed in Denmark. This will have significant consequences compared to the situation we have today.

Among other things, the new Danish initiatives include a requirement that drivers of international trucks will be paid according to Danish salary standards, and in case a driver is stopped at a checkpoint, he must be able to present documentation in form of an employment contract and pay-slips. Furthermore, all foreign haulers must sign up in a Danish register, and prior to any transport, the foreign hauler must list: loading and unloading places, the truck’s registration number, personal data of the driver, and the planned route. Unfortunately, we predict that this will impose large administrative burdens on the foreign haulers, and they will refrain from driving cabotage in Denmark.

That being the  case, the consequences will be that we will not be able to use foreign trucks for collective loading at a customer. In FREJA, we are used to optimizing our loads and making the best possible use of our capacity by asking one driver to collect all goods from a customer and afterward consolidating the goods at our terminals before the transport to the various export markets. This procedure saves empty driving, and we avoid an unnecessary burden on the environment.

When the new legislation becomes effective, we will see a poorer utilization of foreign trucks, more trucks will need to collect goods from the customer, and all in all, we will have to drive more kilometers. Even worse, we will ruin the efforts we have taken over many years to reduce the environmental impact from our trucks, and altogether it will affect the costs for the part of the transport which is made in Denmark.

In FREJA, we hope for a more practical solution than the one which is now outlined – for the benefit of FREJA,  our customers, and not least the environment.

Improve your business with digital integrations with FREJA

Freight buyers often spend much  time on manual tasks such as booking transports, tracking shipments, and handling invoices, but what if you could save time and resources by automizing all of these processes?

FREJA can easily help you to become more efficient. We can facilitate sessions to identify potential business processes that via integrations with our systems can improve efficiency. The potential is big, as it allows you to reduce or eliminate manual tasks.

If you are using a TA system such as Unifaun, Consignor, CargoFlux, or LogTrade, or your IT system is capable of sending and receiving shipment data and invoices in another file format, we can integrate the systems.

We have plenty of experience with customizing EDI/API solutions to fit our customers’ IT systems, and we always strive to find the best solutions. We can use the file from your IT system for booking creation, and we can deliver status files or invoices in your preferred format through EAN networks. We are strong in standards and experts in customization.

If you have outsourced your logistics to FREJA or another a 3PL or 4PL provider, you can also benefit from doing IT integrations with us. When you place your goods in our warehouses, we can integrate our systems with yours and receive the master data and the sales and purchase orders automatically from you, and then return the exact data you need. Your system will always be up to date with the figures in the 3PL system, and you will save a lot of time and eliminate errors in the different processes. The possibilities are endless, and we can make a tailored solution that covers your needs.

If you have EDI competences and already have some kind of EDI in flow, then let us connect our systems.

If you do not have EDI but want to identify the digital potential in your logistics processes, then let us assist you. We are experienced consultants, and we are already helping several customers on their digital journey.

If you want to know more about how we can help you optimize your business through integrations, do not hesitate to contact our IT Integration Manager, Henrik Dejgaard, on hde@freja.com to discuss the possibilities.

How fit is your supply chain?

When was the last time you measured the fitness of your supply chain?

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies have learned how important it is to have a strong and agile supply chain. We experience that there has been an increased focus on supply chain optimization and making purchases in or closer to Europe to secure the supplies of the future.

It can be a difficult and exhausting task to check how healthy and strong your company's supply chain is. FREJA's 4PL Team offers to do analyzes as an advisory board. This way, you can get a quick and standardized fitness report of your supply chain and thus make it easier for you to adapt your supply chain to external factors. This way, you ensure that you maintain your competitiveness.

By analyzing data, it is possible to map all shipments arriving at, and departing from, your locations and thereby determining the performance of your supply chain at its current state.

Do you know how many kilometers it takes to keep your company’s supply chain rolling?

Using the current state as a baseline, FREJA’s mathematical models will optimize the performance by considering different scenarios, such as the number of warehouses and their location to minimize the traveled distance.

By comparing the future scenarios to the current state it is possible to determine which improvements can be made – and surely there is money to be saved on supply chain optimizations.

Why even bother?

Doing a regular check-up of your supply chain, makes you better equipped to handle unforeseen situations. Reducing the traveled distance can minimize the carbon footprint and costs, as well as improve lead times. We, your customers, and the world would high five you for such accomplishments.

