On the occasion of FREJA’s birthday on the 1st of April, 2020, FREJA’s founder, Jørgen Hansen, reflects on the past 35 years. Jørgen says:

“On the day of FREJA’s 35th birthday, and in the middle of a worldwide crisis, which has not been seen before, it is obvious to let your thoughts wander back in time.

Everything is relative, but when FREJA was in the making, we were also in the middle of a crisis. At that time, the Danish government had just used an intervention to end a lockout/strike situation which had been going on from the 24th of March to the 1st of April, 1985.

But just as FREJA got started, we were faced with harbor strikes in Sweden. This made it impossible for us to sail directly from Denmark to Sweden, and we were forced to go via Norway. Being a new player in the market, we fully depended on the personal relations we had with the shipping lines. We received a lot of help back then after a very difficult and challenging start and this has not been forgotten now 35 years later. Then, as well as now, we learned that strong relations and orderliness are crucial for success.

We went through a challenging time in the early nineties, as the Swedish currency suddenly devalued by more than 20%. Back then, Sweden was a very big market for FREJA and the fact that the balance in our favor had suddenly decreased by more than 20%, hurt our contribution ratio. Furthermore, we had intense discussions with our Swedish customers about an adjustment of the prices.

In the beginning of the nineties, the Nordic postal war began and especially the Finish Itella and Norske Post (Bring) completed many acquisitions. At that time, FREJA lost many of our partners, and we were compelled to open own offices and make several acquisitions ourselves during the years 2003 – 2008. For example, FREJA built a new location in Taastrup in 2004 and a new in Stilling (Denmark) in 2008.

As for myself, I had resigned as Group CEO in 2006 to become chairman of the board, but suddenly in week 42 in 2008 the financial crisis appeared out of the blue. Because of this, I had to return as CEO.

Back then, like today, I am glad that FREJA at no time has paid dividends to the shareholders. All the money has stayed in the company and has been invested in improvements and spent on the consolidation and optimization of the company.

Now we are once again facing an unpredictable period with a COVID-19 crisis that has appeared out of the blue. The present is very much similar to 2008 because also in 2020 FREJA is in the middle of larger investments. These are investments that we neither can nor will put on hold, as we believe the crisis will make us stronger if we just stick to our values, maintain and strengthen our strong relations, and show orderliness in all that we do.

The actual investments are new transport facilities in Szczecin in Poland at a 75,000 m2 large site and an extension of our fleet of trucks with as much as 75 trucks over the next 9 months.

I am extremely proud of all of our skilled and committed employees and not least all of our sub-suppliers. We have a group of fantastic haulers and drivers, who every day do what we ask them to do in respect of and in large consideration of our customers.”

[caption id="attachment_13103" align="alignnone" width="600"] Heinrich Sørensen Hald sent this picture to us. The picture was taken in Skive. [/caption]

Knowledge and Full Service Provider status create strong customer relations for FREJA Group

The transport and logistics provider FREJA Transport & Logistics Holding A/S presents a satisfying result in 2016 with continuous progress in all key figures. The subsidiaries in Norway and Finland deliver results significantly above marked level. During the year, FREJA has invested massively to reach the status as Full Service Provider. The investment ensures a strong basis for creating long-term partnerships with the customers. The Danish owner foresees significant opportunities to improve the result in the years to come.

A continues positive development in earnings in 2016
FREJA Transport & Logistics Holding A/S reports an increase in earnings from 2015 to 2016 of 1 percent. The total turnover in 2016 amounts to EUR 327 mill. EBIT amounts to EUR 6.3 mill. in 2016 compared to EUR 5.9 mill. in 2015. The result of the year before taxes amounts to EUR 6.2 mill. in 2016 compared to EUR 6.0 mill. in 2015.

The equity of the Group has increased from EUR 24.7 mill. in 2015 to EUR 28.4 mill. in 2016. The solvency ratio has increased from 29.8 % to 33.9 % at the end of 2016 - a positive development in all financial key figures. The development in the Norwegian and Finnish subsidiaries is very positive whereas the Swedish subsidiary has not met the expectations of the year. The Danish company has invested in new business areas by adding competent knowledge resources. Since March 2016, a new subsidiary in China has been running and contributes better than expected in the first year.

FREJA is ready to meet all customer needs as Full Service Provider
FREJA is renowned for the company's massive IT investments to optimize its own business and to offer the customers the opportunity to attain better insight and more safety as regards the transport solution. In 2016, the overall business is strengthened further through investments in new business areas. FREJA has invested to solve complicated project assignments just as a unique Pharma division and a standard Air & Sea division have been established. Furthermore, FREJA offers the customers to utilize the knowledge resources from FREJA to optimize the internal logistics from A to Z.

