Responsible for your Commodity
Cocoa logistics on the banks of the Scheldt
Seven question to ... Lüder Vollers | Vollers available for download
ADSp 2017 – new version as of 1st January 2017
Newsletter 04| 2016
Newsletter of the VOLLERS-Group
Dear readers,
My father has been in the company for
54 years now. He has learned logistics
from scratch. In this issue he answers
the ‚Seven questions‘ and also tells us
what pleases him and what he does not
like. But my father is not the only person who has been with the company for
a long time. When we recently had our
annual complimentary dinner to honour
the jubilarians, I was quite surprised and
delighted to notice how many long-time
employees we have in the company.
The location portrait in this issue presents Vollers Belgium in Antwerp. It is a
great city, where I also lived for a while,
some years ago. Still a very specially
moment to me and also to the whole
Vollers Group was the inauguration of
the bulk cocoa warehouse ‘Oosterweel
1000’ two years ago. The realisation of
this project, from the idea to the official
inauguration of the warehouse, was a
top performance.
For the coming year I would like to experience more such moments. So, let us all
continue shaping the future of Vollers.
I thank you for your commitment and
wish you and your families a wonderful
Advent season, a merry Christmas and a
happy and successful year 2017!
Seven question to ... Lüder Vollers
The Interview | In this issue Lüder
Vollers is answering the questions
of the editors. He joined his father’s
company in 1962 and has a lot to tell.
VOCUS: What do you consider the
most important changes in the logistics industry?
Lüder Vollers: I think that the development from the ‚normal‘ vessels to
the container vessels has changed the
whole industry, in particular with regard to the demand for labour.
VOCUS: Vollers is a logistics specialist
for 14 different commodities. Is there
a special relation to any of these commodities?
Impressum
2
Lüder Vollers: I have been in contact
with coffee and the corresponding industry all my life. So of course I have
been influenced by that. But during
the past years, cocoa beans and tea
have also become ‘my’ commodities.
On the other hand, I am a trained cotton warehouse inspector, in German
called ‘Küper’. Therefore, there is also
a relation to cotton. Unfortunately, the
handling of cotton has considerably
decreased so that I am not that much
in contact with cotton any more.
VOCUS: If you had not taken over your
father’s company, what other profession would you have chosen?
Redaktion
Claudia Gerber-Lindt
Berthold VOLLERS GmbH
Speicherhof 308 · D-28217 Bremen
Tel.: +49 421 38 92-125 · Fax: +49 421 38 92-100
E-Mail: [email protected]
Lüder Vollers: When I was young, parents used to have certain ideas with
regard to the education of their children. As a child, you were not asked
what you prefer. There was also no
career counselling or similar so that
you could identify your skills and
preferences. Therefore, I started with
something obvious, an apprenticeship
as a warehouse inspector. When I was
a little boy, I also wanted to become an
engine driver or chocolate manufacturer. But I am not that far away from
chocolate production now.
VOCUS: Could you complete this sentence: My work makes me feel satisfied if...
Corporate Design
a&o mediendesign GmbH
Am Deich 86 · 28199 Bremen
www.aundo.de
Umsetzung
Designerin: Monica Barshy
Lüder Vollers: …something is moving
and new tasks are to be done.
Lüder Vollers: At the time when our
children were little, Christmas was of
course very important. Nowadays,
Christmas does not evoke such a
strong feeling in me. But it is of course
still nice when it is nice.
VOCUS: What drives you mad?
Lüder Vollers: If somebody repeatedly
makes the same stupid mistakes.
VOCUS: A last question: What are your
wishes for the coming year?
VOCUS: You have been doing equestrian sports for many years. How would
you describe the fascination?
Lüder Vollers: I already did horse riding
when I was a child and it was always
real fun. At that time, I could of course
not have my own horse. Only years
later, when we bought a horse for our
daughter, I also got my first own horse.
It is great to work together with the
horse. That was always a big challenge
for me. When I participated in competitions, I was always very nervous. You
have to concentrate and perform in order to fulfil the tasks, both, the rider
and the horse.
