Innovations and development on the way to green logistics - Raben Group summarizes 2024

In 2024, Raben Group focused on reinforcing its European structures and implementing numerous innovations, largely geared towards reducing emissions. New facilities, impressive in terms of modernity and size, were launched in Central Europe, and the year culminated with the announcement of the Raben Group’s expansion into its sixteenth country, Switzerland. 

The past twelve months were fraught with challenges related to the geopolitical, economic and regulatory situation in Europe. Prolonged war in Ukraine, modest GDP in Europe, downturn in production, especially in Western Europe, as well as a drop in consumer sentiment were felt by many industries, including logistics. Moreover, sustainability policies and other legal requirements caused additional complexity and increased the costs of doing the business. This did not slow down Raben Group in its drive to develop its structures, invest in green logistics and support its customers in their business operations. 

Although 2024 was quite a demanding year, we successfully completed many interesting projects. Above all, we continued our European expansion. Nowadays, Raben Group network has depots in fifteen markets in Europe, and we are about to welcome country number sixteen - Switzerland - into our structures. This is a really big achievement and an important step in increasing our presence on the map of Europe - says Ewald Raben, CEO Raben Group. - Throughout the year, we worked to strengthen our international network, we innovated and developed our processes and systems, which constitutes a solid foundation for the business in the years to come. I therefore look to the future with optimism, although moderate, as I am aware of the difficult economic situation in Western Europe - he adds. 

2024 gave Raben Group more than €2.15 billion in revenue. Among the operator's services, road transport dominated (65%), with smaller share in contract logistics (13%), FTL & Intermodal (9%), Fresh Logistics (7%), 4PL (2%), sea & air (2%) and other (2%).

Raben in Europe

The most important event of the past year was the signing of a contract with Swiss logistics operator Sieber Transport AG. The contract will see the establishment of Raben Sieber AG, which will start operations from the second quarter  of 2025 and offer comprehensive groupage transport services in Switzerland and Europe. Sieber Transport AG is a family-owned company founded in 1974, offering a wide range of logistics services. Joining forces with the company means another step for Raben Group in its European expansion and consistent building of an independent groupage network on the continent. Switzerland will join the fifteen markets where Raben already has its own locations and transport system. Adding it to the operator's map is also significant because it will allow the DACH countries to be served by one company.

2024 also meant finalised or started investments. Already in January, Raben Lietuva UAB moved into its new premises in Kaunas, located near the A1 motorway - the main motorway in Lithuania. The state-of-the-art facility includes 6400 m² of warehouse capacity (for cross-docking and contract logistics) and 800 m² of office space. At the beginning of the second quarter, a depot in Germany - in Neutraubling near Regensburg - was finally put into operation. The 4,600 m² warehouse is capable of handling 45-50 trucks per day, and it is complemented by 600 m² of offices. With photovoltaic panels on the roof and heat pumps, the facility meets zero emissions standards in the yearly balance.

On the other hand, Raben INTERTRANS, which operates on the Greek market, started to expand its structures. Due to dynamic growth in the local market, the decision was taken to build a near-zero-emission logistics centre located in Thessaloniki. The new facility, in which Raben Group will invest €10m, will include a 4,000 m² cross-dock warehouse with 40 loading/unloading ramps and a refrigerated chamber for food products and 700 m² of offices. It is not only to meet customer expectations, but also to expand the product portfolio in contract logistics, domestic distribution and Fresh Logistics.

The past year saw the full integration of the Austrian and Italian markets into Raben Group, which was confirmed by the name changes: from Raben Bexity to Raben Logistics Austria GmbH and from Raben SITTAM to Raben Italy S.r.l.. Business in Austria was focused on the development of environmentally friendly transport solutions, particularly rail transport. Italy, on the other hand, boasted the launch of a number of new international routes: to Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, the Netherlands and France. 

Despite the war, which is now in its third year, Raben Group's activities in Ukraine did not stop. In 2024, road transport in the local market remained stable due to the development of alternative logistics solutions and improved infrastructure. The location of warehouses and cross-docking centres in strategic regions and the development of the transport network have made it possible to increase the efficiency of domestic distribution. Contract logistics also performed well in these challenging conditions. 

Finally, a major achievement for the Group as a whole was being awarded the title of Amazon Preferred Carrier. This is Amazon's dedicated supplier program for working with preferred logistics operators. The aforementioned partnership is made possible by the close proximity of Raben's transport terminals to Amazon's distribution centres in Europe and its own network in fifteen countries, which ensures high quality service and efficient delivery for all suppliers. Platform sellers can choose Raben for deliveries to Amazon warehouses in Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany and Italy. 

