How CretschmarCargo Süd organises the dangerous goods supply chain for the chemical group
The transport and storage of dangerous goods poses special challenges for logistics experts. Not only is there a lot to consider when handling the materials. The accompanying administrative effort is also significantly higher than for normal loads. The daily, precise delivery to production sites therefore poses special challenges for contract logisticians. This is also the case in Brenntag’s day-to-day work. The world market leader in the distribution of chemicals and ingredients has an annual turnover of around 14 billion euros with more than 17,000 employees worldwide. The company has been working with CretschmarCargo Süd (CCS) for many years to supply its sites in Spain. CCS has been the lead supplier for Brenntag’s warehouses in Spain since 2018.
The challenge
CretschmarCargo Süd moves about 10 tonnes per day or 2,500 tonnes per year for Brenntag around the Iberian Peninsula. As a contract logistics provider, CCS is responsible for planning and controlling the procurement of goods, whereby the customer requires the fastest possible transit times and full transparency of the transport processes. The goods are procured from Germany, Belgium, Austria, Poland, Italy, the Netherlands and France. The destinations of the dangerous goods shipments are Brenntag’s warehouses in Spain or those of its end customers.
The fluctuating transport sizes present a particular challenge. When Brenntag places an order with a supplier, the order volume is often not yet defined. It is also often uncertain when the goods will be ready for collection. This makes planning even more difficult.
The solution
In order to design the best possible solution and to reliably guarantee the daily transport stages day after day, the processes at Brenntag were analysed in detail. Today, they are continuously evaluated and improved. In addition, CretschmarCargo Süd has increased its transport capacities and real estate holdings and invested in its three hubs in Madrid, Barcelona and San Sebastián as well as in its data management. The Chemical Life Science product was developed to ensure the smooth and safe transport of dangerous goods. The ADR suitability of the entire transport chain is guaranteed.
The project is controlled by the central “Customer Service Brenntag” at CCS in Barcelona. This is where Brenntag Spain sends its collection orders, which in turn are passed on digitally via the central data hub of System Alliance Europe (SAE), Log-IT. It controls the customer’s European supplier network, commissions the regional network partners of Conexión Cargo to carry out the transports and enables continuous shipment tracking & tracing.
The Outcome
As lead supplier, CretschmarCargo Süd manages the procurement processes for Brenntag Spain and ensures the continuous supply to the company’s customers on the Iberian Peninsula. CCS ensures smooth and ADR-compliant transport chains. Well-lit transshipment halls suitable for dangerous goods, trained personnel and ADR trailers are essential pillars of success. In addition, transparent communication is another important success factor: during every loading and unloading process, the SAE barcodes are scanned and data is reported back to the track-and-trace system. This enables real-time communication. The people responsible for the supply chain at Brenntag are timely informed about the expected delivery date and the exact shipment volume, they can track supply chains continuously and make internal optimisations on an on-going basis.
