[caption id="attachment_51347" align="alignnone" width="1200"] More than 64 thousand people visit Transport Logistic over four days.[/caption]

The Transport Logistic fair will take place in Munich from 9 to 12 May. The event brings together the major service providers in the transport, logistics and forwarding sector. FREJA Finland will participate in a trade fair showcasing its comprehensive transportation services, including international road transport, sea and air freight, and demanding special transports.

"We are one of Finland's most significant service providers in international transportation and the long-term choice of our customers as a transportation partner. We have versatile transportation solutions for import and export, and in road transportation alone, we have about 850 box trailers and approximately 100 temperature-controlled trailers," says Urmas.

FREJA is particularly known for its customer satisfaction and problem-solving abilities.

According to Urmas, international trade fairs play a significant role in the transportation industry.

"It is important for us to participate in these international transport fairs. This year's fair is particularly meaningful as the 2021 fair was only held virtually," says CEO Matti Urmas.

"The transport industry is based on partnerships, and it is important to meet face-to-face: virtual communication alone is no substitute. It's important for us to keep up with developments in the industry and the world's largest transport trade fairs also give us a glimpse of where the transport sector is heading."

We will be in our familiar stand location: hall B3, stand 321/422

Germany's Transport Logistic is the world's leading event for logistics, IT and supply chain management.

The world's largest transport trade fair attracts up to 64,000 visitors from more than 125 countries. Some 2 374 exhibitors will be present.

In addition to road transport service providers, the fair will also feature maritime and air cargo service providers.

All aspects of freight services are represented, from transport and forwarding services to IT software and equipment for freight handling.

The event has been held in Munich since 1978.

We warmly welcome you to meet us and discuss international transport!

Frejan’s participating in the fair:

Update May 15, 2023 at 08:00

Despite the cancellation of the nationwide protest actions it turns out that some drivers have decided to carry out individual actions. Therefore, access to the highways have been blocked in many parts of Denmark. This creates delays and irregularities at the moment.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Update May 11, 2023 at 15:00

The actions which were planned to take place in Denmark Monday May 15, 2023 have been cancelled. We therefore expect a normal traffic situation next week.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As written in the Danish press, a group of hauliers have announced nationwide protest actions on May 15, 2023. The protest actions will impact major Danish roads and hubs and thereby stop the supply chain throughout the country. The reason for the protest actions is the introduction of road tax for trucks in Denmark in 2025.

FREJA does NOT support these actions. However, we must expect that the traffic throughout the country will be effected. We therefore foresee delays in relation to collections and deliveries on May 15, 2023 and the following days.

We therefore ask our customers to take the necessary precautions in relation to the conflict.

For further information please contact your normal contact person in FREJA.

FREJA is pleased to announce that we have opened a new office in Shenzhen, China. FREJA already has three offices in China in Shanghai, Qingdao, and Guangzhou, and with the fourth one in Shenzhen, we will continue to develop with our customers and expand our services within air freight, sea freight, project forwarding, and E-commerce.

“The opening of the new office is a natural step in our development, and it will support us in better fulfilling our customers’ needs. After a slow economic recovery due to Covid-19 and years of political uncertainty, we want to strengthen today’s supply chains by expanding our business”, says Leo Hu, Managing Director of FREJA China.

FREJA  will be able to deliver more value for customers with the new office and expertise, especially in terms of transportation speed and range of cargo sizes, as we can fulfill our customers’ different needs to an even greater extent.

With the establishment of the new office and expansion of our business, we take a step forward in the project cargo, sea freight, air freight, and global e-commerce sectors, and we will continue to work hard in 2023 to seize all business opportunities.

Read in Swedish

Dear reader

Welcome to FREJA's first newsletter of 2023. In this issue, we share what is happening within our operations in the transport and logistics industry. For nearly two years, we have worked with three mergers and are today a unified FREJA Sweden. The planned synergies, including the merger, have been implemented according to plan.

In our development forward, we have designed a completely new online service and offer a comprehensive last mile concept called "FREJA HOME" for private deliveries. We are proud that it is finally in place and that we can now meet our customers' needs to a greater extent.

