Surge in sales, earnings, and investments

With consolidated sales, including also sales by strategic participations totaling Euro 126.5 million, the duisport Group was almost able to double the prior year record results (Euro 64.1 million, plus 97 percent). In the traditional segments Infrastructure and Suprastructure as well as Transshipment and Logistics Services, the group of companies recorded sales of Euro 65.2 million, which again was a two-digit growth (2006: Euro 58.9 million plus 11 percent). A major share in the doubling of the business volume was formed by the acquisition of the VTS Group, the new segment of Packaging Logistics with Euro 54.9 million sales. By taking over the VTS Group, which specializes in the packaging of investment goods, we are able to cover services that previously were largely reserved for seaports and thus are able to obtain new cargo flows to the Port of Duisburg. Irrespective of these performances, we also experienced a two-digit growth in the traditional segments, said Erich Staake, Duisburger Hafen AG’s Chief Executive Officer at the Balance Sheet Press Conference in Duisburg.

During the 2007 business year, the duisport Group generated consolidated sales, including also sales from strategic participations of a total of Euro 126.5 million. A plus compared with the previous year (Euro 64.1 million) of 97 percent. Earnings before interest, taxes, and depreciations (EBITDA) were increased by 20 percent to Euro 22.6 million (previous year: Euro 18.9 million). The result before income tax increased by 43 percent to Euro 7.0 million (Euro 4.9 million). The cash flow in 2007 increased due to special effects by 73 percent to Euro 21.5 million (Euro 12.4 million).

VTS increased its range of services

By taking over the packaging specialist VTS, duisport underscored its previous position as a multipurpose port. Duisburg, in contrast to many other ports, will also in future be able to handle a wide range of commodities. We focus on being able to expand the turntable function in the segment containers, steel, imported coal, as well as mineral oil/chemicals, said Staake. VTS offers the duisport Group a new customer segment with high potential, especially in machine and plant engineering. More than 100 companies in the capital goods industry have positioned themselves in our field. Nationwide, VTS is represented with sites in North-Rhine Westphalia, Hesse, and Saxony; internationally in Belgium (Antwerp) and recently also in China (Shanghai).

All business segments are clearly on the increase

The new segment Packaging Logistics in 2007 realized a sale of Euro 54.9 million and contributed to the new best brand of the duisport Group. The traditional Transshipment and Logistics Services segment dynamically grew by 16 percent to Euro 34.1 million (2006: Euro 29.5 million). Further, the sales in the Infrastructure and Suprastructure segment also experienced a sustaining increase during this business year by six percent to Euro 31.1 million (2006: Euro 29.4 million). It is welcoming that the new segment Packaging Logistics developed so positively and that we are able to achieve our planning goals as early as during the first year, said Staake.

Record investments in infrastructure and suprastructure

With Euro 60.3 million during the past business year, the duisport Group invested more than ever in the expansion of the infrastructure and suprastructure (2006: Euro 46.0 million). The growth especially resulted from making the logport II territory available for construction, extensive investments in port and railway infrastructure as well as the expansion and new construction of the container terminals.

New settlements and expansions in logport

90 percent of the area in the logport area has currently been marketed, more than 60 percent is in operation. Some examples clarify the still unbroken settlement dynamics, especially the added value logistics: Since October 2007, the DHL Excel supply chain has been operating the large logistics center for consumer goods at around 30,000 sq.m. combined with an equally large expansion option. Kühne+Nagel doubled its already existing warehouse areas in logport to more than 50,000 sq.m. Staake: These investments strengthen Duisburg's contract logistics competence. They are an indication of the future for the significance of the Port of Duisburg as a central European logistics turntable.