Raben in Poland

Poland was one of Raben Group's fifteen markets where most of the investment activity took place last year. The expansion of the cross-dock terminals in Cholerzyn and Kalisz was completed. At the end of July 2024, Raben Logistics Polska's Bialystok depot moved from Choroszcz to a new zero-emission facility in nearby Żółtki. It is a 6,000 m² cross-dock warehouse equipped with 55 truck ramps, office space and, in addition, extensive manoeuvring yards and outdoor areas for Raben's use, which allows for convenient and efficient operations. 

The largest projects are two new contract logistics centres. One of these is a warehouse of around 44,000 m² located in the heart of Wielkopolska, close to both the centre of Poznań and the A2 motorway. The purpose of this facility is contract logistics and large-scale warehousing, as well as the production of value-added services, so it was equipped with a specialised VAS area totalling 700 m². The facility has 41 loading/unloading ramps for truck handling, as well as extensive manoeuvring yards and outdoor areas that Raben will be able to use exclusively. The building is environmentally friendly and meets stringent sustainable building requirements, including BREEAM certification at Excellent level and FM Global standards.

In the last quarter of 2024, Raben Group began operations in two warehouses with a total area of 110,000 m² at CTPark Warsaw West in Wiskitki - right next to the A2 motorway junction and near the planned Central Transportation Hub (CPK). The project stands out for both its size and the degree of sophistication of the technologies used. The buildings for Raben Group, which account for nearly 40% of the target area of the entire complex, were constructed in the BTS (Build to Suit) system, based on strict technical criteria and solutions rarely found on the market. The warehouse, with a usable height of 15 m, is equipped with advanced temperature and humidity control systems, and the floor heating system consists of 150 km of pipes. It is worth noting that Wiskitki is home to the largest Mitsubishi heat pump installation in Europe and the second largest in the world. In addition, the 60,000 m² (54% of the warehouse area) has been adapted for VNA trucks that can navigate narrow aisles. Infrastructure was also installed to provide more than 7 megawatts (MW) of electrical power to run the equipment and zones of varying temperatures were identified. The facilities also meet strict fire protection standards.

The coming months will bring the actual start of operations in the Swiss market and further investments, including in Romania, as well as the launch of new depots in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. This is a very exciting prospect. Other positive news is the full opening of road border crossings between EU countries and Romania and Bulgaria, scheduled for the end of the first quarter, which should significantly improve transports - lists Ewald Raben. – We expect a further challenging market in 2025, and we are ready for it. 

 

ESG and innovation

Caring for the environment and society as well as adhering to corporate governance also guided and set the pace for Raben Group's activities in 2024 - in line with the sustainability strategy in force until 2025. In its annual report in the spring, the company shared its progress in realization of ESG standards. In addition, earlier this year it published information on its climate impacts through CDP, a global non-profit organisation that runs the world's leading environmental disclosure platform. In 2023, the logistics operator, achieved an A- rating on the CDP Climate Change 2023 list. In addition to this, it earned a high position in last year's EcoVadis ranking, with as many as 65 points and a silver medal. Raben Group received a rating of “good” or higher in all areas and advanced in the environment category. Sustainability was the subject of conferences organised by Raben Group at its German depot in Herborn and at the Czech Eurohub Rokycany, which brought together numerous experts, industry representatives and received wide media coverage. 

The desire to combat climate change in 2024 drove a number of innovations in Raben Group. In addition to the launch of warehouses, which are significantly less carbon-intensive, initiatives to reduce emissions in transport played a major role. Raben Transport has very ambitious plans in this area: it intends to increase the share of alternative fuel vehicles in its fleet to 10% in 2025 and to 75% in the next five years. With this in mind, since February last year it has been testing HVO100, a biofuel made from renewable raw materials with a very high potential for reducing CO₂ emissions. The pilot project involved two tractor units serving international routes, and in autumn, the operator launched its own refuelling station at its depot in Gądki near Poznań. Tests of this fuel have already started in the Netherlands, Germany and Austria. Currently, around 5% of Raben Group's own fleet uses it, and this percentage is steadily growing.

In turn, Fresh Logistics Polska introduced the first electric refrigerated semi-trailer to its fleet with an on-road energy recovery system, meaning that the unit charges while driving and braking. This innovative solution reduces CO₂ emissions by 30%, while also reducing the amount of fuel required to power the transport refrigerating unit by 30%. At the same time, it has many other advantages, such as slower wear and tear on tractor and trailer brake pads, less engine wear, quiet operation, compatibility with any power source or seamless integration into the fleet. 

