We talk to Koen Depre, Manager of World Pack Belgium, the Ziegler Group’s department that specializes in the packaging of goods.

What is World Pack? What do you do?
We are a part of the Ziegler Group. We specialize in the packaging of a variety of goods. We offer complex solutions – take measurements, select the proper materials to pack and secure the goods, prepare it, and perform the packing service. The customer doesn’t have to do anything – no matter what it is – we take care of everything from A to Z.

How long has World Pack been a part of the Ziegler Group?
The history of World Pack starts at the beginning of the ’70s. At that time it was a company named Vandoren Piot, which was integrated into the Ziegler Group in 1971.
At that time there were hardly any companies offering such services and Ziegler’s customers often complained about having difficulties packing their shipments. Mr. Ziegler then decided to integrate Vandoren Piot into the Ziegler Group, to create the World Pack brand, so that we could offer even more comprehensive services to our customers.

What kind of goods do you pack?
We have three main specialties. Packaging of dangerous goods – chemicals, batteries, aerosols, etc. These goods are very sensitive to vibrations, temperature, and/or pressure. We have a lot of experience in safely packaging them and all the required certificates. Our second field of expertise is industrial, large-dimensioned goods, like machines or cars. We are also known for our experience in packing art and antiques. We once packed sculptures for the Louvre Museum in Paris, for example. It was an amazing experience.

Do you also have any experience in packaging other products?
Yes, a lot. We often work with the companies exporting goods that require temperature control, such as medicines or food products. We use dry ice to ensure proper temperature.
But we also send live animals between zoos or circuses. And once we even had to pack up a human body, which was being sent to undergo a forensic examination in a distant medical institute. We didn’t know what it was until it arrived for packaging. Everyone froze when we saw it! But we did it.

Maybe we should stick with talking about animals then… (laughs)
(laughs) The information about the content of the parcel also froze us a little.
So, back to the animals… We’ve had to prepare different species for shipments- even lions and tigers!

Wow, how do you “pack” a lion?
These kinds of animals always travel with a caretaker, who is responsible for taking care of them – feeding, watering, etc. Dangerous animals are transported in double cages, which allow them to be fed without opening the bars. We build each transportation solutions custom for a specific animal.

What was your biggest challenge so far?
Actually, it happened quite recently, a few months ago. The customer needed to load onto a ship that was leaving that same day, spare parts for the ship’s various machinery. The total weight was 12 tons. The timing was the biggest challenge in this case because the ship couldn’t leave without these parts, so everything had to be packed and on its way the same day. The team worked very hard and within 5 hours the shipment was ready.
It was worth the effort because it gained us a happy new client, who we still serve today.

Do you remember the biggest item that you’ve packed?
It was an attraction for a Chinese adventure park. It weighed about 200 tons and was over 12 meters long.
I hope one day I will get an opportunity to go see how it looks at the park. It’s very nice to know it’s entertaining people every day.

Do you only operate in Belgium?
No, we also fulfill orders in France, the Netherlands, Luxemburg, and Hungary. And actually, we are able to work anywhere in Europe.
You can find our full list of services on the website. And they can always contact us directly to receive a custom solution.

As a partner of the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB) since 2007, Ziegler Wine & Spirits Bordeaux is in charge of the packaging and transport of wines that will be presented in various events all over the world.

With 80 events in 15 countries and 134 renowned members, the Union des Grands Crus is with no doubt the most important institution dedicated to spreading the reputation of the wines of Bordeaux.

Many times a year, the delegation gathers its members to events all over Asia, America and Europe. For several days, estate owners and directors of operations meet with professionals and amateurs of the wines of Bordeaux.

Each event leads to a tasting in which the wines are served in a precise order, depending on which wine estates are represented and on the consumption habits of the country.

Yearly tastings in 65 cities

‘In New York for example, we would start with white Graves, before following with wines of Pessac. Then we continue with the East of Bordeaux, we go up the Medoc region and finish with the Sauternes. The wines thus need to be set in a certain order and well separated in order to be served at the right temperature’, project manager Olivier Crombez illustrates.

The preparation is done in the warehouse of Ziegler Wine and Spirits in Bordeaux. A few days before the departure of the delegation, they receive all the vintages that will be presented throughout the tour. That’s about ten thousand bottles for the United States alone, with a hundred participating estates and up to twelve tastings per week.

A meticulous organisation

Ziegler’s mission? Prepare for each step of the tour one or several pallets containing the exact number of wines needed for the tasting. In order to do that, Ziegler sorts out and repacks all of the bottles. Each UGCB cardboard box gets a specific label, edited by Ziegler W&S, that states its content and the exact position of the bottles in it.

At the end of the process, the pallet for the Sotheby event in New York opens on a cardboard box containing white Graves and ends on Sauternes, in accordance with the instructions sent by the Union.

Centralised informations

The Primeurs Week organised each Spring in Bordeaux is the peak of this perfectly organised race. ‘Since the wines are still in the ageing process, the châteaus only withdraw their samples 24 to 48 hours before the tasting. We thus need to centralise the wines and sort them all within a very short period of time, knowing that we organise tastings in various places every day”, Olivier Crombez explains.

