CH Robinson Worldwide, one of the world's largest third-party logistics companies, has opened a new office in Rotterdam from where it will focus specifically on providing temperature-controlled logistics services.
The movement of temperature-sensitive goods is understood to represent one of the fastest growing areas of US-owned CH Robinson's business in Europe, where the company is one of the continent's leading freight forwarders in recent years by establishing a network of 34 offices spread across the region.
However, despite having a commercial interest in Europe since 1993, and despite international sales in excess of US$10bn last year, its interest in generating revenue within the European perishables freight sector has only grown in recent years.
The new office, located at the heart of Europe's fresh produce import trade, is expected to allow the group to expand its operations in the fresh fruit and vegetable sector as it bids to offer expert services to the trade.
Rotterdam was apparently chosen for its strategic location on Europe's mainland northern coast and the key role it plays in the import and export of goods to and from the continent.
While some of the group's existing offices in Europe already have a strong presence in the market for refrigerated transportation, the Rotterdam office is the company's first in Europe to specifically focus on serving the perishables sector.
'CH Robinson helps its customers increase their transportation visibility, traceability, and service all while cutting costs out of their supply chain,' commented Dusty Waldron, manager of the new office. 'Our objective is to share these best practices here in Europe, while developing new services specific to our customers' needs.'
During its initial phase, the Rotterdam team will focus on full truckload movements of agricultural products, while providing assistance to the broader CH Robinson Europe network in other temperature-controlled shipments.
New leadership
CH Robinson's expansion into the European fresh produce has been anticipated for some time, but the past few days have seen it ramp up its efforts and formally underline its commitment to the fruit and vegetable trade.
Last week, the group promoted its vice-president Bryan Foe to the role of president at CH Robinson Europe, giving him the task of leading the company's planned growth in the region through expansion of its network, its staff and its customer base.
An employee at CH Robinson since 1990, Foe served as vice-president for the past nine years and, during the same period, as president of payments management subsidiary T-Chek Systems.
'Bryan has had a diverse career path at CH Robinson and has made significant contributions in a variety of roles,' said John Wiehoff, CH Robinson chief executive and chairman of the board. 'His expertise will serve the company well as we continue to develop our network and business in Europe.'
