On the way to Poland by rail

Currently, ten shuttle trains travel from the Port of Rotterdam to various container terminals in Poland every week. These travel according to a fixed timetable so that our clients are assured of flexibility and are also ensured that their product will be delivered on time.

Nijhof-Wassink is an intermodal specialist for the transport of liquid chemical products from the Port of Rotterdam to Poland. Specialising in the intermodal transport of liquid chemicals to Poland combined with offering a comprehensive Nijhof-Wassink logistics concept has ensured that the transported volume has been tripled compared to 2015.

When Nijhof-Wassink commenced intermodal transport to Poland in 1999 the number of train shuttles was still extremely limited and the quality of the rails was less good as well. In the intermediate years, the Polish government and rail managers invested heavily into the Polish rail infrastructure. Our rail partner PCC has worked hard from the start as well. They placed modern container terminals at strategic locations in Poland. PCC is the largest private supplier of intermodal transport in Poland. Currently, ten shuttle trains travel from the Port of Rotterdam to various container terminals in Poland every week. These travel according to a fixed timetable so that our clients are assured of flexibility and are also ensured that their product will be delivered on time.

For our clients in Northern France, Belgium and the Netherlands, we deliver their products with our own drivers and own truck trailer combinations to the Port of Rotterdam. Upon arrival at the CTT terminal the tank containers are taken from the chassis and loaded onto trains. This all occurs with our own people and equipment, as Nijhof-Wassink is a joint shareholder of CTT. In addition to the Port of Rotterdam, CTT also has three inland container terminals in the Netherlands and Germany The journey by rail of these containers is monitored by our own planners at our location in Kutno, Poland, which is why they know exactly when the containers arrive at the terminal in Poland. Thanks to our local presence, we can respond rapidly and accurately to delayed trains, for example. If the train arrives early and agreements have been made with the clients about this, then our planning team will directly contact the end client to agree whether the containers can be delivered ahead of time. This fine-tuning prevents waiting times for the recipient, which saves money for the client.

The full-service concept goes even further. Temporary storage of the containers is possible at the depot of the container terminal in Kutno, in the heart of Poland. By creating a so-called buffer stock, the end client can quickly access the products when it suits them. In addition, we also handle all administrative processes for our clients.

Nijhof-Wassink is in control of the entire logistics process. Transport from the client to the terminal, terminal work activities, rail transport, road transport in Poland to end clients or temporary storage. This ensures that we can guarantee a high level of performance. Our drivers are genuine professional specialists who have an eye for the safety of people and the environment. Thanks to their experience, our constant focus on safety by way of Behaviour Bases Safety training and on-the-job-coaching, our people are fully aware of how to work with liquid chemical products and how they should respond at all times in exceptional situations.

CO² reduction

With increased trains from the Netherlands to Poland, Nijhof-Wassink’s intermodal transport grows specifically with clients that used to take their products to Poland by road. ‘In this way we reduce the number of long-distance transportations by truck. This is safer and leads to less CO² emissions, a reduction in traffic jams and a reduction of transport costs. With our equipment we also ensure a further reduction of CO² emissions. The train rates for containers are based on their length, among other things. A 20-foot container falls within the lower rates. The Nijhof-Wassink containers are 20 feet long and have the largest volume capacity in this category of containers thanks to their special construction. In addition, we have tri-axle trucks on the road in Poland which allow us to achieve a higher payload per order. This means more product per transport and therefore a lower price per tonne. This also means that you ultimately require less journeys, which also reduces CO² emission.