A few days ago, I met with Oliver Oestreich, COO of the Leschaco Group, to discuss current challenges in dangerous goods logistics. The first part was about developments in specialty chemicals, globalization, logistics software and important certificates for logisticians. The second part is all about knowledge management, battery logistics and the future market of waste logistics.
What does Leschaco do to ensure that the necessary specialist knowledge for dangerous goods logistics is always up to date?
The most important thing is that our employees undergo continuous training. Nothing becomes outdated faster than the knowledge of security. This is no different for logistics requirements than it is for IT security.
On the other hand, of course, it is about regional knowledge. Our competence centers in the regions with local dangerous goods specialists ensure that all dangerous goods processes are seamlessly monitored using our own software. These specialists are always also communication experts. They are responsible for communication with local authorities, supply chain partners and the Leschaco network. They take all regional regulations into account. No one today can have all the regulations that apply anywhere in the world in their head. In South America, there are sometimes different country-specific safety regulations for transportation by truck, rail or inland waterway than in Europe or Asia. This does not necessarily mean that one region is better than the other. They just regulate certain things differently.
What role do customers play in this safety network for dangerous goods logistics?
You raise a very important point. Safety is only possible if the entire logistics chain has a high safety standard, from the labeling of the goods and their packaging and loading, to transport and unloading. That is why we train and advise our customers on all dangerous goods and waste issues, such as classification, packaging, labeling and documentation.
On waste issues? Do you operate waste logistics? I thought Leschaco only dealt with the transportation of goods. Is Leschaco also a “waste disposal company”?
No, Leschaco is of course not a waste disposal company. But the disposal of hazardous goods also begins with their labeling, packaging and safe transport to final disposal or destruction. Our International Waste Logistic Department, the Leschaco IWLD, is very familiar with the relevant regulations and procedures for waste disposal, such as the Basel Convention of 1989, which defines clear rules of conduct for controlling the transboundary movement of hazardous waste and its disposal.
Leschaco’s IWLD manages and organizes cross-border transports of commercial and industrial waste. We handle the transportation, including the import and export of hazardous residual materials, and select the appropriate mode of transport depending on the specific requirements.
Wait a minute Mr. Kausch – come to think of it, maybe we are a waste disposal company after all. Somehow you’re right. After all, we relieve our customers of the worries associated with the safe and legally compliant disposal of waste. However, if a company would prefer to carry out this work itself, we will of course provide support in preparing the necessary documents. A clearly defined documentation procedure ensures the transparency of transport processes. The Leschaco Group’s waste logistics specialists also take care of the accompanying exchange of information with authorities, service providers, customers and their partners. Our customers should concentrate on their core competencies. We then clear away the garbage. Sure, with our waste logistics specialists, i.e. our waste disposal companies.
I can imagine that this is an extremely exciting market for the future.
You are absolutely right. We see waste logistics as one of the most exciting markets of the future. Take the area of battery logistics, for example. The electrification of private transportation will massively increase the demand for lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries in the coming years. The global production volume of lithium-ion batteries alone will increase ninefold to around 9 TWh by 2030. As a rule, these batteries must be recycled after ten years at the latest. There are currently hardly any logistical solutions for used batteries. According to the Basel Convention, they are waste and their transportation and overall handling require complex approval procedures. Battery logistics is also waste logistics and hazardous goods logistics. Only a few can do that. We can do that.
In waste logistics, it is already clear that the term safety is ambiguous: it is usually not just about safety from accidents and safety for people and the environment in the event of accidents, but always also about safety in the sense of sustainable environmental and health protection. The abbreviation “HSEQ” is often used in this context. What exactly is behind this magic word?
HSEQ stands for Health, Safety, Environment and Quality, i.e. health care, safety, environmental protection and quality management. These are all qualitative dimensions of sustainable management. The aim is always to provide optimum protection for people and the environment, both today and for future generations. HSEQ is not a standard that is achieved once. However, this is not just a non-binding goal. HSEQ is rather a whole bundle of concrete measures and a strategic guideline on which we move forward and further develop our company, our business and our technologies.
In addition to the integrated quality and environmental management systems ISO 9001 and 14001, the areas of safety, health and ethics are becoming increasingly important to us. Today, they are an inseparable part of our corporate activities and the basis for the provision of sophisticated services worldwide, at all levels and in all departments of the company.
Our sustainability management has been awarded silver status by EcoVadis, an independent agency for evaluating the CSR performance of companies. With this result, Leschaco is one of the top 30 percent of companies rated worldwide by EcoVadis. More than 90,000 companies from more than 160 countries and 200 sectors have been evaluated so far. But one thing is also clear: silver is good, but not the end of the medal podium. We want to and will continue to develop in this area.
As you can see: Safety is a small but incredibly important component of our corporate philosophy. This is not just any feature or an isolated goal or even a sales argument. Somehow everything at Leschaco revolves around safety. Constantly.
Then we will certainly meet again in a few months for another discussion.
You better meet my successor Nils Fahrenholz in a few months. In April, he will take over my role as COO in the management of the Leschaco Group. After more than twenty great years at Leschaco, I am retiring. By the way, Nils Fahrenholz is already on board and is familiarizing himself intensively. Safety is just as important to him as it is to me. They meet him “with certainty”.
There are important current changes in RAS-Cargo, which I will present below. France has taken on a pioneering role here. It is about changes that will increase the safety of air freight transportation in the future. After all, a not inconsiderable proportion of dangerous goods transported worldwide are now transported by air.
The European Union has been taking care of the central collection of chemicals since 2016. The European Chemicals Agency ECHA has set up a central online platform for this purpose. It lists all registered substances and also provides a lot of additional information on handling chemicals. However, after six years, the underlying technical platform was no longer able to cope with the enormous data volumes of more than 360,000 chemicals. That is why the European Chemicals Agency announced a new system as early as 2022. The new version went online a few weeks ago, specifically on January 30, 2024.
Very few families have a supply chain expert. Many people forget that small quantities of dangerous goods are an essential part of our everyday lives and must be handled and transported with care. This is because even small quantities can cause injuries or burns, trigger fires and explosions and pollute the environment if handled improperly or if damaged. Therefore, always remember that hazardous goods are everywhere in our daily lives and must be handled with special care. Hidden components can cause injuries if used improperly or if unprofessional repair attempts are made.
The Leschaco Group is a global logistics service provider that combines Hanseatic tradition with cosmopolitanism and a spirit of innovation. “Experienced. Dedicated. Customized.” This is a fitting summary of the company’s philosophy: On the basis of decade-long experience teams of specialists set up customized solutions
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