Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. Stoll, Hartmann Spedition & Logistik AG is a classic family business that recently celebrated its 75th anniversary. What do you attribute the company's success over such a long period to?

Günther Stoll: The reasons for our success are certainly primarily in our broad positioning and our service mentality. Initially, we were a classic transport company until we won our first major customer with the company Schenk, a wine importer, which necessitated the construction of a warehouse. That was the starting point on our path to becoming a logistics service provider. The pure transport business is a highly competitive market, but in combination with warehousing and added-value services, it creates a broad performance portfolio that opens up advantages for our customers.

Wirtschaftsforum: What are your main focus areas today?

Günther Stoll: Today, our business rests on three pillars: Automotive, Food, and for several years now, Pharmaceutical. In the automotive sector, we are heavily warehouse-dependent: we manage a 200,000 m² spare parts warehouse from which we provide global spare parts supply. This is a challenge, and we are proud to achieve a delivery rate of nearly 100% in this area. We also operate a large warehouse for steel coils, metal strips rolled onto large reels, as used in the automotive industry, for example, for stamping car bodies.

In the food sector, we are the regional freight forwarder for a well-known discount store. Each month, we bring around 10,000 pallets of daily necessities into the warehouses. For another manufacturer, we also deliver frozen products to various locations, thus serving this area of food distribution as well. Pharmaceutical logistics is our newest pillar. We are co-shareholders of a Europe-wide pharmaceutical network and handle pallets and packages for pharmacies, clinics, and the pharmaceutical wholesale. Here we have a unique selling point: With one vehicle, we can deliver goods in the temperature range of 2 to 8 °C as well as 15 to 25 °C – with a 24-hour service. At our site in Ötigheim, we have built a pharmaceutical warehouse to the highest standards. The pharmaceutical industry has very strict regulations regarding safety and quality. Therefore, humidity and temperature are constantly controlled.

Wirtschaftsforum: 2020 started with the coronavirus crisis, a very challenging time for the transport and logistics sector. Hardly had that passed when the Ukraine war began. What has all this meant for your business?

Günther Stoll: Corona was a terrible time – in all areas of life. Yet it's never all bad: while there were struggles in other areas, the food industry was booming. The restaurant industry was down, but people made themselves comfortable at home and consumed luxury goods like wine and spirits there – items that we supplied to discount stores. Therefore, Corona did not mean a big drop in sales for us. The Ukraine war also had little impact on our business because we are very focused on the German market and only minimally active in export business towards Eastern Europe.

Wirtschaftsforum: The logistics business and sustainability seem at first glance to be opposites. How do you combine both in your company?

Günther Stoll: Indeed, most goods arrive at our location by train; we only use trucks for the final mile. Additionally, we have installed one of the largest solar power systems on our roofs in Southern Germany. It provides enough energy to supply half of the town of Muggensturm. Looking ahead, we plan to build a solar park to be able to charge electric vehicles ourselves. We are open to the idea of electric trucks, but it has to be both profitable and practical for us. A possible alternative would be HVO 100: 'Heat Treated Vegetable Oil' made from recycled vegetable oil, which comes very close to the catalytic effect of fossil fuel. This can save up to 90% of CO2 emissions. This issue is definitely coming!