What is next?

Use your newly acquired knowledge to lower your costs. Get in touch with Kenneth Sandgaard for a quick chat about your supply chain’s fitness level.

FREJA's new brand film with focus on the FREJANS is out now

FREJA is proud to present our new brand film that puts focus on the FREJANS. At FREJA, we strive to be the most personal transport and logistics company, and we wanted to highlight this in our new brand film.

“At the beginning of the year, we started the production of the new film, and we wanted our customers, partners, and suppliers to know who we are and what we stand for. For this reason, it was only natural for us that our colleagues were the stars of the film, and that we should not use any actors. FREJA’s employees help us differentiate ourselves from the competitors, so the film should be starring the FREJANs” says FREJA's Group Business Development Director, Nicolai Præstholm.

Nicolai continues: “What you see in this film is real - it's our employees, it's our colleagues who are in daily contact with our customers, it's FREJA. Our founder, Jørgen Hansen, has always said that "transport is a people business", and it is with this starting point that the material is made".

In addition to the brand film, we also present a film that introduces our pharma & healthcare service, as well as a film that gives a humorous insight into what it is like to work at FREJA.

You can watch FREJA's new brand film here:

[caption id="attachment_11811" align="alignnone" width="2048"] FREJA's Managing Director in Norway, Kjell-Arne Eloranta (left), and Nordic Supply Chain Manager in B. Braun, Freddy Wilhelm Hansen.[/caption]

When the task at hand is to deliver vital products with perfect precision, quality is not just a word. It is a requirement.

When the German pharmaceutical company B. Braun needed a logistics provider with the same high-quality demands as themselves, the logical choice was FREJA. A choice nobody has regretted.

Braun is Germany's largest non-listed company and one of the largest manufacturers of pharmaceuticals and equipment for the Norwegian healthcare system. The family-owned company, with over 70,000 employees, manufactures and offers products across the health spectrum, something they have done for generations. Today, however, people live much longer than before, and in addition to this, the demands of the healthcare system are entirely different from what they were a few years ago. This requires world-class logistics.

Changed needs

Freddy Wilhelm Hansen, the Nordic Supply Chain Manager in B. Braun, puts the collaboration with FREJA in the right context.

– The age-related center of gravity is changing. Diseases that were previously terminal, can now be kept in check for much longer, prolonging life. Today, more and more people want home treatment. This is possible, but it affects our industry and how we need to organize our services.

In line with the change in patient needs, the manufacturers also had to think «outside the box».

Hansen adds:

– For us to grow and be proactive, we need logistics partners who can think a little untraditionally and be able to change in accordance with the market. That's why we approached FREJA and explained what we needed now and how we envisioned our needs for the future.

No room for error

[caption id="attachment_11819" align="alignright" width="300"] Kjell-Arne Eloranta, FREJA's Managing Director in Norway[/caption]

It is hard to imagine that the need for health services will decrease, in either the short or the long term. Essential medicines must be transported to where people are treated. And in this area, there is absolutely no room for error at all.

– The transport systems we use for medicines must be of the highest quality. Thermo transport and GDP i.e. documented temperature control for products that cannot withstand temperature changes, as well as continuous training and regular revision of services to the agreed standards, are obvious requirements. A drug exposed to frost may still look perfectly normal, but particles may have formed that can have serious consequences. This is why we need a logistics partner who has a firm grasp of their business, Hansen emphasizes.

It soon became clear that in FREJA he had found a partner with a clear understanding of the task and with many of the same values.

– What has been a mantra for us in collaboration with B. Braun is to have a high standard of quality in everything we do, says Kjell-Arne Eloranta, Managing Director of FREJA in Norway.

One partner - all the way

Handling hundreds of thousands of products from manufacturer to patient is no easy task. Good technical solutions are a prerequisite.

[caption id="attachment_11812" align="alignright" width="300"] FREJA's Head of Logistics in Norway, Joar Bjørndal, explains that nothing is left to chance at FREJA's warehouse at Fjeldbo.[/caption]

– Take scissors as an example, seeing as there are over a thousand different varieties. Here at FREJA, we have validated systems that allow us to sort the thousands of scissors B. Braun produces from each other. We’ve invested heavily in IT systems to avoid any picking mistakes.

