Special edition of the magazine on how the Ziegler Group is adapting to offer new digital solutions to customers and support their business even better through innovative products.
The Covid-19 pandemic has hit many industries and companies hard and painfully. It has brought anxiety to our professional and personal spheres. However, like any crisis, it also offers important lessons for us to learn and opportunities to take advantage. For the Ziegler Group, it was an excellent opportunity to accelerate our digital transformation and adjust our roadmap to support our customers and partners better in this changing environment.
For most other freight forwarders, increasing efficiency and productivity is the main goal of their digital transition. However, our primary focus in this process is customer-centric. We strongly believe that the development of our digital capabilities must contribute to making our customers successful.
We are happy to release this special edition of the Ziegler Group magazine, fully dedicated to the theme of the ongoing digital transformation that is occurring within our organization. We still have significant changes ahead of us. As we modernize our operating practices, we are looking to also raise the bar for the rest of our industry.
December is often the time for summaries. As the year draws to an end, we are tempted to reflect and recapitulate. This year it has so much meaning because the year was so unprecedented. Unexpected, but also bringing new possibilities; challenging, but proving our strength; unpredictable, but allowing us to emphasize our flexibility.
Today, as 2020 draws to a close, and we reflect on all the wonderful work we have done, we wish to thank all Ziegler employees and associates. We are grateful for the enormous commitment, positive attitude, and ways in which we together proved we could change and adapt to every new situation. These attributes of our company are of priceless value.
Our knowledge and experience were used to help fight the pandemic. We delivered millions of face masks and other medical supplies to hospitals, pharmacies, and enterprises. We leveraged our rail freight capability to mitigate air freight and ocean freight capacity shortage.
In this hard time, we did not stop in our efforts to further develop. In May we moved into a new headquarters in the UK, and a month later we strengthened our position at Liège Airport (LGG) by acquiring Transports Rademaker with an excellent location in Grâce Hollogne at the end of the Liège Airport runway. Then, in October, we moved to new facilities at the Brussels airport.
This year, we also took great steps towards the digitization and further expansion of the Ziegler Group through the creation of the new ZieglerLabs in Poland – the center of excellence for digitalization and innovation.
There are no words to express our gratitude to our customers and partners, who have been standing by us through the year, working hard and looking for the best solutions side-by-side. You have made it possible for us to give as much of ourselves as possible, you have not lost your confidence and kept a positive mindset with us. This is our united success!
2021 will be a year of further interesting developments for the Ziegler Group, which we look forward to with excitement.
Meanwhile, for the upcoming festive season, we wish you a lot of peace and rest. May this time allow you to break away from the daily chase, and may it be full of joy and time spent with your loved ones. And let the New Year bring only good news!
Alain Ziegler Diane Govaerts
President Chief Executive Officer
According to the most recent market intelligence, about two-third of companies are affected more or less by supply chain disruptions caused by Covid-19 pandemic. That number is expected to rise.
Production capacity in China and other Asian countries is slowly increasing and shipping companies are trying to compensate for the container imbalance by sending empty containers back to Asia.
At Ziegler, we will help you to better manage your supply chain and adapt to the disruption that may occur. We have a few tips to help you manage this difficult supply chain situation.
- Market conditions in the area of customs, shipping costs, and space availability are currently changing rapidly. Our Ziegler experts are up to date and in the best position to assess your needs and find the best solution for your business. We recommend that you use their help.
- Try to plan and book your freight as much in advance as possible, as this will help to secure the cargo space of the aircraft/sea. It is recommended to book cargoes at least 2-3 weeks before the expected due date. This will help to manage the cargo flow and add a buffer for possible delays.
- Explore our warehouse and logistics centers that can help you potentially ship your goods faster to the point of sale or simply store them until possible dispatch.
To find out more about our offer, that may help you to create end-to-end solutions tailored to your needs, please contact us.
The rail connection between Zhengzhou ( Province of Henan ) and Liège and back ( silk road ) was resumed by the end of March. Ziegler offers 2 departures a week in both directions with a transit time of 15 days ( calendar ). This offer concerns FCL and LCL shipments and in both ways ( Westbound and Eastbound ).
Furthermore, we offer an end-to-end service including:
- pick up/delivery in China and Europe
- customs operations
- consolidation
- palletization
- B/L
In these difficult times , we see that the rail offer from or to China is a real alternative to air or sea. More and more customers have tried the rail solution with China and they are satisfied.
For rate inquiry and other questions, please contact us.
As a partner of the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB) since 2007, Ziegler Wine & Spirits Bordeaux is in charge of the packaging and transport of wines that will be presented in various events all over the world.
With 80 events in 15 countries and 134 renowned members, the Union des Grands Crus is with no doubt the most important institution dedicated to spreading the reputation of the wines of Bordeaux.
Many times a year, the delegation gathers its members to events all over Asia, America and Europe. For several days, estate owners and directors of operations meet with professionals and amateurs of the wines of Bordeaux.
Each event leads to a tasting in which the wines are served in a precise order, depending on which wine estates are represented and on the consumption habits of the country.
Yearly tastings in 65 cities
‘In New York for example, we would start with white Graves, before following with wines of Pessac. Then we continue with the East of Bordeaux, we go up the Medoc region and finish with the Sauternes. The wines thus need to be set in a certain order and well separated in order to be served at the right temperature’, project manager Olivier Crombez illustrates.
The preparation is done in the warehouse of Ziegler Wine and Spirits in Bordeaux. A few days before the departure of the delegation, they receive all the vintages that will be presented throughout the tour. That’s about ten thousand bottles for the United States alone, with a hundred participating estates and up to twelve tastings per week.
A meticulous organisation
Ziegler’s mission? Prepare for each step of the tour one or several pallets containing the exact number of wines needed for the tasting. In order to do that, Ziegler sorts out and repacks all of the bottles. Each UGCB cardboard box gets a specific label, edited by Ziegler W&S, that states its content and the exact position of the bottles in it.
At the end of the process, the pallet for the Sotheby event in New York opens on a cardboard box containing white Graves and ends on Sauternes, in accordance with the instructions sent by the Union.
Centralised informations
The Primeurs Week organised each Spring in Bordeaux is the peak of this perfectly organised race. ‘Since the wines are still in the ageing process, the châteaus only withdraw their samples 24 to 48 hours before the tasting. We thus need to centralise the wines and sort them all within a very short period of time, knowing that we organise tastings in various places every day”, Olivier Crombez explains.
This sorting and identification task done by Ziegler offers the Union a great visibility on the entire supply chain, with checks at every delivery and many possibilities of pallet control.
Once the delegation has left for Los Angeles, Hong-Kong or Vietnam, the estate owners can come to Ziegler if they’re worrying about an eventual omission. ‘There is always something unexpected that comes up in the event industry, especially when hundreds of potential clients are gathering in a prestigious venue on the other side of the world. But in terms of tastings, there is no margin for error’, Olivier Crombez sums up.
‘This perfectly organised logistics process is the result of many exchanges between the UGCB and our offices in Bordeaux. We are proud to share this accomplishment today’, Ziegler Regional Executive Manager Quentin Grandière comments.