"We are convinced that building partnerships with our customers will create a win-win situation for all parties involved. If we get a deeper insight in the customer's value chain, we are able to offer a customised solution, which meets and optimizes the customer's logistics demands. Trust and credibility are keywords in the cooperation. To take responsibility is a natural part of our way of working in FREJA. We have always run the company FREJA based on strong values. We work daily to make a difference to our customers and to ensure that we improve together day by day," says Jørgen Hansen, owner and CEO in FREJA Group.

It takes more than a reasonable result to impress a modest temper
"We reached an acceptable result in 2016 but we also think there is room for improvements. We need to challenge ourselves continuously as regards the investment income. Our aim is to improve the result significantly in 2017 and a property sale in Sweden will contribute positively to a result that we can take pride in", Jørgen Hansen concludes.

For further information please contact Group CEO Jørgen Hansen by phone +45 96 70 51 01 or by e-mail jh@freja.com

FREJA is proud to help deliver crucial aids to combat COVID-19. Recently, FREJA handled part of Apodan A/S's supply chain, as we had to pick up and repack 56,000 test kits. The many test kits had to be picked up in France and delivered in Denmark, where all units then had to be repackaged with new package labels and distributed to the recipient within four days. Everything was picked up, repackaged, and distributed on time, and both customer and recipient were happy with the delivery.

Morten Bruun-Kristensen, Logistics & Healthcare Director at FREJA, says: “Our strength is our flexibility and know-how in the handling of GDP/GMP services, as our processes are developed to handle time-critical tasks for the Life Science industry. It was an exciting task, and we appreciate the close collaboration we have with Apodan A/S, as well as the trust they have in us”.

FREJA has collected, repackaged, and distributed 56,000 test kits for Apodan A/S.

This is not the first time that FREJA has contributed to the fight against COVID-19. In Denmark and Norway, FREJA has assisted B. Braun in securing ampoules of sodium chloride to both the Danish and Norwegian center of disease control and prevention, so vaccination could start as soon as the vaccine was approved and delivered. The products were sent by urgent GDP transports and delivered on-time to start vaccination.

If you want to know more about what we can do for you within Pharma & Healthcare Logistics, you are more than welcome to contact us.

FREJA Denmark introduces a new product – FREJA Courier.

Click here

At FREJA we assign a high priority to our responsibilities and this is an integral part of the way we do business. This means that accountability and propriety are keywords in our business development and branding.

FREJA has committed to ensuring sustainability, high business morals and ethics, as well as complete integrity. We are aware that there are different business cultures around the world and that we must, therefore, be able to handle both Danish and international regulations.

We do anti-corruption training, where we explain ethical rules to employees. No employee may take bribes in the form of gifts, loans or fees. We will set in motion initiatives to ensure that all employees be­come aware of and accept the whistleblower scheme during the introductory course at FREJA. The whistleblower scheme was set up in 2018 and it allows for anonymous reporting of experi­ences and suspicions of problematic conditions in the Group. The solution guarantees anonymity when reporting. This is done via a login to the system, so we have better opportunities to obtain more details about what is reported.

Access to the FREJA whist­leblower scheme is available via our website here: https://www.freja.com/dk/om-freja/corporate-social-responsibility/

When the WCA Conference 2024 takes place from the 24th of February to the 2nd of March in Dubai, UAE, FREJA will once again participate in this global event.

For several years, FREJA has taken part in the annual conference held by WCA, as it provides excellent opportunities for networking, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing with other industry peers and potential partners from across the globe. Furthermore, it gives FREJA a great opportunity to showcase products and solutions and increase our visibility worldwide.

The WCA Conference facilitates one-on-one meetings during the day, providing businesses with a chance to connect with potential partners and gain insights into local opportunities and challenges across different countries. Additionally, attendees can extend their networking opportunities by participating in evening conversations over dinner.

FREJA’s representatives are excited to meet with industry professionals and look forward to exploring new trends and business opportunities at the WCA Conference.

You can locate FREJA at stand A17, and for those interested in scheduling a meeting, bookings can be made through the following links:

• WCA First Conference 24th – 26th of February: 23rd WCA First Annual Conference
• WCA Worldwide Conference 27th of February – 2nd of March: 13th WCA Worldwide Conference

See you at the WCA Conference!

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.