Derk Schep is the man who guides the 227-year-old Hudig & Veder further into the future. "With our ABC concept, we support customers from A-Z logistics."
The head office in Rhoon is immersed in history. Old ship models and a hall of fame of former directors are the daily tribute to the achievements of the company that has been led by the Fontein family for more than 70 years now. Two years ago, Director Lex Fontein brought Derk Schep on board. With this entrepreneur, also tried and tested in the port of Rotterdam, the logistics service provider enters the future with confidence. He was triggered by the atmosphere within the company, says Schep, who is the first non-family member, in a long time, now to set the course of Hudig & Veder. The glorious history of Hudig & Veder, for which Jan Hudig and his brother-in-law Cornelis Gebrand Blokhuyzen laid the foundation in Rotterdam, will not be forgotten. But the company, which has grown into a strong partner in international logistics, will continue to grow in the sector in which it has been a resounding name for many years, promises Derk Schep.
"With our ABC concept, we can link the entire logistics"
"With all these different disciplines within our group, we offer clients ultimate logistical solutions in order to help them in their business," he says. Our ABC concept, a combination of different disciplines – Agencies, (Break)Bulk, Chartering – has already shown its success. The A stands for the Agencies, which the company does for both shipowners and charterers. B includes the activities in Breakbulk and (dry) Bulk, with BreakBulk as a special expertise. "That usually concerns project cargoes. Cargoes that requires specific transport, such as parts for the offshore. That's where our strength lies." A major emphasis is on bulk, the transport of all kinds of cargoes to and from the Netherlands. "Hudig & Veder is big in the storage and transport of minerals and wood pellets. From the ports, this continues directly to inland shipping or coast shipping. In the Laurenshaven in Rotterdam, we have our own warehouse where we can also store the goods. The big advantage of our ABC-concept is that everything can be linked together, from which the client also benefits."
The C stands for Chartering. Schep: "We partly do chartering on the free market by linking cargo and ship. We also have our own fleet which contains of 6 tweendecker ships. This fleet is a nice addition to our total package. We prefer to pick up cargoes with our own ships abroad, so that they can continue their way in Rotterdam. Hudig & Veder is one of the few companies that can offer that entire process. Of course, we are very proud of that." The challenges are there, but great projects too. Hudig & Veder, for example, has become the logistics partner of a Japanese company that focuses on e-scrap. From Rotterdam, discarded mobile phones and printer plates go to the other side of the world to be reused there. Schep: "A good example of how we look at the future, where sustainability will play an increasingly important role."