In addition to developing our services, we are expanding our logistics operations in Jönköping. The capacity will quadruple, which means a major investment in the Swedish logistics market going forward.

Within FREJA, we are constantly working on the development of environmentally friendly transport. It is an extremely important area for us, and we work hard to reduce our footprint on the environment. Later this year, our new updated ESG report will be released.

We wish you all a very happy summer.

Sincerely
Morten Dreyer

Optimized sustainability work between FUCHS and FREJA

We are constantly working to find new solutions to optimize our transport and capacity and to reduce our footprint on the environment. We have started a collaboration with FUCHS where we put focus on environmentally friendly transport. FUCHS is a global group with roots in Germany, and they are one of the world's leading lubricating oil companies.

FREJA now drives goods daily from FUCHS's warehouse in Västerhaninge, just outside Stockholm, to our Nordic neighbor countries. FUCHS and FREJA have already taken big steps forward in sustainability work. The first major step is our daily transport between Stockholm and Oslo, Norway, which now runs on HVO100.

"With HVO100, we can reduce our carbon dioxide emissions by 90 percent compared to regular diesel. It also results in lower particle emissions", says Søren Skive, vice president of FREJA Sweden.

HVO stands for Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil and is an advanced renewable fuel for diesel engines. It is often used to mix up regular diesel when you want to reduce the environmental impact, and with HVO100 the fuel is 100 percent renewable.

For those who really want to minimize their climate impact and optimize the sustainability of their transport, you really need to put in an effort. For FUCHS and FREJA, it is not enough that all of FREJA's transports is done with HVO100, but together we have also looked at everything from the choice of trucks to load optimization - and that gives results.

"By also looking at which cars we drive with, and how we load them, we have managed to halve the amount of transport on the Norwegian route without reducing our level of service to customers", says Magnus Stolt, who is responsible for storage and distribution at FUCHS. He continues: "Earlier we drove two cars a day to Norway, but now we manage with one, and we can see that it makes a big difference! Our ambition is to become more environmentally friendly, and FREJA is a valuable partner in that effort".

"At FREJA, we wish to drive more environmentally friendly transports, but we cannot do it ourselves. It is important to have partners who want the same, and who are willing to pay for it, and FUCHS wants that. We are happy to be able to cooperate with a partner like FUCHS, and we look forward to continuing the work of introducing HVO100 trucks also on their routes to Denmark", says Sören Skive.

Feel free to contact us to learn more about how we at FREJA can help your business with more environmentally friendly transport.

FREJA now offers private deliveries with ”FREJA HOME”

One of our newest products is private deliveries within the entire Nordic region. FREJA is happy to announce that we have expanded our product portfolio and now offer a full European (Scandinavian) B2C – Last mile setup, where we transport everything from small packages to spa baths throughout Scandinavia, and everything else you can imagine within the B2C segment, with full service in all Nordic countries.

FREJA Transport & Logistics AB, offers delivery to the Service point or directly to the recipient's address with delivery, assembly and return of packaging/old product as an option.

Your customer chooses the delivery option that suits them best, and the price is displayed directly in the booking module. We bring the goods all the way from you to the customer, and this applies to all kinds of goods, from small interior details to large furniture. With Track & Trace, the sender and receiver can easily follow the goods in real time.

"In recent years, we have worked very hard to create a B2C - Last mile concept that covers all of Scandinavia, and we are happy to finally be able to offer this service to our customers", says Benjamin Neuman, Business Development Manager FREJA Transport & Logistics AB.

Contact our FREJA HOME specialists to learn more: frejahome@freja.com

New logistics property in Jönköping of 20,000 square meters

During the spring, we made a press release that FREJA is building a new logistics property in Jönköping. The decision about the expansion is partly based on a desire to expand in the region. Jönköping is an important point in Sweden for our setup, and the development and increase in volume made us outgrow our current property.