Lüder Vollers: Since its first issue, the
VOCU(s) has developed further. I also
would like to see this development in
other areas within the company. And
for me personally: I hope for good
health!
Lüder Vollers
VOCUS: Christmas is almost here. For
most Germans, Christmas is the most
important feast of the year. How important is Christmas to you?
Play by the rules
VOCU(s) on people | The compliance
project, that started some time ago, is
going to be continued. In the last issue, the topic was bribery. This time,
the importance of rules is going to be
explained. Why are rules so important? How do you increase people’s
awareness of playing by the rules?
Some simple examples explain that.
Imagine the following situation: You
are in the supermarket, together with
your son or your daughter. You pay and
are on your way to the car. Then you
notice that your child has nicked some
sweets. You reprimand your child, explaining that one must not take things
without paying. A rule that is valid for
everybody since a social coexistence is
not possible without rules.
To play by the rules means to create
equal conditions for everybody. Whoever does not stand to the rules, ob-
tains an advantage. That is not only unfair but leads to dispute and tension. If
you cheat, for example, when playing
Ludo, your fellow players will definitely
be angry.
The no-smoking rule on the Vollers
premises is also a rule. What is the
background of this rule? On the one
hand, it is an IFS-regulation. On the
other hand, the insurance insists on
it. What could happen, if somebody
ignored the no-smoking rule and
smoked in the warehouse? In the
worst case, there would be a fire, people would get injured, the warehouse
would burn down and the goods in it
would be damaged or destroyed. As
a consequence, the insurance would
not pay for the damage and the customer would ask for compensation.
Thus, a simple breach of rules causes a
huge damage, also for the person who
smoked in the warehouse and caused
this damage. He or she would have to
look for a new job.
Apart from internal rules, there are
laws. These are rules are established
by the legislator. If an employee, for
example, steals goods from the warehouse, he or she does not only break
rules but also laws. This can also cause
considerable damages. It is not only the
value of the goods. The customer, the
management and also the colleagues
lose confidence. One thing is certain:
Breaking rules means to act against
other people by obtaining an advantage which is detrimental to the whole
society. A quote of the North-German
author and journalist Manfred Hausmann puts it in a nutshell: “Democracy
means to play by the rules even if no
referee is watching.”
3
Newsletter of the VOLLERS-Group
Cocoa logistics on the banks of the Scheldt
Location portrait | Left and right bank
A deep-water port that is nearly 80
kilometres from the sea, is quite unusual. In Antwerp more than 14,400
vessels arrived in 2015. This is possible because of the constant depth of
13 metres. The vessels, coming from
the North Sea, go up the Scheldt, almost into town. Depending on the
tidal range, even vessels drawing 17
metres of water, can reach the port
terminals.
In the 12th century, the first ships arrived in Antwerp, bringing wine, wool
and fine fabrics. Napoleon had the
first dock built in 1811. Originally, the
right banks of the Scheldt were developed. During the 1960s, docks and
warehouses were built also on the
left bank of the Scheldt. The Vollers
location has been on the right banks
since 1995, when it was founded.
There are approximately 60,000 people working in the port of Antwerp
and nearly 900 companies are located there. In the Port of Antwerp, the
CEPA (Centrale der Werkgevers aan
de Haven van Antwerpen) fixes the
wages and conditions for the dock
workers.
The storage space of Vollers Belgium
N.V. has increased up to 140,000
squaremetres since 1995. The terminal Christa has got five and Oosterweel six warehouses.
A highlight in the history of Vollers
Belgium was the inauguration of the
state-of-the-art warehouse for bulk
cocoa ‘Oosterweel 1000’. The direct
access to the quay is a big advantage
since the cocoa beans can be transported directly from the vessel into
the warehouse. Many processes like
sampling or weighing are done automatically. Furthermore, the cocoa
beans are safely stored there. A socalled ‘Hotspot Detection System‘
identifies these hot spots in the co-
Loading of cocoa in ‘Oosterweel 1000
coa, long before they can ignite. Additionally, the dust that is produced
during discharge is removed by a suction device in order to avoid contaminations and dust explosions.
