Holmen logo white

Case studies

2 min read

Upgrading to flexibility

“The sustainability aspect of the intermodal route between Roserberg and Gothenburg was very attractive, as was the frequency of departures from Gothenburg to the UK and Continent. Working with DFDS was a great opportunity, as it allowed us to secure the large and flexible capacity we needed.” 

Ronny Bjorklund, Senior Logistics Purchasing Manager 

SCALEABLE & MINIMUM RISK

of an end-to-end supply chain solution 

FLEXIBLE & EFFICIENT 

transport system that saves time and reduces costs 

OPTIMISED LOGISTICS NETWORK 

through access to real-time data 

Challenge 

Meeting changing customer

– and company - needs 

Changing customer needs and ventures into new business segments meant Holmen needed to adapt its logistics solution.  

The company’s mills in Braviken and Hallsta produce paper for magazines, books, and newspapers for the Swedish and other European markets. Both mills are located on Sweden’s east coast, which meant Holmen would ship its products in bulk every week. From warehouses in Terneuzen, NL, Sheerness, UK and Lübeck, DE, the products would then be distributed to customers via call-offs. 

Large volume handling 

Over time, more of their customers began to ask for “just in time” delivery, which means smaller orders and shorter delivery lead times. Customers were also increasingly moving production between different European production units. This called for a logistics solution that could handle large volumes from mills but with the flexibility to adjust to varying capacities, markets and customers.    

E-truck, etruck, transporting goods, road
An aerial shot of a DFDS e-truck transporting goods on the road.

Solution 

An intermodal transport solution 

This is how we went about helping Homen to solve their dilemma. First up, we worked closely with them to assess their current logistics solution that shipped products from its Swedish mills. When we analysed the set-up, we could see that Holmen would benefit from utilising DFDS’ logistics network. Adopting an intermodal solution involving transportation by sea, road and rail would allow the company to move its products with a great deal of flexibility, efficiency and more sustainably.   

New routes to three markets 

The new routes we developed began by shipping Holmen’s products by train and truck from the mills to Gothenburg. They were then moved onwards on DFDS ferry routes to Immingham, Ghent or Zeebrugge and then directly onto their customers in those markets. We subsequently developed more intermodal solutions for their transport routes to meet new customer demands.   

Results 

The new end-to-end supply chain solution minimises risk and is scalable to changing needs. Access to real-time transport data optimises Holmen’s logistics network, and the new system’s flexibility and efficiency save time and reduce costs.  

“The sustainability aspect of the intermodal route between Roserberg and Gothenburg was very attractive, as was the frequency of departures from Gothenburg to the UK and Continent. Working with DFDS was a great opportunity, as it allowed us to secure the large and flexible capacity we needed.” 

- Ronny Bjorklund, Senior Logistics Purchasing Manager 

You might also like