Leading European time critical freight specialist, Priority Freight has announced the establishment of a German office to support its provision of services to the automotive sector, both manufacturers and tier one suppliers.
As part of Priority Freight’s avowed plans to create an international network of offices in line with the service requirements of its customers, a German operation has been created and is based at Willich, near Düsseldorf in the heart of the industrial Ruhr region. The development is not only centrally located within the automotive production centres of Germany itself, Belgium and North-eastern France but is also pivotal to both Priority Freight’s European multi-site expansion strategy.
In making the announcement, Neal Williams, MD of Priority Freight made clear his company’s logic in expanding in Germany. “The German economy is warming-up considerably at the current time. Auto production, particularly for export is on the increase, as are other high-end manufacturing sectors. This is encouraging both for our established tier one customers as well as for potential new business from high-value, time critical product suppliers to international markets, such as aerospace and oil and gas” commented Williams.
Leading the German operation will be Nicolas Kühnel, an experienced supply chain professional with a background in the logistics sector, having worked at Ryder Systems Inc., Maersk Line and the Fraunhofer ATL Institute in Nürnberg. Kühnel is joined in Willich by a staff of industry experts, whose prime role is to establish and maintain operational relationships with customers. This close association with clients is vital in the time critical freight arena as manufacturers are increasingly seeking the reassurance that their emergency response services are based on a formalised relationship with known personnel. Response to a problem can therefore be immediate and a solution instigated, which is based on a firm understanding of the manufacturer‘s own business and unique supply chain.
Kühnel emphasises the special skills required to provide a top-level service within this supply chain niche. “In addition to our prime task of delivering premium freight on time, we are skilled in logistics engineering. Utilising our IT tools to analyse client’s historical data on expedited freight moves, we strive to achieve supply chain optimisation, delivering them efficiencies and cost savings,” explained Kühnel.
The Willich office is also responsible for the development and hosting of Priority Freight’s integrated, company-wide IT system, which brings comprehensive visibility on all shipments, including real-time tracking for the dedicated, 24-hour Priority Freight traffic handlers and customers alike. “We are fortunate to have the resource of Nic Kühnel’s experience as an IT specialist in supply chain software to help develop our cloud-based, latest generation system, aimed at supply chain transparency. In the time critical freight business, the immediate awareness of any potential delays or diversions and the status of shipments is vital in delivering the highest standard of service that is demanded of us,” emphasised Williams.
ENDS
Notes for Editors
Priority Freight is one of the Europe’s leading specialist freight companies, helping clients to meet complex and urgent international delivery challenges worldwide. Priority Freight has operations in Dover, Coventry, Gibraltar and Moscow, its experienced staff is available 24/7, 365 days a year, to meet customer’s time critical transport needs, often beating seemingly impossible deadlines.
Nicolas Kuhnel, Priority Freight, Germany