"FREJA is looking forward to now being able to offer the necessary space for all the requests we receive in relation to the services we can offer both current and potential new customers", says Morten Dreyer, CEO at FREJA Transport & Logistics AB

The property company, Tosito AB, has received the assignment to build the 20,000-square-meter property. The lease is a so-called green lease, and the building will be environmentally certified according to Miljöbyggnad - Sweden Green Building Council. Construction is expected to start in the near future, and occupancy is planned for spring 2024.

FREJA Transport & Logistics Oy's Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 74 is exceptionally high in the transport and logistics industry, where the international average NPS is 43. NPS is an international customer satisfaction metric based on the question, "How likely are you to recommend this company or product to a friend or colleague on a scale of 0-10?"

A significant number of FREJA Finland's customers would recommend FREJA as their international transport service provider. Customers particularly appreciate FREJA's accessibility, expertise of staff, problem-solving capabilities, and range of services.

In 2019, FREJA achieved the highest Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 52 in the industry, according to a customer satisfaction survey conducted by Taloustutkimus, the leading market research company in Finland.

Matti Urmas, CEO of FREJA Transport & Logistics Oy, expresses satisfaction with the continuous improvement of customer satisfaction at FREJA. While the company already had an excellent level of customer satisfaction, they have raised the bar even higher.

"For us, customer satisfaction is a competitive advantage that requires daily effort. While many others invest in automating customer service, we focus on personalized customer service and training the people who deliver it. With systems you can optimize routes, but it is our people in customer service who add the most value to our customers," says Urmas.

Urmas emphasizes that the industry has little price elasticity since imports and exports use the same ports and routes. Therefore, FREJA’s competitiveness is based on the quality of service rather than just price. Customers find FREJA superior precisely because of their service.

Customer feedback highlights FREJA Finland's expertise and strengths, with words like flexibility and solution-oriented being frequently mentioned. Here are a few comments from customers:

• "Highly competent operational department."
• "FREJA’s strengths lie in their flexibility, finding solutions, and keeping promises."
• "They can accomplish anything you ask."
• "FREJA’s strengths are customer orientation and a small company mentality."
• "FREJA has a fast response time."

FREJA’s success is built on the professionalism of its staff. Studies have shown a strong correlation between customer satisfaction and market success, which holds true for FREJA. The company's growth rate in Finland has been remarkable, with a revenue of 87.4 million euros in 2020, which grew to 158 million euros in 2022. FREJA Transport & Logistics Oy ranks among the top ten companies in Turku in terms of revenue.

In Finland, FREJA employs over 70 professionals in freight forwarding and transportation.

Despite the many challenges faced in international road transport in recent times, FREJA has managed to retain its customers even during difficult periods.

Urmas explains that during tough times, customers value flexibility and experience in international transport, which helps find better overall solutions for them.

"FREJA shines in customer relationships that seek sustainable solutions and rely on strong industry expertise. Despite the difficulties caused by the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and port strikes, we have been able to find effective solutions for our customers. Our skilled staff plays a key role in providing high-quality customer service and keeping promises," says Urmas.

"While our customer survey gave us high ratings for customer service, we are still relatively unknown in the industry. That's why in recent years, we have focused on building brand awareness and increasing awareness of our diverse range of services, which includes not only international road transport but also sea and air freight, as well as demanding thermo, special, and project transports. Now our service offering is better known, but the extent of our global transport network is still somewhat unfamiliar," adds Urmas.

FREJA conducted a customer listening exercise in Finland in early 2023, receiving responses from 97 different companies. The survey was conducted by Melba Digital.

For more information, contact:

PRESS RELEASE

SDK FREJA delivers record financial performance despite challenging market conditions.

SDK FREJA reports a remarkable financial result following a year characterised by challenging market conditions. The company can report a revenue of DKK 6.6 billion, an EBIT of DKK 331 million - an increase of 25% compared to the previous year and an EBT of DKK 287 million.

The financial year 2022/23 was marked by SDK FREJA’s ability to adapt and stay customer focused in a market dominated by volatile energy prices, rising inflation and interest rates, and challenges in relation to freight and storage capacity.

In recent years, SDK FREJA has been through a major expansion of its business portfolio. Today, the company consists of three business areas: Shipping, Logistics, and Environment & Recycling.

