Schavemaker connects Lower Silesia with Western Europe
Schavemaker develops intermodal transport between the terminal in Kąty Wrocławskie and Moerdijk in the Netherlands. In recent months, the export of freight from Poland to Great Britain and Ireland using this connection has been growing considerably. The intermodal service allows for the organisation of sustainable transport between Poland and the Western European countries.
The direct intermodal connection of Lower Silesia with the Dutch port started in May 2019. It takes 30 hours for the shuttle train to travel between the Schavemaker terminal in Kąty Wrocławskie and Moerdijk. The containerised service is cost-competitive and saves up to 70 per cent of CO2 emissions compared to road transport, which is an important factor for many companies trying to run a sustainable business. Schavemaker arranges not only transport between terminals but also deliveries directly to the customer.
“Our intermodal service consists of two parts. The first is the railway connection on the Moerdijk – Kąty Wrocławskie route. The second element is the door-to-door service, which we provide using the railway service and our own trucks and containers. We deliver loads from Poland to the customers in the Netherlands and Belgium, and we also use a ferry connection, thanks to which we reach recipients in Great Britain and Ireland,” said Michał Kubalok, branch manager of Schavemaker Intermodal Sp. z o.o.
Promising market
Finished products of the factories located in Lower Silesia and the south-western part of Poland are exported from the country. This region is a significant centre of the household appliances, automotive and furniture industries. On the other hand, raw materials needed for production are imported to Poland. For door-to-door deliveries, Schavemaker mainly uses its own trucks, container trailers and 45 high cube pallet wide containers. Combined transport in Poland and Western Europe is developing dynamically and more and more companies use this type of service.
“In general, we observe a constant increase in the volume of intermodal transport – in 2021 it amounted to 27 per cent compared to 2020. In the case of Great Britain, we had an increase of 130 per cent and in the direction of Ireland by 57 per cent. These markets are clearly the most promising. We observe that there are more and more inquiries about the organisation of intermodal transport year by year. Therefore, we expect another increase in demand for this type of service in 2022,” noted Michał Kubalok.
Comprehensive services
In addition to transport, Schavemaker also deals with warehouse logistics. For its customers, it offers warehouses in Kąty Wrocławskie and the Port of Moerdijk, provides transhipment, short-term and long-term storage services. Owing to this, it can freely combine road and railway transport as well as provide comprehensive customer service.
Due to the development of intermodal transport and the growing demand for employees, Schavemaker offers a training program for young drivers as well as apprenticeships for pupils and students. Recently, the company concluded a cooperation agreement with the management of Jędrzej Śniadecki Complex School from Żarów. “We are aware that in order to have well-trained employees, you need to invest and give them a chance for practice and development,” commented Schavemaker’s representative.
Currently, the company carries out two train connections a week between Kąty Wrocławskie and Moerdijk. The Schavemaker terminal in Lower Silesia also serves other directions, including trains from China and the Port of Gdynia.