This sorting and identification task done by Ziegler offers the Union a great visibility on the entire supply chain, with checks at every delivery and many possibilities of pallet control.

Once the delegation has left for Los Angeles, Hong-Kong or Vietnam, the estate owners can come to Ziegler if they’re worrying about an eventual omission. ‘There is always something unexpected that comes up in the event industry, especially when hundreds of potential clients are gathering in a prestigious venue on the other side of the world. But in terms of tastings, there is no margin for error’, Olivier Crombez sums up.

‘This perfectly organised logistics process is the result of many exchanges between the UGCB and our offices in Bordeaux. We are proud to share this accomplishment today’, Ziegler Regional Executive Manager Quentin Grandière comments.

We wish you all the best for this new year coming !

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Light, durable, corrosion-resistant and cost-effective: aluminium can be found in many products – in motor vehicles and door frames as well as in food packaging or electrical products. Aluminium that is used industrially is transported in heavy bars. These weigh between a good 7 and 15 tonnes – a challenge in terms of their transportation and loading.

Unloading in just one day

The KARST freight forwarding company, which belongs to the ZIEGLER group, is well-known for its logistics expertise. An experienced team of four employees unloaded a shipload of 2,000 tonnes of aluminium bars at the Bendorf Rhine harbour near Koblenz in January 2018 – in just one day!

The perfect port

In Rotterdam, the aluminium bars were loaded onto the inland vessel “Wilhelm D” on 19 January 2018. Four days later, the ship docked at the port of Bendorf. The unloading process was optimally prepared: the KARST team had consciously opted for this port because the cranes on the wharf have a lifting capacity of 40 tonnes – ideal for the heavy bars. At the same time, suitable forklifts were also on site. They brought the metal to the place where the bars are stored until summer. Then they are transported by truck to industrial plants throughout Germany.

Every minute counts

One interesting detail of this unloading process is that, despite flooding, the team managed to discharge the cargo within one day. In the evening, the four logistics professionals looked down with satisfaction on the 2,000 tonnes of aluminium bars.

The Philippines is an agricultural state and offers enormous potential for bioenergy: residues from sugarcane and rice production as well as animal waste can be used as input materials for biogas plants. Several European manufacturers of biogas plants have implemented a pioneering project with local partners. The ground-breaking ceremony for the biogas plant took place in the summer of 2016 – a premiere on the island state.
ZIEGLER also made a contribution towards this: in September 2017, the sea freight team from ZIEGLER Frankfurt / Kelsterbach shipped parts of a biogas plant to General Santos on behalf of its partner in the Philippines. This is a follow-up order. Back in 2016, the ZIEGLER team already shipped numerous containers, including several flat racks (containers without side walls or a roof), from various European suppliers to General Santos for the same biogas project.
The container of the new consignment was loaded in the Netherlands and successfully shipped in October. It was then transported by truck from the port in General Santos City (the southernmost city in the Philippines), to the location of the new biogas plant in the province of South Cotabato.
A good feeling for ZIEGLER’s team: they made a contribution towards the first bioenergy plant and sustainable energy production in the Philippines.

As you know, since 2011 the Ziegler network had expanded its footprint in China and Hong Kong by investing in a very well reputed logistics provider : Simba Logistics in Hong Kong and China with 8 China offices :

• Chongqing (CKG)
• Hong Kong (HKG)
• Ningbo (NGB)
• Qingdao (TAO)
• Shanghai (SHA)
• Shenzen (SZN)
• Tianjin (TSN)
• Xiamen (XMN)

On September 2014, ZIEGLER South Africa seized the opportunity to reinforce its position in Cape Town through the acquisition of a stake in InHouse Crown, a well reputed niche freight company offering flexible supply chain solutions.

As a Black Empowered business, created through an alliance between In-House Management, launched in 1999, and Crown Logistics South Africa, established in 2005 in Cape Town, the company manage the entire freight and logistics process.

Since 1st March 2015 Inhouse Crown  operates under the name of InHouse Ziegler Logistics  and in one single premise together with Ziegler Cape Town.

The management – Mr Charl du Toit and  the entire team are very interested to cooperate with our group.

For more information : www.inhouseziegler.co.za

	Charl du Toit Director
InHouse Ziegler Logistics (Pty) Ltd Global Logistics Solutions
t : 0861 FREIGHT (373 4448) f : 0861 446 329CAPE TOWN 7A Thor Circle, Viking Place, Thornton, 7460Cape Town, South Africa PO Box 50609, Waterfront 8002 www.inhouseziegler.co.za

In October 2015, Ziegler UK Ltd acquired 100% of the capital in the company Phoenix Freight International , based in Basildon, Essex.
Phoenix Freight International was founded in 1986 and specializes in international transport operations across Europe, with an extensive pan-European network of agents in all major European cities. This company employs 35 people in total; working in the office and warehouse in Basildon and also in the transit office based in Hull.
Its activities are complementary with those of Ziegler UK who already have 10 branches in the UK. This acquisition strengthens the position of Ziegler UK in the UK and is part of the strong will of the Group to continue its expansion through acquisitions.