Anyone who walked into KSZ Transport over the past few years saw a company on the move. The transport company, which specialises in retail distribution, pharmaceutical and conditioned transport among other things, deliberately chose to invest rather than wait. According to Managing Director Onur Arslan, that is no accident. 'Transport is changing faster than ever. The distance-based charge, stricter emission requirements, customers who want more insight. You can respond to that when the time comes, or you can make sure in advance that your organisation is ready for it. Since the company was founded, we have chosen the latter.'

Drivers
That choice starts with the people who take to the road every day. Since the beginning of September, a tachograph assistant has been riding along with all 181 KSZ Transport drivers, via WhatsApp. If a driver commits an infringement, from driving and rest times to an incorrectly entered country code, he immediately receives a message with an explanation and a short video. Arslan sees it as an investment in his people. 'For us this is more than compliance. It shows our drivers that we invest in them and want to help them do their work well and with peace of mind.' At the same time, every conversation is recorded as an inspection-ready file.

More than 20 electric lorries
Physical growth is being invested in as well. In Moerdijk, KSZ Transport is building a new office, a 10,000 square metre warehouse for food, non-food and bulk goods, and a charging yard with charging infrastructure for the electric fleet. 'A warehouse is more than square metres to us,' says Arslan. 'It is the place where we can bundle flows, prepare vehicles and charge overnight during off-peak hours. If you have the whole chain under your own roof, you can switch more quickly and keep a better grip on costs.'

That charging yard is sorely needed, because the fleet keeps getting greener. KSZ Transport now runs more than 20 electric lorries and continues to expand that fleet. Where an electric vehicle comes in, a diesel goes out; what remains on diesel are exclusively lorries with Euro 6 engines. Commercial Director Richard Valkenburg is level-headed about the transition. 'Driving electric calls for rhythm. You have to know when a vehicle can charge, which journeys suit the range and how you combine that with the Euro 6 vehicles we are still running for now.' That transition dovetails with the arrival of the distance-based charge. Every kilometre not driven will directly save on the charge and on CO₂ emissions.

A partner
The thread running through all these changes is the collaboration with the customer. For years, KSZ Transport has worked with IT systems that bring orders, delivery windows and traffic information together into a single planning proposal. That data-driven planning produces shorter routes, fewer empty kilometres and a higher load factor. And that translates into a sharper price. 'It already allowed us to serve our customers more economically,' Valkenburg says. 'But the real difference is in thinking along with them. We look at it together: can you load a quarter of an hour earlier, widen a window, use a different hub?'

That active involvement does not go unnoticed. More and more new organisations are finding their way to KSZ Transport, precisely because the company does not only carry out journeys but also advises on load factor, routes and planning. Arslan: 'A customer who comes to us does not get a rate per kilometre and nothing more. We work through scenarios using that customer's current volumes, windows and routes. What happens to the cost price if you plan differently or run a journey electrically? We do that calculation in advance. That way everyone knows where they stand.'

According to Arslan, that is also how KSZ Transport intends to grow in the years ahead. Not by becoming the biggest, but by being the partner that makes the chain smarter. 'Our planners are on top of the journeys 24 hours a day and liaise with the distribution centres. IT helps with that, but people make the difference. Our teams know where traffic does keep moving at peak times and which order of stops saves time. That practical knowledge, combined with good data, is what customers come to us for.'

The top of the Dutch transport sector
The new electric lorries, the premises under construction, the digital assistant for the drivers and the close involvement in planning together form a single movement: a transport company that wants to be among the top ten of the Dutch transport sector within five years, without losing sight of today's customer. 'It has to add up for both sides,' Valkenburg concludes. 'For the customer in price and reliability, for us in a healthy, future-proof organisation. If we manage that, we are doing well.'

This article was first published on Distrifood.