Apart from ‘Oosterweel 1000‘ Vollers
in Antwerp has also got a cleaning
device for cocoa beans. Any metalpart or cocoa shells are removed
from the cocoa beans by sieves or
magnetic devices before distribution.
In a laboratory, the employees can
analyse the commodities for quality
control purposes.
But the colleagues in Antwerp are
not only responsible for cocoa and
coffee. They also do handling, storage and transport of general cargo
which is constantly increasing. For
this purpose the sales team of Peter
Roose has been extended. A special
focus is on the Chinese market.
Cascades in the storage boxes
reduce breakage of beans
Facts & Figures
Employees:
Warehouse workers: 24
Commercial employees: 35
CEPA dockworkers:
on average 28
Nationalities:
Belgian
Dutch
Polish
Chinese
Turkish
Moroccan
Ghanaian
State-of-the-art cocoa logistics in ‘Oosterweel 1000‘
Storage of bags
Storage boxes for cocoa
Newsletter of the VOLLERS-Group
Cocoa
Commodities in Antwerp: in %
Coffee
General Cargo
Organisational chart: Antwerp
General Manager
Paul Demeyere
Manager Forwarding, Customs,
Transport, It, Security & operations
Anne Pauwels
HR / Credit Control
Vanessa Dybowski
Management Assistant
Sabine Backx
Commercial Manager
Peter Roose
Quality & Project Manager
Filip Laureys
Safety & Prevention
Philippe Minart
Financial Manager
Rudi Crauwels
Operations & Technical Manager
Marijn Verhelst
Noël:
Where does the word ‚Noël‘, French for Christmas, come from? It is derived
from the French ‚les bonnes nouvelles‘, that is translated to ‚the good news‘.
Rudolph the reindeer:
Many people all over the world know Rudolph, the red-nose reindeer.
Originally, a US company in 1938 invented the figure for an advertising
campaign for Christmas.
The employees
The sales colleague David Pincket
speaks about his first contact with
Vollers Belgium, “A friend asked me
whether I would like to work in the port
of Antwerp. I had not been interested
in this before but I thought that I might
give it a try. So I started working in the
warehouse. The colleagues there really put heart and soul into their work. It
was really fun and I learned a lot. But I
wanted to learn more and I changed to
the commercial department. For a few
weeks I have become part of the sales
team, mainly responsible for general
cargo.“ And what does he particularly
like about Vollers? “It is really great
to work in a family- run business. Decision are made faster and you as an
Spend your time in Antwerp
What do people think of first when talking about Antwerp? Most probably diamonds. About 80 percent of the uncut
diamonds traded world-wide go via Antwerp. Often the deal is even closed by
handshake. When strolling through the
diamond quarter in Antwerp, you might
be lucky and discover a small gem in
the street. The diamonds are delivered
in envelopes and carried in the trouser
pocket. So they might drop once in a
while.
But there are of course other interesting
sights to explore:
Port of Antwerp building: When designing the building of the Port of Antwerp administration, a diamond also
played a role. The former fire station
was restored and connected with a new,
ultra-modern glass construction. This is
shaped like the hull of a ship or a diamond, depending from what angle you
look at it. This is supposed to symbolise
the connection between the past and
the future. The building was designed
by the famous architect’s office Zaha
Hadid Architects. ing part of the supply chain of cocoa. As
he puts it, “I am part of the supply chain
of cocoa and in the end of the production of chocolate. That is fascinating.”
Bigger sales team: (from left)
Valérie Helderweirt, Peter Roose,
David Pincket and Lin Zheng
employee can influence and improve
the processes.“
A certain share of the dock workers are
from the CEPA. One of these colleagues,
Danny Volkaert, has been with Vollers
Belgium for two years. He really likes be-
MAS Museum Aan de Stroom:
Every visitor to the ‘MAS’, the museum directly at the Scheldt, can experience Antwerp with all the senses. The
motto of the museum is ‘Antwerp in
the world and the world in Antwerp’.
Visitors can look at 470,000 constantly
changing displays, which they can also
touch and try out.
