Rotterdam, 25 October 2023: TANDEM Global Logistics Netherlands B.V., with its shareholders Rieck Logistics Group, C.H. Powell Company and Azuma Shipping Co. Ltd. and headquarters in Rotterdam, has taken over SMART Logistics B.V., which also specializes in air and sea freight and is based in Amsterdam, with retroactive effect from 1 January 2023. In future, the company will be called TANDEM Smart Global Logistics B.V. The transaction doubles the number of employees and rapidly increases shipment volumes. TANDEM Smart will be further expanded as a European hub in the TANDEM network.
The company’s future headquarters will be in Amsterdam from January 2024. The employees of both companies will move into the SMART Logistics offices at Schiphol Airport. The aim is to further expand and strengthen the branches at the most important European port in Rotterdam as a sea freight location and at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam as an air freight location.
Several employees of SMART Logistics in Xiamen, China, have been taken on by TANDEM Rieck Global Logistics Ltd. They will continue to work closely with TANDEM Smart.
Succession secured and young team at the start
The previous Managing Director of TANDEM Global Logistics Netherlands B.V. Joep Stijns will retire in the course of this year and will oversee the integration of the companies until the end of the year. The new Managing Director of TANDEM Smart B.V. since July 2023 is Raymond van der Veld, former main shareholder of SMART Logistics. He is supported by Edwin van Heek, the new Operations Manager of TANDEM Smart B.V. He was also previously involved in SMART Logistics.
“With this transaction, we have solved the management succession in the best possible way – with a total of around 30 employees, we now have a young and motivated team at the start,” says Philipp Strenge, Managing Partner of the Rieck Logistics Group.
Portfolio strengthened – with new opportunities
The opportunities portfolio was noticeably expanded as a result of the transaction, especially in air freight. “In import, we have increased air freight shipments fivefold and will be able to offer in-house customs clearance in future, even at weekends if required,” says Philipp Strenge. “In export, we have seen a doubling in air freight.”
The majority of shipments come from China and the USA. Smart Logistics and now TANDEM Smart B.V. organize the onward road transport for them. “We see great potential in the development and expansion of the warehousing and transportation business, as we have the knowledge and capacity in this area,” says Philipp Strenge. “But our operating TANDEM company in China will also benefit from the transaction – it has just renewed its IATA license.”
In sea freight, the container volume will grow by 30 percent as a result of the transaction. SMART Logistics was only just starting to build this up and will be significantly expanded by the expertise of the TANDEM company.
Europe, Asia, USA: benefiting from global trade
“Whether Europe, North America, the Far East or Southeast Asia – we have our own companies at the most important hubs for global trade and are embedded in a high-quality network with our partners,” says Philipp Strenge. “By expanding our capacities at the world’s central hubs, we are strengthening the TANDEM network and also benefiting from global trade flows as the Rieck Logistics Group.”
Independent logistics companies that offer air and sea freight services and high-quality logistics solutions for global supply chains have been working together under the TANDEM brand umbrella since 2007. The network is represented in over 80 countries with 200 offices and around 2,500 employees.
Since taking office, Bargl has had a lasting impact on the general cargo cooperation and expanded IDS Logistik GmbH into a modern and efficient network.
Under his leadership, the IDS locations increased from 37 to 54, and the turnover of the IDS headquarters rose from 1 million euros in 2000 to an impressive 90 million euros in 2024.
Milestones of his term of office
Back in the 2000s, Bargl set the course for the growth of IDS with the integration of major partners such as DSV, Kühne+Nagel and Geodis, as well as the introduction of a central hub. Technological innovations, including the introduction of 2,500 mobile data recording devices (MDE) with online delivery scanning and the high-cube swap bodies with double-deck loading, contributed to increasing the efficiency of the network.
This was followed in the 2010s by the addition of new regional HUBs in Hanover and Satteldorf and the strategic development of the B2C segment with mail marketing. He also set up an in-house research and development team at IDS at an early stage in order to meet the growing technical requirements and utilize digital innovations. The outstanding IDS quality strategy was recognized with the Bavarian Quality Award in 2015.
In the 2020s, IDS is increasingly focusing on digitalization and sustainability. Today, around 10,000 private consignees are recognized daily with the help of AI technology, 5,000 swap bodies are equipped with GPS tracking and the company fleet has been converted to electromobility.
Commitment beyond the company
Michael Bargl is not only a successful manager and company leader, he is also actively involved in the industry and society. In terms of association politics, he represents the interests of the forwarding industry in committees and working groups of the DSLV, the Aschaffenburg Chamber of Industry and Commerce and the DIHK in Berlin. Improving social conditions is also particularly close to his heart: he is involved in the Rotary Club Aschaffenburg, an NGO in Malawi and the German-Malawian Society.
IDS Logistik GmbH – The general cargo network in Germany:
With 54 locations, 15.7 million shipments (2023) and around 6,800 employees, IDS Logistik GmbH is the largest general cargo cooperation in Germany. IDS carries out transports to other European countries with the national companies of its franchisees and with selected European partners. The full-service offering ranges from procurement, storage and distribution to returns management. The company serves clients from the B2B and B2C shipping sectors.