“Each of our three business areas have impressively demonstrated adaptability and strong competitiveness in an unpredictable market. Our employees have once again proven their strong capabilities and flexibility and have further ensured that we can continue to offer customers the best solutions and services,” says Søren Gran Hansen, CEO at SDK FREJA.

Throughout the year, the Group has continued to strengthen the organisation and business platform by investing in IT and digitalisation among other initiatives, which has contributed to strengthening SDK FREJA’s position in the market.

"We are proud to deliver our best result in shipping to date. It has been a year of high activity throughout all of our segments in Agency and Stevedoring, which has required an extraordinary effort from our valuable employees,” says Lars Jespersen, CEO at SDK Shipping.

Ulrik Rasmussen, CEO at FREJA Transport & Logistics Holding adds:

"We have effectively carried out our strategy, which will make it easy and seamless to be a customer to FREJA and where we will always go above and beyond for our customers. It has paid off, and we are very pleased to be able to deliver a record performance this year. However, the primary reason for our record result can be attributed to our valuable employees, who have been exceptional in navigating an unpredictable market."

Acquisitions remain a high priority

SDK FREJA is preparing for new times. Rising interest rates and inflation have led to less construction work and a lowering in private consumption, which has already resulted in some reduction in freight volumes. Therefore, SDK FREJA expects a normalisation of the shipping and logistics market as the world economy will grow more subdued. However, SDK FREJA still has high ambitions within M&A.

"Organic growth as well as growth through mergers and acquisitions remain strategically important to us. M&A can generate value through agile geographical expansion, achieving economies of scale, new products, and core competencies. It is therefore a cornerstone in the development of SDK FREJA to continue to be aggressive on the acquisition front and be on the lookout for new opportunities ahead," says CEO Søren Gran Hansen.

The ongoing dedication and desire to conduct acquisitions leads to the company to proceed in evaluating potential acquisition candidates. The proactive acquisition strategy for SDK FREJA is part of an overall strategy that can be traced back to the company's ownership, the family-owned A/S United Shipping and Trading Company (USTC).

Focus on CO2 emissions in Scope 2
In connection with the publication of the annual results, SDK FREJA will also publish its consolidated sustainability report.

"In SDK FREJA, we have determinedly worked to reduce our Scope 2 emissions figures during this year. Among other initiatives, we have invested in improving terminals and office buildings over the past year with the aim of reducing the consumption of electricity and heating," says CEO Søren Gran Hansen.

SDK FREJA has seen a significant reduction in the consumption of energy and heating and at several of SDK FREJA's sites, there is a reduction in energy consumption by more than 50%. This is a result of upgrading both the infrastructure and technology at its largest sites e.g., by installing BMS (Building Management Systems). For SDK FREJA's largest terminals, the result is a reduction of carbon emissions by 25% compared to the last reporting period 2021/2022.

For further information, please contact:

Mikkel Wenzel Andreasen,
Communications Officer, USTC Group Communications.

M +45 26 79 91 63
e-mail: miwa@ustc.dk

About SDK FREJA
SDK FREJA Group is a full-service shipping and logistics company. The main activities of SDK FREJA include freight forwarding within Road, Air & Sea, and Project Cargo, Logistics, as well as Stevedoring, Agency, Customs Clearing, Commercial Chartering, Liner and Cruise services and as Environment & Recycling business. The company offers specialist logistics solutions within Healthcare, Warehousing and Refrigeration and is locally based in Northern Europe including strategic positions in China and Spain.

SDK FREJA is one of the few independent and privately owned local mid-sized shipping and logistics companies. With +1,500 employees in eight countries the focus is on providing one entry point for a consistent and effective solution within the business areas.

SDK Freja Group is part of the Danish, family-owned United Shipping & Trading Company (USTC). USTC holds a portfolio of activities that include oil & energy, shipping & logistics, ship owning, risk management, car activities, IT, sustainable energy and environment & recycling, and is present in 40 countries with more than 4,300 employees.

FREJA Denmark introduces a new product – FREJA Courier.

Click here