For Chocoholics: Belgian chocolate is
among the best and most famous ones
in the world. The chocolate museum is
a ‘must’ for chocoholics. Visitors can
also book a chocolate tour including
And what about Christmas at Vollers
Belgium? The colleagues have always
had a Christmas tree in the office. But
during the weeks before Christmas, other things also change. Anne Pauwels,
Logistics Manager, explains, “When
days become shorter and colder, more
and more personal items appear on the
desks. The whole atmosphere tends to
be cosier. The Christmas cards for example: we do not just pile them up but
we display them nicely so that everybody can look at them.”
chocolate tasting. If you do not have
enough time for a tour, you can also
go to one of the numerous chocolate
shops and take your sweet piece of
Antwerp back home.
Big and small animals: In the middle
of Antwerp, a stone’s throw from the
main station, there is the Antwerp
Zoo. It was already founded in 1843.
Enthusiasts of the ‘Belle Epoque’ may
get free admission to the zoo, on condition that they are dressed in the
style of the ‘Belle Epoque’ on the Belgian National Holiday.
Port of Antwerp building (Photo:
Port of Antwerp)
Newsletter of the VOLLERS-Group
The taste of Christmas
Commodity Facts | There is a smell
of cinnamon, star anise and cardamom in the house. The first Christmas
biscuits are in the oven and Christmas
is almost here. This is the time for the
typical spices. But these spices to do
not only taste good but they also can
have healing effects.
Ginger bread belongs to the traditional
Christmas biscuits in many countries. In
Germany it is also called ‘Pfefferkuchen’,
although ‘Pfeffer’, in English pepper, is
no longer an ingredient in German ginger bread. Pepper used to be, like many
spices, a valuable commodity and was
worth its weight in gold. The merchants
who had become rich by trading spices
were therefore also called ‘Pfeffersäcke‘,
money bags in English.
In Germany, Nuremberg boasts of being
the capital of spices. Thanks to its location at the traditional trade routes, the
city was already a commercial hub for
spices from Asia in the medieval times.
Reports say that the wagons carrying
the spices often got stuck in Nuremberg
during the winter months. Therefore,
the citizens came into contact with exotic and precious spices. The spices were
mixed with flour, baked and the first ginger bread was born.
One of the most popular spices used in
biscuits and cakes for Christmas is cinnamon. But people do not only use cinnamon for baking but the cinnamon sticks
are often part of Advent and Christmas
decoration. The cinnamon sticks are
the dried bark of the cinnamon plant.
The essential oils contain more than
100 different chemical substances. The
characteristic scent originates from the
eugenol and the cumarin. The latter has
come under fire because it is suspected of increasing the risk of liver cancer.
Therefore, people should not eat that
much of it. Especially the Chinese or Vietnamese cassia contains high levels of
cumarin wheras Ceylon cinnamon contains far less.
Cardamom is part of many ginger bread
recipes but is also used in oriental dishes as well as for traditional Turkish cof-
Turmeric
8
fee. The main essential oil in cardamom
is the cineol. It has antibacterial and expectorant properties and is therefore a
good choice in case of a cold. After an
opulent meal at Christmas, cardamom
also has positive effects on digestion
and against nausea.
If you have ever suffered from a toothache, you may know the calming effect
of cloves. The responsible essential oil is
eugenol which soothes pain and is anticonvulsant But cloves are also a popular
ingredient in ‘Glühwein’ (mulled wine).
For Christmas and New Year’s Eve, people in the Northern part of Germany like
to bake the so-called ‘Neujahrskuchen’.
These are rolled, crispy biscuits that
can be filled with cream. They intensely
taste of anise, also a typical Christmas
spice. Although anise and star anise
taste similar. They belong to a different
botanical family. Nevertheless, both
contain the essential oil anethole which
has positive effects on the gastrointestinal system. Star anise makes a great
decoration on an Advent wreath where
it spreads a sweet but spicy smell.
Spices do not only season Christmas
cakes and biscuits but many of them
can promote health, at least when consumed in moderation. Some of them
are even said to have outstanding effects on health. One of them is turmeric.
