New opportunities for Norra Timber
Norra Timber is one of the companies that has been able to benefit from the effects of the industrial boom along the Swedish Norrland coast, as well as the new line service from the Port of Skellefteå.
Can a single industrial initiative raise up an entire district and improve business opportunities for already established companies? Skellefteå Municipality is facing Sweden’s largest modern industrial establishment and, as a result, the municipality has received regular ConRo service. Norra Timber, a wood processing company, is one of several companies that have been able to improve their delivery flows, thanks to its ability to ship its goods from the municipality’s own port.
“Historically, we’ve transported the majority of our European volumes via wheeled transport, but once WALLENIUS SOL established its RoRo service, we only need to drive a truck approximately 10 km, and can then load cassettes to be transported by sea to Lübeck or Antwerp,” says Daniel Färdeman, Sales Manager at Norra Timber.
One cassette can hold approximately the same volume as two trailers. For Norra Timber, this means a reduction of about 200 truck transports per quarter. With the new ConRo service, it has also become possible to ship containers from the home port out to the world market.
"For us and our customers, it’s all about finding stable flows. During some periods of the year, it is difficult to find enough trailers up here, so WALLENIUS SOL’s RoRo service has become a huge boost for us. It allows us to ship larger volumes and ensure that we can continue to offer our customers a comprehensive concept with regular and efficient deliveries," says Daniel.
"If we then consider the environmental aspect, we will most likely see better results if we work towards shorter inland transports followed by transport by ships, instead of driving everything on wheeled trailers."
Daniel has no problem sharing a logistical solution with competitors.
"In fact, it’s better for everyone if many of us load our cargo on to the same vessel, as this gives us larger volumes and more regular runs.
