What's new in the Bertschi Group?

The Chevron Philipps Keystone Award goes out to teams or individuals that have contributed to the success of CPChem by unlocking possibilities and taking initiative beyond their regular job scope. This October 2021, Laurenz Beeckmans of Bertschi Group in Belgium was awarded this recognition. We asked him to walk us through the innovative thinking that led to this achievement.

The European Union passed the Green Deal Plan in 2019, aiming for a 90% reduction in greenhouse gases from transport by 2050. Well ahead of this target is Bertschi Group, with its market leading position in sustainable intermodal transport, and further plans and initiatives in climate neutral technology.

After a challenging 2020, where the world was engulfed by the coronavirus pandemic, Bertschi continues to be positive and enthusiastic with substantial investments in 2021. One such investment is the expansion at Bertschi UK. With the reality of Brexit last year, we forecasted the increase in demand for UK storage, and planned accordingly.

We asked Georgia Tziogkidou, Digital Project Manager for the Digitalization department of Bertschi Group, all about the new Bertschi Customer Portal and its key features and development.

Humanity uses vast amounts of fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and gas. This causes CO2 levels in the atmosphere to rise, which in turn heat up the planet. At the Paris Climate Change Conference in 2015, 195 states signed an agreement and committed to very significantly cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

We are proud to congratulate our apprentices on the successful apprenticeship certification. For the future we wish them all the best and much success!

The name says it all: Lebenshilfe, or "life help", for people with light to severe cognitive or mental impairment or multiple disabilities – that is what the Stiftung Lebenshilfe (Lh) is all about.

Since the beginning of last year, CLBT Bologna, a Bertschi subsidiary, operates a 10,000m² central distribution center (CDC) for all goods produced by a customer in its nearby plants. The services provided here cover the entire supply chain, including loading of pallets with big bags and octabins at customer plants, transports to the warehouse including storage, picking and loading of products, and finally, distribution all over Italy and Europe. In addition, a slitting machine in the warehouse supports the repacking process from big bags to bulk, for a more efficient payload when it reaches the transport to customers.

We are committed to maintaining a team of logistics professionals that put safety as a top priority. It is thus crucial that our drivers are regularly trained to the highest levels of safety compliance. This is done through our annual driver training days.

The pandemic made 2020 a challenging year for the Bertschi Group. At CHF 900 million, sales were nine percent lower than in the previous year. Adjusted for foreign exchange, the decline was five percent. Thanks to proactive measures taken, the Group was able to end the year on a positive note both operationally and financially. Due to the growth impetus from Asia and the expected gradual normalization with the progress of global Covid-19 vaccinations, Bertschi is confident for 2021. The company will therefore make significant investments in Europe and China. With Marc Houtermans as the new Managing Director of the Business Unit Solutions, the Group Management team will be strengthened.