Another point is that we take full responsibility for the products from the time of collection in Germany until delivery to the customer. Having one partner who assumes that responsibility for quality all the way from production site to delivery reduces the margin of error and sources of error, says Eloranta. Medicines are transported directly by FREJA from the manufacturer in Germany to FREJA's warehouse in Norway and Denmark, while medical equipment is now moved from a Scandinavian central warehouse in Sweden to FREJA in Copenhagen, Denmark. From there, daily shipments are sent to all of Scandinavia.

These are goods that, for several reasons, must not go astray. This is where FREJA's Logistics Manager, Joar Bjørndal, comes in. His top priority is that the quality of the pharma-warehouse at Fjeldbo is of the highest degree. And with quality, comes security.

– Security here is paramount. We have very important products, but where the monetary value cannot be compared with the health-related value a high delivery precision entails. It will paralyze the market altogether if our business goes down, and therefore we have good security systems to ensure that will never happen. So when I talk about safety, I’m referring to not only goods getting lost, but first and foremost that the systems are up and running so that the quality is maintained, says Bjørndal.

Good culture is crucial

[caption id="attachment_11814" align="alignright" width="300"] Kjell-Arne Eloranta (left) and Geir Kluge Heiermo, Sales and Marketing Director at FREJA, are very pleased with the collaboration with B. Braun[/caption]

A good culture must exist to ensure that the extreme demands of quality and safety are met. This is best achieved through a common understanding of what good values are. This is something B. Braun and FREJA thoroughly agree on.

– The company I work for has been family owned since 1839. They represent excellent values. When looking for partners, two things are crucial: Long-term perspective and values. I look for management-employee communication, how they treat me as a customer, what kind of management style and foundation they have. Then, of course, other things come into play, including being willing to invest in future sustainable development. I think Richard Branson said that «only those companies that focus on sustainable development before they think about money will survive.» This is something I believe in. The results often come as a consequence of the conscious value-based choices you make. That is why we are here at FREJA, Hansen concludes.

Kjell-Arne Eloranta cares very much about the culture of the company he runs.

– We have an expression we often use in FREJA; customer empathy. It's about understanding the customer's expectations. We must understand the consequences of any errors. We must embrace that at every level, especially when it comes to vital medicines. Failure to do so can be fateful, he states.

[caption id="attachment_11815" align="alignright" width="179"] The concept of quality lives throughout the organization[/caption]

The spreading of good practices

FREJA's pharma transport and the warehouse at Fjeldbo are in many ways an industrial spearhead. But the concept of quality exists throughout the organization and is more or less automatically transferred to all processes in their logistic centers.

– The level of quality our pharmaceutical business is dependent on delivering, is also adapted to other segments in our operation. Customers with products that do not necessarily have equally stringent requirements as B. Braun has, will, therefore, benefit from already incorporated quality processes. If we make mistakes, we go through the specific case, we conduct a situation-triggered training exercise and learn from it. It costs to deliver quality, but mistakes cost even more. Reputation-, customer- and internal wear can hardly be measured in money. That's why we have the right people with the right attitudes. It’s well worth it, says Eloranta.

We would like to inform our customers and partners about the current situation in the Ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam, where recent industrial actions have caused delays and congestion.

Antwerp – Strike Suspended, Congestion Ongoing

The Port of Antwerp-Bruges has faced major disruptions due to the pilots’ protest against pension reforms.

The general strike ended as planned, and pilots’ actions were suspended on 18 October for a 10-day negotiation period. Should talks fail, strikes may resume.

Despite the suspension, Antwerp terminals remain heavily congested, with several vessels still awaiting entry and departure.

It is expected to take several days before operations return to normal levels.

Rotterdam – Strike Officially Ended

In Rotterdam, the lashing companies’ strike was officially declared over on 18 October, with no renewed action expected. Operations have mostly returned to normal, though capacity remains slightly below full efficiency.

Despite the end of strikes in both ports, significant backlogs remain.

According to the daily update, congestion for inland vessel handling is currently 50–70 hours in both Antwerp and Rotterdam. Antwerp continues to experience the heaviest delays, while Rotterdam is recovering faster.

At FREJA Transport & Logistics, we are working closely with our partners to adjust routes and schedules and minimize delays.

Our teams are monitoring developments daily to ensure the most efficient handling of our customers’ shipments and maintain transparent communication throughout the recovery period.