Beyond Borders
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BEYOND BORDERS Lynden-Hermes agreement adds new European capabilities f companies could choose players like a team receive more services in more locations. captain picks the best players for a softball According to Stephan Schiller, Hermes Man- or basketball team, Hermes Transport Group aging Director of Sea & Air Freight in Hamburg, the Iwould be the first pick of U.S. companies and Lyn- agreement is based on exclusivity for both part- den International would be the first pick of German ners in their respective home markets. “Hermes companies. will develop business between Germany – which The Hermes Group is a leading supply chain is Europe’s strongest economy – and North Amer- provider based in Germany – second only to the ica with Lynden only,” he explains. “Through this German Post – with a presence in 22 countries partnership, Lynden has access to our knowledge and more than 12,500 employees worldwide. Lyn- in Europe without the burden of building its own den International is a global freight forwarder, con- infrastructure, and we can develop business to- nected to the larger Lynden family of companies, gether on both sides of the Atlantic.” and equally impressive in breadth, IT capabilities As one of the top 20 logistics companies in and customer base. Europe and known as the FedEx of Germany, WINGS How serendipitous, then, that the leaders of Hermes’ presents Lynden with enhanced capabili- these two powerhouses decided to team up this ties in retail supply chain services, fulfillment and year. By signing a cooperative, exclusive agree- home delivery throughout the region. Hermes’ link ment in September to strengthen their trans- with mid-size Lynden is already opening up new atlantic cooperation, Lynden and Hermes are each European opportunities for Vice President Marco stronger contenders in the international logistics Luyten who manages Lynden’s Brussels Service market. They have already set about develop- Center, referred to as Lynden International BE. ing potential customer groups and new routes in Luyten calls the Hermes-Lynden agreement Germany and North America (Canada, U.S. and a “unique moment of excellence.” “We have both Mexico) and cross-company sales meetings are set up a winning strategy,” he says. “Lynden wants under way with Hermes and Lynden representa- to do more business in Germany. Hermes wants The resource magazine for cargo professionals tives sharing tips about foreign culture and sales to be known as more than just a German retail practices. distributor for goods coming from the Far East and December 2015 But the real winners here are customers and wants to do more business in North America. We Vol. 23, Issue 2 potential customers of both companies who now Continued on page 3 www.laf.lynden.com Executive can think of no better way to end my 35 years focuses on our customers and continually pro- at Lynden than celebrating the news that vides service that is “best in class.” Over that time Perspective Lynden International was named the Top For- we’ve developed unmatched service capabilities Iwarder in the 2015 Quest for Quality Awards. This to offshore markets of Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto is an outstanding achievement and a credit to all Rico and for Lower 48 clients with unique ser- of our dedicated employees who take customer vice requirements. Our international capabilities service a step beyond every day. I am retiring on continue to grow through an expanding network this high note and leaving the company in the very of company owned Service Centers in Canada, capable hands of John Kaloper. Just as I followed Mexico, Belgium, Russia, and key strategic part- the course set by my predecessor Dennis Patrick, ners in China, Brazil, Scandinavia, Germany and I know John will guide Lynden International to con- the United Kingdom. tinued long-term success and profitability. My Lynden years have been challenging, John has been part of the Lynden team for exciting and always fulfilling. For that I have my over 30 years. He began his career as an account colleagues and customers to John Kaloper executive in 1984 and he has taken on ever-in- thank. I am proud of all that we creasing responsibility up to his most recent role achieved together, and I am as Vice President of Lynden International’s Ameri- confident that Lynden will con- ca Division. Like John, I worked my way up at what tinue to provide leadership in was then called Lynden Air Freight. I was hired as our industry and outstanding assistant controller in 1980 and later served as service to customers for many vice president and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) years to come. while developing international project business. For the past seven years, I have been fortu- David Richardson nate to be at the helm of an organization