Versatile one-stop- shop for logistics: the Steder Group
The Steder Group is a logistics service provider that calls the Port of Rotterdam its home base and is active around the world in various disciplines. Two of these are project- and heavy-lift logistics. A unique specialism in the service package is the provision of road transport in Eastern Africa.
The Steder Group started 36 years ago in Rotterdam as a freight forwarder and sugar exporter. In the years that followed, the Steder Group grew into a globally active logistics company offering a wide range of services. The service package includes forwarding, chartering, air freight, project- and heavy-lift logistics, agencies and liner agencies. As a liner agent, the Steder Group represents shipping lines like Fednav and Ethiopian Shipping Line (ESLSE). Apart from the Port of Rotterdam, where the head office is located, the company also has branches in Aberdeen, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Constanța, Djibouti, Dubai and Glasgow. There are also plans to expand the network with offices in Asia, amongst other places.
In-house expertise
The Steder Group’s Chartering department handles between 2.2 and 2.5 million tonnes of cargo per year. 25 to 30% of the commercial activities involve project- and heavy-lift logistics. ‘We arrange transport for all conceivable project- and heavy cargo, from any location to any location in the world, utilising all available modes of transport’, says project manager Peter van Nieuwkasteele. ‘Our main focus, however, is on temporary energy and power systems, like generators, dredging material and offshore components. We are a one-stop- shop in that regard and can take care of the entire process, if desired, including customs, chartering and project management. We have the required in-house expertise and have all the required certificates and quality labels, like AEO, OHSAS 18001 and ISO 9001. We are also affiliated with project cargo forwarder networks like WWPC and PLA.’ One of the other points that sets the Steder Group apart from the competition is the fact that someone from the company is always present on location for project- and heavy-lift transport, to oversee things.
Eastern Africa
The Steder Group has had an office in Djibouti since 2011. ‘From there we manage the transport of heavy cargo on the road, particularly to Ethiopia’, explains Director Projects and Liner Agencies, Rory Lems. ‘We use our own equipment and rolling stock for such transport. Ethiopia is one of the fastest growing economies in Africa and is therefore an important growing market. The transport that we do over there mainly involves material for energy- and hydrological projects. Our activities in Eastern Africa are headed by Director Africa and the Middle East, Gerben Langstraat.’
This article was published in magazine: In the spotlight breakbulk
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