To manage its European logistics, Rembrandtin needs a service provider with a full-coverage presence in Europe that combines standardized processes with flexibility and specialized industry expertise - and has found it in Dachser Austria. The branch office is supported by the competent specialists and chemical know-how of Dachser's centralized Chem-Logistics industry solution.

Standard and Customization
Rembrandtin's management placed particular importance on the mix of standardized processes in Dachser's European network and flexible, individual customer solutions. In its day-to-day activities the medium-sized company uses Dachser's products with defined transit times and services, above all saving time and money for communication and planning. Rembrandtin operations manager Wilhelm Michel: "We utilize Dachser's Entargo products Targospeed 10 and Targospeed 12. These enable us to meet most of our priority demands as standard and without additional communication with Dachser's scheduling department."
On the other hand, to ensure a truck with road marking paint can be on site at 6 a.m. from one day to the next brief individual coordination by phone and e-mail is needed. Here, too, Dachser's European network of 169 own branch offices in 21 countries offers the necessary flexibility.

Recipe for Success
With a combination of centralized and local competence Dachser meets the needs of internationally operating chemical companies like Rembrandtin. 150 local dangerous goods safety advisers in the branch offices and sales-oriented Chem-Logistics managers in several European countries back up the teams of the central dangerous goods management at the company's head office in Kempten and the Chem-Logistics industry solution.
Regular in-house training is a top priority for Dachser. When handling chemical products stringent safety standards apply, and the demands made by the chemical industry on logistics providers are accordingly high.
"Numerous laws and directives governing the transport of dangerous goods and the storage of hazardous substances have to be followed to the letter," says Steve Heidner, central dangerous goods safety adviser at Dachser. "To this end we have developed a central in-house guideline that details transport prohibitions for certain dangerous goods, as well as risk evaluations." Only after careful inspection dangerous goods are being authorized for transportation and hazardous substances for storage. "It is, after all, our job to ensure that the same high safety standards are applied everywhere in Europe," Heidner concludes.
"At our customers' request, we are happy to put our locations to the test," explains Michael Kriegel, head of Dachser's Chem-Logistics department. "On the basis of SQAS assessment, the European Association of the Chemical Industry, Cefic, has developed an extensive questionnaire which serves as the basis for evaluation by an independent assessor. So far 16 Dachser locations have achieved nearly perfect results."

Safe Storage of Dangerous Goods
In Europe Dachser provides safe facilities for the handling of dangerous goods. Dedicated warehouses are specially equipped for the storage of chemical products, including the dangerous goods warehouse in Pilisvörösvár near Budapest with a storage area of around 7,000 m² and the state-of-the-art dangerous goods warehouse opened in Ploiesti, Romania, in 2012. Both sites meet Council Directive 96/82/EC (Seveso II) on the control of major accident hazards involving chemical substances and limitation of their consequences.

Expansion of International Network
For paints and coatings manufacturer Rembrandtin, logistics will continue to play an important role in the future. One reason for this is that customers are tending to order fewer goods at a time, but they are placing their orders more frequently. At the same time, they demand high delivery reliability because they no longer build up large safety stocks. As Rembrandtin aims to intensify its focus on business with specialized solutions for niche markets, its logistics partner's international - and intercontinental - network is set to gain even more importance. Therefore, with 347 profit centers in 37 countries worldwide Dachser is the ideal logistics partner for the expanding chemical company.