Turmeric, as part of the ginger family, grows in Southeast Asia. It contains
curcumin, often used as a dye. Several
studies indicate that turmeric might be
efficient against cancer, Alzheimer’s and
depressions. Furthermore, a study recently published in the British BBC, also
indicates that the positive effect can
only be achieved by food seasoned with
turmeric. A corresponding nutritional supplement is not likely to have the
same effect. Further studies need to be
done on this issue. But it might not be
a bad idea to have an Indian curry dish,
seasoned with plenty of turmeric, as a
Christmas dinner.
News | Vollers available for download: Vollers has developed a special
service for the coffee customers and
people in the coffee industry: the Coffee Converter App. The app calculates
coffee weight units of Arabica and Robusta into all major coffee currencies
and weight units. As a special feature,
it also shows the current price expressed as differential versus the current exchange. The free app can be
downloaded on the App Store or on
Google Play. Even people who are not
in the coffee trade may use the app as
a simple currency converter.
1st January 2017 these ADSp 2017 will
form the basis of Vollers contracts. The
amendments compared with the ADSp
2016 are mainly a further adjustment
of the liability limitations in favour of
the principals.
Give hope – Registration as a donor:
Every 15 minutes, somebody in Germany is diagnosed with blood cancer.
Finding a compatible donor of bone
marrow is the chance for many to
be cured. At Vollers in Hamburg, 17
colleagues wanted to set an example
and agreed to register as a donor at
the DKMS (‚Deutsche Knochenmark
Spenderdatei‘). This is a non-profit organisation registering possible
stem cell or bone marrow donors
world-wide. The registration is quite
simple: just swab, return the swab to
the DKMS and complete a questionnaire. The costs of the registration
were born by Vollers Hamburg.
Swabbing against blood cancer:
(from left) Julija Tolstyh, Christopher Klüß, Oksana Zlygosteva,
Alexander Vogel, Dorien Warring
THE NEW VOLLERS APP!
AEO Certificate: The AEO certificate
shows companies as ‘Authorised Economic Operators’ and is supposed to
provide safety for all parts of the sup-
ply chain. In Bremen, the customs authorities have just audited Vollers and
the status ‘AEO’ has been confirmed.
XMas:
Even in Germany, people often do not speak of
Christmas but Xmas. Contrary to a common
ADSp 2017 – new version as of 1st
January 2017: At the beginning of the
year, the negotiations between the
DSLV (Federal Association of German
Freight Forwarder and Logistics Operators) and various industry associations
regarding the ADSP (German Freight
Forwarders’ Standard Terms and Conditions) ended without result. Now
they have come to an agreement and
agreed on the new ADSp 2017. As of
opinion, the word XMas is not a secularisation
of Christmas but quite the opposite. The ‚X‘ is the
Greek letter ‚chi‘ which is an abbreviation for
Christ.
Newsletter of the VOLLERS-Group
Every second counts
Look at the process | Fire prevention means to save lives. In Germany,
more than 700 people die from the
consequences of a fire every year. The
cause of death is not the direct impact
of the fire and the heat but smoke
poisoning. Therefore, the correct be-
haviour in case fo fire, particularly at
Christmas, is essential. One of the fire
protection officers at Vollers in Bremen, Oliver Tkotsch, explains how to
act correctly in case of fire.
Set off the fire alarm:
Get into safety:
Go to the assembley point:
Gather in groups per department
Report missing persons
If you cannot escape:
Try to extinguish the fire by using a
fire extinguisher or wall-mounted fire
hose.
Close all doors and overhead doors.
Seal all door cracks and keyholes.
Press the fire alarm button and call the
emergency number. The following five
questions should be answered:
Keep calm and take endangered people with you.
Where is the fire?
Do not use the lift.
Close all doors and overhead doors.
What is burning?
How much is burning?
What kind of dangers are there?
Wait for queries!
Follow the marked emergency escape
routes.
If you have to pass through rooms
filled with smoke, stoop over with a
damp cloth in front of your mouth
and nose.
