Zirwes is a young company in the transport business. Founded by Thomas and Richard Zirwes in 2010, it is a family company with two nephews involved in the management.
“In the early days, I did not know a lot about the market,” reveals General Manager Thomas Zirwes. “But I am an accounting specialist, and this has helped a lot. Furthermore, I have always been extremely motivated to sort out problems.”
Today, Zirwes has a workforce of 54 employees, three subsidiaries and a turnover of around three million EUR. Its portfolio is based on three pillars: transport, hiring out employees and niche services such as the distribution of steel. In Koblenz, Zirwes even offers special training to BAG staff in terms of security checks of trucks.
“Transports have always been our core competence,” stresses Mr. Zirwes. “But it is part of our philosophy to bank on several service offers. This gives us greater flexibility.”
At the beginning, Zirwes focused on bulk transports and won over its customers with reliability and competence. “Over time, we have collected profound know-how,” says Mr. Zirwes. “And with the challenges we had to face, we grew.” Zirwes acquired all necessary certification and authorizations to transport contaminated material and step by step expanded its truck fleet.
Today, the company has vehicles such as tautliners, semi-trailers and silo trailers and is able to meet the most challenging market requirements. All vehicles correspond to the Euro 5 norm. “We adapted our truck fleet strictly to customer needs,” underlines Mr. Zirwes. “When we founded the business, we bought trucks worth 1.5 million EUR. In general, we look after 30 to 40% of all transports; the rest is in the charge of qualified subcontractors.”
Eventually, the company started shifting its focus towards other market fields.“We wanted to rely on a portfolio with several pillars in order to be more independent,” says Mr. Zirwes. “That is why we hire competent employees to selected partners.”
Well-known companies such as BSW Badische Stahlwerke, Rhenus and Kuehne + Nagel rely on Zirwes’s services. Many satisfied customers have recommended the company to other potential customers.
“It is a real challenge to work with global players such as Kuehne + Nagel,” states Mr. Zirwes. “But we are committed to working out perfect solutions. Our aim is to have a have stable circle of customers – as we have a stable team of employees.”