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Continental, VW, Coca-Cola, IKEA and Kimberly-Clark are just a few of the many household names on the reference list of O.K. Trans Praha. Each day, the company transports more than 3,000 tonnes of freight for more than 30 major brands.
“Things in this industry change so quickly and we always have to be aware of what might come,” says Ratislav Lipták, Sales, Marketing and Forwarding Manager. “This way we can be prepared and react to the changing market situation. Other companies in the Czech Republic were not ready to accept all the changes that the market went through so they could not survive in the market. We have developed the ability to react to change and that is the recipe for our success.”
International and domestic road transports, logistics and distribution of goods, storing as well as additional services such as the sale of spare parts – O.K. Trans Praha offers a broad portfolio of services. In the area of transport and forwarding, the company performs or arranges the transportation of goods or almost any freight Europe- wide. The vehicles in the O.K. Trans fleet conform to the requirements of the EURO 6 and EURO 5 emissions standards and also support modern IT technologies and systems.
For its logistics services, O.K. Trans has its own warehouse in the municipality of Chýně with around 10,000 m². “There we offer different services such as labelling, palletization, repacking, manufacturing of POP or POS advertising materials or the preparation of stickers according to the requirements of the customers,” explains Mr. Lipták.
The warehouse is equipped with the latest technology such as a state-of-the-art warehouse management system. “We have a customs warehouse for fast moving consumer goods and are able to store alcohol, tobacco products, confectionery, coffee and tea,” states Mr. Lipták.
“You need a special certificate to distribute alcohol and we are one of the few providers with this additional service.” O.K. Trans’ customers can have their own tax warehouse for alcohol at the company’s premises in Chýně. It is equipped with a CCTV system, which is connected online to the customs authority and complies with the new legislation of the Czech Republic.
The Czech transport and logistics company was established in 1990. Already in 1992 the first high capacity vehicles were acquired and in 1993, the company was able to win over Continental in Germany, which continues to be one of its biggest customers. In 1997, O.K. Trans relocated to its current headquarters, and one year later, the first warehouse was built. A service center and a second warehouse were established and the fleet was expanded.
“In 2008, we reached a difficult point with the financial crisis,” illustrates Mr. Lipták. “But we made the most of it, because we looked at the situation very carefully and proved how we can be cost-efficient and sustainable. We had fewer trucks on the road this year than last year, but that does not mean that it was a bad year, because all the transports we realized were cost-efficient and effective. This year, we made an acquisition for the first time in the history of our company, buying an additional transport and logistics company in the Czech Republic.” Now, O.K. Trans Praha has more than 450 employees and revenues of around 50 million EUR.
O.K. Trans is a well-established company with a good reputation in Europe. A major influence on this reputation are the people working for the company. “Our employees are very important for us and we try to support them as best as possible,” says the Sales, Marketing and Forwarding Manager.
“We have a good culture in our company and call ourselves a family business. All the departments and the people in them work closely together. We have regular meeting and team building events and also offer training to our employees. They can learn new languages or do sports.”
Facing the challenges of the future has always been the strategy for O.K. Trans. The firm is currently developing new strategies regarding digital technologies. “Autonomous driving, for example, will be something important in the future,” explains Mr. Lipták.
“They are still developing this technology and there are still many things missing, so I cannot imagine this will happen within the next 20 years. It is not a technical issue, but the law is so complicated. Technology is developing very fast. The new trucks that we are using are already almost fully automized, the driver only has to push the pedal and turn the wheel, and the data is transferred automatically.”
The customers of the transport and logistics provider value the modern approach of the company as well as its excellent service and tailor-made solutions that fit exactly their needs. 50 to 60% are active in the automotive industry, the food sector and the pharma industry. In the future, the pharma sector and alcohol distribution are especially interesting for O.K. Trans.
“We keep focusing on the clients that can offer benefits to our business as well,” states Mr. Lipták. “We try to find solutions that work for both sides. We support our customers in doing their business and we have also to be able to do our business.”
