A. Henriksen Shipping A/S is a Danish provider of maritime transport and logistics solutions. The company operates terminals at Hundested and Frederiksværk, which is approximately 15 km from its main site of operation in Hundested.
At both terminals, A. Henriksen Shipping A/S together handles more than 750 ships annually. The company manages liner services for Nor Lines, a major Norwegian logistics company, to ports in the Baltic countries, Finland, Germany, Norway and Poland, with two ships arriving every week.
In addition, A. Henriksen Shipping A/S offers stevedoring, chartering, project shipping, forwarding and warehousing services for all types of freight, including containers, bulk cargo and hazardous goods. A. Henriksen Shipping A/S was founded by shipbroker August Henriksen in 1934.
In 1980, the company built its first warehouse in Hundested. Today, A. Henriksen Shipping A/S operates seven modern warehousing facilities, five for general cargo and two for bulk products.
“We have grown at a constant rate,” states CEO Teddy Folmer. “In our business it is always a challenge to fill up the warehouses.”
When the financial crisis hit Europe in 2008, A. Henriksen Shipping A/S went through some hard times. “It was difficult in the following years but we have a good, solid customer base now,” explains Mr. Folmer. “Especially during the last three to four years, the situation has improved significantly. The trend is clearly upwards again.”
Owned by three private Danish investors, A. Henriksen Shipping A/S employs a total of 40 people at its two terminals in Hundested and Frederiksværk.
The terminal in Hundested covers an area of 55,000 m² and offers 400 m of quay side and 14.000 m² of warehousing space with all the equipment, including heavy and container cranes.
At Frederiksværk, the company handles mainly cargo for a major steel group. “Our location in Hundested on the northern corner of the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark is very attractive,” Mr. Folmer gives one major reason for the sustained success of the maritime logistics provider. “Many of the smaller ports in Denmark are closing their activities and building apartments instead. Our investments in warehouses and equipment pay off now. We are able to service any kind of cargo and client.”
Another essential success factor is the strong customer orientation of A. Henriksen Shipping A/S. “We are extremely flexible and service minded, 24 hours a day and seven days a week.”
The bread-and-butter business of A. Henriksen Shipping A/S is bringing cargo from the quay into the warehouse and from there to a truck for final delivery. “Terminal work is our core business,” states Mr. Folmer. “We earn money handling cargo and aim to be a full-service partner for our customers.”
The speciality of A. Henriksen Shipping A/S is timber. The company handles wood from forests in northern Zealand, most of which goes to Germany, and pellets for heating. Other major cargo goods include concrete pipes and wood pellets.
To further grow its position in the Danish maritime transport and logistics sector, A. Henriksen Shipping A/S plans to put greater emphasis on marketing. “In the past, we did too little in this respect,” says Mr. Folmer. “We shall enhance our activities here and also launch a completely new website.”
The current export markets of A. Henriksen Shipping A/S are the Baltic countries, Finland, Germany and Norway. “We expect additional business for 2016,” explains Mr. Folmer. “On the one hand, we shall continue our physical growth in the ports, with new storage facilities and cargo handling equipment. On the other hand, we have plans to further expand our range of activities to provide our customers with complete freight management services from a single source.”
In growing its business, A. Henriksen Shipping A/S has to tackle the general skills shortage which is also affecting the dynamically evolving logistics industry.
“To get well-qualified staff is not easy and one of the main challenges in the future,” states Mr. Folmer. “We have people who have been working for us for 20, 30 or even 40 years. Personnel fluctuation is very low.”
Other challenges include the economic and political development in Denmark and Europe, which is increasingly difficult to forecast, and the fact that Denmark is a high-cost location. “Denmark is an expensive country to run a company,” says Mr. Folmer. “But thanks to our attractive location, which also offers easy access to major roads, we are looking ahead with confidence.”