10
Give a signal at the window.
Preventing a fire is, however, much
better than any attempt to extinguish
it. This means, particularly at Christmas: never leave a candle unattended
and keep a bucket of water or sand on
hand, for cases of emergency.
Dates & Events | International Coffee
Day on 1st October: During the last
years, the ‚Coffee Day‘ was celebrated
in Germany at the beginning of September. This year, 78 countries agreed
to join, interestingly all EU-member
countries. On 1st October, coffee as a
popular drink was celebrated all over
Europe.
Maurizio Zugna in front of
‚Vollers pillar‘
Triestespresso Open Lunch: Visitors
of the Triestespresso got the chance
to enjoy the ‚Open Lunch‘, organised
by Vollers Italy. The location was quite
special: an old warehouse floor. The
decoration, however, was modern and
in accordance with the Vollers corporate design.
Congratulations
Jubilees in warehouse number 3:
Every year, Vollers in Bremen organises a lunch for the employees
who celebrate their jubilee or have
retired. Traditionally, all other colleagues may join. This year, the lunch
took place in a specially separated
area in the warehouse number 3.
Jubilee
September to December:
Bremen:
Horst Fahrenhold – 40 years
40 years in the company: Christian Vollers (left)
and Lüder Vollers (right)
with the jubilarians Roelf
Nap, Horst Fahrenhold and
Margarete Knoop
Hamburg:
Ulrich Meinke – 25 years (port)
Falko Engel – 10 years
New employees
Bremen:
Przemyslaw Winnicki, truck driver
Fabio Meyer, truck driver
Peter Subkowiak, truck driver
Retired:
Manuela Bauschke, Vollers Hamburg
25 years in the company: from left: Andreas Robbers, Heiko Henke, Torsten Ramminger, Thomas Meyer, Christian Vollers, Marc Hesse, Jens Bienert, Marcus Heinemann,
Manuela Stromberg, Jan-Gerwin Schomburg, André Reif, Petra Friebe, Lüder Vollers
Retired: Christian Vollers
(left) and Lüder Vollers
(right) with Georg Sowietzki, Rolf Hanning, Michael
Schenk and Irmtraut Harling
Newsletter of the VOLLERS-Group
Join the quiz
Winner of the Riga quiz:
‚Kur atrodas Vollers noliktava‘ – that was the correct answer to the question ‚Where is the Vollers
warehouse‘. The lucky winner of the quiz is Wouter
van Lienen from Vollers in
Amsterdam. He received
the Riga surprise parcel.
Question Antwerp:
What is the purpose of the ‚Hotspot Detection System‘ in the
bulk cocoa warehouse ‘Oosterweel 1000‘?
Send your answer to claudia.gerber-lindt@@vollers.com until 15th January. The winner will be drawn by lot among the
correct answers. The prize is an Antwerp hamper. The editors
are looking forward to many replies from all Vollers locations.
In a box
In Britain, the 26th December is called ‘Boxing Day‘. Where does this expression come
from? Company bosses used to give small presents to their employees on that day. These
were packed in a small box.
Precious gifts:
The Three Wise Men brought precious gifts to the new-born Jesus: gold, frankincense and
myrrh. Gold had already been used as a remedy for long and is still an officially approved medicine even today. Frankincense and myrrh are botanically related. Myrrh promotes healing of wounds and frankincense has a positive effect on inflammations. Per year,
nearly ten thousands of tons are burnt in German churches. The largest share of frankincense is harvested in Oman and Ethiopia.
Rooster in the church:
At Christmas, people in Bolivia celebrate the ‘Misa del Gallo’, the mass of the rooster. This
tradition goes back to the assumption that the rooster was the first animal to announce
the birth of Jesus. People even bring roosters to the mass at midnight on Christmas Eve.
Crackers at Christmas:
Christmas crackers are part of many celebrations in Britain at Christmas. These crackers
consist of cardboard tubes, wrapped in colourful paper. They are pulled by two people,
thus causing a slight crack. Normally, the crackers contain a paper crown that is worn
during the Christmas celebration.