Equally innovative is the device that Raben Transport has been using since last year. The VR Truck Simulator with LCD option, thanks to its design and software, perfectly captures the driving conditions of a truck, and is used in recruitment and training processes of the drivers. As it does not require the burning of fuel, it has the potential to reduce emissions, but its primary function is to support the work of the HR department.

On the other hand, with a view to protecting natural resources, Raben Logistics Polska implemented the Paperless 2.0 program. Its main objective was to eliminate paper transport documents (e.g. delivery notes) by fully digitalising them. As a result, paper consumption fell by around 3.5 tonnes per year, saving 60 large trees and nearly 4.8 million litres of water. Paperless 2.0 is not only environmentally friendly but also streamlines operational processes and minimises the risk of errors resulting from manual filling. 

The Group's CSR activities are noteworthy - without them, the company's social impact would be incomplete. The Czech Republic was very active in this respect, where the local company supported the Paraple Centrum - an organisation that helps people with spinal cord injuries. Moreover, the company did not remain indifferent to the floods that hit the country in the autumn, and transported 315 pallets of food to help those affected. 2024 was also another year to combat food waste. The Polish, Czech and Italian companies of Raben Group gave their support to food banks in these three markets. In total, Raben trucks transported almost 600 tonnes of food products for charity. 

Traditionally, Raben Group also allowed thousands of people in Europe to spend Christmas with dignity and joy. Contributing to this was the Christmas Parcel Convoy, which set off at the end of November from Germany to Poland, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria and Moldova, carrying more than 142,000 presents. On behalf of the German Raben company, 260 volunteers, 33 trucks and 10 escort vehicles were involved in the project. For the sixth time in Poland, Raben partnered with the national Christmas project - the Noble Gift. In this edition, Raben Group drivers and logistics experts faced an exceptionally big challenge: among the families to which they delivered parcels, there were also flood victims, and aid for them was prepared by donors from various parts of Poland. Hence, parcels travelled from Gdańsk to Kłodzko, for example, and transports of gifts reached places where there were more people in need than those who could help. The balance of cooperation between Raben Logistics Polska and the Noble Gift in 2024 accounts to 68 drivers involved, 28,348 kilometres driven and 1251 pallets of aid delivered.

Awards

In 2024, Raben Group was once again the winner of awards it has been winning for years but also made its debut in various competitions and rankings. 

Above all, the operational activities of the Group and its individual companies in Poland received praise. In the 29th edition of the TFL ranking organised by Dziennik Gazeta Prawna, Raben Group came first in the general classification and in the “logistics services” category, while Fresh Logistics Polska became the leader in the “road transport” category. 

Also the participation in the XXIII edition of the Logistics Operator of the Year survey was successful. Raben Logistics Polska was awarded the Bronze Emblem in the program and a distinction in the Green Designer competition for the aforementioned Paperless 2.0 project. Raben Transport was awarded the title of Logistics Leader in the category “Resilience to market disruption” and Fresh Logistics Polska received an honourable mention in the category “Delivery of fresh produce”. In addition, Raben Transport and Fresh Logistics Polska took first place in the categories “Human Competence Development” and “Process Digitalisation” in the “Transport Innovator” competition, which was organised for the first time in 2024 on the initiative of the Transport Manager magazine.

On the other hand, Raben Logistics Czech won the first prize in the plebiscite “Logistics Project of the Year 2024”, awarded by the Czech Logistics Association for the project “Raben Eurohub Rokycany - sustainable and efficient transport in Europe”. The logistics centre in Rokycany allows for faster and more flexible delivery of shipments from the Czech Republic to all European destinations, contributing to a more efficient and reliable supply chain and a reduction in CO₂ emissions.

Efforts in the ESG area were also recognised. During the 11th Polish Entrepreneurship Congress, Raben Logistics Polska was awarded the 2024 Sustainable Development Leader prize. Meanwhile Raben Transport received an award in the Sustainable Logistics Leader category in the “Green Industry Diamonds” competition organised by the Executive Club. The jury recognised two projects that reduce emissions: the use of HVO100 biofuel and the implementation of the VR Truck Simulator.

In addition, Raben Group can boast of its achievements in the field of HR: Gazeta Finansowa awarded it the title of The Best Employer 2024, while in the ninth edition of the HR Dream Team competition organised by Grupa Pracuj, Raben Management Services was awarded first prize in the category of “Effective and friendly recruitment”. Last but not least, Raben Group was honoured with the TOP BRAND 2024 title. The logistics operator has now reached the top of the industry ranking for the fifth consecutive year and has thus been included in the prestigious group of 50 brands that were written about most and best during the twelve months.