that truly President LYNDEN AT THE TOP IN QUEST FOR QUALITY AWARDS ynden International and sister company Lynden International President David Richardson. Lynden Transport received the ultimate “I am proud of our employees and the quality ser- vote of confidence from customers by vice we provide to customers day after day, year Lbeing named the best of the best in the 2015 after year.” Quest for Quality awards. Lynden International Each year, Logistics Management magazine was ranked No. 1 overall among 23 air freight for- asks thousands of transportation and logistics cus- warders and highest in the value and equipment & tomers to evaluate service providers in the follow- operations categories. ing categories: on-time performance, equipment Lynden Transport earned the top spot for the & operations, value, information technology and third consecutive year in the Less-Than-Truckload customer service. To be a “winner,” a company (LTL) regional category and received the highest had to receive at least five percent of the category rankings in the customer service, information tech- vote. The results provide customers with a defini- nology and equipment & operations categories. tive ranking of companies by category and those “The Quest for Quality Awards give us a real that finished above average. sense of how our customers perceive us. It is an Since its creation in 1985, the Quest for Quality award based strictly on service quality and is the Awards program is widely recognized as the trans- only survey of its kind in the market. This makes portation industry’s most important measure of cus- our No. 1 ranking even more meaningful,” says tomer satisfaction and performance excellence. WINGS 2 Continued from page 1 can be on each other’s teams, if you will, and become players in both coun- tries. We both have the people, equip- ment and contacts to grow business with common targets. Hermes is very eager to sell and we are eager to return the favor.” Germany remains the biggest ex- porter to the U.S. and the third largest in the world. Vehicles, machinery, chemi- cals, electronics, pharmaceutical – it all needs to move and Lynden and Hermes hope to capture a large portion of this export business. Developing strategic partnerships in countries around the world like In- dia and Brazil has worked very well for Lynden. It is part of the global busi- ness strategy to create a premier solutions-based security packaging that is removed before delivery experience for the customer. “We hand pick part- to the Nike destination. Germany ners we can count on for service excellence,” The Brussels team began another project this Luyten explains, “which is not always the case winter for Hawaiian Airlines. The airline is refur- remains for large network forwarders. Customers may be bishing 23 planes in its fleet with seats manufac- forced to work within a carrier’s network in differ- tured in Italy. The forwarder it was working with hit the biggest ent locations, often a local office with no onsite a logjam with the first shipment. After eight weeks control. We offer an alternative – the local hero with no movement, the airline called on Lynden’s who does the best job in the market. Hermes is Honolulu and Brussels team. Lynden stepped in exporter to now one of those heroes, and a part of that win- with one of its famous ‘out-of-the-box’ solutions, ning strategy.” cleared the shipment, identified cost savings in the U.S. and In just a few years, Luyten and his team have taxes and duties for the airline and was rewarded managed to grow the Lynden brand in Belgium, with the entire project through completion in 2017. the third attracting companies like Baxter (Baxalta), Nike “In Europe, it’s all about proving yourself,” and Hawaiian Airlines. Working out of an office Luyten says. “Gradually we are making a name for largest in in Brucargo Airport, Luyten enjoys demonstrat- ourselves with a new solutions-based way of ap- ing Lynden’s brand of customer service, so well- proaching business. With Hermes on the team, the the world. known in the U.S., to European customers. “We process will move faster and be bigger and better consider our office the action center, not only for than we could ever imagine.” Belgium, but for the rest of Europe,” he says. In cooperation with partner EFL, Lynden moves and handles air shipments of Nike mer- chandise from four international freight origins (Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Sri Lan- ka) to the European continent where boxes are scanned, counted and palletized. Nike Belgium is the second largest global distribution center for the company. The merchandise requires strict Stephan Schiller, Marco Luyten, handling procedures. As sample merchandise for Hermes Managing Director Lynden Vice President the coming season, it is kept under wraps with Sea & Air Freight in Brussels 3 www.laf.lynden.com Connect.