By the end of 2007, Schenker Deutschland AG, a market leader for European overland cargo, put into operation a 6,600 sq.m. logistics warehouse (1st Construction Phase). Furthermore, the Rhenus Group expanded its European distribution center for Verbatim, the leading global supplier of storage products, to around 25,000 sq.m. warehouse area. The company Buhlmann Rohr-Fittings-Stahlhandel settled in logport in 2004, and constructed a third warehouse, and thus increased its capacity to over 37,000 sq.m. The steel plate specialist, Union Steel, also expanded its warehouse areas to more than 22,000 sq.m.

Settlement dynamics in the overall Port area

Numerous companies, who had settled in the Port area on the right-hand side of the Rhine were able to expand their facilities by leasing additional areas. The DUSS Terminal in Duisburg-Ruhrort, for example, received a new area for the expansion of around 25,000 sq.m. Another 39,000 sq.m. total additional area were made available for the Rhine-Ruhr Terminal at the parallel port. Furthermore, at the parallel port, Spedition CTS, since the Fall of 2007, uses a newly constructed 10,000 sq.m. steel transit warehouse projecting over the water. Rhine-Ruhr Collin KG, a specialist wholesaler for building technology, took over around 130,000 sq.m. in the Kaßlerfeld Logistics Park, and constructed a new corporate center, as well as a delivery warehouse.

Expansion of the combined transport by duisport agency

As the growth driving force of the transshipment and logistics services segment, the subsidiary duisport agency GmbH was able to develop new relations in combined transport. Apart from the expansion of previously set up rail shuttle connections to Antwerp, Zeebrugge, and Marl, the Ost-Westfalen-Xpress (OWX) was started successfully. This block train service is operated five times per week between Duisburg and Unna by duisport rail, railway company of the Duisburger Hafen AG. The shuttle exclusively transports maritime container volumes for the central warehouses of industry and trade in the eastern Ruhr District, which are consolidated in the Duisburg Rhine-Ruhr Terminal. Up to 18,000 truck trips per year are saved with this new block train.

dfl takes over project control in Kaßlerfeld

Project control within the scope of a new building was concluded successfully by the subsidiary dfl duisport facility logistics GmbH. A delivery warehouse with an area of about 33,000 sq.m. was constructed in the Kaßlerfeld Logistics Park for a customer. dfl handed over the building complex on schedule in January 2008.

PCD integrated with dfl

Taking effect on January 1, 2008, PCD Packing Center Duisburg GmbH was transferred to the subsidiary dfl. PCD services now are settled in the dfl segment logistics services. For example, duisbox, is a new product, which protects the goods against damage from humidity in the container during transport. Customers of the automotive, mechanical engineering, and consumer goods industries already successfully used the duisbox.

Shipping and rail cargo grow disproportionately

Compared with the previous year, transport volume in the ports of the duisport Group increased by 11 percent. Overall, 55.1 million tons were handled per ship, rail, and truck (2006: 49.0 million tons), of which 28.6 million tons are proceeds related in terms of shipping and rail cargo (2006: 25.7 million tons). Compared with the Federal German average, both shipping cargo increased by 3% to 16.0 million tons (2006: 15.6 million tons), and rail cargo by 25 percent to 12.6 million tons (2006: 10.1 million tons) disproportionately.

General cargo, which comprises iron and steel products in addition to containers, rose by 12% to 14.7 million tons (2006: 13.1 million tons). Moreover, iron and steel handling increased by 9 percent and 5.8 million tons (2006: 5.3 million tons), a new historical best.

Leading container hub in the European Hinterland

Containers establish themselves as a most important group for ship and rail handling: With a growth rate of 14 percent, 901,000 TEU (2006: 787,000 TEU) were handled; this corresponds to 1.6 million container movements. While the barges compared with the national trend increased 4 percent to 370,000 TEU (2006: 357,000 TEU), trains carried 531,000 TEU, up by even 23 percent (2006: 430,000 TEU). 25 railroad operators serve over 80 destinations in Europe. More than 330 weekly departures have been scheduled for their container and general cargo trains. In the last five years we have annually grown in combined rail transport by an average of more than 30 percent. This must be a European record, said Staake.

Source: Transportweekly